From loving Roger Federer to adoring Rafael Nadal

[Thriller]

There is no bigger advantage in tennis than serving lefty.

How? Lefties can target the returners backhand with the wide serve in the ad court. Righties have the same advantage in the deuce court.
Winning the first point of a game is the biggest predictor of winning the game and in the first point, the righty has the advantage over the lefty.
A textbook demonstration of this is Ashe vs Connors at Wimbledon 75, where Ashe used the sliding serve in the deuce court expertly to take Connors outside the court making for an easy put away volley.

However, it is indisputible that serving with your weaker throwing arm is a huge disadvantage.

 

[Keizer]

This is exactly the kind of personality cult that I’m talking about. Ronaldo, like Nadal, is considered a sex symbol.

Imagine being this kind of fan. You’d be down if Ronaldo were benched even if his team won the league.

 

[Keizer]

How? Lefties can target the returners backhand with the wide serve in the ad court. Righties have the same advantage in the deuce court.

Yes, except for the fact that basically everyone you play against is right handed so that advantage never really materializes, but you conveniently ignored that because it didn’t fit your absurd agenda that Nadal being left-handed is somehow disadvantageous on serve because he is naturally right handed. Come on, guys, y’all are ridiculous.

 

[Arak]

Imagine being this kind of fan. You’d be down if Ronaldo were benched even if his team won the league.

Oh, there are a lot of them. The battle between Ronaldo and Messi fans is still raging

 

[junior74]

How? Lefties can target the returners backhand with the wide serve in the ad court. Righties have the same advantage in the deuce court.
Winning the first point of a game is the biggest predictor of winning the game and in the first point, the righty has the advantage over the lefty.
A textbook demonstration of this is Ashe vs Connors at Wimbledon 75, where Ashe used the sliding serve in the deuce court expertly to take Connors outside the court making for an easy put away volley.

However, it is indisputible that serving with your weaker throwing arm is a huge disadvantage.

You answer your own question; close games are always decided in the ad-court.

 

[Thriller]

Yes, except for the fact that basically everyone you play against is right handed so that advantage never really materializes, but you conveniently ignored that because it didn’t fit your absurd agenda that Nadal being left-handed is somehow disadvantageous on serve because he is naturally right handed. Come on, guys, y’all are ridiculous.

Lol, top players can't find left handed hitting partners.
Did you know that Roger Federer had (at one time, not sure now) the best record against left handers on the ATP? Left-handers not called Nadal. The reason he was crushed by Nadal in the H2H is quite simple. Rafa is a much better tennis player all round.

 

[Thriller]

You answer your own question; close games are always decided in the ad-court.

But winning the first point of any game is the best predictor of success and that takes place in the deuce court.

 

[clayqueen]

This is exactly the kind of personality cult that I’m talking about. Ronaldo, like Nadal, is considered a sex symbol.

Why do people assume that it's not because of Rafa's tennis that his fans support him?

 

[ADuck]

There are more deuce court points than ad court points. Therefore serving right-handed is an advantage

 

[clayqueen]

Great website to pick this up from. Objectivity galore.

A huge fan of Rafael Nadal, Lubna Qureishi wrote these thoughts about our champ for SI.com

 

[junior74]

But winning the first point of any game is the best predictor of success and that takes place in the deuce court.

In general, lefties play righties all the time, while righties play lefties very rarely. A lefty has the advantage of the ad-court in pressure moments.

Also, Rafa's serve is not slow by any means. Federer's is better in terms of placement and variation/ spin.

At AO22, Rafa averaged 116/ 101 mph. That's very high, perhaps higher than Federer has ever averaged in a slam?

https://toomanyrackets.com/average-serve-speeds-in-tennis/

 

[Keizer]

Lol, top players can't find left handed hitting partners.

What does that have to do with the fact that being right handed and rarely facing left handed players in real, professional matches STATISTICALLY implies you receive the wide serve advantage on the deuce court far less than left handed players do on the ad court? Uncle Toni literally made Nadal go lefty for this very advantage, stop trying to deny it.

Did you know that Roger Federer had (at one time, not sure now) the best record against left handers on the ATP. Left-handers not called Nadal.

Yes, because there are so few left handers in the ATP that Federer’s win rate against them is unlikely to represent his mean win rate. Increase that sample size, Nadal or not, and it would revert to his mean win rate across all players.

 

[mcs1970]

Sampras is my fav player. As part of passing the torch to the next sublime talent, I became a huge Fed fan. Always rooted for him in his initial matchups against Nadal . It started changing after Nadal won at Wimbledon. I started appreciating more the all out relentlessness with how Nadal hit every ball. I realized in my bias I was too dismissive of something special.

I thought this is fun while it lasts but this guy will burn out soon physically. However he kept going,and going and going, next improved his serve over the years, and then he started showing that he also had a fabulous net game. True greatness who in another era probably would have been a GOAT S&V player just like Federer.

I respect and enjoy watching all the big 3 but interestingly in terms of impact being around kids who were born after say 1998, Rafa seems to be the #1, next Fed and Novak last. Not intending to belittle Novak He is bviously one of the GOAT candidates. However in terms of impact on a younger generation and one who kids try to emulate, Nadal seems to be a clear winner at least based on my highly unscientific empirical evidence. Fed seems to be the winner among older folks.

