Rafael Nadal's Uncle Reveals Harsh Truth On Rivalry With Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni Nadal has admitted that while Roger Federer is the best Tennis player of the current generation but he is not the one who gave his nephew the hardest time on the court.

Uncle Toni, who was Nadal’s coach for 27 long years, suggested that no player has been a more difficult opponent for Toni than World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The Big Three — Nadal, Federer and Djokovic — have won the last 13 Grand Slams and the debate on who is the best among the three continues.

Federer, who will turn 39 in August, has 20 Grand Slams to his name and leads Nadal by just one major title. Djokovic, the youngest of the three at 33, is closing in when he clinched his 17th title in January by winning the Australian Open.

“For me, he (Federer) is a wonderful player. I like to watch Roger Federer a lot. If I wasn't the uncle nor the coach of Rafael, I would want Federer to win all the matches. But in the end, I like how he plays, because he's very elegant but he's very effective too,” Toni told Eurosport's ‘Players' Cut’ program, which features Nadal. “I know Federer is the best ever with I don't know who; maybe Rod Laver or maybe Rafael, he's not too far (behind). But at the moment Federer is the best.”

The 59-year old ex-coach added that he personally preferred to play against Federer over Djokovic. He stepped down as Rafael’s coach at the end of the 2017 season.

“For us it was always more difficult to play against Djokovic. Because it's not about who of them is better. For us, when we play against Federer, we have a way to beat him. In my mind, before going on court, I know what we have to do. When we play against Djokovic, many times we didn't know exactly what we had to do. This is more difficult, for me. I prefer to play against Federer,” Toni added.

Before coronavirus pandemic halted the 2020 tennis season, Djokovic was in a remarkable form. He clinched the inaugural ATP Cup with Serbia before he conquered his fortress yet again, the Australian Open. With the win at the Dubai Tennis Championships, the Serbian star went on to extend his unbeaten streak to 21 games.