Nadal's performance this Davis Cup enhancing GOAT credentials?

octogon

Hall of Fame
LOL.

YEC involves beating 5 top 8 players back to back in a single tournament.

What happened this week - Rafa beat journeymen and last i checked he did not face a single top 10 guy. It was a creditable performance nevertheless but a guy with a pedigree of 12 clay majors , this week is nothing.

Shapalov and Khachanov are not "journeymen". They are hugely talented youngsters that will be playing for big titles in years to come. Both are currently ranked in top 20, and Khachnov was ranked in top 10 eariler this year. To win 8 matches combined, with opposition like that in singles play is hugely impressive.

Federer won 3 Grand Slams against Mark Philipoussis. I feel like Shapalov and Khachanov will both have better careers than Philipoussis and both are potential grand slam winners.
 

tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
Shapalov and Khachanov are not "journeymen". They are hugely talented youngsters that will be playing for big titles in years to come. Both are currently ranked in top 20, and Khachnov was ranked in top 10 eariler this year. To win 8 matches combined, with opposition like that in singles play is hugely impressive.

Federer won 3 Grand Slams against Mark Philipoussis. I feel like Shapalov and Khachanov will both have better careers than Philipoussis and both are potential grand slam winners.

What Shapavalov and Khachanov achieve in future does not have anything to do with what they are at this time.
 

Sephiroth

Hall of Fame
RAFA continues to amaze me time and time again. What a player, what a showman

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Do you realise that since 2012 the only complete seasons Rafa has played are 2015 and 2019?
Blanketed drivel.

2013:

This was pretty much a full season and a great one at that. Missing the Aussie Open but still going 75-7 with 10 titles and 2 slams should more than makes up for it 8-B
Nadal skipped World Group 1st Rd. vs Canada on Indoor HC that was held from Feb 1-3. Played Vina Del Mar (Clay 250) that began on Feb 4. LOL and made the final. Ok, you'll say he was recovering from the back injury in 2012 yada yada right? :laughing:
Spain slips into Relegation Playoff that Nadal shows up for of course since it's Madrid Clay. Stomps the ever living hell out of Stakhovsky 6-0 6-0 6-4..... 2013 FAIL because it was a full season for the most part and DC was not truly missed due to injury.

2014:

I'm going to give him 2014 even though I have some doubts. It was the back, then the wrist, then appendicitis, then stem cell therapy lol. Regardless, he had his reasons that year at every turn. It wasn't meant for him to play after Wimbledon it seemed. Btw, I'm not laughing at the injuries. It was just the way they unfolded at the time. 2014 PASS

2015:

A recovery year of sorts with patchy play. True that he was healthy and played a full season as you mentioned. Spain was in big trouble at this point in DC after a miserable 2013-14 (some of it unnecessarily). Nadal did well in Stuttgart, claimed the title, but fell short in Queens to Dolgo in the 1st round obviously wanting matches since he was playing both warm ups. Wouldn't you agree? Wimbledon is a disaster as Dustin Brown pulls off the upset over Nadal in the 2nd rd. Nadal takes a straight month off before playing and winning Hamburg (Clay of course). The week before that, which was three weeks after Wimbledon, Spain desperately needed Nadal vs Russia with only Robredo and Andujar basically. Maybe it was a case of underestimating Russia or maybe not. I can't recall now, but he could've shown up to help them dig out of the hole. Especially being healthy with 3 weeks rest and knowing Spain could use him. Btw that was Indoor HC :whistle:. Later on he finally stepped up to play on Indoor HC vs powerhouse Denmark who hasn't been in the World Group for nearly 25 years. He faced Mikael Torpegaard, a journeyman with a career high ranking of #170 which he just achieved this year in 2019. Has never made it out of qualifying rounds at slams. Won a couple challengers. Nadal thumped the guy for his first Indoor HC DC match/win since 2011 when he defeated Olivier Rochus lol. Now, 2016 will be spent trying to make it back to World Group. I have to go with
FAIL here because of that.

