Nadal: The Greatest Competitor

[SuperFly]

Rafa is a great tennis player. Superfly-I've seen that Kobayashi kid compete in a hot-dog eating contest on tv, I was fascinated by him.

Eating 40 gyros in 3-4 minutes is pretty fascinating.

 

[bolo]

I think the whole coming down from two sets down thing is irrelevant when we are talking about "fighting spirit". There is no way to measure this accurately. Fighting spirit needs to be coupled with tennis capacity and versatility on different surfaces. I don't think Roddick lacks fight,for example,on clay but he doesn't have the game for it. Nadal also fights hard on HC but doesn't have the game for it. To put it simply,if someone leads Roddick 2-0 sets on clay he pretty much has it in the bag. Same with Nadal on HC. Whereas,Fed,who is comfortable on all surfaces,can never be counted out. You need to pull something pretty good to be leading Federer at all and you probably were playing great tennis if you were leading 2-0.

No matter how much "fight" some players have in them,everyone gives up at some point in a much after seeing that they just can't do it,no matter how hard they try.Nadal,who is probably the biggest fighter out there,kind of gave up in the third against delpo in USO because he saw there was nothing he could do and he tried pretty hard in the first 2 sets. However he kept up the fight against sod in RG because he knew he could do something there. Federer kept up the fight against Nadal for about 3 years in RG but in the 4th he kind of gave up in the middle of the second set,getting breadsticked and bageled. He also seemed like he had given up in the final set in AO.
Also,I don't even have to tell you how hard joker fought against Nadal in this clay season but towards the end he seemed like he had given up.

Nadal doesn't seem like the guy to come back. Nadal is the guy comfortable leading,even squandering leads a couple of times. He likes to take charge of the match,he doesn't like to come back. And it's understandable when you consider that Nadal straight-setting someone takes a long time and takes it's toll on his body,how would a 5 setter be for Nadal? I can't remember the last time Nadal played 2 consecutive 5 setters in a slam.

My conclusion is this: getting yourself out of a very tight situation(being lead 2-0)has as much to do with your tennis skill/versatilty as it has to do with "fight".

good post as usual. I actually don't think nadal minds coming back. It's telling imo that he chooses to receive when he wins the toss. Imo it keeps him sharp to see the other guy "ahead". I can think of lots of instances of him coming back in sets, many times against federer and djokovic on clay. But whether he does it more than others etc., hard to say without actually crunching the numbers.

Nadal played 2 consecutive 5 setter at the 2009 AO. He also played 2 consecutive 5 setters in the 2007 wimbledon although I think he was aided in the 2nd one by youzhny getting hurt.

 

[drakulie]

Huh? What happened?

he was trolling, and making fun of another poster so the mods must have deleted the post.

 

[rommil]

Eating 40 gyros in 3-4 minutes is pretty fascinating.

Wait til Nalbandian comes back. He will beat Roger, Rafa and everybody else back to back and will eat 40 gyros during changeovers.

 

[veroniquem]

People are citing Nadal as if he is the greatest competitor of all time. THats very arguable. Every player has his matchup problem with another. Even Federer and Nadal is it. But when you look back over the years, Competitor, rival whatever you call it has Nadal been the greatest? For quite a few years he was just a great clay court player, nothing huge on hardcourts, and still learning on grass.. Not to mention now his peak was cut short due to constant nagging injuries. Dont kid yourself though.. Its Nadal unwillingness to go down when placed in a tough situation in a match and just give up like or tremble in fear at the sight of Federer on the court like others players have done. But there is a also a significant age difference between Rafa and Fed. So we dont know how it would have played out if they were actually much closer in age.. When Fed was at his peak, Nadal wasnt at his.. When Nadal was at his, Fed wasnt. 5 years age difference is quite a bit in tennis. You take in the age difference, Nadal's inability at the USO, and be constantly injury plagued and burned out anymore, things are put a bit more into perspective. Agassi and Sampras had something that Nadal probably wont have. A long term career spanding around a decade either. We may have seen the best that Nadal has to offer already. And who knows he may be done winning slams. Agassi wasnt as dominant as Nadal in a short time span. But me, I prefer the long term winning and a career slam and masters record, over 1-2 years of big time dominance. But thats me

1-2 years of big dominance? Rofl
Nadal has been #2 or 1 for 5 consecutive seasons already. He's won at least 5 tournaments a year of which at least 1 slam and at least 1 master for 5 consecutive seasons. How many players do you think have done that much? Lots? At any age? Noone because even Sampras and Federer haven't been able to win at least 1 master shield for 5 years in a row, they did 4 which is the next best.
Still learning on grass? When do you mean that? At 18, 19? You mean at the age when Fed was still trying to win his first ATP tournament? Please find me a player who has won Queen's and made at least 3 consecutive Wimbledon finals of which at least 1 title that you would not consider a great grass court player? I'm waiting with the utmost interest :shock:
I have no idea what you would consider "huge" on hard courts but by 23 Nadal had 5 master titles on hard courts, 1 Olympic gold and 1 slam title. Which current player has done better than that? Surely not Fed, who at that age had 1 slam title and 2 master titles to his name on hard. Anyone else? Roddick? Safin? I don't think so!
Finally: is Nadal's career done? Let's see, he's #2, he's leading in # of tournaments won this year, he's 1 of the 3 players who won slams this year, he's leading in # of masters won this year. Maybe you're gonna have to wait until his numbers drop a little bit more before announcing his death, no?

