Funny how this logic eludes Fed fans when talking about US 2017. Then it matters who Nadal actually played instead of the hypothetical.
Of course for Roger it's a double standard when analyzing. I could only imagine what the Fedarlings would say if their draw was Del Potro, Djokovic, and Nadal and if Nadal had this cakewalk with Kevin Anderson, Isner/Raonic.
Except we don't know who they'll be playing yet, so at this time, it's all conjecture. The only things we know come from the top part of the draw:
- Federer will play Anderson
- The winner of this match will play the winner of Raonic/Isner
So, whatever happens, to go through to the final, Federer will have to play two big servers in a row. This is the only undisputable fact about the draw at the moment.
Now, about Nadal, you're freaking out because you already have him facing DelPo of the Olympics 2012, followed by Djokovic of 2011/2015. But it's also quite possible that he gets the following opponents on his way to the final:
- Simon who needs three more hours to put down Del Potro tomorrow and doesn't get a day off
- Nishikori who beats Djokovic in five then retires, injured, after the first set of the semi (he was massaging his right elbow all the time against an injured Gulbis today; plus, it's Nishikori, the guy's made of crystal)
Who would you consider has the easier path should this scenario come to play? Whould you still consider Sela - Kukushkin - De Minaur - Vesely - gassed Simon - injured Nishikori (ret.) as a draw from hell?