Laver crowns Nadal as the best player

S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
The greats have no problem saying it as it is.
---------------------------------------------

Australian Rod Laver, one of the greatest players of all-time, echoed those sentiments. "That was the best match I've ever seen," said Laver. "Until the final, Roger was the best player in the world. Now Nadal is."
 
1

150mph_

Semi-Pro
i agree !
i was totally drawn into the match ... felt the intensity myself as i almost cried when it was over
 
veroniquem

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Yes, I hope noone is gonna bash Laver the way they bashed Borg before. Those guys are legends that I absolutely worship. I cannot believe the way Borg was treated here after he predicted a Nadal win at W. Btw has anybody apologized for spitting on Borg now that W is over? I agree with Laver, I have surely seen fewer matches than him but this is the most magnificent match I have ever seen. Both players produced unreal tennis!
 
snowwhite

snowwhite

Professional
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer both will be remembered for a looooong time, and that Wimbledon final was really crucial for tennis history, it's just good things all gathered together that day, and the outcome=making history, so no wonder.
 
kungfusmkim

kungfusmkim

Professional
What idiots. Have we all forgotten he failed to win on a HARD COURT GRAND SLAM? I mean Hard court season is the most predominant season right? Have we also forgotten that he only has won 1 wimbledon?
 
wangs78

wangs78

Legend
veroniquem said:
Yes, I hope noone is gonna bash Laver the way they bashed Borg before. Those guys are legends that I absolutely worship. I cannot believe the way Borg was treated here after he predicted a Nadal win at W. Btw has anybody apologized for spitting on Borg now that W is over? I agree with Laver, I have surely seen fewer matches than him but this is the most magnificent match I have ever seen. Both players produced unreal tennis!
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Laver waited until the match was over to opine on who was the best. And it's clear that Nadal, with two GS this year, is better than Fed, with zero. I don't think Laver was saying anything more than that. This is different from Borg, who said something before Wimbledon even started. Nothing terribly wrong with what Borg did, but Laver's approach is certainly less controversial and based on results and not controversial speculation
 
dpfrazier

dpfrazier

Rookie
Laver still the G.O.A.T.

Rafa = greatest right now

Fed = greatest of this millennium

Rod = Greatest Of All Time
 
D

Deleted member 3771

Guest
All the greats and former players agree. Hail the new King of tennis.
 
superman1

superman1

Legend
Well of course he is. Federer is actually currently #2 on everything. Nadal is #1 on clay and grass (by a hair), and Djokovic is #1 on hard.

At least, for the time being.

There's also a very good possibility that we might rarely see Nadal again for the rest of this year, so don't get too high on him.
 
veroniquem

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
wangs78 said:
Laver waited until the match was over to opine on who was the best. And it's clear that Nadal, with two GS this year, is better than Fed, with zero. I don't think Laver was saying anything more than that. This is different from Borg, who said something before Wimbledon even started. Nothing terribly wrong with what Borg did, but Laver's approach is certainly less controversial and based on results and not controversial speculation
Click to expand...
But Borg was right! You have to give him that. It's not hard to comment after the fact. It's braver to make a not so popular prediction before the fact: so he was insightful, not stupid. I think he likes Rafa too. He looked really happy when Rafa won the match. I love what Sampras said in this article btw, that the match transcended tennis! Such a wonderful tribute from all the tennis greats!
 
veroniquem

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
superman1 said:
Well of course he is. Federer is actually currently #2 on everything. Nadal is #1 on clay and grass (by a hair), and Djokovic is #1 on hard.

At least, for the time being.

There's also a very good possibility that we might rarely see Nadal again for the rest of this year, so don't get too high on him.
Click to expand...
You could be right but I truly believe that this year is his year to shine and I would be very surprised if he didn't do well on hard this summer.
 
M

Morrissey

Guest
kungfusmkim said:
What idiots. Have we all forgotten he failed to win on a HARD COURT GRAND SLAM? I mean Hard court season is the most predominant season right? Have we also forgotten that he only has won 1 wimbledon?
Click to expand...

He's saying that he's the best this year. Nadal has 6 titles, 2 of which are slams. Fed has 2 titles (Halle, Estoril), none are slams. So therefore Nadal is best this year. Simple enough for you?
 
U

urban

Legend
But Borg was right, he witnessed the RG execution and based his opinion on his observations there. Interesting thing is, that Borg's opinon got to Federer's nerve, who took it somewhat personal. Maybe Federer thinks too much on his future legacy. Nadal does it better: in a Stuttgart interview, when asked about his Wim-RG combo, he said, that he didn't think about it. Only when he will be finished, he will regard it.
 
