If Jannik Sinner and Rafael Nadal were born in the same era, how many Roland Garros titles would Nadal have won?

How many RG titles does Nadal win if Sinner was born in the same era as him?

  • 0-2

    Votes: 19 10.9%
  • 2-5

    Votes: 8 4.6%
  • 6-9

    Votes: 5 2.9%
  • 10-13

    Votes: 6 3.4%
  • still 14

    Votes: 137 78.3%

  • Total voters
    175

Pheasant

Legend
I have a feeling that Sinner is going to become a great clay player very soon. He injured his hip last year, yet still took Alcaraz to 5 sets.

That said, it’s ridiculous to compare him to Rafa. Rafa is from a different planet on clay. Let’s worry about Sinner passing Federer first on clay. That seems like a legit target for now. And if that happens, then he can target Djokovic on clay(lofty goal; maybe too lofty).
 

Rafa4LifeEver

G.O.A.T.
I have a feeling that Sinner is going to become a great clay player very soon. He injured his hip last year, yet still took Alcaraz to 5 sets.

That said, it’s ridiculous to compare him to Rafa. Rafa is from a different planet on clay. Let’s worry about Sinner passing Federer first on clay. That seems like a legit target for now. And if that happens, then he can target Djokovic on clay(lofty goal; maybe too lofty).
As if Alcaraz was in a 100% healthy condition himself.
 
Peak Sinner would never take a set vs. Peak Nadal :-D
But at least the matches would be so short that Sinner wouldn't have time to cramp!
KUcUTo0.jpg
 

smalahove

Hall of Fame
Chance are we haven't seen peak Sinner on clay yet. The H2H against Nadal was a much worse version of Sinner than the one that won this year's AO.

If he can successfully transition his hardcourt strategy and tactics to clay, that version of Sinner would most def be a type of player that Nadal never faced in his career: a Djokovic with heavy firepower from both wings. As much as I love Federer, this generation plays a different brand of tennis with more firepower, heavier spin/pace-ratio and more aggressive movement.
 

StrongRule

Talk Tennis Guru
Chance are we haven't seen peak Sinner on clay yet. The H2H against Nadal was a much worse version of Sinner than the one that won this year's AO.

If he can successfully transition his hardcourt strategy and tactics to clay, that version of Sinner would most def be a type of player that Nadal never faced in his career: a Djokovic with heavy firepower from both wings. As much as I love Federer, this generation plays a different brand of tennis with more firepower, heavier spin/pace-ratio and more aggressive movement.
And Nadal was 34-35 years old, at a stage of his career when his "best" stat was an extremely high number of double faults.
 

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
Yes against a player who had not yet entered the top 15.
Nadal was 34/35 years old but was still number 1 on clay.

How those comparisons can be considered reliable remains a mystery.
The current Sinner would sweep away that version of himself 2020-2021 on every surface.

Then that even the current Sinner could have done nothing against the best versions of Nadal on clay is another matter.
No, Nadal is far superior to Sinner at Roland Garros, in 2020 the conditions favored the Italian player and he could not even win a set.
In the 2021 edition, the conditions favored the Spaniard but that Nadal was clearly inferior to his version of months ago and Sinner again failed to win a set against him there.
That's why Nadal lost against Djokovic, and also because those semi-finals ended very late, which favored the Serbian player.
And no, Sinner has not shown anything superlative on either clay or grass so far.
:D
 

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
I have a feeling that Sinner is going to become a great clay player very soon. He injured his hip last year, yet still took Alcaraz to 5 sets.

That said, it’s ridiculous to compare him to Rafa. Rafa is from a different planet on clay. Let’s worry about Sinner passing Federer first on clay. That seems like a legit target for now. And if that happens, then he can target Djokovic on clay(lofty goal; maybe too lofty).
Alcaraz had a bandage on his right arm, remember?
The wonder hoy was able to defeat his competition on the Parisian clay with only 70, 80% of his true level.
:cool:
 

Olli Jokinen

Hall of Fame
No, Nadal is far superior to Sinner at Roland Garros, in 2020 the conditions favored the Italian player and he could not even win a set.
In the 2021 edition, the conditions favored the Spaniard but that Nadal was clearly inferior to his version of months ago and Sinner again failed to win a set against him there.
That's why Nadal lost against Djokovic, and also because those semi-finals ended very late, which favored the Serbian player.
And no, Sinner has not shown anything superlative on either clay or grass so far.
:D
It's Sinner of 2020-21 that would be beaten by Sinner of today. Read again.
 

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
It's Sinner of 2020-21 that would be beaten by Sinner of today. Read again.
No, the 2024 Sinner on clay would not beat those versions of Nadal either.
The Italian player has not shown anything superlative on those surfaces so far.
Read again.
:D
 

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Prime Rafa would walk all over Jannik on clay but to be fair, Jannik is waaay better than Berdych :D
Consistency wise yes, because Sinner hits with more topspin. Berdych hit flatter, and could raise his level very high for some matches. Berdych has beaten all the big 4 in majors.
 

