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 Huge Three rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, ears are positive to perk up. Undecided we’ve ever heard Nadal speak in regards to the nuts and bolts of his tennis this manner. As a result of when he performed he was all the time frightened 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 essentially the most unimaginable period that males’s tennis has ever seen.
Examine the total 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 bit of 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 necessary matches, or much more. As a result of with Roger I believe 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. Not directly I used to be making an attempt to kill his backhand on a regular basis, and even for me, if I had the possibility 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 must get him away from that aspect 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 the most effective that I performed towards. It was a bit of bit extra like a chess match. Everyone knew what was going to occur, all people knew what the technique was going to be. After which when he was taking part in very effectively, he beat me, after I was taking part in effectively I beat him. Initially of my profession, I beat him extra on clay and on hardcourts it had been rather more tough.
Nadal on why 2017 Federer was essentially the most tough model of Federer he ever confronted:
Then arrived the second that I used to be capable of beat him on arduous courts a few instances. After which on the finish of his profession I believe he made a step ahead. He was taking part in rather more aggressively and, for me, he was making a mistake towards me originally of his profession, by taking part in together with his backhand topspin, which gave me the possibility to maintain hitting forehands towards his backhand. Then on the finish of the profession he began to go in and take extra danger.
For me, truthfully in 2017, for some time it was the most effective degree of his profession – for me. You felt that you simply had been in his palms. After all on hardcourts. On clay, it was little bit totally different. He performed very, very aggressively and his serve was so tough to learn for me, it was very tough to foretell what was occurring.
Nadal on what made the Djokovic rivalry totally different:
In opposition to Novak it was a bit of bit totally different. We are able to have a technique, however on the finish it’s about… I must play effectively. 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 effectively for a very long time, and know that I needed to alter issues.
Nadal on why Djokovic had the most effective 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 effectively, and generally towards Novak it was good for me to play to the center. Don’t give him a whole lot of angles. With Novak while you had been capable of open him, if you happen to don’t actually create a whole lot of injury, he was capable of open you extra. By way of management – ball management – I believe he’s the most effective I ever performed, and that I ever noticed.
