Who is more likely to complete the career slam?

Who is more likely to complete the career slam?

  • Federer at the French Open

    Votes: 40 44.9%
  • Nadal at the US Open

    Votes: 49 55.1%

  • Total voters
    89

Bundey

Professional
I personally think that Federer has a better chance to take RG than Nadal does at flushing. There are about eight guys who have a legitimate chance to beat Nadal on fast hardcourts, and only two, Nadal and Djoker who can beat Federer on clay, but Djoker is doubtful in a 5 setter.
 
S

Serendipitous

Guest
I'll take option number 2, thank you.

If Federer doesn't win Roland Garros this year, he will never win it.


Nice thread.
 
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I personally think that Federer has a better chance to take RG than Nadal does at flushing. There are about eight guys who have a legitimate chance to beat Nadal on fast hardcourts, and only two, Nadal and Djoker who can beat Federer on clay, but Djoker is doubtful in a 5 setter.

Who'd you say would have a chance vs. Rafa at USO? I'd say:
Fed
Djokovic
Murray
Roddick
Verdasco
Tsonga
Nalbandian (if healthy)
Blake

And that's just including guys in the top 20, and not including maybe's of guys who've beaten Nadal on HC before (Berdych, Davydenko, Ferrer). So I don't think the career slam for Rafa is as much of a lock as everyone expects.
 

Bundey

Professional
Fed
Djokovic
Murray
Roddick
Verdasco
Tsonga
Nalbandian
Del potro
Daveydenko
all have legit chances vs Rafa on a fast hardcourt.

Fed really only have two obstacles at RG. Rafa and Novak
 

sh@de

Hall of Fame
Must be option two. Although Fed only has two obstacles at RG, Djoker and Nadal, the latter of the two is... unbreakable. At RG anyway, I think. I suppose Nadal is harder to defeat at RG than Fed is at the US Open.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Tough tough question.
Obviously the argument in favor of Fed is: 3 RG finals (if he keeps making finals, why couldn't he win 1 one day?). At the very least one could say Fed's been the closest to doing it so far.
The arguments in favor of Nadal are: he's young, he has more opportunities left than Fed, he has won his first hard court slam this season after making the semi last year, so why wouldn't he do the same at USO? (and don't give me that crap about the surface as Nadal won the Olympics on a fast hard court as similar as possible to USO)
 

Noveson

Hall of Fame
Fed
Djokovic
Murray
Roddick
Verdasco
Tsonga
Nalbandian
Del potro
Daveydenko
all have legit chances vs Rafa on a fast hardcourt.

Fed really only have two obstacles at RG. Rafa and Novak

But Nadal can beat all of those people. Federer has a miniscule chance of beating Nadal at RG in my opinion.
 
Does Nadal really have that many opportunities. Yes, he's younger, but even he's starting to doubt how much he can hold up with the current schedule. He has 2, maybe 3 or 4 more shots at the USO, after that you can't automatically say he'll be a contender there anymore. Just because of his playing style and his injury history.
 

VivalaVida

Banned
Rafa at the US open. Roger is not getting any better at the US open and is turning 28. Nadal, on the other hand, is getting better year after year and is 22. I think the US open should be his within 1 or 2 years
 
Too many people are looking at it as a Rafa vs Roger thing, if they were to meet in the finals. What's to say Rafa will even be able to make it that far, he hasn't so far? Semis is close, but Fed has made the finals, something Rafa has yet to do at the USO.
 

VivalaVida

Banned
Too many people are looking at it as a Rafa vs Roger thing, if they were to meet in the finals. What's to say Rafa will even be able to make it that far, he hasn't so far? Semis is close, but Fed has made the finals, something Rafa has yet to do at the USO.
I just googled Simona Halep... :shock: her movement must be seriously deterred by those.:shock:
 

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
Veron, you must feel good that the curse is over for Rafa. Did Roger use his ace in his sleeve too soon? He did if he wanted RG with a guarantee, but now he'll prove it on his own if he can. No curse to guide him along this time.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Veron, you must feel good that the curse is over for Rafa. Did Roger use his ace in his sleeve too soon? He did if he wanted RG with a guarantee, but now he'll prove it on his own if he can. No curse to guide him along this time.
Yes, relieved the curse is gone, it was a close call (what if Djoko had beaten Rafa in the semi? :shock:) That's why Rafa gave everything he had in the Djoko match, he obviously knew about the curse :)
 
