Ivan Ljubicic reflects on Federer’s ‘traumatic’ battles with Nadal in Roland Garros

Ivan Ljubicic, former coach to Roger Federer, recently discussed the challenges Federer faced against Rafael Nadal at the French Open. The Croatian, a former world No. 3, joined Federer’s team in 2015 after Stefan Edberg’s departure, playing a crucial role in Federer’s journey to his last three Grand Slam titles before his 2022 retirement.

In an interview with Eurosport, Ljubicic shared the harsh reality of playing Nadal on clay: “Playing against Rafa on Philippe-Chatrier is difficult. It's a traumatic experience,” he said.

Federer reached five French Open finals but secured just one title in 2009, defeating Robin Soderling, who had notably beaten Nadal in the fourth round. Across those five finals, Federer won only three sets compared to Nadal’s twelve, including the painful 2008 defeat, which remains one of the most one-sided matches in their rivalry.

That year, Nadal claimed his fourth consecutive Roland Garros title with a decisive 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Federer. Just months later, Nadal ascended to World No. 1 for the first time in his career.

“I was surprised when Nadal announced his retirement,” Ljubicic remarked. “I can obviously understand why—that’s not the point. But for me, Rafa Nadal is the French Open, and it’s hard to accept that he’s not going to play the French Open.”

“Champions like that play to win, not just to participate. And that’s something we’ve come to understand when we’ve seen the man with 21 Grand Slam titles (actually 22) struggling over these past months. I don’t know exactly what his level of play or physical condition is, but it’s not what we’re used to, and it doesn’t allow him to compete at a very high level.”

Ljubicic also emphasized Federer’s dominance on grass, comparing it to Nadal’s supremacy on clay. Federer ended his career with eight Wimbledon titles, a tournament record.

“I never played Federer at Wimbledon, but I played him many times, and it was complicated because he had all the solutions,” Ljubicic continued. “Rafa’s tennis is tactically quite simple, but it’s impossible to handle, especially with his topspin. But Roger always came up with different solutions, and for me, tactically, it was very complicated.”