 

[TheFifthSet]

Surely not Fed, who at that age had 1 slam title and 2 master titles to his name on hard.

Federer actually had 2 slams on hardcourts, 2 Masters Cups, and 4 Masters Series when he was 23 year and 8 months old (I pick that age because that is how old Nadal will be at the start of the Australian Open next year.)

When Federer was 23 years and 6 months old (Nadal's current age), he had 2 slams, 2 MC's, and 3 Masters on hardcourts (total of 17 titles, Nadal has 9.)

 

[kishnabe]

Curious...it seems as though another one of my great Conquistador parodies got 'misplaced'. Really disappointing. :roll:

Ya it seems it happened twice. That why for post like these, you keep a cop on Microsoft Word?

 

[Bjorkman & Johnny Mac]

1-2 years of big dominance? Rofl
Nadal has been #2 or 1 for 5 consecutive seasons already. He's won at least 5 tournaments a year of which at least 1 slam and at least 1 master for 5 consecutive seasons. How many players do you think have done that much? Lots? At any age? Noone because even Sampras and Federer haven't been able to win at least 1 master shield for 5 years in a row, they did 4 which is the next best.
Still learning on grass? When do you mean that? At 18, 19? You mean at the age when Fed was still trying to win his first ATP tournament? Please find me a player who has won Queen's and made at least 3 consecutive Wimbledon finals of which at least 1 title that you would not consider a great grass court player? I'm waiting with the utmost interest :shock:
I have no idea what you would consider "huge" on hard courts but by 23 Nadal had 5 master titles on hard courts, 1 Olympic gold and 1 slam title. Which current player has done better than that? Surely not Fed, who at that age had 1 slam title and 2 master titles to his name on hard. Anyone else? Roddick? Safin? I don't think so!
Finally: is Nadal's career done? Let's see, he's #2, he's leading in # of tournaments won this year, he's 1 of the 3 players who won slams this year, he's leading in # of masters won this year. Maybe you're gonna have to wait until his numbers drop a little bit more before announcing his death, no?

And How many of those seasons exactly would u consider Nadal a dominant force overrall thoughout the year actually? 2008 and early 2009 until early 2009? I didnt see a dominant season overrall from Nadal from 04-07. I like Nadal too.. But Fed has been the dominant overrall force through of these season from 2004 on outside of 2008. Lets just look at it the way it is. Nadal maintained a consistent Number 2 ranking through most of these years, but I just dont see too many years of clear cut dominance thus far from Nadal. THough I do believe Nadal's big period of dominance was cut short this year due to injury which is a shame because he was just about to make his move into being the top dog and take over the reigns from Fed in defense of him. But it didnt happen

 

[Vyse]

Nadal and Federer will not be leaving the rankings anytime soon like people seem to believe. They will, along with Murray, win a slam next year. Which one is debatable but they will all b top players for at least a few more years whether you like it or not

 

[Gen]

Nadal also fights hard on HC but doesn't have the game for it. I can't remember the last time Nadal played 2 consecutive 5 setters in a slam.

But of course he doesn't. He only won an slam, 6 masters and Olympic Games on HC. For many players it would be a dream come true. But not for you.

Your memory is real bad. Remember Australian Open 2009? Well, Nadal played a 5-setter vs Verdasco in the semifinal and a 5-setter vs Federer in the final. Both matches are unforgettable,the semifinal because of its quality, the final because of the hysterical show after it.

 

[aphex]

1-2 years of big dominance? Rofl
Nadal has been #2 or 1 for 5 consecutive seasons already. He's won at least 5 tournaments a year of which at least 1 slam and at least 1 master for 5 consecutive seasons. How many players do you think have done that much? Lots? At any age? Noone because even Sampras and Federer haven't been able to win at least 1 master shield for 5 years in a row, they did 4 which is the next best.
Still learning on grass? When do you mean that? At 18, 19? You mean at the age when Fed was still trying to win his first ATP tournament? Please find me a player who has won Queen's and made at least 3 consecutive Wimbledon finals of which at least 1 title that you would not consider a great grass court player? I'm waiting with the utmost interest :shock:
I have no idea what you would consider "huge" on hard courts but by 23 Nadal had 5 master titles on hard courts, 1 Olympic gold and 1 slam title. Which current player has done better than that? Surely not Fed, who at that age had 1 slam title and 2 master titles to his name on hard. Anyone else? Roddick? Safin? I don't think so!
Finally: is Nadal's career done? Let's see, he's #2, he's leading in # of tournaments won this year, he's 1 of the 3 players who won slams this year, he's leading in # of masters won this year. Maybe you're gonna have to wait until his numbers drop a little bit more before announcing his death, no?

learn what the word dominance means.

