Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray have been the most dominant players in tennis over the past two decades. Federer, who at 42-year-old was the first of the four to retire in 2022, recently wished Djokovic to crush every record, Nadal to win as much as possible, and Andy Murray to play as long as he can.
The Swiss, regarded as one of the greatest tennis players ever, retired at the 2022 Laver Cup. He and his long-time rivals Djokovic, Nadal and Murray were teammates representing Team Europe. In a recent episode of Trevor Noah’s podcast “What Now with Trevor Noah,” the Swiss Maestro reminisced about the final moments of his career and his recently released documentary “Federer: Twelve Final Days.”
“We had this moment where we could just take it all in and our careers were flashing right in front of our eyes, especially for them who are still going. They’re like we’re so fortunate, I think all of us that we are living as a tennis player, we’re so fortunate to still be going,” Federer said.
“Hopefully, you know, Novak can go and crush every record, I mean Murray can play as long as his hip allows him to and he still has the hunger. Rafa knew that he was in a tough spot as well and he knows that he can still win as much possible and here I am, one of their big rival going out and seeing it live in slow motion almost go out and it was tough … I think the movie is going to be really beautiful of showing that,” he added. (45:49)
Djokovic and Murray are currently 37 years old, whereas Nadal is 38. Andy Murray underwent a second hip surgery in 2019, getting a metal implant one year after his first surgery. He has battled with fitness ever since, winning only the 2019 European Open. Nadal has also struggled with injuries over the past year, spending most of the 2023 season on the sidelines.
Since Federer’s retirement, Djokovic has won three Grand Slam titles, equaled Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, and now holds the record for spending 428 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings.
A brief look at Roger Federer’s Head to Head record against Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray
Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray have clinched a combined total of 69 Grand Slam singles titles during their careers. Their fierce rivalry has been a spectacle for the tennis world.
From their first meeting in the second round of the 2006 Monte Carlo Masters to their last match in the semi-final of the 2020 Australian Open, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic played 50 times during their careers, with the Swiss winning 23 of those matches.
Against Nadal, the Swiss won 16 matches and lost 24. The rivalry saw them hold the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 to August 2009. Of their forty meetings, nine were in Grand Slam finals, and King Roger won four. Facing Andy Murray, the Swiss legend won 14 matches out of 25, and three of those victories were in Grand Slam finals.
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