 

[clayqueen]

What does that have to do with the fact that being right handed and rarely facing left handed players in real, professional matches STATISTICALLY implies you receive the wide serve advantage on the deuce court far less than left handed players do on the ad court? Uncle Toni literally made Nadal go lefty for this very advantage, stop trying to deny it.

This has been refuted many times. As Rafa became very good very young the racquet was too heavy for him so he played two-handed b/h and f/h. As he got older, Toni told him to try and play a single handed f/h because no pro plays a two-handed f/h. Rafa naturally favoured his left hand for that.

Rafa has cross-dominance, favouring a different hand for different things. If it were that easy to just decide to use the left hand for a particular task when you are naturally right handed to give you an advantage everyone would do it.

 

[mahatma]

This has been refuted many times. As Rafa became very good very young the racquet was too heavy for him so he played two-handed b/h and f/h. As he got older, Toni told him to try and play a single handed f/h because no pro plays a two-handed f/h. Rafa naturally favoured his left hand for that.

Rafa has cross-dominance, favouring a different hand for different things. If it were that easy to just decide to use the left hand for a particular task when you are naturally right handed to give you an advantage everyone would do it.

I can tell you as someone who has done quite good in racquet sport in general and someone who writes left handed but plays right handed racquet sport, the switch will be quite difficult for me to move back to left hand for playing tennis again. I am not sure, how good Nadal have been playing righty.

 

[aldeayeah]

@REKX origin story episode

 

[Arak]

Why do people assume that it's not because of Rafa's tennis that his fans support him?

When you say his fans, I guess you mean all of his fans, which is not what I said. I’m sure many fans love his tennis, and a part of his fans love other attributes. I know several women who love Nadal because he is sexy. They couldn’t care less about tennis.

 

[clayqueen]

When you say his fans, I guess you mean all of his fans, which is not what I said. I’m sure many fans love his tennis, and a part of his fans love other attributes. I know several women who love Nadal because he is sexy. They couldn’t care less about tennis.

During Wimbledon when the people in the queue were asked who is the GOAT, one woman did say "Nadal, because he's good looking".

I think looks help but that's just a bonus.

 

[DIMI_D]

Can't imagine anything better than being in the RLA watching the AO 2022 Men's Final. What an experience!

I was so pessimistic at 0-40, 2 sets to love but well worth the journey especially after those heart breaking losses in AO especially it was like a curse lifted..

 

[DSH]

If Nadal had Federer's serve the H2H would be 40-0 to Nadal.

UnstopaBull!

 

[Thriller]

In general, lefties play righties all the time, while righties play lefties very rarely. A lefty has the advantage of the ad-court in pressure moments.

Also, Rafa's serve is not slow by any means. Federer's is better in terms of placement and variation/ spin.

At AO22, Rafa averaged 116/ 101 mph. That's very high, perhaps higher than Federer has ever averaged in a slam?

https://toomanyrackets.com/average-serve-speeds-in-tennis/

Righties have fewer pressure moments because they have their best serve to the lefty's backhand on the first point (the best predictor), the 3rd point (2nd best predictor) and every deuce point. Sure, lefties have their best serve on game points and break points but they have their worst serve on deuce, so they are more likely to face break points than righties in the first place.

Above 110 it's not about speed. It's about placement and disguise and Roger Federer has the best placement and disguise of anyone in tennis not called Pete Sampras or Serena Williams. Rafa, with Roger's serve, would have destroyed Federer in every single one of their matches. 40-0.

 

[junior74]

Righties have fewer pressure moments because they have their best serve to the lefty's backhand on the first point (the best predictor), the 3rd point (2nd best predictor) and every deuce point. Sure, lefties have their best serve on game points and break points but they have their worst serve on deuce, so they are more likely to face break points than righties in the first place.

Above 110 it's not about speed. It's about placement and disguise and Roger Federer has the best placement and disguise of anyone in tennis not called Pete Sampras or Serena Williams. Rafa, with Roger's serve, would have destroyed Federer in every single one of their matches. 40-0.

Lol, ok. Moral 40-0 H2H for Rafa it is

Your point about the natural throwing motion in an earlier post is about pace. Everyone can learn to hit with variation, that's about practice and very little about the pronation you talk about. Even some 4.0s can hit crazy good kick serves.

The serve is a difficult shot to master, but it's also the shot you can practice on your own. It's the most important shot in tennis, so all players should practice it a lot. On TT, the players who master the serve are somewhat mocked for it. But then again, some claim people are only interested in watching gruelling rallies.

 

[TMF]

Lol, top players can't find left handed hitting partners.
Did you know that Roger Federer had (at one time, not sure now) the best record against left handers on the ATP? Left-handers not called Nadal. The reason he was crushed by Nadal in the H2H is quite simple. Rafa is a much better tennis player all round.

Comedy Gold

 

[DIMI_D]

I think the OP was from a news article and not CQ’s own writing? - not questioning CQ’s fandom.

Ok I assumed it was CQ’s on write up? I’m not sure?