Olli Jokinen

Hall of Fame
No, the 2024 Sinner on clay would not beat those versions of Nadal either.
The Italian player has not shown anything superlative on those surfaces so far.
Read again.
:D
Read what again? Nowhere in the post did it say that Sinner would beat any version of Nadal

It said:
"Then that even the current Sinner could have done nothing against the best versions of Nadal on clay is another matter."

Have YOU read it again now?
 

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
Read what again? Nowhere in the post did it say that Sinner would beat any version of Nadal

It said:
"Then that even the current Sinner could have done nothing against the best versions of Nadal on clay is another matter."

Have YOU read it again now?
Sinner is still a long way from winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon, that's all I can tell you.
We will see if the Italian makes the qualitative leap to be able to face Alcaraz with confidence on those surfaces.
:)
 

jm1980

Talk Tennis Guru
This point is crazy. Zverev hit probably the worst possible approach shot from that position: a medium pace deep cross-court BH right to Nadal's FH. Anything else (DTL, short angle, drop shot) and he wins this point and the set
 

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
This point is crazy. Zverev hit probably the worst possible approach shot from that position: a medium pace deep cross-court BH right to Nadal's FH. Anything else (DTL, short angle, drop shot) and he wins this point and the set
However, Nadal had perhaps the best forehand passing shot of the Open Era.
:cool:
 

MichaelNadal

Bionic Poster
This point is crazy. Zverev hit probably the worst possible approach shot from that position: a medium pace deep cross-court BH right to Nadal's FH. Anything else (DTL, short angle, drop shot) and he wins this point and the set
Not really lol, he had Nadal doing a 360 spin from the nosebleed seats, it was the right play
 

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Given Nadal is 8-2 v Djokovic there and Sinner lost to Alcaraz last year at the FO yet Alcaraz has lost both times to Djokovic on Cahtrier, the question really is how many sets would Sinner manage to have got of Nadal over 20 years, and the answer is not more than two! He lost in straight sets to a washed up Nadal in 2020. By contrast at the age of 16 Nadal was beating washed up French Open Champions like Moya
Washed up Moya but also a reigning FO champion.
Calling the Moya of 2003 "washed up" is frankly ridiculous. Moya was world number 4 at 2003 Hamburg, when an 87th ranked 16-year-old Nadal beat him.

In 2002, Moya had won 4 tournaments (including Cincinnati) and was a nemesis for world number 1 Hewitt that year. In 2003, Moya was runner-up at Key Biscayne (losing to Agassi) and won 3 tournaments on clay that year.
 

Olli Jokinen

Hall of Fame
Sinner is still a long way from winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon, that's all I can tell you.
We will see if the Italian makes the qualitative leap to be able to face Alcaraz with confidence on those surfaces.
:)
Yes, I know.
 

SpinWizard

Semi-Pro
Sinner might be lucky to take a set.

Rafa had the highest peak on clay. Considering that Olddal 2020-21 sent Sinner packing in straights i assume he would have no problems with current Sinner. Nadal was an absolute monster on clay. Especially in SF-Final stages, where those two would most likely meet.
 

nolefam_2024

Bionic Poster
I have a feeling that Sinner is going to become a great clay player very soon. He injured his hip last year, yet still took Alcaraz to 5 sets.

That said, it’s ridiculous to compare him to Rafa. Rafa is from a different planet on clay. Let’s worry about Sinner passing Federer first on clay. That seems like a legit target for now. And if that happens, then he can target Djokovic on clay(lofty goal; maybe too lofty).
Djokovic is third best of all time on clay. Sinner can not surpass it but raz could
 

Rafa4LifeEver

G.O.A.T.
And as if that mythical hip injury isn't mythical enough.
Additionally, Carlos makes life difficult for himself against Sinner (and others too) by not capitalising on important points, even in the matches he wins against the Italian. He really should've won that SF from last year in 4 sets (as well as the final against Sascha).
USO 2022 QF - he should've won in 3/4 sets, and had absolutely no business going down 2 sets to 1 down at all.
 

fedfan24

Hall of Fame
IIRC Sinner started well in 2020 vs a good Nadal before choking away multiple leads and losing in straights. Peak sinner could do some damage to the older version. No chance vs speedal.
 

Wurm

Professional
Sinner's 23 and the deepest he's gone at the FO in 5 attempts is the SF in 2024.

Sinner's won 19 titles thus far and 17 of them are on hard courts. Sinner's only even made one clay court tournament final, a 250, albeit he won that, beating Alcaraz in the final.

At 19 (just, he started the tournament 18 IIRC) Rafa won the FO at his first attempt. By 23 Rafa had won it 4 times in row. By 23 Rafa had won something like 25 titles on clay courts.

Sinner will likely improve on clay, and grass, and I would bet on him completing the career slam but what makes him so good on hard courts is harder for him to pull off on natural courts where the bounce is less reliable and where his movement isn't as good as it is hard courts (relatively speaking).
 
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