If Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were the same age

FedTheMan

Professional
Alright, if it was Novak, Nadal and Federer in their primes at the same time (ie. they are the same age) then they would all take slams from each other. Novak would reign over AO, Nadal over RG, Fed over Wimby and all would fight at the USO, IMO.

Everyone acts like Fed would never beat Nadal at a slam if they were the same age but Prime/peak Federer has chances against anyone and Nadal only won Wimby twice and has gotten worse so he would have like a 5 year window but Federer and Novak would give him stiff competition there. RG, of course Nadal would win all of them most likely.

AO, Djokovic would be very very hard to beat and maybe Fed or Nadal would win one or two after Djoko declined a bit. USO: Fed is the best hard court player maybe ever and he would have a chance to beat Rafa here in his prime as well as Novak so probably Fed wins the most here.

So lets say if these 3 played at the same age for a prime of 8 years. age:21-29 then the results would be IMO:

AO(Plexicushion)- Djokovic (5), Federer (2), Nadal (1)
RG- Nadal (8 ) maybe Federer or Novak win one if Nadal has a weird loss
Wimby- Federer (6), Nadal(1), Djokovic (1)
USO-Federer (4), Djokovic (2), Nadal(2)

So total slams would be: Federer(12), Nadal(12), Djokovic (8 ). I think that these numbers are reasonable and shows that Fedal are better players than Djoko and that Fed would still have great chances to win double digits slams with two of the greatest players against him.

Do you guys find these numbers realistic and reasonable? If not post your own numbers that you think Fed, Nadal and Djokovic would have won at the same age for a span of 8 years in their primes.

roger-federer-rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic1.jpg
 
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tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
If Fed was the same age , then he is not losing that many matches on hard court to Novak and Rafa. May be 1, max 2 to Novak. Zilch on grass.

I would go with

Fed - 6 + 1 + 7 + 5 ( 19)
Nadal - 0 + 7 + 1+ 1 (9)
Djokovic - 2 + 0 + 0 +2 (4)
 
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90's Clay

Banned
Federer isn't winning 2 AO titles with Nadal/Nole around there.

He can't beat Nadal in Australia obviously. And I think he beat Nole there once when he was 19.


I give Fed maybe One AO title with Nole/Nadal around. Thats if we use 2005 Fed.

No French Open's for Fed


You're giving him a lot of USO titles as well. If he can't beat Nadal in Australia how in the hell is he gonna beat Nadal in Flushing exactly?


I''ll go with:

1 AO title
0 French Opens
5 or 6 Wimbledons (Probably 5)
3-4 USO's

8-9 slams for Fed
 

90's Clay

Banned
If Fed was the same age , then he is not losing that many matches on hard court to Novak and Rafa. May be 1, max 2 to Novak. Zilch on grass.

I would go with

Fed - 6 + 1 + 7 + 5 ( 19)
Nadal - 0 + 7 + 1+ 1 (9)
Djokovic - 2 + 0 + 0 +2 (4)

:lol:

Fed can't beat Nadal in a best of 5 on outdoor hard courts. AO or USO. Get that weak sauce outta here. He can't handle Novak in Australia either and can BARELY handle him in Flushing.
 

augustobt

Legend
Federer 2004-7 would've won against any incarnation of Djokovic or Nadal in any hard court major, specially in the US Open (if we used the court speeds of that timespan).
 

FedTheMan

Professional
If Fed was the same age , then he is not losing that many matches on hard court to Novak and Rafa. May be 1, max 2 to Novak. Zilch on grass.

I would go with

Fed - 6 + 1 + 7 + 5 ( 19)
Nadal - 0 + 7 + 1+ 1 (9)
Djokovic - 2 + 0 + 0 +2 (4)

Ok, I like that you came to the same conclusion that Federer and Nadal are greater players in their prime than Novak but Novak is amazing at the AO and I believe that even peak Fed would have a hard time beating him there and most would go to 4 or 5 tough sets so Novak definitely has his chances and I only see 2004, 2005 and 2007, 2010 versions of Roger at the AO capable of beating Djokovic but I think Djokovic would win the most out of Fed and Nadal.
 

