Former world No 9 Andrea Petkovic has shared an interesting anecdote from a conversation she had with Toni Nadal about Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. 

The tennis analyst, who retired in 2022, divulged that the legendary coach explained why Djokovic was his nephew’s greatest opponent.

In what was arguably one of the greatest rivalries in the history of sport, Djokovic and Nadal played 60 times — an Open Era record in men’s tennis — across an 18-year period from 2006 to 2024.

The Serbian ended the rivalry with a 31-29 edge, having won the pair’s final competitive match at the 2024 Paris Olympics in July. The legendary duo faced off multiple times at all four Grand Slam tournaments, with Nadal holding an 11-7 advantage at majors.

Nadal played the last match of his staggering career at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga last month. Ahead of his farewell, the former world No 1 revealed he considers Federer the “biggest rival” he faced in his career.

“Djokovic is the player I have faced the most, but for me, my biggest rival has been Federer. Because, when I arrived on the circuit, it was Federer who was there and he was the first,” the 38-year-old Spaniard told AS in October.

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“In the years when I was at my best in every sense of the word, it was Roger and Novak. But in the first years, which are the ones that leave a special mark on you, Roger was always there.

Speaking on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, Petkovic shared Toni Nadal’s insight into how Djokovic posed a unique threat to Nadal.

“I loved the match-up between Novak and Rafa, because Rafa respected Novak and knows he is the greatest player he has ever played,” the German said.

“It is interesting because I talked to Toni Nadal and he said Novak [is the greatest player Nadal faced] and he said the reason for that is Novak sees the ball like nobody else. He is the only one who attacked Rafa’s forehand.

“He gave an example. He said the first few times Novak tried to take Rafa’s forehand on the rise with his backhand and mistimed it a few times and was late on it. Then in the third match he had perfect timing every time. He said he had the best eyes in tennis.”

Toni Nadal coached his nephew from his childhood until 2017 — helping him win 16 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.

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