'Roger Federer, Nadal, Djokovic’re able to do something that...', says former Top 5

We have been living the great rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for 15 years. The two, however, first of opposing beings, are great friends. After years spent next to each other, the bond between them has grown stronger and stronger. To the point that, once, during a performance in Miami, Federer insulted Nadal as a joke. We are very fortunate to be able to experience one of the most important rivalries in modern sport, not just tennis. Federer and Nadal are in fact inextricably linked, you can't think of one without ending up on the other. The two of them have won 40 Grand Slam titles, are the most successful ever and candidates for the GOAT of tennis of all time. In the head-to-head matches the result is 24 to 16 for the Majorcan, but the episode we want to talk about is not part of one of these challenges. During a performance for a commercial in Miami, the two greats of world tennis were framed in different angles as they hit the ball, from the same side of the court. At one point, the eight-time Wimbledon champion and the king of clay meet and almost hit each other. At that moment, jokingly, Federer's lip is seen referring to Nadal as "Bast*rd".

Ljubicic on the Big 3's greatness

Recently, Five-Time US Open winner, Roger Federer’s coach Ivan Ljubicic spoke on what makes these three players so special. He said, “It has to be the mindset, you know, you have to be really believing that you can do something that has never been done before and you don’t make a big fuss about it.” Ivan highlighted the importance of these athletes. They do things in a different manner and their achievements in the game have never been accomplished with such a demeanor. He even compared the ‘big three’ to the great, Albert Einstein, for their ability to invent rather than follow footsteps. “I admire incredibly these athletes, they’re able to do something that has never been done before this. This is something like the inventors, you know, they’re like Einstein, you know, how do you think of something that nobody has thought about it before? And how do you do something that has never been done before this is? It’s in a way easier to follow easier to kind of challenge people who are on the top, you know, you just kind of see them in front of you and you run it’s like, in the race, you know, it’s easier to follow that and be the one who is breaking new ground. So absolutely, I mean, it’s, every single one of them.” Coming back into the current season, Rafael Nadal along with Novak Djokovic will be the top seeds at the Australian Open. Roger Federer has pulled out of the tournament and hopes to join the Tour soon. 

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