by Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola says he is full of admiration for Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, calling them the “three geniuses” of tennis.
Nadal, 38, is retiring after next month’s Davis Cup final in Malaga, ending an incredible career in which he won 22 Grand Slam titles – including 14 French Open titles.
Before that, he will face his well-known opponent Djokovic for the last time at the Six Kings Slam on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
Guardiola said he was “a bit sad” when fellow Spaniard Nadal announced his retirement, but the Premier League boss paid tribute to the three legends who dominated men’s singles tennis for two decades and won 66 Grand Slam titles between them have won.
Federer, Novak Djokovic and Nadal have dominated the men’s tennis landscape for 20 years
“I think that happened because he saw that he could no longer be or compete at the level he was at for two decades, but I admire them all, all three,” Guardiola told Sky Sports One on one Series and podcast.
“I admire the consistency of ‘The Big Three’ in being there every single season, never giving up and coming back after the setbacks.”
“I admire them all, so for me they are three geniuses. I tried to learn a lot from their body language, how they behave in bad moments, how strong they are mentally and of course their talent and skills.”
“I think all three will be missing – but Novak Djokovic can still enjoy it – but those three will be missing.”
Guardiola also explained how he would watch the greats of the game and see how they would overcome adversity.
He said: “I would always pay attention to how tennis players look at the ball with their eyes and how they behave in certain moments. I also want to see how losers react in the next game.”
Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp have left the Premier League but Pep Guardiola is staying
Guardiola has fought many heavyweight fights himself, facing off against the likes of Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp in the Premier League.
Just as Djokovic comes from an era of great tennis players, of this illustrious group of managers only Guardiola remains in the top flight.
“When you’re here for nine years and then you become the oldest in football… Jürgen is tired and if you don’t get results you change the coach, so it’s an easy answer to that – we won – otherwise I wouldn’t do it. “Be here,” said the 53-year-old former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach.
“You have to win here. This is the only job where people are desperate to fire you. It’s our job, so you have to accept it.”
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