2016:

Skips Zone Group vs Romania who offers up an inspired Copil as their Top Gun. Lopez holds him off and RBA/PCB handle the other no names after Lopez & Co. gift the doubles match away. Easy Indoor HC win. A missed chance for Nadal to make it appear that he tried to play something besides clay at DC. Normally, this would be that chance. Sadly, Nadal injured his wrist at RG along with Federer (knee) shortly thereafter and sent the tennis world into Darkness for a few months. I genuinely felt sorry for Nadal. Even more sad after Federer went down at Wimbledon. Could it be over for both of them? Bad times for a little while there. Anyhow, Nadal showed up to play doubles vs India later in the year. You know it's gravy when Marc Lopez plays singles and Nadal plays doubles with a 5-0 score. Nadal could have just stayed home, but a HC win even in doubles is better than nothing I guess. Hang with the boys and celebrate returning to the World Group. A positive moment for Spain, but since Nadal made no difference at all in the outcome of these matches it must be ruled a
FAIL. Easy matches yes, but in the ghetto all year thanks to Rafa.

2017:

New life (y)

Nadal is back from the dead at AO. All is well in Nadal World again with the exception of Federer NEO BH raining down on the Bull. He is ready for anyone, anywhere, anytime, except for Federer :D. Moving on to the point now...2017 DC had a good and easy start with Croatia. Nadal didn't show up which is understandable right after the AO. Spain handled business anyhow. Next up was Serbia which falls between Miami and Monte Carlo. Yes, it was possible to send guys there in an attempt to win, but Spain elected not to. DC captain left Nadal out as it would interrupt his clay schedule. I understood the move at the time with Federer winning #18 and spanking the field. Djokoray were vulnerable too. Nadal needed the French Open badly to keep pace. Spain sent the B team to Belgrade. Indoor HC btw lol. Excusable this time. Nadal is a slick fella. As far as his 2017 season, it was a full season. 78 matches played, all Slams played, all Masters played, 2 Slams won, 6 titles. So, 2017 was a full season for Nadal and Spain maintained the World Group without his help, but not because he was injured or didn't play a full season. He pursued personal goals instead of team goals. Spain settled so Rafa could chase Roger. Rafa again was liable for DC lull. Despite my understanding of his endeavor, I have to say
FAIL from a DC point of view. Also you were wrong again about his availability and full seasons. Not to be a know it all 8-B

2018:

Playing the British on clay LMAO, stay home Rafa and heal the hip.Too soon. Germany was coming up in 3 months and almost exactly 3 months later Nadal decided he wanted to play tennis again lol. DC on Clay was his moment to shine and help bring the trophy back home to Spain possibly.He might as well since every time he wins a slam, Roger does too. Two birds, one stone. Clay Prep & DC to wipe away 3 months of HC avoidance. After going on to fully recover and have yet another great clay season, Nadal also plays his best Wimbledon in years making the SF. After that he wins Canada Masters and is a favorite to win UO. Unfortunately, Nadal retired with a knee injury vs Delpo in the UO SF. He would not make be able to make the DC SF vs France that was only a few days away. This year will
PASS because I give Nadal the benefit of the doubt injury wise with it being a Slam SF. I will remind everyone once more that this was Indoor HC. Man, that guy is good ;) After that he had two more injuries and a surgery without playing a match. Scheduled an ankle surgery that no one earth knew about that took place on ATP Finals draw day LOL, but listed abdominable injury as the reason for withdrawing :X3:. Point being that it appeared Nadal avoided Indoor HC after DC. It's the most obvious thing that the tennis world has ever known if they choose to know it. DC is only one example of his selectiveness. Not hating here, but putting things into perspective. Have a good day.
 
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octogon

Hall of Fame
Blanketed drivel.

2013:

This was pretty much a full season and a great one. Missing the Aussie Open but still going 75-7 with 10 titles and 2 slams more than makes up for it 8-B
Nadal skipped World Group 1st Rd. vs Canada on Indoor HC that was from Feb 1-3. Played Vina Del Mar (clay 250) that began on Feb 4. LOL and made the final. Ok, you'll say he was recovering from the back injury in 2012 yada yada right? :laughing:
Spain slips into Relegation playoff that Nadal of course shows up for since it's Madrid Clay. Stomps the ever living hell out of Stakhovsky 6-0 6-0 6-4..... 2013 FAIL because it was a full season for the most part and DC was not truly missed due to injury.

