Carol, 2013 was four years ago. I don't see how that is relevant to the question of whether Rafa can, right now, beat Novak. Novak has beaten Rafa seven matches in a row going back to mid-2013, and generally quite easily. But we don't know how the 2017 versions of these two players will match-up.
As for Andy, he beat Rafa on clay last year when Rafa was surging a bit, having just won Monte Carlo and Barcelona. That was hardly the "worst version of his whole career." There was a general feeling that he was playing the best tennis he had played in two years, since clay season in 2014, although clearly not at his 2013 level.
The point being, I'm not sure that Rafa, right now, is significantly better than he was a year ago, when he was good enough to win Monte Carlo and Barcelona. He might be a bit better, but he hasn't been tested enough. So far this year he's lost to Roger twice, Milos and a surging Querrey. But he's also beaten some good players: Cilic, Raonic, Monfils, Dimitrov, Zverev. Overall his level seems good enough to beat the 2nd and 3rd tier most of the time, but he's lost to players that were really hot. What we don't know is how he'll match up against Novak and Andy, and of course if he'll be able to re-balance with Roger.
This is why I'm speculating that he could be the new Ferrer. Until he proves that he can beat Roger again, and also take down Andy and Novak, and of course Wawrinka, he might be the guy that usually beats the 2nd tier but usually loses to the elite - like Ferrer. That said, even at his best Ferrer almost always lost to the Big Four; I think Rafa will at least win some of the time.
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