Are Nadal/Federer more athletic than the kings of other sports?

SirGounder

SirGounder

Hall of Fame
Probably not, they just have athletic ability that translates into tennis success. Each sport has its own brand athleticism, so it's hard to compare.
 
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Netzroller

Semi-Pro
Competitive eating- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF_H2bgLXcE :lol:

I don't think you can give a right answer to that question. All these athletes were/are succesful in their sport because they had skills that are specifically important in their respective disciplines. Some sports might require a higher variety of skills than others but it's still problematic to say who is a better athlete.
 
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Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
Netzroller said:
Competitive eating- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF_H2bgLXcE :lol:

I don't think you can give a right answer to that question. All these athletes were/are succesful in their sport because they had skills that are specifically important in their respective disciplines. Some sports might require a higher variety of skills than others but it's still problematic to say who is a better athlete.
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Well said.

Here in the US,people are ridiculously narrow-minded about athleticism. You need to have bulging biceps, a fast 40 yd dash, and huge vertical leap to be considered an athlete. I had an argument with a friend who read Nadal's book and disagreed with Nadal writing that Federer was a "freak of nature" in terms of talent. I asked him what is wrong with that? He claimed that Federer is not a a great athlete. Gael Monfils is the only tennis player who can be summed up as a "freak of nature" :roll:
 
Towser83

Towser83

G.O.A.T.
Top track pros are probably better athletic wise, but tennis is a game not just a sport. I don't really like track events, running etc... because the whole point is so narrow. Just run faster than anyone else. I'm aware how impressive it is but still, tennis as a game has much more to it. Even with running there is a world record... in tennis it's so subjective with achievements.

But I'd say certain track events are purely more athletic, boxing is the most physically brutal. Tennis is my favourite though for it's cross of mental and physical demands.
 
Monsieur_DeLarge

Monsieur_DeLarge

Semi-Pro
I'd say they pale in comparison to several sports, although I suspect you'd have to specify exactly how to define "athletic":

  • Olympic decathletes
  • Ironman triathletes
  • Olympic gymnasts
  • Nordic biathletes
  • Tour de France cyclists
  • Ultra-long-distance runners


Regards,
MDL
 
N

Nathaniel_Near

Guest
I think boxing produces finer overall athletes than tennis in terms of bringing an insane skillset combination together in order to be truly great and that along with the fear of getting permanently injured (mentally). It really is a sport of life and death.

Tennis and boxing though to me are two of the most demanding sports and both call upon so many tests of strength and skill both physically and mentally; sport of giants, just a shame boxing is up sh!ts creak at the moment.

Generally, the finest basketball athletes are superhuman, even the average ones are incredible.

Tennis is a truly unique and incredible sport where the physical and mental demands of the players are really quite stratospheric. All the other racket sports don't even begin to compare in terms of what is required to stay on top, not to mention that the other racket sports are far less global and have significantly smaller talent pools.

It's hard really to compare tennis to anything, it truly is a sport of the gods.
 
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D

dh003i

Legend
That is the first time I have ever watched highlights of that Wimbledon 2008 match. It is a particularly painful one.

Nadal fans are lucky that Nadal only has one of those difficult losses (Wimbledon 2007). Other than that, he's either won or really not been in such close contention in slam events.
 
nadalwon2012

nadalwon2012

Banned
dh003i said:
That is the first time I have ever watched highlights of that Wimbledon 2008 match. It is a particularly painful one.

Nadal fans are lucky that Nadal only has one of those difficult losses (Wimbledon 2007). Other than that, he's either won or really not been in such close contention in slam events.
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Yes, I tend to think Nadal will win if he gets it into a 5th set. He's not always great at 4th sets though (the 4th set tie-breaker loss vs Soderling at Roland Garros, and a couple of 4th set losses vs Djokovic this year, and the 2008 US Open vs Murray).
 
Kaz00

Kaz00

Semi-Pro
dh003i said:
That is the first time I have ever watched highlights of that Wimbledon 2008 match. It is a particularly painful one.

