Not a fighter? Roger Federer has come back from 2 sets down more often than Nadal & Djokovic

Roger Federer is not known to be as much of a fighter as his Big 3 peers Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. While Nadal and Djokovic are often lauded for their intensity and never-say-die spirit, Federer is considered as more of a gifted ball-striker who coasts along on his talent and refuses to get his hands dirty when things go south.

However, there are certain stats of Roger Federer's career - not known by a lot of fans - that prove the Swiss is a terrific fighter in his own right. In fact, Federer even surpasses Nadal and Djokovic in one key aspect that shows a player's mental strength.

Roger Federer has managed to bounce back from the most hopeless of situations several times in his career. In best of five set matches, he has won a staggering 10 matches after going down two sets to love. That's a lot more than what Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have achieved combined.

Novak Djokovic (left), Rafael Nadal (middle), Roger Federer (right)

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, despite his famed nerves of steel, has been able to turn the match around from two sets down on four occasions so far. With Rafael Nadal, the numbers are even worse as the 12-time French Open champion has been able to win only three times after being down by two sets. Their combined total of seven such feats is still well short of Federer's 10.

Who said Roger Federer is not a fighter?

Out of the 10 stunning victories that Federer has scripted from two sets to love down, one came through retirement - Pete Wessels in the 2000 US Open first round. And perhaps the most memorable of these wins was the one in 2005, when the Swiss Maestro went up against Rafael Nadal. Playing in the final of the Nasdaq – 100 Open in Miami, Roger Federer held off a feisty Nadal to win 2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1.

Another landmark instance came during the fourth round of Roland Garros 2009, when Roger Federer was facing Tommy Haas. After failing to find his bearings in the first two sets of the match, Federer faced a break point deep in the third set that could well have sent him packing from the tournament. But the Swiss conjured an absolutely clutch forehand winner to save it, and went on to win the match 6-7(5), 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2.

The win against Haas has arguably had the biggest impact on Federer's career, as that was the only time he managed to win the elusive French Open - thus completing his Career Grand Slam.

Federer also pulled off a thrilling comeback against Juan Martin del Potro at the French Open in 2012, and warded off Gael Monfils and Marin Cilic at the 2014 US Open and 2016 Wimbledon respectively.

The Swiss might make his tennis look effortless, but he has used his fighting spirit to grind out a huge number of matches from the brink.

Unlike Roger Federer, Djokovic and Nadal haven't made too many such comebacks

Novak Djokovic is widely regarded as one of the best players ever when it comes to winning five-set matches (the 2020 Australian Open final is the freshest in memory), and with good reason. The Serb has lost just 10 times out of the 31 five-setters he has played, boasting of a stunning 75.6 % winning rate.

However, in four of these 31 contests Novak Djokovic was given a real scare, where he had to dig deep to turn the match around and clinch victory.

Novak Djokovic

The first instance came during Novak Djokovic's Round of 64 match against Guillermo Garcia Lopez, where the young Serb had to fight back to win 3-6, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3), 6-4. The next occasion came against Roger Federer himself, in the semi-finals of the 2011 US Open where he handed the Swiss a 6-7(7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 defeat (even saving two match points along the way).

Novak Djokovic pulled off yet another stunner against Andreas Seppi in the 2012 French Open, before narrowly escaping against Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon 2015.

Rafael Nadal

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal, who has played 33 five-setters in his career (winning 22 of them), has only been able to convert a match into a victory on three occasions when he was down by two sets to love.

The Spaniard staved off Ivan Ljubicic during the Madrid Masters in 2005 to claim the title. In the following year, Nadal was given a difficult time by Robert Kendrick at Wimbledon, before eking out a 6-7, 3=6, 7-6, 7-5, 6-4 win.

Even in 2007 Nadal found himself scraping back from two sets down at the Big W again. On that occasion, it was Mikhail Youzhny who gave Nadal a hard time before the Spaniard won, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.