BringBackSV

Hall of Fame
If Fed was the same age , then he is not losing that many matches on hard court to Novak and Rafa. May be 1, max 2 to Novak. Zilch on grass.

I would go with

Fed - 6 + 1 + 7 + 5 ( 19)
Nadal - 0 + 7 + 1+ 1 (9)
Djokovic - 2 + 0 + 0 +2 (4)

Quite ridiculous, thanks for the jokes.
 

tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
Ok, I like that you came to the same conclusion that Federer and Nadal are greater players in their prime than Novak but Novak is amazing at the AO and I believe that even peak Fed would have a hard time beating him there and most would go to 4 or 5 tough sets so Novak definitely has his chances and I only see 2004, 2005 and 2007, 2010 versions of Roger at the AO capable of beating Djokovic but I think Djokovic would win the most out of Fed and Nadal.

AO is subjective whether it is rebound ace / plexicushion. I went with rebound ace. Basically I assumed Nadal and Novak born 5 years earlier than their actual birth year.

2004-07 Fed could only be beaten by Safin level player who could achieve insane peak for a match. A Novak / Rafa kind of player are not beating him there on hard.
 

BringBackSV

Hall of Fame
Federer 2004-7 would've won against any incarnation of Djokovic or Nadal in any hard court major, specially in the US Open (if we used the court speeds of that timespan).

Not really though. Fed didn't even look the better player than Novak in 08, even though he won. Fed should be favored over Novak at the USO but he never faced Rafa there and quite frankly has a pitiful H2H record against Nadal on outdoor HC.
 

FedTheMan

Professional
Federer 2004-7 would've won against any incarnation of Djokovic or Nadal in any hard court major, specially in the US Open (if we used the court speeds of that timespan).
I agree that Prime Federer would win majority of their hardcourt battles but at the AO I believe that Djokovic can win more. However, the premise of the thread was an 8 year span. Roger made six finals at the USO and won 5 so there is 3-4 chances for Novak and Nadal. This is not peak to peak but rather sustained peak and prime for 8 years.

Federer isn't winning 2 AO titles with Nadal/Nole around there.

He can't beat Nadal in Australia obviously. And I think he beat Nole there once when he was 19.


I give Fed maybe One AO title with Nole/Nadal around. Thats if we use 2005 Fed.

No French Open's for Fed


You're giving him a lot of USO titles as well. If he can't beat Nadal in Australia how in the hell is he gonna beat Nadal in Flushing exactly?

LOL, I gave him the same number of USO's as you. Also, the USO surface is completely different to AO and Federer is a better fast court player IMO and will have more chances to beat Nadal at the USO than at the AO.

I edited the OP to accept that the AO surface will be Plexicushion for the 8 years.
 
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augustobt

Legend
Not really though. Fed didn't even look the better player than Novak in 08, even though he won. Fed should be favored over Novak at the USO but he never faced Rafa there and quite frankly has a pitiful H2H record against Nadal on outdoor HC.

How many times Nadal faced Federer on outdoor HC until 2007?
 

90's Clay

Banned
I agree that Prime Federer would win majority of their hardcourt battles but at the AO I believe that Djokovic can win more. However, the premise of the thread was an 8 year span. Roger made six finals at the USO and won 5 so there is 3-4 chances for Novak and Nadal. This is not peak to peak but rather sustained peak and prime for 8 years.



LOL, I gave him the same number of USO's as you. Also, the USO surface is completely different to AO and Federer is a better fast court player IMO and will have more chances to beat Nadal at the USO than at the AO.


Outdoor is outdoor. And as the facts and history has shown. Nadal OWNS Fed's mind, body and soul outdoors. I give Fed maybe 1 match out of 10 vs. Nadal in a best of 5 on any outdoor hardcourt.