2014:

I'm going to give him 2014 even though I have some doubts. It was the back, then the wrist, then appendicitis, then stem cell therapy lol. Regardless, he had his reasons that year at every turn. It wasn't meant for him to play after Wimbledon it seemed. Btw, I'm not laughing at the injuries. It was just the way they unfolded at the time. 2014 PASS

2015:

A recovery year of sorts with patchy play. True that he was healthy and played a full season as you mentioned. Spain is in big trouble at this point in DC after a miserable 2013-14 (some of it unnecessarily). Nadal does well in Stuttgart, claims the title, but falls short in Queens to Dolgo in the 1st round obviously wanting matches playing both warm ups. Wouldn't you agree? Wimbledon is a disaster as Dustin Brown pulls off the upset over Nadal in the 2nd rd. Nadal takes a straight month off before playing and winning Hamburg (Clay of course). The week before that, which was three weeks after Wimbledon, Spain desperately needed Nadal vs Russia with only Robredo and Andujar basically. Maybe it was a case of underestimating Russia or maybe not. I don't recall now, but he could've shown up to help them dig out of the hole. Especially being healthy with 3 weeks rest and knowing Spain needed him. Btw that was Indoor HC :whistle:. Later on he finally stepped up to play on Indoor HC vs powerhouse Denmark who hasn't been in the World Group in nearly 25 years. He faced Mikael Torpegaard, a journeyman with a career high ranking of #170 which he just achieved this year in 2019. Has never made it out of qualifying rounds at slams. Won a couple challengers. Nadal thumped the guy for his first Indoor HC DC match/win since 2011 when he defeated Olivier Rochus lol. Now, 2016 will be spent trying to make it back to World Group. I have to go with
FAIL here because of that.

2016:

Skips Zone Group vs Romania who offers up an inspired Copil as their Top Gun. Lopez holds him off and RBA/PCB handle the other no names after Lopez & Co. gift the doubles away. Easy Indoor HC win. A missed chance for Nadal to make it appear that he tried to play something besides clay at DC. Normally this would be that chance. Sadly, Nadal injured his wrist at RG along with Federer (knee) shortly thereafter and sent the tennis world into Darkness for a few months. I genuinely felt sorry for Nadal. Even more so after Federer went down at Wimbledon. Could it be over for both of them? Bad times. Anyhow, Nadal showed up to play doubles vs India later in the year. You know it's gravy when Marc Lopez plays singles and Nadal plays doubles with a 5-0 score. Nadal could have just stayed home, but a HC win even in doubles is better than nothing I guess. Hang with the boys and celebrate returning to the World Group. A positive moment for Spain, but since Nadal made no difference at all in the outcome of these matches it must be ruled a
FAIL. Easy matches yes, but in the ghetto all year thanks to Rafa.

2017:

New life (y)

Nadal is back from the dead at AO. All is well in Nadal World again with the exception of Federer NEO BH raining down on the Bull. He is ready for anyone, anywhere, anytime, except for Federer :D. Moving on to the point now...2017 DC had a good and easy start with Croatia. Nadal didn't show up which is understandable after the AO. Spain handled business. Next up was Serbia which falls between Miami and Monte Carlo. Yes, it was possible to send guys there in an attempt to win, but Spain elected not to. DC captain left Nadal out as it would interrupt his clay schedule. I understood the move at the time with Federer winning #18 and spanking the field. Djokoray were vulnerable too. Nadal needed the French Open badly to keep pace. Spain sent the B team to Belgrade. Indoor HC btw lol. Excusable this time. Nadal is a slick fella. As far as his 2017 season, it was a full season. 78 matches played, all Slams played, all Masters played, 2 Slams won, 6 titles. So, 2017 was a full season for Nadal and Spain maintained the World Group without his help, but not because he was injured or didn't play a full season. He pursued personal goals instead of team goals. Spain settled so Rafa could chase Roger. Rafa again liable for DC lull. Despite my understanding of his endeavor, I have to say
FAIL from a DC point of view. Also you were wrong again about his availability and full seasons once again 8-B

2018:

Playing the British on clay LMAO, stay home Rafa and heal the hip.Too soon. Germany is coming up in 3 months. Exactly 3 months later Nadal decided he wants to play tennis again lol. DC on Clay his moment to shine and help bring the trophy back home to Spain maybe. Might as well since every time he wins a slam, Roger does too. Two birds one stone. Clay Prep & DC to wipe away 3 months of HC avoidance. After going on to fully recover and have another great clay season, Nadal plays his best Wimbledon in years making the SF. After that wins Canada Masters and is a favorite to win UO. Unfortunately, Nadal retired with a knee injury vs Delpo in the SF as we all know. He would not make be able to make the DC SF vs France that was only a matter of days away. This year will
PASS because I give Nadal the benefit of the doubt injury wise with it being a Slam SF. I will remind everyone once more that this was Indoor HC. Man, that guy is good ;) After that he had two more injuries and a surgery without playing a match. Scheduled an ankle surgery that no one earth knew about to take place on ATP Finals draw day LOL, but listed abdominable as the reason for withdrawing :X3:. Point being that he still ran from Indoor HC after DC. It's the most obvious thing that the tennis world has ever known. Have a good day.


