Andrea Petkovic, the former world number nine, provided an interesting tale from a chat she had with Toni Nadal concerning Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
The tennis expert, who retired in 2022, revealed that the famed coach described why Djokovic was his nephew’s most formidable opponent.
Djokovic and Nadal faced off 60 times in men’s tennis over an 18-year period from 2006 to 2024, setting an Open Era record.
The Serbian won the pair’s final competitive match at the 2024 Paris Olympics in July, ending the rivalry 31-29. The great combination faced off many times at all four Grand Slam tournaments, with Nadal leading 11-7 at majors.
Nadal played his final match of his incredible career at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga last month. Ahead of his farewell, the former world number one claimed that Federer is his “biggest rival” in his career.
“Djokovic is the player I’ve played against the most, but Federer has been my biggest rival. Because, when I got on the circuit, Federer was there first,” the 38-year-old Spaniard told AS in October.
“I was at my best in every sense of the term during the years I spent with Roger and Novak. Roger, on the other hand, was constantly present during the first years, which create an indelible impression on you.
On the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, Petkovic provided Toni Nadal’s perspective on how Djokovic posed a particular threat to Nadal.
“I loved the match-up between Novak and Rafa, because Rafa respected Novak and knows he is the greatest player he has ever played,” remarked the German.
“It’s fascinating because I spoke with Toni Nadal, and he said Novak [is the greatest player Nadal has played], and the reason for that is that Novak sees the ball like no one else. He is the only person who has targeted Rafa’s forehand.
“He provided an example. He explained that the first few times Novak attempted to take Rafa’s forehand on the rise with his backhand, he mistimed it and was late. Then, in the third match, he consistently had impeccable timing. “He claimed he had the best eyes in tennis.”
Toni Nadal trained his nephew from childhood to 2017, helping him win 16 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.