O

oneleggedcardinal

Guest
Yes, relieved the curse is gone, it was a close call (what if Djoko had beaten Rafa in the semi? :shock:) That's why Rafa gave everything he had in the Djoko match, he obviously knew about the curse :)

That's because he has an account here...now if we could just figure out who he is...I think he's Breakpoint or Tennis_Hero.
 

deltox

Hall of Fame
i think nadal will play in more USOs than roger will FOs in total. But i dont think nadal will get more chances. i mean he wont make the finals every time like roger has the french. But as stated earlier, on a good day, there is quite a long list that can beat nadal on USO HCs, but there is only a handful stopping fed from making the finals til hes done. doubt i would really bet either way on this one. The oly thing i can see favoring one more than the other is that Fed is hot right now going into this years FO and Nadal will be at the end of a long season when the USO comes around.

its really a coin flip as to which one will actually pull the trigger on the last slam first
 

Bundey

Professional
But Nadal can beat all of those people. Federer has a miniscule chance of beating Nadal at RG in my opinion.

Yea that would be the flip side to the arguement. Quality vs quantity. To me Nadal is at a greater risk of losing in at the US, because from about the round of sixteen on there could be someone who gets hot at the right time and knocks him off. Federer probably won't face too much opposition until the semis if Djokovic is on his half. (Knock on wood.)
 

boredone3456

G.O.A.T.
Nadal at the Open. He has proven he can beat Fed at GS Level on hardcourts and considering Fed has done worse and worse every year against Nadal at Roland Garros I don't see Fed getting it. His last best shot was last year and he won a total of 4 games against Rafa. The only way Fed will win the French is if Nadal gets taken out before the final which is very unlikely. Fed almost lost to Berdych at the Aussie, 3 years ago that would not have happened, Fed could easily lose before the finals of the French if he gets someone who isn't intimidated by him and takes it to him.

As for Nadal yes there are more people that can beat him at the US Open, but with Fed more vulnerable now than ever Nadal has got to be at the top of the pack to captilize and claim the US Open. Especially if Fed keeps playing so inconsistantly he may be # 3 or 4 by the us open if he doesn't whip his head on straight soon. And if he drops there...he will have a likely 50/50 shot at having Nadal in the semi's, which he doesn't want. Nadal is way more likely to get the US Open than Fed is to get the French, Unless Nadal gets abducted by aliens I don't see fed beating him in paris, the best hope he can have is to not get annihialted like last year.
 

flying24

Banned
Who'd you say would have a chance vs. Rafa at USO? I'd say:
Fed
Djokovic
Murray
Roddick
Verdasco
Tsonga
Nalbandian (if healthy)
Blake

And that's just including guys in the top 20, and not including maybe's of guys who've beaten Nadal on HC before (Berdych, Davydenko, Ferrer). So I don't think the career slam for Rafa is as much of a lock as everyone expects.

What a joke. You must be another TW clown. I am not even a Nadal fan, but you are downright nuts and delusional with a list like that. James freaking Blake a better shot at winning the U.S Open than Nadal, ROTFFFFLLLLLLL!!! The nearly 30 year old who has only been to 3 slam quarters and cant even beat Nadal head on slow hard courts anymore despite the favorable matchup. Nadal last year dead tired still surpassed Blake's best ever U.S Open. Of course only someone who calls himself JamesBlakefan thinks Blake has a better shot at the U.S Open than Nadal.

Tsonga, based on what, one dream hard court event which was still topped twice by Rafa's at the both the Olympics and Australian Open this year, and is still 1-3 head to head vs Rafa on hard courts against despite the favorable matchup.

Nalbandian, the mid 20s guy who has never been to a slam final anywhere except a fluke Wimbledon final on his worst surface, who has had all his best career results indoors, whose best results where all from 2003-2007. Oh yeah not to mention there is almost no chance of him even playing the U.S Open this year.

Roddick who since 2004 hasnt beaten Nadal on anything other than lightning grease court which is even much faster than the U.S Open in a best 2 of 3, and who hasnt been past the quarters of any slam other than the Australian Open since 2006 now.