Fed's only advantage over Nadal is mainly indoors. Slight advantage outdoor on grass. Definitely not clay or hards in a best of 5 format on an outdoor.

No sir. Fed can't hang with Mr. Nadal outdoors on hard courts. Thats been shown.


Even thinking about it. If they had played more on grass, I would probably give the slight edge to Nadal there as well. Look at what it took Fed to beat Nadal in 2007.. 2008 (Still Fed's prime) Nadal had a 2 set to love lead. Nadal would have continued to dissect Fed on grass if they played more
 
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augustobt

Legend
I still repeat the same question, how many times did Nadal faced Federer on outdoor HC until the end of 2007?
 

helloworld

Hall of Fame
Federer 2004-7 would've won against any incarnation of Djokovic or Nadal in any hard court major, specially in the US Open (if we used the court speeds of that timespan).

17 year old Nadal didn't have any problem with peak Fed on hard court. The match up is too much for Fed to overcome. If they were the same age, Fed probably wouldn't win any slam outside of grass.
 

BringBackSV

Hall of Fame
Outdoor is outdoor. And as the facts and history has shown. Nadal OWNS Fed's mind, body and soul outdoors. I give Fed maybe 1 match out of 10 vs. Nadal in a best of 5 on any outdoor hardcourt.

Fed's only advantage over Nadal is mainly indoors. Slight advantage outdoor on grass. Definitely not clay or hards in a best of 5 format on an outdoor.

No sir. Fed can't hang with Mr. Nadal outdoors on hard courts. Thats been shown.


Even thinking about it. If they had played more on grass, I would probably give the slight edge to Nadal there as well. Look at what it took Fed to beat Nadal in 2007.. 2008 (Still Fed's prime) Nadal had a 2 set to love lead. Nadal would have continued to dissect Fed on grass if they played more

I think you exaggerate a bit, Fed could win 2 or 3 out of 10 against Rafa on outdoor HC.
 

BGod

G.O.A.T.
Federer is 5 years older than Nadal and 6 over Djokovic.

I don't think 27-29 are "prime" years but I'll play the game.

Y1: AUS-Djokovic FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Djokovic
2: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
3: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
4: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
5: AUS-Djokovic FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
6: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
7: AUS-Federer FRA-Federer WMB-Federer USO-Federer
8: AUS-Federer FRA-Federer WMB-Federer USO-Djokovic


Federer: 22 Titles
Nadal: 6 Titles
Djokovic: 4 Titles


Sorry to disappoint but the only reason Nadal and Djokovic have been able to compete with Federer is because of his advanced age. It's like Edberg taking on Lendl or McEnroe against Connors.

Now we're not factoring in guys like Roddick, Nalbandian, Safin, etc who would take some titles from Federer, probably leaving him with 18-20. However Federer would be near unbeatable outside of clay as he was. I base this off his performance against Nadal and Djokovic in his later years.

I give Federer the French years 7-8 where he'd be 28-29 as in those years he did well against a prime Djokovic and Nadal. I'm not counting this year's French in Nadal's 28 age so I'm looking ahead at the next two years and I can't see him being near as impenetrable as 06-10. Remember Federer took out Djokovic in 2011 and Nadal was pushed to 9-7 in the fifth set of 2013 semifinal with Novak.


I'd sure like to mix this scenario up by having Safin, Hewitt (healthy), Nalbandian (healthy), Roddick, Del Potro (healthy) and Robin Söderling (healthy).
 

BringBackSV

Hall of Fame
I still repeat the same question, how many times did Nadal faced Federer on outdoor HC until the end of 2007?

The problem is this kind of rationalization only works for people with a vested interested (Fed fans). Roger is a great player but Rafa H2H is his worst nightmare, other than on indoor HC.
 

tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
All those who are saying Nadal will win on hard and grass need to understand the thread more.

The question is not will lead a three way H2H. It is one of who will win more majors .

Nadal has to not just beat Fed and Novak, but beat Safin, Roddick, Muller, Ferrer, Gonzalez, Hewitt , Nalbandian, Soderling, Davydenko on hard and grass.

