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John McEnroe says playing against Roger Federer at Wimbledon "would be a dream" while clashing against Rafael Nadal at the French Open would be "a nightmare." McEnroe, one of the all-time tennis greats, appeared on the SmartLess podcast, where he reflected on Federer and Nadal's game and style.
When addressing Federer's style of tennis, McEnroe declared the Swiss "the most beautiful player" he has ever seen. During his career, Federer was known for his elegance and he made playing tennis look easy. On the other side, Nadal is the definition of the ultimate competitor and fighter, who leaves it all out there and always plays with strong passion and emotion.
Nadal is a record 14-time French Open champion and McEnroe admits he would probably have a very rough day at the office if he met the Spaniard at Roland Garros.
McEnroe on how he'd feel playing against Federer, Nadal at Wimbledon & RG
"Federer is the most beautiful player I’ve ever seen.
You know I idolized Rod Laver. He was awesome. Whereas you look at Rafael Nadal, that’s not your typical or prototypical tennis player. His body is bigger up top. When we grew up, they were like 'DON'T LIFT.' The dream would be to play Roger at Wimbledon and the nightmare would be to play Rafa at Roland Garros on clay even though I grew up on clay and that was my best surface until I turned pro.
But what Rafa did was insane," McEnroe said on the SmartLess podcast. One of the things that made the Federer and Nadal rivalry so great was the fact that they were two completely different players but still two absolutely dominant forces and great champions.
Last year, Federer decided to retire by playing one doubles match with Nadal at the Laver Cup. Federer had a great sendoff and many absolutely loved the Swiss' decision to retire by sharing the same side of the net with his biggest rival Nadal.