Who is Roger Federer's worst rival?

Who is Roger Federer's worst rival? From among Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, there are tennis players who have put the Swiss Maestro into crisis during his long career.

With Pete Sampras there was only one match: in 2001, at Wimbledon's R16, won by Federer with the final score of 7-6 (7) 5-7 6-4 6-7 (2) 7-5, as if it were a real passing of the baton on the beloved London lawns of the All England Club. With Andre Agassi, there were 11 comparisons, of which 8 were won by Federer. We can not speak of a real rivalry, as the two tennis players cross little, between two different tennis ages.

With Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick, things were different. Federer had a great rivalry with them, also because the three were all born between 1981 and 1982, therefore belonging to the same generation. Against the Australian, Federer leads the head-to-head for 18-9, while against the American the Swiss leads 21-3. Despite the great rivalry, neither was probably Roger's worst rival.

We have to get into recent years. If he leads against Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Stan Wawrinka (for 14-11, 18-7 and 23-3, respectively), the situation is different with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

The Spaniard and the Serb are the two worst rivals of the Swiss. Until a few years ago Nadal was considered Federer's nemesis and his worst nightmare, but from the 2017 Australian Open final onwards, Federer was able to turn the tide after years, and now their challenges are very balanced (Rafa leads 24-16).

Ultimately, Djokovic is Federer's worst rival. The Serb managed to enter into the Swiss nervous system, sending him into crisis. Federer does not beat Djokovic in a Slam-match from Wimbledon 2012 semifinal. Indeed the World no. 1 won the last six challenges in the Slams, four of which in the final (Wimbledon 2014, 2015, 2019 and US Open 2015). rOGER is suffering Djokovic mentally, technically and physically, on all playing surfaces. Will Roger Federer be able to find a cure for this weakness?

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3a3Wxc4