M

Morrissey

Guest
urban said:
But Borg was right, he witnessed the RG execution and based his opinion on his observations there. Interesting thing is, that Borg's opinon got to Federer's nerve, who took it somewhat personal. Maybe Federer thinks too much on his future legacy. Nadal does it better: in a Stuttgart interview, when asked about his Wim-RG combo, he said, that he didn't think about it. Only when he will be finished, he will regard it.
Click to expand...

Maybe it touched a nerve because deep down inside he may have been right. He just didn't want to hear it.
 
csharpjava

csharpjava

New User
yeh it's pretty obvious

1. nadal pwns federer on clay yet again.

2. nadal pwns federer on feds best surface.

3. nadal has a huge W/L ratio overall over federer.


yep. if federers the greatest player; nadals even better than that
 
S

sureshs

Bionic Poster
MONOIMMORTAL said:
This is the best article I've ever seen. :)
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Note that Pete did not say so - just said it was a great match. I think he will find it hard to admit that Nadal is the better player, because he did not win the French (like Federer) and knows that Nadal would have kicked his butt too, even on grass. I sense that Pete will never come out and say Nadal is better because his own failures are so much like Federer (defensive one-handed backhand, etc) and he regretted later for not using a bigger racquet (Fed may face the same fate).

Laver on the other hand has won on clay and accomplished something which Nadal will probably never achieve - two calendar Slams, and proved his backhand topspin shot with a wood racquet, something much more difficult than with the huge stiff monster that Nadal uses (and the poly strings of course).
 
woody88

woody88

Rookie
I am a fed fan, but keep in mind, that at the same age that rafa is right now, fed has only 1 slam, and now nadal has 5. he is way ahead as far as tennis maturity when compare to age, so sky could be the limit for him. I don't see nadal being beaten until they play in a super fast surface with a big server/hitter. which takes time away from nadal's passing shots
 
B

Banger

Rookie
sureshs said:
Note that Pete did not say so - just said it was a great match. I think he will find it hard to admit that Nadal is the better player, because he did not win the French (like Federer) and knows that Nadal would have kicked his butt too, even on grass. I sense that Pete will never come out and say Nadal is better because his own failures are so much like Federer (defensive one-handed backhand, etc) and he regretted later for not using a bigger racquet (Fed may face the same fate).

Laver on the other hand has won on clay and accomplished something which Nadal will probably never achieve - two calendar Slams, and proved his backhand topspin shot with a wood racquet, something much more difficult than with the huge stiff monster that Nadal uses (and the poly strings of course).
Click to expand...

This is the most rediculous statement ever. Do you really think Nadal would kick Pete's butt on grass? Unbelievable.
 
wangs78

wangs78

Legend
veroniquem said:
But Borg was right! You have to give him that. It's not hard to comment after the fact. It's braver to make a not so popular prediction before the fact: so he was insightful, not stupid. I think he likes Rafa too. He looked really happy when Rafa won the match. I love what Sampras said in this article btw, that the match transcended tennis! Such a wonderful tribute from all the tennis greats!
Click to expand...

Well, the match was so close it really could have gone either way. It takes guts to make a call ike that, sure. Or it just requires a motive (i.e., to rattle Fed?). Who knows... but, yes, he was right in the end, by a hair.
 
B

baek57

Professional
perhaps federer will get a taste of what nadal has been through the past what... 4 years? being number 2.
 
F

FedForGOAT

Professional
csharpjava said:
yeh it's pretty obvious

1. nadal pwns federer on clay yet again.

2. nadal pwns federer on feds best surface.

3. nadal has a huge W/L ratio overall over federer.


yep. if federers the greatest player; nadals even better than that
Click to expand...

So I suppose until this year, Blake, who was 3-0 against Nadal, was a greater player? Tennis is a game of matchups. Don't go on posting ridiculous posts.
 
MONOIMMORTAL

MONOIMMORTAL

Banned
Tennis greatness is about grand slam titles primarily. Nadal has 5 compared to Federer's ONE at the age of 22. Secondary to that is matchups and that is now 12-6 Nadal.
 
A

AprilFool

Guest
sureshs said:
The greats have no problem saying it as it is.
---------------------------------------------

Australian Rod Laver, one of the greatest players of all-time, echoed those sentiments. "That was the best match I've ever seen," said Laver. "Until the final, Roger was the best player in the world. Now Nadal is."
Click to expand...