Why on earth would you waste your time posting this Novel length drivel, after Nadal has just won 8 straight matches on an Indoor hardcourt to give his country a Davis Cup win?

Even if anyone believed that he "ran" from Indoor hardcourts for DC, the last week has made that belief or complaint utterly irrelevant. Right now, he's the GOD of indoor HC Davis cup ties.

This has been a pretty bad year for anti-Nadal folk.
 

TheGhostOfAgassi

Talk Tennis Guru
Why on earth would you waste your time posting this Novel length drivel, after Nadal has just won 8 straight matches on an Indoor hardcourt to give his country a Davis Cup win?

Even if anyone believed that he "ran" from Indoor hardcourts for DC, the last week has made that belief or complaint utterly irrelevant.
How many hours has Rafa been on court past 3 days? Maybe some kind of record.
Think about he even won the last match in 2 sets over the young man.
 
Why on earth would you waste your time posting this Novel length drivel, after Nadal has just won 8 straight matches on an Indoor hardcourt to give his country a Davis Cup win?

Even if anyone believed that he "ran" from Indoor hardcourts for DC, the last week has made that belief or complaint utterly irrelevant. Right now, he's the GOD of indoor HC Davis cup ties.

This has been a pretty bad year for anti-Nadal folk.
He didn't beat anybody. A mediocre level draw at best. Any player in the top 10 could have done the same thing. Khachanov, Shapo, Diego, Daniel Evans, Gojo.
2 mindless ball bashers, a midget, a coke head, and a guy named after an industrial hand cleaner :-D
 

TheGhostOfAgassi

Talk Tennis Guru
He didn't beat anybody. A mediocre level draw at best. Any player in the top 10 could have done the same thing. Khachanov, Shapo, Diego, Daniel Evans, Gojo.
2 mindless ball bashers, a midget, a coke head, and a guy named after an industrial hand cleaner :-D
I’d like to see how Federer would have looked on court after playing 14 hours on court in 3 days and play the final on top of that, let alone Novak :p
 

Amritia

Hall of Fame
Can we get real, this week does not influence the GOAT debate at all. Fedal have already won too many trophies for anything apart from Slams to really make a difference at this point.

Of course, Nadal's Davis Cup record as a whole is special. It shows how passionate he is playing for his country to have never lost since his debut, and also proves that he can deal with the extra burden of having a team/country rely on you.

Rather than trying to clutch at straws and relate this to GOAT debate, perhaps we can analyse something that may be relevant for Nadal heading into 2020?
I noted was that Nadal's serve was very good, the indoor conditions and high altitude were contributing factors, but regardless I think it was his best serving week since USO 2010. I think the commentators said that since he went 5-1 down to Medvedev, he has won 84 service games in a row.
To not drop your serve at all against Tsitsipas, Schwartzmann, Khachanov, Shapavalov and others consecutively is unreal.
 

AnOctorokForDinner

Talk Tennis Guru
I’d like to see how Federer would have looked on court after playing 14 hours on court in 3 days and play the final on top of that, let alone Novak :p

Doubles is much easier on the body though.

Federer played a little under 11 hours in singles in 3 days on clay in 2006 Rome and looked fine at the end, though both he and Nadal had to withdraw from Hamburg afterward.
 
I’d like to see how Federer would have looked on court after playing 14 hours on court in 3 days and play the final on top of that, let alone Novak :p
14 hours in three days? I see 6-1 6-2 and 6-0 scores everywhere in singles. Nadal lost 16 measly games from the QF through Final. Had some long doubles matches I guess. Had the one long doubles match. Doubles isn't that hard. Rallies are short on those courts too. You guys are exaggerating at maximum level capacity.
 

TheGhostOfAgassi

Talk Tennis Guru
Doubles is much easier on the body though.

Federer played a little under 11 hours in singles in 3 days on clay in 2006 Rome and looked fine at the end, though both he and Nadal had to withdraw from Hamburg afterward.
Ok, I’m gonna play the age card plus he just came from London to Madrid. I saw Rafa looked a bit tired and commies said he went to bed 5am final morning. He was the one making Spain win and he played A LOT! Yesterday doubles he was under a lot of pressure and he fell down on the ground to win.
Did you watch any of it?
 

