Federer Would Have Retired Long Time Ago If Nadal Had Stopped Playing, Claims Former Player

Former tennis player Francis Roig, who acts as an alternate coach to Rafael Nadal, recently spoke about the dominance of the big three - Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Nadal - and he suggested that had the Spaniard stopped playing, Federer would have retired long time back.

Roig, who won just nine ATP titles during his playing days, by no means meant to be offensive because last year, he had said the same thing about Nadal. "If Federer hadn't continued playing, Rafa wouldn't have done it either," Roig had said in an interview.

In an interview with Punto de Break on Wednesday, the 51-year-old emphasized how the big three push each other and their battle goes beyond winning the more number of Grand Slams.

"The Big Three are pushing each other, that's for sure. If Rafa had stopped playing, Federer would have been retired for a long time. It's a battle to see who wins more Grand Slams but it goes much beyond. I was in Mallorca some time ago seeing him training after the wedding, before the ATP Finals. It's incredible that after 15 years the guy keeps being so strong, excited and interested," Roig added.

Roig, who was primarily a doubles player and his best Grand Slam result was a quarter-final finish at the Rolland Garros, appreciated Nadal's efforts to find new ways to remain at the top of his game, even on the hard courts, where Nadal wins in an easier way, according to his coach.

"His game has changed, he is not that physical anymore, he enjoys playing, bringing new things, even on hard court tournaments. Now on the hardcourt, he wins more matches and he wins them in an easier way. Quicker, in two sets. Before it was more complicated and now matches are played on his racket," Roig said.

Speaking about how he has helped Nadal over the last few years, Roig added, "I try to bring what I think can be helpful to Rafael to be a better player, depending on how tennis goes evolving. Obviously, sometimes you have to encourage him as he is human but if he wanted to last for a long time, he knew that he should have changed his game."

"His backhand evolved a lot, now he is more capable of moving the opponent. He runs less. At the French Open, we saw him winning more short points than before. Two years ago I told him someday he would win the US Open serving and volleying. He laughed. Now serve and volley in his way to think."