Rafael Nadal on Roger Federer: “I Don’t Think We Improved Much”

World no.2, Rafael Nadal talked about the improvement in Roger Federer’s game ahead of their semifinal clash at the Wimbledon Championships 2019 on Friday.

In the post-match press conference after his quarterfinals victory over Sam Querrey, Rafael Nadal was asked about how Roger Federer has improved his game in recent years.

“I don’t think we improved much,” Nadal said.

He further added, “I think we managed to add things because we lose things on the other hand, no? We need to add new things because of the age, we are losing another thing from the other side.”

Rafael Nadal suggested that they are still at the top of the tour because they have the respect and love for the sport. He continued, “So probably the only thing or the only reason why we are able to be where we are is that because we love the game. We have big respect for this sport.”

Rafael Nadal also revealed the reason behind his improvement in serve and backhand from the past several years. The Spaniard further added, “I am running less so I need to serve better. I probably cannot play 20 weeks per year anymore so I need to reschedule my planning to improve things, to be very competitive every single time that I am on the court.”

However, the 18-time grand slam champion does not know that his level of the game is better now or was better in the past. “Of course, I am serving better. Of course, I am hitting the backhand better. Maybe volleying and slicing better. But I don’t know if my level today will beat my level of years ago,” the 33-year-old said.

Nadal believes that he might have not improved his game but he has certainly learned to re-adapt the games. He said, “So, in terms of improvement, I don’t know. In terms of re-adopting our games, for sure. That is what makes us keep playing with this intensity.”