Fed will still beat the field black and blue , while Rafa and Novak will have their failures .
 
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helloworld

Hall of Fame
Federer is 5 years older than Nadal and 6 over Djokovic.

I don't think 27-29 are "prime" years but I'll play the game.

Y1: AUS-Djokovic FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Djokovic
2: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
3: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
4: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
5: AUS-Djokovic FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
6: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
7: AUS-Federer FRA-Federer WMB-Federer USO-Federer
8: AUS-Federer FRA-Federer WMB-Federer USO-Djokovic


Federer: 22 Titles
Nadal: 6 Titles
Djokovic: 4 Titles


Sorry to disappoint but the only reason Nadal and Djokovic have been able to compete with Federer is because of his advanced age. It's like Edberg taking on Lendl or McEnroe against Connors.

Now we're not factoring in guys like Roddick, Nalbandian, Safin, etc who would take some titles from Federer, probably leaving him with 18-20. However Federer would be near unbeatable outside of clay as he was. I base this off his performance against Nadal and Djokovic in his later years.

I give Federer the French years 7-8 where he'd be 28-29 as in those years he did well against a prime Djokovic and Nadal. I'm not counting this year's French in Nadal's 28 age so I'm looking ahead at the next two years and I can't see him being near as impenetrable as 06-10. Remember Federer took out Djokovic in 2011 and Nadal was pushed to 9-7 in the fifth set of 2013 semifinal with Novak.


I'd sure like to mix this scenario up by having Safin, Hewitt (healthy), Nalbandian (healthy), Roddick, Del Potro (healthy) and Robin Söderling (healthy).

Fed started to be good enough to win slam at age 22-23. At that age, Nadal already amassed close to 10 majors. So year 1-5 will be all Nadal and some for Djokovic with Fed 0. By year 6, it will be way too late for Fed to catch up with the other 2. Fed is a very late bloomer and he benefitted immensely from this fact, which still kept him competitive until now.


Y1: AUS-Nadal FRA-Nadal WMB-Nadal USO-Nadal
2: AUS-Nadal FRA-Nadal WMB-Nadal USO-Nadal
3: AUS-Nadal FRA-Nadal WMB-Nadal USO-Nadal
4: AUS-Nadal FRA-Nadal WMB-Nadal USO-Nadal
5: AUS-Djokovic FRA-Nadal WMB-Nadal USO-Nadal
6: AUS-Djokovic FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Nadal
7: AUS-Djokovic FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
8: AUS-Djokovic FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Djokovic
Nadal: 22 Titles
Djokovic: 5 Titles
Federer: 4 Titles
 
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BringBackSV

Hall of Fame
Federer is 5 years older than Nadal and 6 over Djokovic.

I don't think 27-29 are "prime" years but I'll play the game.

Y1: AUS-Djokovic FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Djokovic
2: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
3: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
4: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
5: AUS-Djokovic FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
6: AUS-Federer FRA-Nadal WMB-Federer USO-Federer
7: AUS-Federer FRA-Federer WMB-Federer USO-Federer
8: AUS-Federer FRA-Federer WMB-Federer USO-Djokovic


Federer: 22 Titles
Nadal: 6 Titles
Djokovic: 4 Titles


Sorry to disappoint but the only reason Nadal and Djokovic have been able to compete with Federer is because of his advanced age. It's like Edberg taking on Lendl or McEnroe against Connors.

Now we're not factoring in guys like Roddick, Nalbandian, Safin, etc who would take some titles from Federer, probably leaving him with 18-20. However Federer would be near unbeatable outside of clay as he was. I base this off his performance against Nadal and Djokovic in his later years.

I give Federer the French years 7-8 where he'd be 28-29 as in those years he did well against a prime Djokovic and Nadal. I'm not counting this year's French in Nadal's 28 age so I'm looking ahead at the next two years and I can't see him being near as impenetrable as 06-10. Remember Federer took out Djokovic in 2011 and Nadal was pushed to 9-7 in the fifth set of 2013 semifinal with Novak.


