Feliciano Lopez praises Novak Djokovic and says what he does better than Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The Serbian spent the vast majority of his career battling his fellow icons at the top of the game and spent some time in their shadow.
But Djokovic broke through and not only defeated Federer and Nadal but on the biggest stages, and he went on to claim the Grand Slam record and stake his claims as the greatest of all time.
The 37-year-old proved many of his doubters wrong and Djokovic continues to battle to try and win an unprecedented 25th major.
Feliciano Lopez makes key comparison between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Feliciano Lopez spent over 20 years on the ATP Tour and played against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
The Spaniard knows what each of them brought to the table and the impact the trio, who have 66 Grand Slam titles between them, had on tennis.
Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, known as the ‘Big 3’, are often compared to each other by fans and pundits alike. Now Lopez has weighed in on the debate and identified something that gives Djokovic an edge over Federer and Nadal.
“Mentally he has possibly been the player with the greatest resilience because Djokovic had years where he could not beat Nadal, Federer, but he continued fighting, he continued improving his tennis, he continued being possibly one of the most professional tennis players I have ever seen in my life,” Lopez told the Madrid Open’s YouTube channel.
“He began to put together a series of things that made him at a given moment surpass them and start beating them in Grand Slam tournaments and start competing with them for the throne of the best tennis player in history.
“I find it incredible, the exercise of resilience, of always wanting to be the best. I think that Djokovic’s competitive spirit even goes further than that of, I would say, the other two in certain things. Look and what I am telling you, because more competitive than Nadal or Federer!”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
