Former World no.5 Tommy Robredo reckons Rafael Nadal makes the opponent suffer more than the rest. Nadal is known to never give up on the point and he keeps fighting, which makes the job of his opponent more difficult.
The Spaniard is known to focus on one point at a time and he has won some impossible points in his career, which has helped him win big matches in his career.
As Nadal never throws his towel on the court, his opponent always has to be on the top of their toes to beat him. Furthermore, Nadal is known for his stamina and fitness and he has had a glorious career. The Spaniard has won 22 Grand slam titles in his career and he has been in miraculous form in the recent past.
Robredo answered: “Rafa, for the way he plays, with this speed of the ball, the spin of his forehand, for the difference due to him being left-handed and for the way that he runs after every ball as if it was the first.
“I don’t say the others are easy but, for me, Rafa had something that makes you suffer more inside the court than the rest.
“Everyone that saw Rafa during the first year could understand that he would go on to become a great player. But he went much higher and became one of the best sporting athletes in the world, if not the best. Thats something that’s not easy to realize but that he achieved it in a great way.”
Meanwhile, Roger Federer won his last Grand Slam back in 2018, and since then he has been troubled with injuries. However, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been dominating the sport in the last couple of years. Both of these players have won six out of the previous seven Grand slam titles.
Djokovic had won three Majors in 2021 as he won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. Subsequently, Nadal won the Australian Open in 2022 and backed it with a win in French Open. Djokovic then went on to win at SW19.
“Right now, I would say it’s close between Rafa and Novak,” he said.
“It depends if we say Grand Slams is the most important or also consider how important Davis Cup, weeks at number one, and other factors are. It’s very difficult to say at the moment.”
