INTERVIEW: RAFAEL NADAL ANALYZES HIS LEGENDARY RIVALRIES WITH ROGER FEDERER AND NOVAK DJOKOVIC TODAY
Rafael Nadal breaks down his strategies against Federer and Djokovic, while teasing a potential 2026 exhibition match return.
Roger Federer gave props to Rafael Nadal, calling him a giant of the game, after an emotional goodbye ceremony for the Spaniard at the French Open, in an interview with TNT Sports.
A year after hanging up his racket, Rafael Nadal thought back on his career as one of tennis's fiercest competitors.
The Spaniard's amazing career wrapped up at the 2024 Davis Cup. He left the sport with 22 Grand Slam titles and a rep as one of the all-time greats.
Everyone knew his name, even people who didn't follow tennis. He was part of the Big Three—the most dominant trio to ever play—along with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
So, what tricks did Nadal use to beat his biggest rivals?
Against Federer, the plan was pretty simple, Nadal told Spanish newspaper AS. Especially early on: keep hitting his backhand with high shots until he froze, waiting for the next one. Then I'd switch to his forehand.
It took a lot of focus, since I often thought I should hit the other way, but I knew hitting his backhand over and over would wear him down mentally. I didn't always feel like doing it, but it was the smartest thing to do.
Before Djokovic hit the top, Federer and Nadal were the top dogs, creating one of the best rivalries in sports history.
They were usually friendly off the court, aside from a few jabs here and there. But on the court, they were amazing. Together, they won 42 Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic crashed their party and, eventually, won even more awards than them.
"Novak was tougher to read," Nadal said about going up against Djokovic. On clay, it was a little less clear than on hard courts. On hard courts, as I got older and couldn't push my body as much, it was way harder.
To have a shot, I needed my body to cooperate, and it wasn't. I had to make points shorter, and beating Novak in two or three shots was super hard. Sometimes I tried to serve more aggressively, but that didn't pan out.
On clay, I could figure things out. And on grass, I had chances, even though I lost those semi-finals [he lost to the Serb in five sets at Wimbledon in 2018]. I felt better about my chances on clay or grass than on hard courts, especially later in my career.
Djokovic is still going strong as the last man standing from the Big Three.
Since the other two retired, people keep bringing up the idea of an exhibition match between Federer and Nadal, which just shows how much people loved their rivalry even after they stopped playing.
Nadal's old coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, has said that his nephew would be pumped to face his old rival again.
Nadal himself is up for it, but only if it feels right.
"I don't think it'll ever be the same, and I don't expect it to be," Nadal said.
But who knows what'll happen? If we think it'll be fun, if we can make it mean something and something we're really into… why not?
I'm not ruling out picking up a racket again, but I'd need to get ready for it.
When you play, you want to be prepared, and right now I'm not. I'd need to train for a while.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
