Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, along with Novak Djokovic, dominated the ATP Tour for more than two decades.
Federer and Nadal’s brilliant rivalry saw them meet 40 times in 15 years between 2004 and 2019, with the Spaniard leading the rivalry with 24 victories.
The two men are widely considered two of the greatest of all time and they won 42 Grand Slam titles between them.
A former professional tennis star who played them both has weighed in on the biggest difference between the two giants of the sport.
The main difference between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Juan Ignacio Chela was a top performer on the ATP Tour during the 2000s and he played Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal.
He never tasted a victory against Djokovic or Federer, but he did manage to defeat Nadal on one occasion in 2004.
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In an interview with Clank, Chela admitted that there was always a key difference between playing Nadal and Federer.
The Argentine revealed: “I played against all three. I beat Rafa once, I think he was 17 years old, in Cincinnati.
“What Rafa had was that he let you play a bit more, you played a bit more comfortably and it also seemed like he saw the match from above, tactically extraordinary.
“Federer didn’t let me stop on the court. I needed rhythm, I needed time. Federer from the first point would hit a return winner, short, and come to the net”.
Nadal ended his career with a 5-1 head-to-head record against Chela, while Federer beat the Argentine six times in a row.
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In an earlier interview, Chela explained why Federer was the best player out of the ‘big three’, despite his numbers not adding up to Djokovic or Nadal.
“Against Roger, I only took one set from him in Miami. I was a player who needed rhythm, who needed to play rallies of six or eight shots. I couldn’t do that against Roger.
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“He would pull me off the baseline, whether with his serve, a drop shot, or his returns… If you ask ChatGPT to create the ideal tennis player for you, I think it will create Roger.
“Of course, the others have surpassed him in terms of numbers, but no one has his ease, his talent, and his class.”
Federer ended his career with 20 Grand Slam titles, while Nadal managed to win 22 and Djokovic currently stands on 24.
