‘Roger Federer was the most beautiful to watch – Rafael Nadal was the opposite extreme’ – Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has spoken about the impact of his rivalries with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and broken down the differences between his two fellow icons.
The epic three-way battle between the Big Three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic made the period from the mid-2000s and throughout the 2010s a golden era in tennis history.
From Federer’s first Grand Slam triumph at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships to Djokovic’s most recent at the 2023 US Open, the legendary trio won an astonishing 66 of the 81 majors held. Djokovic has secured a record 24, while Nadal and Federer retired on 22 on 20 respectively.
Djokovic‘s rivalries with Nadal and Federer are the two most prolific matchups in the Open Era of men’s tennis in terms of matches contested.
The Serbian finished with a 31-29 lead against Nadal from the pair’s 60 record matches between 2006 and 2024, while he amassed a 27-23 record from his 50 meetings with Federer from 2006 to 2020.
Speaking on a podcast with Croatian former football star Slaven Bilic, Djokovic placed his own playing style in his prime closer to that of Nadal than Federer.
“Federer is the most talented one, the most beautiful to watch when playing,” the 38-year-old declared.
“He uses his energy most efficiently. He moved so lightly, so elegantly and so efficiently, while Nadal is the opposite extreme, he dominated physically.
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“I was somewhere in between, but I leaned more towards Nadal’s style of play. So more sliding, more running, baseline-focused play and so on.
“Each of us had our own characteristics, and over time as our rivalries developed, they evolved and strengthened.
“We always say that, all three of us, and I know they’ve said it too. Through those rivalries, we each contributed to one other’s growth as tennis players and as people.
“Absolutely, I say it without hesitation, my rivalries with those two had the biggest influence on my development, especially in the second part of my career from 2011 onward.”
Federer called time on his career at the 2022 Laver Cup, partnering Nadal in doubles in his last-ever match. The Swiss’ last singles event was the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.
Nadal’s farewell event was the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, where Spain exited at the quarter-final stage in Malaga.
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