Rafael Nadal reveals exactly how he beat Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer – ‘The plan was clear’
Rafael Nadal says that his gameplay tactics against Roger Federer were ‘clearer’ than those used against Novak Djokovic, with the latter being more surface dependent.
The Spaniard – who decided to hang up his racket at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals after struggling to regain consistency post-left psoas surgery – formed part of the ‘Big Three’, alongside the Swiss and Serb.
Combined, they collected 64 Grand Slams and 104 Masters 1000s, as well having held the top spot in the ATP rankings for 947 weeks (equivalent to over 18 years).
Given their hard-fought rivalries, none of the three were quick to divulge their specific tactics during their careers – always seeking to gain an edge against the other.
However, Nadal gave a look into his tennis genius after being asked to compare the matchups against both Federer and Djokovic.
“With Federer, the plan was clear,” Nadal told Spanish news outlet AS.
“Especially at the beginning: pressure his backhand with high balls repeatedly until he stood still, waiting for the next shot, and then I could switch to his forehand.
“It was a mental effort for me, because I often saw the shot going the other way, but I knew that repeating it on the backhand would tire him mentally.
“I didn’t always feel like using that tactic, but it was the most feasible.”
Indeed, the pair played on 40 occasions with Nadal leading 24-16, overall.
Arguably, their Wimbledon 2008 clash is the greatest tennis match in the history of the sport, being the scene of the Spaniard dethroning five-time defending champion Federer 9-7 in the fifth set.
The Swiss maestro opted to play alongside Nadal in a men’s doubles contest during the last match of his professional career, at the 2022 Laver Cup in London.
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Whilst the two oldest members of the world-renowned trio have retired, Djokovic continues to break records and defy logic.
The 38-year-old legend is currently ranked as the world No 4 after reaching the semi-finals at all four Grand Slams in 2025.
He lifted two ATP 250 titles during the season – in Geneva and Athens.
“With Novak, it was more unpredictable,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion said about his younger rival.
“On clay, it was a bit more unpredictable than on hard courts. On hard courts, in my later years, when my body couldn’t handle certain efforts anymore, it was much harder.
“To have a chance, I needed my body to respond, and it wasn’t. I had to shorten points, and beating Novak in two or three shots was very difficult.
“I sometimes tried to be more aggressive with my serve, but it didn’t work.
“On clay, I did find solutions, and on grass, I also had chances, although I ended up losing those semi-finals.
“I felt my chances were better on clay or grass than on hard courts, especially in my later years.”
As the Spaniard mentioned, his rivalry against Djokovic was extremely surface dependent.
27 of their 60 clashes took place on hard courts, with the Serb dominating 20-7 – including all of their last nine.
On the other hand, the King of Clay – predictably – ended their rivalry with a 20-9 lead on the red dirt.
Meanwhile, they split their four grass-court matches equally.
