Nadal made Federer and Djokovic better, or so says Andy Roddick

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The tennis world has been left this year without the second player that makes up that 'Big 3' that has given us so much. Rafa Nadal hung up his racket a few days ago at the Davis Cup, joining Roger Federer who did it in 2022. Now, we only have Novak Djokovic left, the last legend who will continue competing in 2025 with Andy Murray on the sidelines. It saddens us to realize that there is not much time left for the Serbian to retire, which makes us nostalgic when remembering the many moments that the three have left us over the years.

Both Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic have always acknowledged that their rivalries have made them become better players. The need to push themselves to the maximum to defeat each other has brought out the best in them, and Andy Roddick has something important to say about it. The former American number 1 points to the Spanish player as the architect of the improvements in the games of his two biggest rivals. "Rafa is an important part of that. Roger is better for having had Rafa, and Djokovic wouldn't be the player he is without Rafa. If he had never had to face Rafa, we wouldn't know that there is a better version of Novak. We wouldn't know, but there would be," he said on his podcast 'Served with Andy Roddick'.

The emergence of the Spaniard with his unique style of play was a real headache for the Serbian and the Swiss. According to the American, both had to change and incorporate new strategies to find ways to hurt the Spaniard. "The reason these guys were so great is that they looked across the net and saw parts of themselves on the other side and knew they had to get better. Rafa was an important part of that. He created an impossible puzzle for a long time and always did it decently," Roddick expressed.

Besides praising his style of play, he also wanted to highlight the human value of Rafa, an exceptional individual both on and off the court. In short, an example to follow for all the kids out there: "Rafa is a true gentleman. If my kids ever try to imitate anything Rafael Nadal did, I would be bursting with pride. His way of behaving, treating others, making time for everyone. Even if he was in a bad mood, he would still look you in the eyes and say: 'Hello!', not to mention what he did on the court."

Federer, the architect of a seemingly flawless list of players

However, it was Roger who laid the foundation when it comes to that list of players who seemed to have no weaknesses. The finesse and elegance of the Swiss on the court had no rival until a young Nadal started to debunk the theory that the Swiss would be alone at the top. Then Djokovic only confirmed that there was room for a third player who would end up surpassing his rivals in numbers. Could history repeat itself with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz? "Roger was the first person who had no weaknesses, and then that created Rafa, who had no holes, and that created Novak who also didn't have any. Then that also created Sinner, I don't know how the devil you beat him or what the strategy is beyond keeping him close and waiting, unless you're Carlos Alcaraz."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Nadal hizo mejor a Federer y a Djokovic, o eso dice Andy Roddick