By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday March 13, 2025
On the “Served with Andy Roddick” podcast, Rafael Nadal joins the previous US Open champion for an especially candid interview. Rafa talks for an hour with Roddick and the entire interview is nice.
However when the dialog turned to Nadal speaking about his Massive Three rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, ears are positive to perk up. Undecided we’ve ever heard Nadal speak concerning the nuts and bolts of his tennis this fashion. As a result of when he performed he was all the time apprehensive about giving up an excessive amount of of his techniques.
Now that he’s retired he can lastly communicate frankly about what he was coping with when dealing with these two giants of the sport in probably the most unimaginable period that males’s tennis has ever seen.
Verify the complete episode beneath:
And listed below are some unimaginable snippets that we’ve transcribed for you:
Nadal on Why Federer-Nadal was extra engaging to followers than Djokovic-Nadal
For my part that’s why the rivalry with Roger was a little bit bit extra engaging for the followers, than Novak towards me. Even when I performed extra instances with Novak, and we performed precisely the identical variety of vital matches, or much more. As a result of with Roger I feel the technique was extra clear.
Nadal on the techniques of Federer vs Nadal
I used to be making an attempt to do one factor, he was making an attempt to do one other. In a roundabout way I used to be making an attempt to kill his backhand on a regular basis, and even for me, if I had the prospect to play the shot down the road, I used to be saying to myself: Okay, when I’ve to play the shot down the road it’s just for two causes: one, for the winner. The opposite is as a result of I have to get him away from that facet to create extra space once more.
And he was making an attempt to keep away from that.
He was making an attempt to play aggressively. Everytime when he was hitting his forehand I felt like I needed to step again, as a result of his forehand, for me, is one of the best that I performed towards. It was a little bit bit extra like a chess match. All people knew what was going to occur, everyone knew what the technique was going to be. After which when he was taking part in very properly, he beat me, after I was taking part in properly I beat him. In the beginning of my profession, I beat him extra on clay and on hardcourts it had been way more tough.
Nadal on why 2017 Federer was probably the most tough model of Federer he ever confronted:
Then arrived the second that I used to be in a position to beat him on laborious courts a few instances. After which on the finish of his profession I feel he made a step ahead. He was taking part in way more aggressively and, for me, he was making a mistake towards me in the beginning of his profession, by taking part in together with his backhand topspin, which gave me the prospect to maintain hitting forehands towards his backhand. Then on the finish of the profession he began to go in and take extra threat.
For me, actually in 2017, for some time it was one of the best degree of his profession – for me. You felt that you simply had been in his arms. After all on hardcourts. On clay, it was little bit completely different. He performed very, very aggressively and his serve was so tough to learn for me, it was very tough to foretell what was happening.
Nadal on what made the Djokovic rivalry completely different:
In opposition to Novak it was a little bit bit completely different. We will have a method, however on the finish it’s about… I have to play properly. We don’t play the identical model after all, however there was not a transparent technique like I had towards Roger, the place I might injury his backhand. In opposition to Novak I didn’t have that feeling. The sensation was that I would wish to play very properly for a very long time, and know that I needed to modify issues.
Nadal on why Djokovic had one of the best ball management ever
I couldn’t play too many instances towards his backhand, particularly excessive balls as a result of then he takes the ball faster and places you in a really tough place, so I began to make use of the slice extra towards him, and generally it labored for me properly, and generally towards Novak it was good for me to play to the center. Don’t give him a variety of angles. With Novak whenever you had been in a position to open him, in case you don’t actually create a variety of injury, he was in a position to open you extra. When it comes to management – ball management – I feel he’s one of the best I ever performed, and that I ever noticed.
