A lefty spinner is a dangerous player to tackle on the court. We’ve all heard that before. Primarily for the ATP Tour, that entity is Rafael Nadal. So much so that even the great Roger Federer couldn’t be saved from his ruthless topspin game. The result after several years of rivalry? Federer suffers a great physical ordeal.
The ‘Swiss Maestro’ has furnished the tennis world with one of the most elegant careers ever produced by the sport. Despite walking away from the sport in 2022 at the Laver Cup, Federer continues to indulge himself in conversations surrounding active players and his past encounters with them. Subsequently, the former World No. 1 touched down on a disheartening moment. He talked about a time when he and Nadal shared a breathtaking on-court rivalry, and the Spaniard extracted the worst of Federer’s physical limits.
Talking in a recently released ‘Behind the Design‘ series with his sponsor, Wilson, the Swiss discussed what prompted his racket change in an episode. Specifically, Federer’s switch from a shorter 90-inch racket frame to “something bigger.” The 20-time Grand Slam champion revealed how the Spanish legend’s extreme forward swing gameplay forced his back injury during their 2013 Indian Wells encounter.
This, in turn, led the 42-year-old to endure a difficult year on the circuit, hampering his level of play all season. “I broke my back in Indian Wells really badly, had a terrible back for many weeks and months. I felt the pain sometimes from Rafa with his lefty going high into my backhand.” For the unversed, the 2013 BNP Paribas Open witnessed Federer’s struggles with his back.
The hardcourt event’s defending champion sustained a tweak in his back after claiming a routine third-round win over Ivan Dodig. However, things took a turn when Federer was unable to fully recover for his face-off against the Spaniard. Consequently, he suffered a straight-set loss from Nadal.
At the time, the former World No. 1 underplayed the situation. Federer refused to use his back injury as an excuse for his unfortunate performance. “I mean, I could play. I’m happy to be out there and able to compete. But it’s obviously a small issue.”
Going up against Nadal was never easy for the former Swiss pro. He had to jump through multiple hoops to overcome his challenge. And that has been publicly admitted by the ‘Maestro’ himself.
Roger Federer discloses that arch-enemy Rafael Nadal made him ‘second guess’
Fedal’s on-court duels are one of the most talked about rivalries of all time. The tennis titans clashed on 40 occasions, with Rafa leading their head-to-head 24-16. Ever since the duo’s first clash at the 2005 Miami Open, the Swiss faced a formidable challenge from the Spaniard. Not only that, he had to toughen his mentality whenever he walked on the court to battle the 22-time Major champion.
While talking in an interview with ‘Financial Times,’ Federer revealed the mental scrutiny Nadal put him through during his time on the Tour. “He gave me so many more problems than other players could. He made me second-guess myself, go back to the drawing board, and come up with a new master plan — and then also not overthink it.”
Federer and Nadal last locked horns at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. There, the ‘Swiss Maestro’ outclassed his longtime opponent 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the event’s semifinal. As for Nadal, he was last witnessed in action at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he suffered a disappointing end to his gold medal dream run in both the singles and the doubles events.
