Rod Laver once picked who would struggle more to play with a wooden racket out of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

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Rod Laver has gone down in history as one of the all-time greats, although he perhaps just falls short of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Nadal and Federer attracted over 50,000 fans for an exhibition clash in 2020, such was their appeal on the court.

Iconic duo Federer and Nadal also played an exciting doubles match at Indian Wells in 2011, with Stan Wawrinka joining the former and Marc Lopez joining the latter.

But the pair, along with Australian legend Laver, are now part of the sport’s history, with all three having won multiple Grand Slam titles.

Nadal’s 22 puts him behind only the 24 of Novak Djokovic, with Federer in third with 20 and Laver not far behind with 11.

Who Rod Laver said would struggle more with a wooden racket between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

The 86-year-old has more than left his mark on tennis, with the Rod Laver Arena taking centre stage at the Australian Open, while he won the calendar Grand Slam in 1962.

And he fascinated tennis fans back at the 2012 tournament, having been asked in a press conference whose game would suffer more between Nadal and Federer if they used the racket Laver did in 1962

READ MORE: Who Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner say is the best player of all time

“Probably Nadal’s, only because he puts that heavy spin,” said Laver. “Of course, you’ve only got a racket that is six inches wide or seven inches wide.

“You’re not going to get the whip that he plays. But I think given Nadal learning the game with the wooden racket, he’d have his own style. Roger has I think more anticipation and timing the ball better.

“That’s the difference with those two, is that Roger has maybe more anticipation and smooth stroking, whereas Nadal, it was just hitting heavy spins, coming out with that heavy spin that comes off the forehand, gets up so high, which is another tactical ploy of Nadal.

“The ball is coming up shoulder high. Unless you’re 6’5″, it’s hard to hit that shot back up there. That wasn’t the case. We played on grass most of our tennis, except for Europe.

“Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, it was all on grass courts. Then, of course, the grass-court circuit in England. Then, of course, the grass-court circuit in the US.

“It was a serve‑and‑volley game back in those years because not too many of the grass courts you would say were up to par with Wimbledon.

“You let the ball bounce, and it may not bounce. That’s where the serve‑and‑volley routine came into play.”

What are the Grand Slam records of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Rod Laver?

Remarkably, Laver followed his 1962 calendar Grand Slam by repeating the feat in 1969, becoming the first player to achieve the accomplishment in the Open Era.

Federer and Nadal did, of course, clinch every Grand Slam during their stunning careers, but both failed to achieve the calendar Grand Slam.

READ MORE: What Rod Laver said to Rafael Nadal after he won his first ever Australian Open title in 2009

Importantly for tennis, however, they enjoyed dominance at different major tournaments, with Nadal’s 14 French Open titles unlikely to ever be beaten.

Federer meanwhile has a record eight Wimbledon titles to his name, although Novak Djokovic sits just one behind him on seven.

Fittingly, the Serbian has dominated the Australian Open, with Djokovic chasing a record-extending 11th title in Melbourne this month.