Rafael Nadal Makes Huge Admission on Rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal is enjoying a taste of success at the beginning of his 2022 season. Not only did he win an ATP 250 title in the Melbourne Summer Set, but he is also going strong in the Australian Open.

The Spaniard is through to the fourth round of the Grand Slam. Thus, he will face French player Adrian Mannarino at the Rod Laver Arena in an attempt to reach the quarter-finals. Nadal, in his interview after the third match, talked about his performance on hard courts, and his conscious improvement on the surface.

Moreover, he also compares his hard-court game to that of his greatest rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Rafael Nadal improved his hard-court game over the years

Rafael Nadal won Round 3 of the Australian Open against Russian Karen Khachanov, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. In his post-match presser, a journalist asked Rafa the key to his success on hard courts over the years.

Firstly, Rafa greeted the journalist, telling him it was good to see him. Then, he proceeded to describe how throughout his career, he had “been improving and improving on all the surfaces”. In fact, “that was always the goal, to be (a) better player in general terms,” Nadal said.

On the hard surfaces, Nadal shared how he “needed to adapt a little bit”, owing to “physical problems”. “I needed to find ways to be competitive,” the 20-time Grand Slam champion stated. Thus, he shifted his game to “play sometimes more aggressive,” since he was not able to move too fast in the beginning.

Nevertheless, Rafa isn’t blind to his own hard-court game. “I improved my serve, my return, my position on court,” he said, talking about his conscious improvement on the surface. Moreover, he also stated that his understanding of the hard surface improved, as well. Describing the latter part of his career, Rafael Nadal stated that the hardcourt was something “I probably understand better” later, rather than at the beginning of his career.

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Furthermore, Rafa also admitted how he “wasn’t the best player on hard (court)”. In fact, he gave credit where due to his longtime rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, too. He stated how how “Roger (Federer) and Novak (Djokovic) had been little better than me on this surface, without a doubt.”

Rafa is proud of what he’s achieved on the hard surface

Nadal still remembers the first year when he tasted success on the hardcourt. Creasing his forehead as he remembered the first hard-court tournaments he won, Rafa reminded the room of how he won three tournaments on the surface in 2005.

Rafa remembered winning two Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Madrid in 2005. Interestingly, these were the first hardcourt championships for the Spanish legend-in-the-making. “When I was healthy,” Rafa explained, “I was able to compete well during all these years. I was able to win a couple of very important tournaments,” the 5-time hardcourt Grand Slam champion said.

Rafael Nadal is set to potentially meet German World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the quarter-final round. The second-highest seed in the tournament currently, Zverev could certainly pose problems for the Spaniard.

In fact, the two of them have met four times on the hardcourt, once each in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020. Rafael Nadal was victorious in the first two meetings. However, in both their recent meetings, Zverev has proven to be the superior player, defeating Rafa in both matches in straight sets.

Who do you think would come out on top in a potential quarter-final matchup?

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