Maybe-maybe at the moment. That match could have gone either way and the Hard Court Season hasn't begun.

Laver never won a hard court slam. How could he be the GOAT? To his credit, he never said he was himself.
 
S

Stchamps

Banned
MONOIMMORTAL said:
Tennis greatness is about grand slam titles primarily. Nadal has 5 compared to Federer's ONE at the age of 22. Secondary to that is matchups and that is now 12-6 Nadal.
Click to expand...

I think though that Fed would have more wins against Nadal if Nadal actually made it to later rounds of hard court masters / slams.
 
D

dh003i

Legend
I'm curious why people insist on redefining the rankings. What do you mean by "best player in the world"? Does #1 ranking mean nothing? For sure, Nadal has had the best results since the AO. But #1 ranking means something too. Of course, if Federer doesn't defend a lot of his points and doesn't win the USO again, Nadal will be #1 by year-end.

Best player in the world means ranked #1. Federer's still #1, even if that is under more threat than it's ever been.

I do think Fed should focus on the USO, and not do things differently from before. He shouldn't pull a Sampras and play all kinds of tournaments, damage his career, just to keep the #1 ranking straight until the end of the year. In the long-run, slams are more important, and it isn't worth risking your health to hold onto #1 in a way that is unnatural for you.
 
M

Meanstreak

Rookie
sureshs said:
The greats have no problem saying it as it is.
---------------------------------------------

Australian Rod Laver, one of the greatest players of all-time, echoed those sentiments. "That was the best match I've ever seen," said Laver. "Until the final, Roger was the best player in the world. Now Nadal is."
Click to expand...

Nadal is by far a much better player than Federer at the moment. Federer still plays at exactly the same standard that he did in 2002 when Ancic beat him in the first round at Wimbledon in 2002. Because he kept winning, he could not see any need to improve, and it just became very boring watching him making the odd good forehand here and there. Incidently, during a rain delay when he was playing Ancic this year at Wimbledon, they showed their match in 2002, and apart from the fact that he had long hair then, you couldn't tell the difference between the two matches.
 
D

dh003i

Legend
MONOIMMORTAL said:
Tennis greatness is about grand slam titles primarily. Nadal has 5 compared to Federer's ONE at the age of 22. Secondary to that is matchups and that is now 12-6 Nadal.
Click to expand...

Same tired stupid argument. Federer wasn't in his prime before then; he just came into it at 22. Nothing follows from the fact that Nadal had more slams earlier, than Federer. So did Boris Becker -- big deal. Nadal has a different type of game, which matures quicker and will likely decline quicker as well (see the litany of unfortunate and repeating injury issues).
 
D

dh003i

Legend
Meanstreak said:
Nadal is by far a much better player than Federer at the moment. Federer still plays at exactly the same standard that he did in 2002 when Ancic beat him in the first round at Wimbledon in 2002. Because he kept winning, he could not see any need to improve, and it just became very boring watching him making the odd good forehand here and there. Incidently, during a rain delay when he was playing Ancic this year at Wimbledon, they showed their match in 2002, and apart from the fact that he had long hair then, you couldn't tell the difference between the two matches.
Click to expand...

That is a bunch of BS. Federer has improved each year in various areas, most notably his backhand; his serve too has improved.

And saying Nadal is "by far" the better player at the moment is quite a stretch. But I wouldn't expect consistency from you, I doubt you'd have been willing to say that until the beginning of this year, Federer was "by far" the better player (3 slams vs. 1).
 
M

Meanstreak

Rookie
dh003i said:
I'm curious why people insist on redefining the rankings. What do you mean by "best player in the world"? Does #1 ranking mean nothing? For sure, Nadal has had the best results since the AO. But #1 ranking means something too. Of course, if Federer doesn't defend a lot of his points and doesn't win the USO again, Nadal will be #1 by year-end.

Best player in the world means ranked #1. Federer's still #1, even if that is under more threat than it's ever been.

I do think Fed should focus on the USO, and not do things differently from before. He shouldn't pull a Sampras and play all kinds of tournaments, damage his career, just to keep the #1 ranking straight until the end of the year. In the long-run, slams are more important, and it isn't worth risking your health to hold onto #1 in a way that is unnatural for you.
Click to expand...