Nadal fans are lucky that Nadal only has one of those difficult losses (Wimbledon 2007). Other than that, he's either won or really not been in such close contention in slam events.
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U think the 2008 Wimbledon is hard? Try watching the 2009 Wimbledon as a die hard Roddick fan. It breaks my heart to see the dreaded backhand volley.
 
nadalwon2012

nadalwon2012

Banned
Kaz00 said:
U think the 2008 Wimbledon is hard? Try watching the 2009 Wimbledon as a die hard Roddick fan. It breaks my heart to see the dreaded backhand volley.
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I agree, given their history and given the score and what was on the line, Roddick's loss to Federer is the worst loss I've seen one player experience.
 
Devilito

Devilito

Legend
Americans are obsessed with compartmentalization. Who is the fastest. Who is the strongest. Who can jump highest etc. People need to respect the insane attributes it takes to be someone like Roger Federer. To be a champion tennis player you need hundreds of little attributes all put together to form a complete skill set. The fastest runner in the world doesn’t need to be the strongest person. The strongest person in the world doesn’t have to jump the highest or furthers. The jumper doesn’t need a sense of strategy or reflexes. A tennis player needs EVERYTHING. The best tennis player is the one that puts many elements together into a total package. The average couch potato joe six pack can’t appreciate such intricacies so they’re more impressed with basic things that their little minds can comprehend.
 
nadalwon2012

nadalwon2012

Banned
Federer definitely lacks the mental aspects of a great athlete/competitor. I appreciate that, and that is what made Jordan so superior. Put Federer's back against the wall, and you are halfway there. Just ask Nadal, Del Potro, Tsonga, Berdych or Djokovic. Quite often when you get on a roll, you can roll Federer off the court (just that few players get on top to begin with. Few players even finish off a set properly). Jordan meanwhile, turns losses into wins.
 
Bobby Jr

Bobby Jr

G.O.A.T.
Nathaniel_Near said:
...along with the fear of getting permanently injured (mentally).
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No boxer of any note whatsoever held any fears over their bouts per se (losing for sure, but not the actual boxing). Only outsiders, laypeople and the odd fool who dons gloves for a bit of a hit around think fear is a factor for boxers.

It's the same with downhill skiers or motorsport drivers. We see danger and equate it to overcoming fear. They would barely even comprehend what there was the be fearful of such is the mindset of people who partake in those things to any respectable level.
 
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Bobby Jr

Bobby Jr

G.O.A.T.
Devilito said:
To be a champion tennis player you need hundreds of little attributes all put together to form a complete skill set. The fastest runner in the world doesn’t need to be the strongest person. The strongest person in the world doesn’t have to jump the highest or furthers. The jumper doesn’t need a sense of strategy or reflexes. A tennis player needs EVERYTHING. The best tennis player is the one that puts many elements together into a total package. The average couch potato joe six pack can’t appreciate such intricacies so they’re more impressed with basic things that their little minds can comprehend.
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Re-quoted for absolute truth.

Well said. The average joe can't comprehend the varied skillset required to be even a moderately good tennis player let alone someone like Federer.
 
N

Nathaniel_Near

Guest
Bobby Jr said:
No boxer of any note whatsoever held any fears over their bouts per se (losing for sure, but not the actual boxing). Only outsiders, laypeople and the odd fool who dons gloves for a bit of a hit around think fear is a factor for boxers.

It's the same with downhill skiers or motorsport drivers. We see danger and equate it to overcoming fear. They would barely even comprehend what there was the be fearful of such is the mindset of people who partake in those things to any respectable level.
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Yeh know all this wonderfully well, just not what I meant at all though and worded wrongly.
 
