"Even if I'm in front of the firing squad, at least I got my money's worth" - When Jimmy Connors picked Rafael Nadal to play for his life

Rafael Nadal is up there as one of the greatest players of all time. Having turned pro in 2003, the Spaniard has had an undeniable impact on tennis during his journey to 22 Major triumphs.

Nadal has won nearly one of every three Grand Slam tournaments he has entered. He has also dropped only eight of his 30 Major finals, further attesting to his greatness on the biggest stage of the game.

Even eight-time Major champion Jimmy Connors swears by the Matador when the prospect of a big match calls, going by his interview with Prime Video from 2018.

The on-demand streaming service had invited the American, who won a male record-109 titles as a pro, for a conversation on a variety of topics five years ago. That was around the time when they had bought the UK broadcasting rights for the US Open.

During the interaction, the interviewer asked Connors which male player from the modern era he believes should play for his life. In response, the-then 66-year-old went with Rafael Nadal, asserting how the Spanish bull always fights till the end no matter how daunting a match-up is.

"Well, I know Rafa for sure. You know, and as we talked about a little bit earlier. Even if I'm in front of the firing squad, at least I got my money's worth. You know, that he's not going to give up on one shot, not one ball," he said (9:35).

"And you know he'd be in there digging and fighting and doing whatever it took. You know, because he doesn't look at anything except the win."

Rafael Nadal leads his top rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in Grand Slam meetings

The "Big 3" of tennis pictured at an ATP event

Rafael Nadal has had the upper hand in his rivalries with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer — his two biggest rivals — at the Slam level. The 14-time French Open champion has denied them much sought-after victories on multiple occasions during the Big 3's overlapping careers.

Nadal was first challenged by Federer in the late-2000s, taking him on year after year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The Spanish bull came out on top in five of his first seven encounters against the Swiss maestro on clay and grass, before grinding him down in a hardcourt Major for the first time during the 2009 Australian Open final.

He beat his older rival thrice more, before Federer flipped the script on him in the late-2010s. All-in-all, the Spaniard leads the Swiss by a huge margin of 10-4 in their head-to-head meetings at the Majors.

Nadal was bothered more by Djokovic, whose cross-court backhand was the perfect antidote to the Spanish bull's whiplash of a forehand. Although the Serb suffered comprehensive defeats in their first five Major encounters, he finally figured out his opponent in 2011.

Djokovic subsequently beat Nadal thrice before the Spaniard restored parity in their next three Grand Slam matches. The Serb would beat his older rival four more times, but it is the Matador who still leads the overall Slam head-to-head 11-7, thanks to his mastery at Roland Garros. Nadal has defeated Djokovic in eight of their 10 matches on the terre battue.