"I can beat Nadal on all surfaces... you know you can beat him every time" - When Roger Federer pressed his self-confidence in rivalry with Spaniard
Roger Federer once claimed he could defeat his longtime rival Rafael Nadal on any surface, giving himself the upper hand in their rivalry.
Federer and Nadal's rivalry is legendary in tennis history, as they are part of the 'Big 3' alongside Novak Djokovic. The trio share an incredible 66 Grand Slams, with the Serb leading the pack (24), followed by the Spaniard (22), and the Swiss (20).
Despite Nadal holding a 24-16 advantage in their head-to-head record now, Federer was once confident that he could defeat his arch-rival on clay, grass, and hard courts.
Federer told Sports Illustrated in 2007:
"I can beat [Rafael] Nadal on all surfaces: clay, grass, indoor, hard. And once you beat a player three or four times, you know you can beat him every single time."
In 2007, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faced each other in two Grand Slam finals. The first was at the French Open, where Nadal triumphed over Federer with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, making him the first man since Bjorn Borg to win the tournament three times in a row.
The second encounter took place in the final of the Wimbledon Championships, where the four-time defending champion Federer came out on top with a score of 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2.
Roger Federer on Rafael Nadal: "Back in the day we couldn’t stand each other"
At a UNIQLO event in July 2023, Roger Federer opened up about his close relationship with Rafael Nadal. He reflected on watching Nadal evolve from a young man into a more confident personality over the years. The Swiss also mentioned how their families and coaching teams grew close gradually.
"I'm five years older than Rafa," Federer said. "So when I came on tour, I saw young, junior Rafa come through and he was extremely good, very young, incredibly respectful and also very shy."
"Then I saw Rafa grow into his personality, he got more confident and then we started playing each other every other weekend and obviously got the rivalry very tennis but always got along well… Not only the two of us but also our teams - My parents, his parents; my coaches, his coaches; my sister, his sister," he added.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion revealed that he and Nadal "couldn't stand each other" during the early stages of their rivalry before admitting to missing playing against the Spaniard.
"We also started respecting the rivalry we used to have and we almost miss it, playing each other every other weekend. Back in the day we couldn’t stand each other probably for that but he is a great man," Federer said.