Rafael Nadal thinks when it is all said and done everyone will agree that he, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic shared a very nice story. In an interview with Marca, Nadal was asked whether he feels he is the cornerstone of the Big Three.
Federer’s biggest rival was Nadal, while Djokovic considers Nadal to be his biggest rival. “It’s true that I was Federer’s first great rival so I understand that he sees it this way. Then, when Novak arrived, it is true that Federer was still better than me but in the following years I won more than Roger so I have also coincided more times with Djokovic on the court.
In other words, I have been more his great rival than Roger. In the end I see it as something positive because it is true that between the three of us we have won a lot but I don’t think that any of us have been able to win more than Roger,” Nadal told Marca.
Nadal, Federer & Djokovic left a major mark on tennis
In 2003, Federer became a Grand Slam champion after beating Mark Philippoussis in the Wimbledon final. Two years later, an 18-year-old Nadal made it all the way in his French Open debut.
At the start of the 2008 season, a 21-year-old Djokovic won his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. Just before Djokovic arrived on the big scene, Nadal and Federer created the biggest rivalry in the men’s game.
Then, Djokovic created great rivalries with Nadal and Federer. The rest is history as everyone knows what those three have been able to accomplish in the game. Against Federer, Nadal finished with a positive 24-16 record. When it comes to Nadal’s rivalry with Djokovic, it’s a much tighter race as the Serb leads the head-to-head versus the Spaniard 30-29. If nothing unexpected happens, we will certainly see more great matches between Nadal and Djokovic in 2023.
