David Ferrer says Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic as opponents were just different

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David Ferrer acknowledged Roger Federer was an extremely difficult opponent but noted that playing against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic was another level of difficulty for him. Ferrer, 41, now serves as the tournament director at the Barcelona Open - which is taking place this week.

During his career, Ferrer made four Barcelona finals - each time he was beaten by Nadal. In an interview with FlashScore, Ferrer was asked whether Nadal was the toughest opponent he ever faced. “One of the best without a doubt.

But I would also put Novak Djokovic on the same scale. It's true that I couldn't even beat Roger Federer, but I think these two players are different from all the others I've played against," Ferrer told FlashScore.

Ferrer weighs in on the Carlos Alcaraz-Nadal comparison

Nadal, 36, is slowly approaching retirement but the arrival of Alcaraz is the reason why the Spanish tennis community is very optimistic about their future.

Ferrer himself believes Alcaraz is destined to do major things but he is refusing to compare him to the Big Three. "I don't know. But he is already number one and the youngest ever to win a Grand Slam. He is breaking one record after another.

I don't want to compare him to Nadal, Djokovic or Federer because their shadow is very difficult to match. But without a doubt he will be a player who will mark an era in Spanish and world tennis," Ferrer said. Also, Ferrer praised Jannik Sinner as the 2013 French Open finalist thinks the Italian has what it takes to win a Grand Slam and be No 1.

"Yes, very nice and I like it because I consider Jannik a very good player who is improving every year, reaching his goals, and I am sure he will have his chances to win a Grand Slam and become number one. In fact, among the young players he is the one who impresses me the most because of the power of his shots and his margin for improvement, which is still very wide," Ferrer said.