Facing Thiem rather than Djokovic was better for Rafael Nadal - Uncle Toni

[Subway Tennis]

This is where the contradiction is then. Because according to people on here, Nadal is only hot favourite when its baking hot and the sun is shining. Yet Paris weather was **** most of the tournament and he still destroyed the competition...

Make up your minds.

Apparently there is a new definition: When there is thunder and electrical storms and dogs running onto the court, Nadal is vulnerable. It's only through sheer luck that he never has to play in these conditions at RG.

Only reason he's been able to win 12 French Opens.

 

[clayqueen]

That’s a strange way of measuring it.

If you look at who has beaten Fed more times it’s Nole (although by only one more match)

And if you are trying to gauge who is more likely to beat Fed this year then, yes, percentage won makes sense but in that case I would distinguish by surface and look at relatively recent results, not the whole career.

But Federer has beaten Djokovic 22 times and he has beaten Rafa only 15 times. I don't care about surface. A tennis match is a tennis match.

 

[GabeT]

But Federer has beaten Djokovic 22 times and he has beaten Rafa only 15 times. I don't care about surface. A tennis match is a tennis match.

Wait, are we debating who is the greatest threat to Fed or who is threatened the most by Fed? Not the same thing.

 

[Pantera]

Loss to Novak would be more powerful?
I don't get this.

What he means is that Nadal losing to Djokovic at FO would have put Djokovic ahead of Nadal as GOAT. Djokovic would have more than one Major on surfaces as well but by holding all 4 again at same time, beating Nadal to do it would be the ultimate achievement.

As things turned out Nadal now moves further ahead of Djokovic at the top of the tree and also stays ahead of Masters 1000 table after beating Djokovic so the past 4 weeks was massive in terms of their rivalry. Interestingly throughout their career every time huge issues of significance arise, Nadal has always won. Olympics, 2012 FO, 2013 FO and USO, then this year, it always seems to be when the pressure is at its maximum intensity Nadal wins a Major.

Losing to Thiem would have not really affected anything other than Nadal not holding a Major currently but at some point that will happen unless Nadal does a Sampras. Nadal and Thiem seem very close as well so there is no rivalry really.

So, Nadal might have froze had he played Djokovic. He might have hammered Djokovic, we wont know now. But I can see where Toni was coming from.

 

[clayqueen]

Wait, are we debating who is the greatest threat to Fed or who is threatened the most by Fed? Not the same thing.

I don't know. However, the fact that we are arguing on who has the better h2h against Federer who is supposed to be the GOAT says a lot. Fed was crowned the GOAT between 2004-2007. That ship has sailed but no one seems to have revised that accolade bestowed on him.

 

[TennisFan3]

The Djokovic I know didn't turn up till after the rain delay in the 5th. Even then he got tight.

You're being too harsh on Djokovic. Thiem is no mug.

Novak fought tooth and nail on his worst surface against a in-form player on his best surface. And even then he almost won.

I can guarantee you that Novak will back with a vengeance next year.

 

[guitarra]

uncle phoney is an extremely disrespectful creature