TennisLovaLova

TennisLovaLova

Hall of Fame
Each sport has its own morphotype. A sprinter's body is different than a 1500m runner. But they are both athletic.
Imo, federer has the perfect morphotype for tennis, same for jordan in basketball.
 
nadalwon2012

nadalwon2012

Banned
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
nadalwon2012 said:
Soccer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq4S31oFHEA
Boxing- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPU74STyPbc
Basketball- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikwj8531sLU
Ice Hockey- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTliAjNiS7A
Tennis- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEUGjcQ3jYs
Track- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByEQ6sQ6lig
Golf- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHkQ8jfSt5g
Any other sports.....
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Nadal is a fantastic athlete like any top professional athlete. Federer is not that good an athlete, but tennis is a complex sport for gentlemen, so it's easier for a poor athlete to cheat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPBwjZwpOKw
 
SoBad

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
nadalwon2012 said:
Thanks, very entertaining clip, and good picture quality too.
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Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the clip. I think it's pretty funny too, but also a little sad when a tennis "player" goes into a psychotic break every time someone hits a decent deep ball to the backhand corner.
 
West Coast Ace

West Coast Ace

G.O.A.T.
Sid_Vicious said:
Here in the US,people are ridiculously narrow-minded about athleticism. You need to have bulging biceps, a fast 40 yd dash, and huge vertical leap to be considered an athlete.
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That's not true. There are people who call golfers and NASCAR drivers athletes. Guys like Derek Jeter don't fit that profile - but sane people know he's a tremendous athlete based on his hand/eye. Hockey players - same thing. Tennis, probably not because it's a niche sport. And still has the stigma of being a rich person's sport. People who watch it know how gifted the players are - endurance and coordination.
 
T

TimothyO

Hall of Fame
Devilito said:
Americans are obsessed with compartmentalization. Who is the fastest. Who is the strongest. Who can jump highest etc. People need to respect the insane attributes it takes to be someone like Roger Federer. To be a champion tennis player you need hundreds of little attributes all put together to form a complete skill set. The fastest runner in the world doesn’t need to be the strongest person. The strongest person in the world doesn’t have to jump the highest or furthers. The jumper doesn’t need a sense of strategy or reflexes. A tennis player needs EVERYTHING. The best tennis player is the one that puts many elements together into a total package. The average couch potato joe six pack can’t appreciate such intricacies so they’re more impressed with basic things that their little minds can comprehend.
Click to expand...

I believe an NFL cornerback needs as much as a tennis player in many areas, less in others, and more in yet others. On the intellectual side he needs to read an offense and react quickly to developing plays. When it comes to the coordination needed to catch a football at least a receiver has an idea where it's going...the CB needs to figure it out on his own.

On the physical side he needs the coordination, speed, agility, and strength to block or intercept passes, to stop runs, and to take down receivers. Endurance-wise and emotionally a tennis player probably needs a little more, especially in self control, but a cornerback requires far more in physical strength and toughness. In tennis you're all alone on the field and may be playing nearly continuously for 3 hours under a summer sun. But a CB has 200 pound running backs getting up to speed on outside sweeps and driving their helmet and shoulders into him at high speed.

No tennis players faces the prospect of a broken neck or snapped spine on any given interaction with an opponent. The tennis player must be highly conditioned at the pro level but there's a reason you have lots of senior tennis leagues but zero senior full contact football leagues: full contact football is a violent and dangerous sport that requires super human strength and conditioning.
 
P

passive_aggressive

Banned
Haha, Federer and Nadal are a JOKE compared to the best athletes of actual real sports like (American) football.

They (American Footballers) have better 40yrd dash, max strength, strength endurance, v02 max, static and dynamic flexibility and mobility, co-ordination, vertical leap - all of these attributes need to be SUPERHUMAN in order to succeed. Federer has a pot belly. And Nadal looks like an average guy - in regular clothes you couldn't even tell he goes to the gym.

And mental strength!! Pah, a tennis player's mental strength is nothing compared to a military personal's mental strength. Many of them undergo extreme physical and mental torture every single second of every single minute of every single year of their life until they die. THAT is mental strength and endurance.
 
nadalwon2012

nadalwon2012

Banned
passive_aggressive said:
Haha, Federer and Nadal are a JOKE compared to the best athletes of actual real sports like (American) football.

