Former Grand Slam champion Juan Carlos Ferrero says it is absolutely impressive what Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have achieved and how long they have managed to stay at the top of tennis.
The three greats shaped an era of tennis and are considered the top three players in tennis history. Ferrero, who had a very successful career as he won a Grand Slam and rose to No. 1 in the rankings, beat Federer three times, Nadal twice and ended on the winning side once against Djokovic.
“I was there trying to find the tactics to play against them and sometimes I beat them. With Rafa it was his strength on the pitch; the ball comes to you very hard, the intensity of every point he plays Ferrero said on ATP Tennis radio, according to Sportskeeda.
“Of course, Roger can do whatever he wants at any time. He’s won most of the matches he’s played, which is impressive. For Novak, the one who will win the most titles in the future.”
Nadal, 35, and Djokovic, 34, remain Grand Slam contenders, while unfortunately Federer hasn’t played much in the last two years due to knee injuries. “It’s very difficult to maintain the same intensity week after week.
They’ve been doing this for years. That’s one of the things that impressed me the most,” added Ferrero. In recent years, the Big 3 have made some adjustments to their calendar as all the attention has focused on the Grand Slams.
Federer has won 20 Grand Slam titles
David Nalbandian has said that beating the Big 3 of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer made him confident of beating them again. “Beating all three guys (in the same tournament) hasn’t happened before, hasn’t happened until now.
I’ve had an amazing week. I honestly played very well the last few months before I came here. I didn’t get many results. I struggled here in the first laps. I saved match points I think second or third round.
And after that everything became unreal. I played incredible tennis.” Nalbandian added that being familiar with Federer’s playing style after playing with him at juniors has helped him a lot in his career, adding: “I always think I can beat Federer , because we played juniors all the time.
Every time I walked onto the pitch I knew I would have a lot of chances. I knew he didn’t like playing against me either. Both know it’s going to be a very tough match. Both know who plays better will win.
I don’t respect Roger Federer like everyone else because we played from juniors. We don’t have that respect for each other. And that’s a big advantage for me.”
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