Roger Federer is considered by many as the best tennis player in history with his 20 slams. However, it’s hard not to notice that the Swiss sensation has a losing record against his other top rivals: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Head to head Federer vs. Nadal and Djokovic
Rafa leads Roger 24-16 in H2H matches, while Nole leads the Swiss 26-22 (9-2 in the last 11 encounters). So, why Roger is struggling against them?
7-time slam champion Mats Wilander has his own explanation to comment
“Federer is paying for the years 2004-2007, where he dominated his rivals so much that he never had to play important points. He did not improve tactically. Nowadays, against Nadal and Djokovic, who are tactical masters, he does not play important points correctly.”
While it seemed that Federer has indeed improved a lot from a tactical point of view, Wilander is probably right in saying that he was so dominant in the early days that he is less used to win important points against Rafa and Nole that are extremely solid.
DJOKOVIC AND FEDERER IN WIMBLEDON |
Embed from Getty Images |