 

[zagor]

People are citing Nadal as if he is the greatest competitor of all time. THats very arguable. Every player has his matchup problem with another. Even Federer and Nadal is it.

Agree,Nadal being the greatest competitor is arguable,he's one of the best in that department I've seen but it's hard to say whether it's him Sampras,Chang,peak Courier,Borg etc. there are just too many candidates to select one as the undisputed best.

For quite a few years he was just a great clay court player, nothing huge on hardcourts, and still learning on grass.. Not to mention now his peak was cut short due to constant nagging injuries.

Disagree completely,he was winning masters shields on HC as early as 2005 and reached Wimbledon final as early as 2006.He was never just a great claycourter,IMO anyway.

Dont kid yourself though.. Its Nadal unwillingness to go down when placed in a tough situation in a match and just give up like or tremble in fear at the sight of Federer on the court like others players have done.

Heh,I'm hardly kidding myself,we just have a different opinion.I think Nadal's mental toughness is merely an icing on the cake when it comes to facing Fed,I think first of all he has the game for Fed,the right combination of tools to expose few weaknesses in Fed's game.I know I'm probably in minority about this but that's my opinion.

Also keep in mind that confidence goes along with the game side by side.If you're facing a player who you know you're a tough match-up for you'll have more confidence cause you know you can just play your normal game and you'll be fine but when facing a player that can render your normal A game less effective you have less confidence against him and you know you have to adapt and change or atleast modify tactics.

But there is a also a significant age difference between Rafa and Fed. So we dont know how it would have played out if they were actually much closer in age.. When Fed was at his peak, Nadal wasnt at his.. When Nadal was at his, Fed wasnt. 5 years age difference is quite a bit in tennis.

Yeah,rivalry would have been better if both of them were similar ages.However keep in mind that Fed is a late bloomer and Nadal an early one so that narrows age gap a bit.

It would have never been Sampras-Agassi though,attacking all-courter and best server in the game against great baseliner with the best return of serve in the game is probably the best match-up there is.

I also think pure S&V Vs baseline like say Rafter-Agassi matches are a blast to watch.

Agassi and Sampras had something that Nadal probably wont have. A long term career spanding around a decade either. We may have seen the best that Nadal has to offer already. And who knows he may be done winning slams. Agassi wasnt as dominant as Nadal in a short time span. But me, I prefer the long term winning and a career slam and masters record, over 1-2 years of big time dominance. But thats me

Look I understand what you're saying here but as much as things may seem doom and gloom for Nadal now I'd still wait to see whether Nadal will reach his 2008 level again and have a few more dominant years or whether he'll fade away.His playing style is brutal but I think he can still play at a pretty high level for a few more years and maybe he'll adapt his game so he can have more longevity(more agressive from the baseline,improve serve,going to the net more etc.),it's still early to say.

 

[mandy01]

^^ couldnt agree more with zagor on everything he said.Although I do think the age gap is showing now.
Though of course Nadal always had the lead in h2h.

 

[mandy01]

:mrgreen:
True. It's also true that many people like Federer not because of his beautiful game or his great skills, but because he wins all the time.

Your post is crap but boy Nadal looks awesome in this pic.Gotta love that smile...and that dimple..awww....

 

[mandy01]

A Cartoon to many, a Bear to some, a Yellow tv personality to everyone who has seen Winnie the Pooh live. A physically imposing force that leaves the forest animals everywhere amazed everytime he touches a beehive. Winnie the Pooh is the greatest Honney eater in Ashdown forest. Pooh is a bear whos exuberance and frantic nature has left him in high order in Cartoon history. Pooh, a self imposed Caniformia Irsidae on the forests pushes his body to the limits more than any other teddy bear. Try Baloo plus kissyfur with a red plaid pick-nic basket for the win on the grass, and you get an idea of how this bear works. Edward "the pooh" Bear has already achieved glory, having put 6 family pick-nics to an end all before his 23rd birthday. For lack of judgement, Pooh does not possess the kind of Beehive hunting of the great Yogi. Pooh does not employ any kind of above average strategy while on the forest either. Perhaps Winnie is caught up in an aura about who can sustain the most endurance on the pick-nic trashing while hitting a couple of big hist against Park Ranger Smith. What sets Pooh apart is that he frightens campers like a wild-card. Because when the chips are down, "The Poohmeister" comes back again and again and again. No other fictional bear has come back from being down a Basket or two early and winning the blueberry pie. Winnie is the greatest competitor in the game of Beehive & Pick-nic Basket stealing today.

Priceless as ususal :lol: Just gotta quote it :lol: