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INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 15: Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands at the net after his straight sets victory against Rafael Nadal of Spain in their fourth round match during day ten of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2017 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 15: Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands at the net after his straight sets victory against Rafael Nadal of Spain in their fourth round match during day ten of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2017 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Over the years, the ‘Big Three’ in tennis have enthralled the fans with some unforgettable matches. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic have often been the epicenter of the ‘GOAT’ debate. And hence, their on and off-the-court relationships have also been in the limelight constantly.
Quite remarkably, the three have dominated the sport on their favorite surfaces. While Rafael Nadal is known as the ‘King of Clay’, Roger Federer has held his dominance on the grass-courts, and Novak Djokovic on the hard-courts. But setting aside their rivalry and spilling the beans on their relationship, recently, Nadal’s representative opened up on the off-court relationship between the trio.
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerland wait to go on stage during the ATP Heritage Celebration at The Waldorf=Astoria on in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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Rafael Nadal’s Head of communication makes an honest admission
Benito Pérez-Barbadillo is the head of communication for Rafael Nadal. In his interview, he was asked whether Nadal gets along with Federer much better than Djokovic. He said, “Yes, I think so, but I don’t know why either. It is true that Rafa and Federer get along very well and that they are regularly in contact through mobile messages. Could it be that Rafa and Roger get along better, period. Because I can assure you that all three are very good people.”
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PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 07: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerland embrace at the net after their mens singles semi-final match during Day thirteen of the 2019 French Open at Roland Garros on June 07, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Further, he added, “When I stopped working with Djokovic in 2011, the only advice I gave him was to keep his rivalry with Nadal on the court, not to face him outside of competition. And I think he listened to me because outside the two also get along. I hope the situation hasn’t changed after the last episode in Australia.”
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— TroubleFault (@troublefault) February 13, 2022
With Nadal creating history at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic would be eager to get his season back on track after the Australian Open fiasco. Meanwhile, Federer is still recovering from his injury suffered last season.
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Who do you think will end up as the eventual leader in the Grand Slam titles race? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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