"After that match he believed that he could really hurt him on clay" - Roger Federer's coach Ivan Ljubicic on how the retiring star dominated Rafael Nadal in their most recent meetings
Roger Federer got the better of Rafael Nadal in their most recent meeting, winning seven of their last eight meetings, beginning with the 2015 Swiss Open final in Basel and ending with a semifinal clash at Wimbledon in 2019.
Overall, in their careers, the pair have faced each other a whopping 40 times, with the Spaniard having a healthy 24-16 lead in the head-to-head record.
Federer's coach Ivan Ljubicic, speaking on the latest episode of The Tennis Podcast, touched upon his pupil's improvement against Nadal and the reasons behind it. The Croatian believes that the 2017 Australian Open final was a turning point in their clashes.
"I think obviously that match in Australia changed his way of experiencing Rafa, I believe. I think after that match he felt more and more confident that he has it on his racket, which wasn't the case against Rafa fighting for many times before that," he expressed, adding, "And so, I think after that match he kind of believed more and he played, you know, just tactically also a bit different."
I know Wimbledon 2009 final comes up a lot when discussing Roger Federer’s greatest wins.
But I think the 2017 Australian Open final deserves some recognition.
Coming back from a break down in the fifth set to defeat Rafael Nadal was stunning.
https://t.co/0ppiA2i8xh
While Nadal's last win against the 20-time Grand Slam champion came in the semifinals of the 2019 French Open, former World No. 3 Ljubicic believes that the windy conditions on that day played spoilsport.
"I mean, personally I know I'm a perfectionist but I'm very sorry for that semifinal at Roland Garros they played each other. It was so windy that the match wasn't a real match, you know what I mean. So I would have, I would have wanted to see him playing Rafa on the equal terms. Not on equal terms, of course it was equal terms, but on the normal conditions," he said.
"I'm not saying that he would have won, but I think it would have been fantastic match. It was already like this, but I really believe that at that stage, he believed that he could really also hurt him also in clay. But on other surfaces, he definitely felt superior after that Australian Open and I think results obviously are showing it," he added.
Federer and Nadal’s connection wasn’t just a rivalry. They weren’t best friends, but they weren’t just competitors. There was a mutual understanding that they were, together, creating history.
This iconic video captures the respect, even when victory and defeat separated them. https://t.co/G7OnnDPTiT
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal set to team up at 2022 Laver Cup
Roger Federer will be in action one last time before he hangs up his racket at the Laver Cup, which begins later this year.
The 41-year-old landed in London and began preparations for the tournament. He will be representing Team Europe as always and will be joined by the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud.
Simply amazing: Nadal coaching Federer 🐐 Simply amazing: Nadal coaching Federer 🐐
#RForever | @LaverCup https://t.co/8Uj8l9DB9g
They will take on a Team World side comprising of Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Diego Schwartzman, Frances Tiafoe, Alex de Minaur, Jack Sock and Tommy Paul.
Also Checkout:- Roger Federer Wife