Martin Klizan explained how tough it was to face Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (Image: Getty)
and have spent the better part of two decades making life tough for the rest of the tour.
The former world No. 1s dominated at the biggest tournaments and, at their peak, few could beat them.
But Martin Klizan was able to end his career with victories against both multi-Grand Slam winning champions.
After coming out of retirement, the 35-year-old explained just how difficult it was to face Djokovic and Nadal.
“With Rafa you know that he is always going to make the match hell for you. Nothing is free,” Klizan told .
“With Novak you know that you have to be very precise in your shots, if you don’t get it, he is going to destroy you.”
While Nadal made it tricky to win points, the Slovak explained that it was still possible to get some balls past him. Klizan continued: “With Rafa you can fight, you can also hit winners.
Martin Klizan retired in 2021 but returned to the tour almost three years later (Image: Getty)
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“With Djoki it is difficult to hit winners, but you have to be very precise. You need to use the body serve, mix everything with the slice, the tactics are a bit different.”
The former world No. 24 still managed to beat both men. He won his last meeting with Djokovic at the 2018 Barcelona Open and upset Nadal in the Beijing quarter-final 10 years ago.
But Klizan never got a chance to face – something he still thinks about. “I would have loved to see how my game would have played against him, especially on clay,” he said.
“I would have played high with my forehand crosscourt on his one-handed backhand, I would have loved to see how he would have approached that duel.”
Klizan retired after in 2021, losing in the qualifying event. He decided to return to professional tennis at the end of 2023 but faced several setbacks and has only been competing full-time for the last seven months.
In that time, he’s already won four ITF titles and is on the verge of re-entering the top 300 in the rankings.