Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic currently share the Major all-time record, all three being at 20. The Serbian has closed the gap that separated him from his eternal rivals thanks to a formidable 2021, in which he even touched the ‘Calendar Grand Slam’
Should he triumph at the US Open last September, the 34-year-old from Belgrade would become the second man in the Open Era after Rod Laver to clinch all four Grand Slams in the same year. Nole ended the season at the top of the ATP ranking for the seventh time in her career, definitively detaching his idol Pete Sampras in this special ranking.
Federer underwent knee surgery for the third time in the past 18 months, while Nadal had to deal with a chronic foot problem. The 35-year-old from Manacor tested positive for Coronavirus a few days ago and his presence at the Australian Open 2022 is in strong doubt.
During a long interview with ‘Filo News’, Diego Schwartzman analyzed the strengths of each of the Big 3.
Schwartzman praises Nadal
In an interview with Argentinian outlet Filo News, Diego Schwartzman talked about the Big Three in tennis.
He shared how he had to play with Djokovic, Federer, and Rafael Nadal a lot when he moved into the top 20 and 10 ranks. Then, Schwartzman talks about Rafael Nadal. He praises Nadal’s dominance on clay- “On clay, it is almost impossible to follow the rhythm and dominance that he (Nadal) has,” he shares.
“Rafa is the one who imposes the most respect on you when entering the field,” the 29-year-old shares. “It is like you enter more defeated”. Moreover, Schwartzman even compares Nadal’s attitude as an opponent to that of Roger Federer.
“Federer being so relaxed, sometimes he gives you a game,” he shares. On the other hand, it is an entirely different story against El Nino. “You enter the Nadal match, and it seems that everything from the first point to the last point, is the last in his career.
It imposes so much respect on you,” he expresses. “It is very difficult to sustain what he does from minute zero”. Rafael Nadal tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday after returning to Spain following his run at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
The Spaniard is scheduled to feature at an ATP 250 event in Melbourne kicking off on January 4, though that is now unlikely. Nadal said he will keep his fans updated about his participation in future tournaments.
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