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 all the interview is nice.
However when the dialog turned to Nadal speaking about his Large Three rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, ears are certain to perk up. Unsure we’ve ever heard Nadal discuss concerning the nuts and bolts of his tennis this fashion. As a result of when he performed he was at all times nervous 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 going through these two giants of the sport in probably the most unbelievable period that males’s tennis has ever seen.
Test the complete episode beneath:
And listed below are some unbelievable snippets that we’ve transcribed for you:
Nadal on Why Federer-Nadal was extra engaging to followers than Djokovic-Nadal
In my view that’s why the rivalry with Roger was somewhat 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 attempting to do one factor, he was attempting to do one other. In a roundabout way I used to be attempting 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 facet to create more room once more.
And he was attempting to keep away from that.
He was attempting 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 perfect that I performed towards. It was somewhat 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 effectively, he beat me, after I was taking part in effectively I beat him. In the beginning of my profession, I beat him extra on clay and on hardcourts it had been way more troublesome.
Nadal on why 2017 Federer was probably the most troublesome 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 believe he made a step ahead. He was taking part in way more aggressively and, for me, he was making a mistake towards me firstly of his profession, by taking part in along 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 threat.
For me, truthfully in 2017, for some time it was the perfect stage of his profession – for me. You felt that you simply have been in his fingers. In fact on hardcourts. On clay, it was little bit completely different. He performed very, very aggressively and his serve was so troublesome to learn for me, it was very troublesome to foretell what was occurring.
Nadal on what made the Djokovic rivalry completely different:
In opposition to Novak it was somewhat bit completely different. We will have a method, 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’d 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 regulate issues.
Nadal on why Djokovic had the perfect 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 troublesome 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 lots of angles. With Novak whenever you have been in a position to open him, if you happen to don’t actually create lots of injury, he was in a position to open you extra. By way of management – ball management – I believe he’s the perfect I ever performed, and that I ever noticed.
