Roger Federer stated that he struggled more against Rafael Nadal than any other player he faced.
Federer retired from tennis in 2022, playing a farewell doubles match at the Laver Cup. The Swiss teamed up with Rafael Nadal and the duo faced Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. They won the opening set 6-4 but the Americans bounced back to take the next two sets 7-6, 11-9, and win the match.
Roger Federer recently spoke about Rafael Nadal while in New York City as part of a video segment named 24 Hours with Roger from Uniqlo.
In the video, the Swiss teaches aspiring tennis players how to serve well and one of the youngsters asked him who was the hardest player he had to face. Federer named Nadal, claiming that he struggled the most against him because of his topspin and the fact that he was left-handed.
“I struggled against Rafa the most. Yeah, just because of his topspin and lefty, you know,” Federer said.
The Swiss also spoke about tennis, claiming that he thought of retiring at times in his career due to the frustrations that came with losing. He also stated that one could get to know incredible people throughout their tennis career.
“It’s a great sport. You get great camaraderie. We see them smiling a lot. Yes, I also thought about hanging up the racket at certain moments in my career because losing is really frustrating,” Federer said.
“But then, you know you have your support team, you have your coach, maybe you have your parents, a friend, they can all pick you up, you know, and they can keep you going. And you’re getting yo know incredible people along the way, which for me, has been an incredible thing in my life,” he added.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal forged one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history. The two squared off in 40 matches, with the Spaniard leading 24-16 in the head-to-head.
The first meeting between the two tennis greats came in the fourth round of the 2004 Miami Open, with Nadal winning 6-3, 6-3. They met in nine Grand Slam finals, with the Spaniard winning six and the Swiss triumphing three times.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have played out some of the greatest tennis matches of all time, including the Wimbledon finals in 2007 and 2008, and the 2008 Australian Open final.
The last meeting between the two came in the semifinals of Wimbledon 2019, with Federer winning 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