Verdasco who couldnt even beat Nadal playing out of his mind at the Australian Open, and who has done nothing in slam events other than that.

Federer, Djokovic, and Murray I could see "maybe" although I dont neccessarily agree on all 3. The others put down the crack pipe. Steff Graf or Martina Navratilova have a better shot coming out of retirement and winning Wimbledon with back to back double bagels over the Williams than James Blake does of ever winning a slam title at this point.
 

GameSampras

Banned
I dont see why Djoker, Fed or Murray couldnt whallop Nadal at the USO. Its not a secret that Nadal's game just doesnt fit well on faster courts where he comes neutralized pretty quickly. Fed just showed us on faster clay, Murray showed us last year at the USO. Nadal has the advantage on the slower courts against his opponents where his defense comes in handy.
 
What a joke. You must be another TW clown. I am not even a Nadal fan, but you are downright nuts and delusional with a list like that. James freaking Blake a better shot at winning the U.S Open than Nadal, ROTFFFFLLLLLLL!!! The nearly 30 year old who has only been to 3 slam quarters and cant even beat Nadal head on slow hard courts anymore despite the favorable matchup. Nadal last year dead tired still surpassed Blake's best ever U.S Open. Of course only someone who calls himself JamesBlakefan thinks Blake has a better shot at the U.S Open than Nadal.

Tsonga, based on what, one dream hard court event which was still topped twice by Rafa's at the both the Olympics and Australian Open this year, and is still 1-3 head to head vs Rafa on hard courts against despite the favorable matchup.

Nalbandian, the mid 20s guy who has never been to a slam final anywhere except a fluke Wimbledon final on his worst surface, who has had all his best career results indoors, whose best results where all from 2003-2007. Oh yeah not to mention there is almost no chance of him even playing the U.S Open this year.

Roddick who since 2004 hasnt beaten Nadal on anything other than lightning grease court which is even much faster than the U.S Open in a best 2 of 3, and who hasnt been past the quarters of any slam other than the Australian Open since 2006 now.

Verdasco who couldnt even beat Nadal playing out of his mind at the Australian Open, and who has done nothing in slam events other than that.

Federer, Djokovic, and Murray I could see "maybe" although I dont neccessarily agree on all 3. The others put down the crack pipe. Steff Graf or Martina Navratilova have a better shot coming out of retirement and winning Wimbledon with back to back double bagels over the Williams than James Blake does of ever winning a slam title at this point.

Shows how good of a reader you are. I didn't say those guys had a better chance at winning the USO. I said those guys were all capable of beating Nadal at the USO, which I stand by. So you, sir, should learn to read before telling me to put down the crack pipe. :)
 

GameSampras

Banned
Shows how good of a reader you are. I didn't say those guys had a better chance at winning the USO. I said those guys were all capable of beating Nadal at the USO, which I stand by. So you, sir, should learn to read before telling me to put down the crack pipe. :)

Well a slim chance I guess for guys like Blake and Nalbandian. Very slim. Their best days are gone. If they had best days that is. No doubt Nadal could be taken out by the other top 3 players though at the USO which is definitely Nadal's weakest surface
 
Blake does not have any shot of beating Nadal at the U.S Open. The guy is finished. If they play at the U.S Open Blake wont get a set. If Verdasco ever beats Nadal it wont be a grand slam, he couldnt even do it in Australia playing the tennis of his life. Nalbandian is definitely not even playing the U.S Open this year and he never posts a big win over anyone at a slam, except Federer 2003-earlier. Roddick definitely isnt going to beat Nadal in a slam event either, he is a player Roddick will always have to avoid if he wants to be a run in the future at a slam before he retires. So even though flying misinterpreted your post he is still right. The only one of those who can beat Nadal at the U.S Open maybe is Federer, Murray, Djokovic, and Tsonga.
 
Well a slim chance I guess for guys like Blake and Nalbandian. Very slim. Their best days are gone. If they had best days that is. No doubt Nadal could be taken out by the other top 3 players though at the USO which is definitely Nadal's weakest surface

Nalbandian had best days. Sometimes even lasting a full week. Never a full two weeks though, never mind a full year. Blake's only beat days were at his absolute peak playing pre-prime in diapers Nadal on fast hard courts or playing Davydenko his longtime beetch.
 
