Former World No. 1 Andy Murray, who ended his coaching partnershipwith Novak Djokovic two days ago, has revealed which opponent was tougher for him: Rafael Nadal on clay or Roger Federer on grass.
During an appearance on the ForeBros Youtube Channel, Murray was asked who between Nadal and Federer was hardest to face on their preferred surface. “I would say Nadal on clay is the hardest. Definitely,” the three-time Grand Slam champion revealed.
Murray faced Nadal nine times on clay during their careers. The Spanish legend won seven of those matches, while Murray was able to beat him twice at the Madrid Open. He shocked him in the 2015 final to claim his first clay-court title, then defeated him again in the 2016 semifinal.
Meanwhile, he faced Federer three times on grass. The first meeting came in the 2012 Wimbledon final, which the Swiss Maestro won in four sets. Murray didn’t have to wait long for revenge, as they met again later that year in the 2012 Olympics final, where he won the gold. Their last match on grass took place at Wimbledon in 2015, with Federer winning a tight semifinal 7-5, 7-5, 6-4.
Stats: Federer on grass vs Nadal on clay
While both Federer and Nadal were great on every surface, including hard courts, they have become synonymous with grass and clay, respectively. In 2007, they even played a unique match called the Battle of the Surfaces, which combined both surfaces on the same court. Nadal won that exhibition match.
When it comes to his grass-court record, Federer played 192 matches, winning 87% of them (163-29). He also won eight Wimbledon titles, the record among men, and 10 titles in Halle, an all-time record.
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On the other hand, Nadal has a 90% win percentage on clay, which is even more impressive when viewing the number of matches he played on the surface: 484, only losing 51. Of course, the Spaniard holds the absolute best record at Roland Garros, having won fourteen titles. He also has the record of most wins in Barcelona (12 titles), Monte Carlo (11), Italian Open (10), and Madrid (5).