No 1 doesn't mean best player in the world, it means the most consistent over 52 weeks whi I accept Federer has been for the last year. From 1st Jan this year, Nadal is No 1 in the rankings race, so that makes him the best player half way through this year.
 
dysonlu

dysonlu

Professional
MONOIMMORTAL said:
Tennis greatness is about grand slam titles primarily. Nadal has 5 compared to Federer's ONE at the age of 22. Secondary to that is matchups and that is now 12-6 Nadal.
Click to expand...

Michael Chang has 1 GS at age 17. How many did Nadal win at that age? That's right genius, determining tennis greatness by comparing the number of GS titles at a specific age is idiotic.
 
U

urban

Legend
Nadal will be the Nr. 1 player for 2008, in the minds of all former players like Laver, Becker, Mac or Borg, and noted experts like Collins, Bodo, Flink and others. The Wimbie-RG combo will secure that for him, regardless what the computer will say, and what Federer or Djokovic will do till the end of the year. Even Federer himself will accept that.
 
shazbot

shazbot

Semi-Pro
Nadal will probably dominate the next 1.5-2 years similar to how Federer dominated. But in the end, Federer will have a better career then Nadal because Federer was/is able to do what he does while putting 50% less train on his body.

Nadal is what? 22, he's 5 years younger then Roger and Nadal has to have his knees tapped up every time he plays and very tightly wrapped.

At the end of it all, Nadal will never achieve what Roger has unless he changes his style of play. There will come a time when he will be injured constantly. Maybe not this year, but it will happen. What pressure he puts on his body was suited for clay. If he continues playing this way on hard courts, he is going to have serious problem in a few years I think anyways.
 
D

dh003i

Legend
Meanstreak said:
No 1 doesn't mean best player in the world, it means the most consistent over 52 weeks whi I accept Federer has been for the last year. From 1st Jan this year, Nadal is No 1 in the rankings race, so that makes him the best player half way through this year.
Click to expand...

Right, from Jan 1st this year until now...and from Jan 1st until the clay-court season started, Djokovic was the best player in 2008. Saying "best player of 2008" is arbitrary. Pick a time-frame and stick with it.

Yes, Nadal is the closest right now to being YE #1. But over the last 52 weeks, Federer has been the better and more consistent player.
 
M

Meanstreak

Rookie
Morrissey said:
He's saying that he's the best this year. Nadal has 6 titles, 2 of which are slams. Fed has 2 titles (Halle, Estoril), none are slams. So therefore Nadal is best this year. Simple enough for you?
Click to expand...

The only titles Federer has won this year are the ones that Nadal did not compete in, luckily for Federer, otherwise it would have been Nadal 8 : Federer 0.
 
TennisDawg

TennisDawg

Hall of Fame
baseliner said:
The G.O.A.T. anoints Rafa as the greatest current player. Gotta listen!
Click to expand...


Xcuse me the article didn't say Rafa is the G.O.A.T. it said he was the best player. McEnroe esentially said the same thing that Rafa was the best, but not the G.O.A.T. The best at the moment, let's wait and see how Rafa does in the next 6 years or so. You can't possibly annoint Rafa with greatest of all time, until he gets around 12 grand slams, then you can start talking about it. Should Rafa amass 12 grand slams to include a few more Wimbys, a USO title and Australian, then you can start comparing him to the accomplishments of Fed and Samrpas with 14 grandslams. And let's not discount the real probability that Fed will also win 3 to 4 more slams before it's all over. Laver didn't say Rafa is the Greatest of All time.
 
counter_puncher

counter_puncher

Banned
baseliner; said:
The G.O.A.T. anoints Rafa as the greatest current player. Gotta listen!
Click to expand...

TennisDawg said:
Xcuse me the article didn't say Rafa is the G.O.A.T. it said he was the best player. McEnroe esentially said the same thing that Rafa was the best, but not the G.O.A.T. The best at the moment, let's wait and see how Rafa does in the next 6 years or so. You can't possibly annoint Rafa with greatest of all time, until he gets around 12 grand slams, then you can start talking about it. Should Rafa amass 12 grand slams to include a few more Wimbys, a USO title and Australian, then you can start comparing him to the accomplishments of Fed and Samrpas with 14 grandslams. And let's not discount the real probability that Fed will also win 3 to 4 more slams before it's all over. Laver didn't say Rafa is the Greatest of All time.
Click to expand...

No he didn't. But going from the text which you quoted, neither did the person who wrote it.
 
CyBorg

CyBorg

Legend
It's not just the fact that Nadal has won two majors in a row. It's the head-to-head as well. He's dominated Roger so far in 2008. I don't think Laver is reaching.
 
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