Blake does not have any shot of beating Nadal at the U.S Open. The guy is finished. If they play at the U.S Open Blake wont get a set. If Verdasco ever beats Nadal it wont be a grand slam, he couldnt even do it in Australia playing the tennis of his life. Nalbandian is definitely not even playing the U.S Open this year and he never posts a big win over anyone at a slam, except Federer 2003-earlier. Roddick definitely isnt going to beat Nadal in a slam event either, he is a player Roddick will always have to avoid if he wants to be a run in the future at a slam before he retires. So even though flying misinterpreted your post he is still right. The only one of those who can beat Nadal at the U.S Open maybe is Federer, Murray, Djokovic, and Tsonga.

You don't think Roddick would have a shot vs Nadal if they played at the Open? You gotta take Home Court advantage into consideration. And don't forget what Roddick did to Nadal in Dubai. I'm not saying that he'd be favored, but if Nadal came in "tired" vs. Roddick, you've gotta think Roddick would have a shot. Same with Blake.
 
You don't think Roddick would have a shot vs Nadal if they played at the Open? You gotta take Home Court advantage into consideration. And don't forget what Roddick did to Nadal in Dubai. I'm not saying that he'd be favored, but if Nadal came in "tired" vs. Roddick, you've gotta think Roddick would have a shot. Same with Blake.

Home court advantage hasnt helped Roddick get past the quarters more than once since 2003, and that was only with a joke draw in 2006 (washed up out of top 20 Hewitt in the quarters, Youzhny in the semis, LOL!). Home court advantage couldnt even help Roddick get past an off form and shaky Djokovic in the quarters last year, the player in the top 4 he has by far his most success against. No Roddick has no shot of beating Nadal at the U.S Open, home court and all. When is Roddick's last big win in a slam event? Dubai is probably the fastest court on tour, it isnt a grand slam, and it was before Nadal's major hard courts improvement in mid 2008. Simon has beaten late 2008 Nadal on a slower hard court than that and I give him no shot of beating Nadal at the U.S Open also.

As for Blake, like I said stick a fork in him. I know you are a fan but get real here.
 
I don't think you can say no shot. If both were 100%, then I'd give Nadal the edge. But if they met in the QF or SF, and Nadal were "tired" as he often seems to get, particularly at the USO after the HC season, then Roddick would definetly have a shot. Most would've said Murray would have no shot last yr, but he was able to do it. So I definetly would give Roddick a shot.
 
Roddick couldnt even beat a tired, off form, and sluggish Djokovic last year. While one could argue Djokovic being better than Nadal on a fast hard court, Roddick no doubt finds Djokovic a better matchup for him than Nadal. So I fully expect a tired and less than his best Nadal would definitely beat any Roddick at the U.S Open. We will have to agree to disagree.
 

T1000

Legend
Federer, he has only two obstacles at the French, nadal and joke. Nadal is not good enough on fast hardcourts. he's "tired" at the end of the year and gets easy draws that do not help him.
 

tennis-hero

Banned
i voted Nadal for the US OPEN

of course NAdal sucks on hard courts, as evidenced by the fact that Roddick has bagled Nadal at the US OPEN

but, with such a weak current era (unlike 04-07 the strongest era in the last 50 years) then even Rafa can win the US open
 
i voted Nadal for the US OPEN

of course NAdal sucks on hard courts, as evidenced by the fact that Roddick has bagled Nadal at the US OPEN

but, with such a weak current era (unlike 04-07 the strongest era in the last 50 years) then even Rafa can win the US open

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

fastdunn

Legend
Hmm. this is a tough one. Generally, it appears to be tougher for Federer to win French Open but all he needs is one slip from Nadal.

I would say they both will achieve a career slam.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nadal got beaten by prime Roddick at USO at the tender age of 18 years old.
Federer was much worse, he got beaten in straights at the age of 20 by 31 year old Agassi and managed to get only 3 games out of the first 2 sets!
At the age of 21, Federer went from bad to worse by being straight setted in the 4th round by Max Mirnyi.
Federer sucks so much that at 18 years old he wasn't even capable of playing the USO!
Although Sampras would fare considerably better than Federer in his early USO years, at 18 he still got straight setted by Jay Berger who had the privilege to hand poor Pete a breadstick as well (4th round).
So I don't see anything shocking in Nadal's result at all...
 
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