As a member of a quartet that has dominated men’s tennis over the past decade, Rafael Nadal believes Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer has each earned the right to be regarded as one of the greatest ever in the sport.
The world No.1 spoke about the two players during a recent interview with Spanish radio station Cadena Ser. Throughout 2017 Federer has been Nadal’s nemesis on the tour. The two have played each other four times this year with the Swiss player winning all of them. Narrowing Nadal’s winning head-to-head record down to 23-15. So far, Nadal has played Federer in the final of nine grand slam tournaments with their most recent meeting occurring in this year’s Australian Open.
Asked if Federer was the greatest ever player he has faced, Nadal refrained to single out one player. Another worthy contender is Novak Djokovic. Nadal’s head-to-head record against Djokovic stand at 26-24 in favour of the Serbian. At the Madrid Open in May, he ended his seven-match losing streak against Djokovic by prevailing in the semifinals.
As to which player is better in Nadal’s eyes, he points out that they each have their own qualities. Federer has won 95 ATP titles in his career, including a record 19 in grand slam events. Justifying his credentials. On the other hand, Nadal believes a peak Djokovic is ‘invincible’ when it comes to the technical side of the game.
“Well, it’s complicated. What with titles and what he’s accomplished that says he’s [Federer] the best in the history of our sport,” Nadal told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, as quoted by the Metro.
“Is he the best I’ve played against? Well, maybe, yes, I’ve also played the great Djokovic, we’ve run into other really good players.
“But it’d be unfair to say that Federer isn’t the best I’ve ever played against because the titles and his track record prove that to be the case. But at a technical level, when Djokovic has been at the top of his game, I have to say that I’ve been up against an invincible player,” he added.
Djokovic, who is currently recovering from an elbow injury, illustrated his world-class talent in 2015. Winning 82 out of 88 matches played and claiming 11 ATP titles. It was during that same year where he became the first player in history to win $20 million in prize money within a single season.
Nadal and Djokovic will participate in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship later this month ahead of the start of the new season. Meanwhile, Federer will play in the Hopman Cup during the first week of January.
Careers at-a-glance
| Novak Djokovic | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | |
| Weeks at No.1 | 223 | 302 | 157 |
| ATP titles | 69 | 95 | 75 |
| Career prize money | $109,805,403 | $111,885,682 | $94,588,627 |
Note: information generated from atpworldtour.com on 6/12/2017.
