Nadal, Djokovic have made me the player I am, says Federer

Roger Federer admitted Saturday that his epic Grand Slam rivalry with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic has helped propel him to his status as one of the greatest players of all time. Federer is about to embark on his bid to lift a ninth Wimbledon title and record-extending 21st major. Nadal has 18 Grand Slams while Djokovic lays claim to 15. Between them, the trio have captured 53 of the last 64 majors, stretching back to Federer's 2003 Wimbledon breakthrough.
"I think these things don't come around so often," said Federer. "It shows that side-by-side we can have incredible careers. Funny enough, you always think somebody takes away something from the other. Probably we have. "At the same time, we also pushed each other to greater heights, to improve maybe Rafa's grass, Novak's whatever, hard courts, my clay. "I think we definitely became better because of one another."