Nadal or Federer?
Would you go with the cool veteran in Roger Federer, who never seems to change his expression on the court, and who plays with such an effortlessness that is utterly remarkable?
Or do you go with the young gun in Rafa Nadal, a player who has set the tennis world on fire in the past two years with his gutty play and never back down attitude?
The answer is a tough one.
Federer has dominated this decade, winning 14 Grand Slam titles, and just recently completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open. Federer has reached the semifinals or better of the last 20 Grand Slam tournaments. He also has a gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Games. (Albeit a double titles, but still gold nonetheless)
He won five straight Wimbledon titles from 2003-07. He is currently on a five year winning streak at the U.S. Open and will look to make it six later this summer in New York. He is one Grand Slam win away from passing Pete Sampras for the all-time lead.
His numbers are staggering when looked at and can almost make your head hurt after a while. When all is said and done, he will probably have the most Grand Slam titles in tennis history for a while and could go down as the greatest player of all time.
Unless a certain Spaniard passes him up.
Rafael Nadal who just turned 23 may be the one guy to catch Federer in the all-time Grand Slam department. Granted it will not be easy, but in the past year we have seen Nadal snap Federer’s dominance at Wimbledon, in one of Tennis’s greatest matches ever.
Nadal beat Federer in a thrilling 5 set victory that lasted over 6 hours because of rain delays. Nadal entered the final on a 23-match winning streak. Federer reached the Wimbledon final without losing a set.
In their previous two Wimbledon finals in ‘06 and in ‘07 Federer won, with ’07 being a tough 5 set victory.
In ‘08 they played the longest final in Wimbledon history, and because of rain delays, Nadal won the fifth set 9–7 in near-darkness. It was one of the most exciting sporting events I have ever seen. The shot making and general game play was amazing. One guy would get the momentum, two plays later, the other snatched it back.
Tanaka shows that he has some "grapefruits" as well.
The match was widely lauded as the greatest Wimbledon final ever, with some tennis critics even calling it the greatest match in tennis history.
Later that summer, Nadal won the gold medal in singles play at the Beijing Olympics, fully entrenching himself as the number one player in the world.
He has six grand slam victories, with four coming in successive years at the French Open from 2005-08. If he wins a two grand slams a year for the next four years, he would be tied with Federer at fourteen.
At 27, Federer’s career is winding down. Yes 27 is very young, but in the tennis world, 27 is equivalent to 36 in Baseball, 32 in Basketball, (which is about the time most baller’s knees go) and 31 in Football.
The only tennis player that I can think of that was still playing at high level in their 30’s would be the immortal Andre Agassi.
So the question that remains is will Nadal’s body hold up as well as Federer’s has so far. Nadal has had problems with his knees in the past two years, which be a cause for concern.
Knee and shoulder injuries are the two worst possible injuries to any athlete. The reason being is that knees and shoulders are very complicated in their set up, and it can be hard to get back to what you once were if a serious injury happens. The list of guys who could not come back from knee and shoulder injuries is a long and depressing one.
But with all that considered, Nadal has the chance to be one of the game’s all-time greats. And at this moment in time, I would have to slightly lean towards Nadal.
His game and his demeanor are so cocky and confident, that you would be a fool to bet against him. Yes Federer has a lead on him, but Federer is also going to be gone from the game in about 3 or 4 years tops, and I don’t see a challenger to Nadal out there right now once Roger retires.
But what do you guys think? Would you pick Fed or Rafa?
Props to the "grapefruits" bit, I literally Laughed Out Loud. I think that you make a fair argument, but I have one objection. Yes, Fed, at the age he is at, might be looking to step down in the near future, however if we are talking about in the moment, which we should because now is what matters most, I would say Fed is the better player. Nadal's performance in Wimbeldon proves how human he really is. Lets evaluate him once Fed steps down and see how his body has held up till then. But for now, in present day, my vote goes for Roger.
ReplyDeleteWell, two days after I wrote this, Nadal pulls out of wimbledon with an injury.
ReplyDeleteSo SHeev's is right, at the moment, it's all Fed.