triforce defender
Semi-Pro
Is Nadal the most popular athlete in Spain? Or is it one of their soccer stars like Xavi? Or perhaps a matador since bullfighting is their national sport?
Is Nadal more popular than Spanish soccer?
- Thread starter triforce defender
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TheStranger
Semi-Pro
What if Nadal chose futbol over tennis? Would tennis still exist without him in the current age or would have Federer ruined it in pure dominance?
aldeayeah
G.O.A.T.
Nadal is indeed the most popular Spanish sportsman in Spain, by a fair margin.
The most universally popular Spanish footballer is probably Iniesta. Bear in mind that football fans are highly partisan.
Other very popular sportsmen: Pau Gasol, Fernando Alonso.
Bullfighting isn't considered a sport, and most people don't even like it anymore, let alone follow it.
The most universally popular Spanish footballer is probably Iniesta. Bear in mind that football fans are highly partisan.
Other very popular sportsmen: Pau Gasol, Fernando Alonso.
Bullfighting isn't considered a sport, and most people don't even like it anymore, let alone follow it.
He is Spains National sports hero and has been for many years.
Nadal is the greatest Spanish athlete of all time. He is obviously one of the greatest players of all time and it is remarkable how good he is at this sport. I loved that clay statue Nike made for him and when he retires, Spain should name a city for him, because they should be glad they have such a great player. I mean he won every GS especially winning Wimbledon is huge and he won the Olympics for his nation.
Off-topic: I wish Switzerland did more to show they appreciate Federer. Most of the time, they talk bad about his commitment to Davis Cup when he has an excellent record and Stan was the one who kept failing him and his other teammates.
Off-topic: I wish Switzerland did more to show they appreciate Federer. Most of the time, they talk bad about his commitment to Davis Cup when he has an excellent record and Stan was the one who kept failing him and his other teammates.
triforce defender
Semi-Pro
Really? That is wonderful. What about Sergio Garcia? And the other Spanish tennis players like Ferrer, Almagro, Verdasco, Lopez, etc? How popular are they?
triforce defender
Semi-Pro
I did not know that about Switzerland. Is Federer still the most beloved athlete in Swiss history? How do they feel about Martina Hingis?
Backspin1183
Talk Tennis Guru
He is more popular than the football players in Spain but football still is a much more popular sport than tennis.
aldeayeah
G.O.A.T.
The rest of the players can't compete with the footballers in popularity.
Verdasco and Lopez are more famous for their bed prowess/looks than their tennis, although their DC win in Argentina made them heroes.
Ferrer is kinda well known, but you'll find people who confuse him with Ferrero. The next most famous player would be Robredo.
The rest are pretty obscure for the general public.
The big stars before Nadal were Moya, Ferrero, Corretja. The first two had the big advantage of being good looking, while Corretja was a class act, a really nice guy you just wanted to root for.
Tennis has been pretty big in Spain since Bruguera and Arantxa started winning stuff in the early 90s. Not as big as football or basketball, but between third and fifth in popularity, competing with cycling and motorsport. Right now I'd say it's a solid third.
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radtennisfan
Rookie
Bed prowess? Know as great lovers or something?
The Green Mile
Bionic Poster
Wimbledon asked everyone to vote for their new cover photo, which was between a Federer and Nadal photo, and Fed won by double the votes. Fb argument is flawed.... :lol:
Backspin1183
Talk Tennis Guru
I voted for Federer. More deserving than someone who has done nothing at Wimbledon in 2 years.
helloworld
Hall of Fame
Nadal is more popular than the King of Spain.
helloworld
Hall of Fame
a 2-time champion vs a 7-time champion. Yeah, a really fair vote. :-?
I wonder how the vote result for new cover photo for Roland Garros will look like. :twisted:
firepanda
Professional
It could be that people thought that the 7 time champion was the more fitting cover photo, regardless of popularity? You might not understand this, but other people can be quite reasonable and non-partisan. Also, a second argument doesn't mean a first argument is 'flawed'.
On social media, Nadal is much more popular. He has more followers on Facebook and Twitter and always dominates the 'social leaderboards' the slams have, even on days he's not playing. This is with a younger audience thought. I suspect the older crowd prefers Federer.
The Green Mile
Bionic Poster
It is to be expected, no? People see Nadal as the number one player in the world, and with his unique technique, kids wanna be Nadal, while Fed is way past his prime hence his lower fb fans.... typical.... people love the better player, and right now it is Nadal.
firepanda
Professional
True. It's a pity, since I think Federer still has one or two more slams left in him.
BGod
G.O.A.T.
Federer would have won the French Open 2005-08 (with maybe one loss)
Would have won Wimbledon 08 and 10 (lost confidence)
Would have won 2009 Aussie
That's 5-6 more Slams, but of course maybe he doesn't strain himself in his later years.
Still thinking 20-22 Slam count.
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