I'd sure like to mix this scenario up by having Safin, Hewitt (healthy), Nalbandian (healthy), Roddick, Del Potro (healthy) and Robin Söderling (healthy).

This is just sad.
 
I think if Rafa and Fed were the same age, it would have benefitted Fed. If Nadal was five years younger, using his same career trajectory, he would have made US Open finals in 2005 and 2006. I don't see Rafa beating Fed on the US Open courts of 05/06 when Fed was in his absolute prime. Same with 2004 and 2007 Australian Open on rebound ace.

The other thing is, who knows what the h2h or mental battle looks like if they were the same age? If they had met more often on faster surfaces earlier in the rivalry, Fed likely notches some wins and had a better mentality about it.

In any case, it's impossible to know. I think Rafa and Fed end up with 12-14 each, and Djokovic gets the short end of the stick. Fed has troubled Novak even far past his prime, so prime Fed I think cleans up.
 

BGod

G.O.A.T.
He can't beat Nadal in Australia obviously.

Nadal beat Federer at the Australia with Federer age 32, 30 (Nadal got two tiebreaks in a 4 set match) and at age 27 in a 5 set Final.

This is like people ignoring Johnny Mack was almost 7 years older than Connors.
 

Backspin1183

Talk Tennis Guru
Nadal would be lucky to win 1 French Open title in these hypothetical situations. Fed and Novak to win everything else, both 10+ Slams each.
 

goran_ace

Hall of Fame
Fed started to be good enough to win slam at age 22-23. At that age, Nadal already amassed close to 10 majors. So year 1-5 will be all Nadal and some for Djokovic with Fed 0. By year 6, it will be way too late for Fed to catch up with the other 2. Fed is a very late bloomer and he benefitted immensely from this fact, which still kept him competitive until now.

Yes. If they were all the same age Nadal would be way ahead of Fed and Novak. Heck, if they were the same age we might be talking about Nadal as GOAT and Federer's career might have ended up looking more like Roddick's.
 

helloworld

Hall of Fame
Yes. If they were all the same age Nadal would be way ahead of Fed and Novak. Heck, if they were the same age we might be talking about Nadal as GOAT and Federer's career might have ended up looking more like Roddick's.

If Nadal and Federer were born the same year, Fed would be reduced to Roddick or perhaps even worse.
 

tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
If Nadal and Federer were born the same year, Fed would be reduced to Roddick or perhaps even worse.

Ok, let us see.

How many majors has Nadal won with a 5 year older Fed ? 14

How many majors has Federer stopped him - 2.

Let us assume that if they are of the same age, Nadal won those 2 as well. So, Nadal gets to 16.

Now, there are 32 majors as per OP in the 8 year time frame.

If Fed was like Roddick and won only 1 major, then is Novak winning 15 ?
 

helloworld

Hall of Fame
Ok, let us see.

How many majors has Nadal won with a 5 year older Fed ? 14

How many majors has Federer stopped him - 2.

Let us assume that if they are of the same age, Nadal won those 2 as well. So, Nadal gets to 16.

Now, there are 32 majors as per OP in the 8 year time frame.

If Fed was like Roddick and won only 1 major, then is Novak winning 15 ?
This is all hypothetical scenario, but if Fed and Nadal were the same age, Fed will never gain any confidence required to win majors. Nadal will reduce him to Roddick-type mentality. Fed thrives on the confidence he gained from the weak field. He would not have that luxury if he had to play Nadal from day 1.
 

tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
This is all hypothetical scenario, but if Fed and Nadal were the same age, Fed will never gain any confidence required to win majors. Nadal will reduce him to Roddick-type mentality. Fed thrives on the confidence he gained from the weak field. He would not have that luxury if he had to play Nadal from day 1.

It is not hypothetical. We have a 8 year window - 32 majors. We gave Nadal the max that he could have got - 16. You are saying that Fed will have 1.

