"The greatest competitor in the history of sports," Johnson discusses the difficulty of facing Nadal

Facing Nadal, everyone knows what to expect... and yet, no one escapes it. Steve Johnson humorously recounts what it's like to face the king of clay, between fear, respect, and fascination.

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 11/12/2025 à 08h42

2 min to read

Johnson Steve Nadal Rafael

Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in tennis history. The Spaniard has an exceptional record, having won Roland-Garros 14 times, among other achievements.

Nicknamed the king of clay due to his performances on the surface that made him nearly invincible, Nadal retired in 2024. A year later, the legendary career of the Majorcan continues to be celebrated. Steve Johnson, former world number 21, recently spoke about Nadal.

"He always finds a way to rough you up"

"You know exactly what you're getting into, and yet, in a way, you still have no idea. You know what he's going to do, his quirks, his rituals, all of that. You prepare accordingly, and yet, he always finds a way to rough you up on the court.

In my eyes, he is the greatest competitor in the history of sports. That says how much I respect him," the American first stated, before discussing his only face-to-face with the Spaniard, at the 2015 Madrid Masters 1000.

"Losing without winning a single game would have been hilarious"

"I was very afraid of losing 6-0, 6-0 in front of a large crowd and being humiliated. My only goal that day was not to be humiliated. Fortunately, I won the first game, which calmed me down a bit.

Because if you're down 4-0, 5-0, if you lose the first set 6-0, panic starts to set in. There was a lot of fear in my eyes, but not much in his. He didn't seem too bothered by my slices that day. Honestly, looking back, I wish it had happened.

Losing 6-4, 6-3 was okay, but losing without winning a single game would have been hilarious, even ten years later," Johnson said on the Nothing Major Podcast he hosts with John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Jack Sock.