Rafa Nadal stated on Thursday that Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic pushed him to his absolute limit throughout his career — though each in a different way.
The Spaniard described Federer as a “slightly more magical” player, while Djokovic, he said, was “more methodical and hard-worked.”
“They are two very different personalities, but both share a deep passion and love for the sport,” Nadal said as he reflected on his greatest rivals during the America Business Forum (ABF), a conference held in Miami from November 5 to 6 that gathers political, business, and sports leaders.
The Spaniard retired from professional tennis in 2024 with 22 Grand Slam titles to his name, compared with Federer’s 20 and Djokovic’s 24 — the latter being the only one still active on the tour.
Those numbers make them the three most successful male players in tennis history, and Nadal admitted that competing in the same era left “very little margin” between them. He described both as “rivals of enormous stature” who pushed him “to the limit for all these years.”
Nadal emphasized that Federer possessed “a slightly more magical quality” in terms of pure talent and inspiration, while Djokovic was “a bit more of a product of hard work,” with a work ethic and winning mentality “almost impossible to surpass.”
He also recalled the toughest moment of his career — the degenerative foot injury he suffered in 2005, which he admitted nearly ended his professional journey.
However, Nadal said that the injury ultimately taught him to appreciate everything that happened throughout his career and never take a victory or a defeat for granted. “I had to live with that problem my entire career,” he said.
“But it allowed me to enjoy things much more and truly value all the good that came my way.”
In addition to speaking at the forum, Nadal is in Miami to attend the Miami Grand Prix of the E1 Series — the world’s electric powerboat championship — taking place November 7–8, where the former tennis star sponsors his own team, Team Rafa.
