Federer is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time and has racked up 20 Grand Slam titles over his illustrious career.
However, throughout times over the last decade Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have all had spells at the top of the world rankings.
And Federer says he has enjoyed the battle against the trio and believes he would not be the same player today without them.
The Swiss star picked out Nadal as his closest rival as the Spaniard is only three Grand Slam titles behind his personal haul.
“Nadal came and made my life difficult,” Federer said.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
“At first it was difficult to accept that.
“It was not a problem in and of itself, but it took me awhile to figure out how to use it to power, how to push my game forward.
“It does not matter who you are, you need a rival. That’s why I thank God for mine.”
Federer is in Cincinnati Masters action this evening and he could be forced to play two matches.
The world No 2 is third on Centre Court as he attempts to start his abandoned third-round clash with Leonardo Mayer.
If victorious, he will then have to return later in the night to face the winner of Marton Fucsovics and Stan Wawrinka.
But first Mayer is hoping to pull off a huge upset.
“It’s something very beautiful to play with Federer,” Mayer said.
“Obviously, it’s also uncomfortable because he is a great player. Now I need to play this match at my best.
“You have to try winning, but also enjoying of the honour to play with him.
“It’s very good to play against Federer.”