"What Rafael Nadal did was insane" - John McEnroe on why it would be a dream to play Roger Federer, but a nightmare to face the Spaniard
John McEnroe recently stated that playing against Roger Federer at Wimbledon is a dream of his while he's afraid of taking on Rafael Nadal at the French Open.
McEnroe started his tennis career as a professional in the year 1978. He won a total of 77 singles titles, including seven Grand Slams before bringing the curtains down on his singles career in 1994. However, he competed in the doubles category till 2006 and has 78 doubles titles to his name.
McEnroe recently appeared in an episode of SmartLess podcast and deliberated on several changes the sport has witnessed over the years after his retirement. He also talked about Federer and Nadal's style of play.
"Federer is the most beautiful player I’ve ever seen. You know I idolized Rod Laver. He was awesome. Whereas you look at Rafael Nadal, that’s not your typical or prototypical tennis player. His body is bigger up top. When we grew up, they were like 'DON'T LIFT'," McEnroe said (17:46).
The American said he would fancy playing against the Swiss maestro at the Wimbledon Championships because of his elegance. However, he added that going head to head against Nadal on clay would be a dreadful experience because of the sheer power the Spaniard possesses.
"The dream would be to play Roger at Wimbledon and the nightmare would be to play Rafa at Roland Garros on clay even though I grew up on clay and that was my best surface until I turned pro. But what Rafa did was insane," the 64-year-old said.
Federer boasts eight titles, the most by a man, and a 96-12 win-loss record at SW19. He won the grasscourt Major in five consecutive years from 2003 to 2007. The other three titles came in 2009, 2012, and 2017.
Nadal's prowess at Roland Garros, meanwhile, transcends tennis. He has won a staggering 14 titles and lost in only three of his 115 appearances at the Paris Major.
A look at Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer's head-to-head record
Even though Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are friendly off the court, they produced one of the greatest on-court rivalries in the history of the sport.
The duo played against each other a staggering 40 times before the Swiss hung his racket up in 2022. The Spaniard leads the head-to-head 24-16.
Their rivalry dates back to the year 2004. Nadal drew first blood against the 20-time Grand Slam in their first-ever clash that came almost 20 years ago. He defeated the Swiss in straight sets at the Miami Open. Federer, however, bounced back with a win the following year, at the same tournament.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner dominated Federer in their younger days with 14 victories until the end of 2010. The Swiss enjoyed greater success towards the latter end of his career, with seven wins between 2015 and 2019.