They (American Footballers) have better 40yrd dash, max strength, strength endurance, v02 max, static and dynamic flexibility and mobility, co-ordination, vertical leap - all of these attributes need to be SUPERHUMAN in order to succeed. Federer has a pot belly. And Nadal looks like an average guy - in regular clothes you couldn't even tell he goes to the gym.

And mental strength!! Pah, a tennis player's mental strength is nothing compared to a military personal's mental strength. Many of them undergo extreme physical and mental torture every single second of every single minute of every single year of their life until they die. THAT is mental strength and endurance.
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Sorry about that, I did not mean to leave out American football. Instead of listing soccer I probably should have just said 'football' to cover all the football codes.

I'm not sure who the numero uno is but I think these sports are in a group above the others in terms of athleticism required-

Basketball- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikwj8531sLU
Boxing- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPU74STyPbc
Track- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByEQ6sQ6lig
Soccer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq4S31oFHEA
American Football- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhmMU6afIHo
Tennis- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEUGjcQ3jYs

82Topps-JoeMontana-MVPSticker.jpg

muhammed_ali.jpg

mj-win.jpg
 
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droliver

droliver

Professional
Actually some of the most athletic players in Tennis aren't among the very top players. In particular, 2nd tier guys like Mark Knowles and Victor Hanescu have been identified by fellow players as freakishly gifted physically.
 
K

Kurte954

Rookie
The problem with team sports is that even during one game or match, a player can take a much longer break during and the game/match is much shorter. The seasons are shorter, there are always longer breaks between games/matches. When any tennis player goes on a winning streak, they could play a match almost everyday for weeks. The team sports rarely if ever play twice in 1 week, probably almost never two days in a row.

I think tennis is a much more demanding sport because no one can stand in for you, if you're winning you're playing more days than you aren't, you're playing for longer with less breaks and no time outs. No doubt each great of each sport are fantastic athletes, but the demands are far less than in tennis, IMO.
 
nadalwon2012

nadalwon2012

Banned
In tennis you sit down every few minutes....in fact you stand still after every point, and if you hit aces you are a complete slacker... heck even some rallies aren't athletic at all. Aside from Nadal, tennis players aren't anywhere near as muscular as NBA players, that is for sure.
 
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Hood_Man

Hood_Man

G.O.A.T.
nadalwon2012 said:
I agree, given their history and given the score and what was on the line, Roddick's loss to Federer is the worst loss I've seen one player experience.
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Yeah, this is why that, even being a huge Federer fan, I'm glad Nadal won in 2008*. I was really happy Federer won in 2009 but I was probably less happy for him than I was gutted for Roddick, and for that to have happened to Nadal in a 5 setter when he'd been up 2-0 and had match points in the 4th, it would have been a bitter sweet moment instead of elation.


*In hindsight of course, at the time I would have given anything for Rog to win, but 3 and a half years is plenty of time to get over it :lol:
 
S

Say Chi Sin Lo

G.O.A.T.
nadalwon2012 said:
In tennis you sit down every few minutes....in fact you stand still after every point, and if you hit aces you are a complete slacker... heck even some rallies aren't athletic at all. Aside from Nadal, tennis players aren't anywhere near as muscular as NBA players, that is for sure.
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Since when was muscle mass/tone a measure of athletic ability?

Hitting an ace mean you're a complete slacker? It's called hitting a shot so good, there's nothing you can do about it.
 
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nadalwon2012

nadalwon2012

Banned
Hood_Man said:
Yeah, this is why that, even being a huge Federer fan, I'm glad Nadal won in 2008*. I was really happy Federer won in 2009 but I was probably less happy for him than I was gutted for Roddick, and for that to have happened to Nadal in a 5 setter when he'd been up 2-0 and had match points in the 4th, it would have been a bitter sweet moment instead of elation.


*In hindsight of course, at the time I would have given anything for Rog to win, but 3 and a half years is plenty of time to get over it :lol:
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I know what you mean. I'd feel the same about Federer (feeling sorry for him) if he loses match points at Roland Garros vs Nadal in 2012. Actually I wouldn't feel sorry for him. But if he didn't win Roland Garros in 2009 I would.
 
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