What Intimidated Roger Federer Deeply About Rafael Nadal? Startling Narrative Reveals the Early Stages of Their Rivalry

Rafael Nadal stayed connected with his uncle and coach Tony Nadal right from the time when he was preparing to be the force that later gave birth to a glorious era. Along with Tony, Francisco Roig was one name that backed Rafa as an alternate to not only work on his weaknesses but also to bring his legendary story to the world.

The book ‘Rafa: My Story’ delves deep into what went on behind the scenes of numerous moments from Nadal’s career, some of which fans may not know about. Among the many narratives, one such tale was how the Spaniard’s locker room rituals were once targeted to create a terrifying effect on Roger Federer.

Francisco Roig narrates his plan with Rafael Nadal to create a frightening effect on Roger Federer

There was a time when Rafael Nadal had a big challenge of getting over Roger Federer to take his legacy down or create his own against it. In his biography ‘Rafa: My Story’, Nadal’s second coach, Francisco Roig, talked about a moment when he used the Spaniard’s pre-match rituals’ intensity as a strategy to create a terrifying effect on Roger Federer. Roig described the moment when Nadal prepared for a match, saying, “It’s the moment he gets up from the massage table, after Maymó has finished putting on his bandages, that he becomes scary for his rivals.”

Roig continued to describe the details of how Rafa made his form look really intense, saying, “The simple action of wrapping on his bandanna is so frighteningly intense; his eyes, far away, seem to see nothing that’s around him. Then, suddenly, he’ll breathe deep and kick into life, pumping his legs up and down and then, as if oblivious to the fact that his rival is just a few paces away across the room, he’ll let out a cry of ‘Vamos! Vamos!’ [‘Let’s go! Let’s go!’]”

While Roig explained both the physical as well as psychological activities that created a frightening impact on other players, he believed that it was worth scaring anyone off. Talking of it’s effect on Roger Federer, he said, “Federer would have had to be made of stone.” 

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Along with describing the dominance that Rafael Nadal created with just his preparations, his alternate coach also revealed the common mindset that it created in his opponents. According to him, the players thought, “Oh, my God! This is Nadal, who fights for every point as if it were his last. Today I’m going to have to be at the very top of my game, I’m going to have to have the day of my life. And not to win, just to have a chance.’”

As the coach narrated this tale of how they used Rafa’s unique and dominant form to scare Federer off, it not only reminds fans of an era where the legends fought against each other but also shows how the battles are fought both on and off the court.