Former world No.4, Pat Cash, claims that Roger Federer needed almost his whole career to figure out how to beat Rafael Nadal.
Australian Tennis Icon Claims Roger Federer Needed Whole Career To Work Rafael Nadal Out
Rafael Nadal retired from the sport of tennis after Spain were knocked out in the Davis Cup quarter final and fans have been reminiscing over his long career that spanned over two decades.
One of his biggest rivals in the sport was Roger Federer, with Nadal boasting a positive record the Swiss tennis icon with a 60% win rate (24W & 16L).
Before 2014 Nadal’s record was at its best, sitting at 23-10 before Federer won six of the last seven matches between the two.
Nadal’s victories came in important matches also, winning 10 of the 14 Grand Slam encounters between the two – including 6/9 major finals.
The duo were also partners in Federer’s final match at the 2022 Laver Cup in London, as the Swiss superstar called an end to his career.
Pat Cash, the Wimbledon champion in 1987, identified Nadal’s record against Federer and believes it highlights the difficult in facing the Spaniard on clay.
He said: “It took Federer almost his whole career to work him out. That’s saying something, that’s how difficult it is, it took somebody as talented as Federer until last couple of years to finally work out how to beat him. He’ll be missed, for sure.”
Despite a good record against Federer, the Spanish tennis star believes that the Swiss icon was his biggest rival throughout a twenty-year career.
Nadal said: “Djokovic is the player I have faced the most, but for me, my biggest rival has been Federer. Because, when I arrived on the circuit, it was Federer who was there and he was the first,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner told AS in October.
“In the years when I was at my best in every sense of the word, it was Roger and Novak. But in the first years, which are the ones that leave a special mark on you, Roger was always there.
“I think, and I don’t know why, that my rivalry with the two of them has been more intense than the one they had between them. I don’t know exactly what the reason is, but I feel that the world perceives it that way. We would have to find the reason.
“With Roger, I am clear that it is because it was a very sharp contrast in styles and ways of seeing and approaching the sport.”