So, the conclusion that i can reach from that is Novak should get 13-15 majors.

Or you are saying that there will be winners others than Nadal, Novak and Fed who will get like 10 majors ?
 

helloworld

Hall of Fame
It is not hypothetical. We have a 8 year window - 32 majors. We gave Nadal the max that he could have got - 16. You are saying that Fed will have 1.

So, the conclusion that i can reach from that is Novak should get 13-15 majors.

Or you are saying that there will be winners others than Nadal, Novak and Fed who will get like 10 majors ?

There will definitely be more slam winners other than Nadal. Nadal does not dominate the field the way Fed used to do. In this hypothetical situation, we will see more dark horses win major titles. I still see Nadal winning most majors by far with Djokovic second and Federer third.
 
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TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
There's greater chance for Roger to win the calendar slam if they are at the same age. Nadal past his prime early on clay but Roger sustain the same high level. AO is on rebound ace instead of plexicushion. Also the surfaces was faster back then so that favors Roger.
 

BGod

G.O.A.T.
All those who are saying Nadal will win on hard and grass need to understand the thread more.

The question is not will lead a three way H2H. It is one of who will win more majors .

Nadal has to not just beat Fed and Novak, but beat Safin, Roddick, Muller, Ferrer, Gonzalez, Hewitt , Nalbandian, Soderling, Davydenko on hard and grass.

Fed will still beat the field black and blue , while Rafa and Novak will have their failures .

People picking Nadal to win 20+ titles are insane.

The last several years might turn out to be some of the weakest in the history of modern men's Tennis. I say that with sadness. I keep referring to the high age of the Top 10 as argument for that.

I know many would like to think Novak, Nadal and Federer are just gods amongst men but the disparity between them and the field is stupifying.

As far as Federer goes, too many younglings need to look up archive footage circa 2005-2007. The greatest of all time.

Federer won his first Slam at age 21 going on 22 yes. However Nadal in his prime years hasn't had to deal with much outside of Djokovic in Finals.

I really wonder how he'd fare against prime Roddick and like I brought up health issues with Del Potro and Soderling. Nadal could have gotten lucky not having to face Del Potro who seemingly was the next generation star. Very sad.
 

Russeljones

Talk Tennis Guru
Federer would break their spirits and they would never grow to be the players they are today. End of (the hypothetical) story.
 
Is 2007 the year the world ended, why do Fed fans constantly want to use such an arbitrary cut off point?

You're right. The cutoff point should actually be 2006. That was the last year of the smooth, fluid, glides-over-the-court, in possession of-a-liquid-whip-forehand-and-backhand Federer. Federer's game changed in 2007, despite maintaining outstanding results that year. The Federer some of us remember and miss was there in 01-06.
 

The Green Mile

Bionic Poster
:lol: You NEVER miss your name being mentioned, it's amazing! Did you get my email last night btw?



Almost 21? Don't worry, you'll be 28 before you know it.... it'll feel like 3 years. No kidding! I was 21 when I joined here :)

Haha, I was getting sick of not talking to people actually KNEW stuff about tennis.... little did I know....J/K :lol:
 

Maximagq

Banned
:lol: You NEVER miss your name being mentioned, it's amazing! Did you get my email last night btw?



Almost 21? Don't worry, you'll be 28 before you know it.... it'll feel like 3 years. No kidding! I was 21 when I joined here :)

Yeah Michael, dude I'm really sorry. I have had a ton of homework this week so I didn't have time to respond. Yeah I'd love to chat, I'll send you my skype name and gmail later in the week. I've just been swamped with lab reports and math, it's a pain. Looking forward to it man, thanks!
 

Noleberic123

G.O.A.T.
:lol: You NEVER miss your name being mentioned, it's amazing! Did you get my email last night btw?



Almost 21? Don't worry, you'll be 28 before you know it.... it'll feel like 3 years. No kidding! I was 21 when I joined here :)

your so old Michael ;) im only 19 :lol:
 
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