'Roger Federer makes you feel you don't know how to play tennis' - Guido Pella
There is no better measure of a sportsman's greatness than what his peers say of him; as opponents, they know exactly how difficulty it is to face him. World No. 35 Guido Pella is one such tennis player who has the experience of playing each of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. And the Argentine has made some incredibly reverential comments about the Big 3.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the three best in history: Pella
Pella was recently asked by Argentine television channel TNT Sports to share his views on the supreme trio. The Buenos Aires resident heaped lavish praise on the three most successful men's tennis players, who have won 56 of the last 67 Grand Slams.
"They are the three best players in history," commented Pella without any hesitation.
Guido Pella, who started playing tennis at the age of 5, grew up idolizing Roger Federer. But he eventually found out that watching the Swiss maestro's wizardry on the television and actually facing him on the court are two different things altogether.
The southpaw has played the 20-time Grand Slam champion twice, and interestingly both the matches were on grass - Roger Federer's favourite surface. In his first-ever meeting with Federer at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, the Argentine player impressed everyone with his level of play.
Pella took Federer to a couple of tie-breaks, going toe-to-toe with the the eight-time Wimbledon champion in the rallies. But Federer managed to up the ante just when he needed to, before schooling Pella in the third set to complete a 7-6(5), 7-6(3), 6-3 victory.
The monumental effort against the former World No. 1 was a moral victory of sorts for the 30-year-old, despite the fact that he lost. The second time Pella played Federer (at Stuttgart in 2018) he lost again in straight sets, and he gave an eloquent account of the helplessness a player feels while playing the Swiss.
"Federer makes you feel that you don't know how to play tennis," Pella said.
Novak Djokovic is a wall: Pella
Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, has spent the better part of the last decade using his unbreakable defence and incredible flexibility to boss the men's tour. His jaw-dropping splits on any kind of surface surface make it almost impossible for his opponents to get the ball past him.
In his only showdown with Djokovic - on the claycourts of Roland Garros in 2013 - Pella learned that the hard way. The Argentine was rolled over by the Serbian juggernaut, managing to win just four games over the course of three sets.
Naturally, it was the World No. 1's stunning defence that came to Pella's mind when he spoke of Djokovic.
"Djokovic is a wall, he does not miss any (shot), not one."
Rafael Nadal destroys you: Pella
Out of the famed troika, Rafael Nadal is the one who has played the most against Guido Pella. Their four meetings have been evenly spread over clay and hardcourts, but the result has always been the same.
The most resistance that Pella has been able to show against Rafael Nadal was when he forced a tie-break against the 19-time Grand Slam champion at Monte Carlo last year. But that was as good as it got for the Argentine, as Nadal dominated the breaker and then swept to an easy win in the second set.
Rafael Nadal's sheer physicality has been known to drain his opponents of energy, and Pella is no different.
"Nadal physically destroys you on another level," the Argentine said in awe.