Former World No.1 Rafael Nadal shared a great rivalry with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Nadal admitted that the veteran duo pushed him to be a better player and motivated him to push the limits.
Nadal had an epic rivalry with both Federer and Djokovic in his glorious career as the trio kept pushing each other. While the Spaniard had a 24-16 record against Federer, he had a 29-31 record against Djokovic.
Nadal played some of the most important matches of his career against Federer and Djokovic and always gave his best on the court.
“You go through phases. When you’re younger, you experience everything more intensely,” Nadal told Universo Valdano, as reported by Punto de Break.
“Over the years, things soften. The positive thing about our era is that we’ve finished our careers and can go out to dinner together without any problem.
The Spaniard said the rivalry remained on the court and off the court, they have always been good friends.
“This is something to be proud of. We competed for the biggest titles, but we didn’t take it to extremes. The rivalry stayed on the track, and our personal relationships were always based on respect, admiration, and even a certain friendship with our rivals. I’m happy to have been a part of this story.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner said the Big 3 were able to inspire the next generation in the right way.
“Without taking anything away from Sinner and Alcaraz, who want to do things right, I think we [the Big Three] have helped new generations understand that you can be a fierce competitor without hating your rival.
“You can have a relationship that isn’t necessarily friendship, but it’s still a good one. It’s a good legacy we’re leaving behind.”
The 14-time Roland Garros champion said they shared a fierce rivalry on the tour as the competition between them was intense.
The Spaniard said: “We came after Sampras, who had 14 Slams. We, being three, not two, never had room for relaxation. The demand was maximum. We never stopped pushing each other. There was no margin to skip tournaments.
“That’s the greatness of our era. We were always in the final rounds competing for the most important tournaments. I don’t think one alone could have done it. I don’t think it changed much.
“The world evolves and playing style changes a bit. You hit harder, serve harder. I still believe in intuition, not playing like a robot trying to guess from stats. I discussed this with Federer, and he didn’t like having too much information.”
