For Rafael Nadal, his farewell to professional tennis is getting closer. Shortly before the end of his career, the Spaniard revealed who his biggest opponent was.
The 38-year-old did not describe record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic as his toughest rival. The Serb was the opponent he played the most against, “but for me Federer was my biggest rival,” said Nadal in an interview with the Spanish newspaper “as”.
“Because when I came to the Tour, Federer was there, and he was the first. In the years when I was at the best in my career in every way, it was Roger and Novak. But in the early years, the one especially “Roger was always there,” continued Nadal.
He believes that his rivalry with both of them was greater than between Federer and Djokovic. “I don’t know exactly why, but I feel like that’s how the world perceives her.”
With regard to Federer, he sees the reasons for this in the different style and way of approaching the sport.
Djokovic an “incredible challenge”
“And with Novak it was of course an incredible challenge. Ultimately, he is a player who has managed to maintain a very high level of play and improve every year,” said Nadal about the Serb, for whom he found many words of appreciation.
“The numbers say he’s the best, so his level of tennis was also the best, and he’s also the one who managed to stay injury-free for the longest time. If you don’t have any limitations or major injuries that spill over Over a longer period of time, not only does it have an impact on the physical level and gives you the opportunity to win, but also on a mental level it creates an absence of fear of getting hurt or slipping when it comes to a ball on the hard court. ”
The two met one last time at the Six Kings Slam show tournament in Saudi Arabia. Nadal had to admit defeat to the Olympic champion in the game for third place at the mini-tournament on Saturday with 2:6, 6:7 (5:7). The Davis Cup final from mid-November will be his last appearance as a professional.
Source: www.sport.de