TheGhostOfAgassi

Talk Tennis Guru
14 hours in three days? I see 6-1 6-2 and 6-0 scores everywhere in singles. Nadal lost 16 measly games from the QF through Final. Had some long doubles matches I guess. Had the one long doubles match. Doubles isn't that hard. Rallies are short on those courts too. You guys are exaggerating at maximum level capacity.
He played 8 matches. I thought my 14 h guessing wasn’t that wild of a guess.
 

AnOctorokForDinner

Talk Tennis Guru
Ok, I’m gonna play the age card plus he just came from London to Madrid. I saw Rafa looked a bit tired and commies said he went to bed 5am final morning. He was the one making Spain win and he played A LOT! Yesterday doubles he was under a lot of pressure and he fell down on the ground to win.
Did you watch any of it?

Only some highlights, Nadal the servebot and the Spanish clique against mugs wasn't too enticing and so it proved to be, none of them could even break his serve once. Yes we know he's in a different league to everyone he played there, nothing new.
 

Crisstti

Legend
Blanketed drivel.

2013:

This was pretty much a full season and a great one. Missing the Aussie Open but still going 75-7 with 10 titles and 2 slams more than makes up for it 8-B
Nadal skipped World Group 1st Rd. vs Canada on Indoor HC that was from Feb 1-3. Played Vina Del Mar (clay 250) that began on Feb 4. LOL and made the final. Ok, you'll say he was recovering from the back injury in 2012 yada yada right? :laughing:
Spain slips into Relegation playoff that Nadal of course shows up for since it's Madrid Clay. Stomps the ever living hell out of Stakhovsky 6-0 6-0 6-4..... 2013 FAIL because it was a full season for the most part and DC was not truly missed due to injury.

2014:

I'm going to give him 2014 even though I have some doubts. It was the back, then the wrist, then appendicitis, then stem cell therapy lol. Regardless, he had his reasons that year at every turn. It wasn't meant for him to play after Wimbledon it seemed. Btw, I'm not laughing at the injuries. It was just the way they unfolded at the time. 2014 PASS

2015:

A recovery year of sorts with patchy play. True that he was healthy and played a full season as you mentioned. Spain is in big trouble at this point in DC after a miserable 2013-14 (some of it unnecessarily). Nadal does well in Stuttgart, claims the title, but falls short in Queens to Dolgo in the 1st round obviously wanting matches playing both warm ups. Wouldn't you agree? Wimbledon is a disaster as Dustin Brown pulls off the upset over Nadal in the 2nd rd. Nadal takes a straight month off before playing and winning Hamburg (Clay of course). The week before that, which was three weeks after Wimbledon, Spain desperately needed Nadal vs Russia with only Robredo and Andujar basically. Maybe it was a case of underestimating Russia or maybe not. I don't recall now, but he could've shown up to help them dig out of the hole. Especially being healthy with 3 weeks rest and knowing Spain needed him. Btw that was Indoor HC :whistle:. Later on he finally stepped up to play on Indoor HC vs powerhouse Denmark who hasn't been in the World Group in nearly 25 years. He faced Mikael Torpegaard, a journeyman with a career high ranking of #170 which he just achieved this year in 2019. Has never made it out of qualifying rounds at slams. Won a couple challengers. Nadal thumped the guy for his first Indoor HC DC match/win since 2011 when he defeated Olivier Rochus lol. Now, 2016 will be spent trying to make it back to World Group. I have to go with
FAIL here because of that.

2016:

Skips Zone Group vs Romania who offers up an inspired Copil as their Top Gun. Lopez holds him off and RBA/PCB handle the other no names after Lopez & Co. gift the doubles away. Easy Indoor HC win. A missed chance for Nadal to make it appear that he tried to play something besides clay at DC. Normally this would be that chance. Sadly, Nadal injured his wrist at RG along with Federer (knee) shortly thereafter and sent the tennis world into Darkness for a few months. I genuinely felt sorry for Nadal. Even more so after Federer went down at Wimbledon. Could it be over for both of them? Bad times. Anyhow, Nadal showed up to play doubles vs India later in the year. You know it's gravy when Marc Lopez plays singles and Nadal plays doubles with a 5-0 score. Nadal could have just stayed home, but a HC win even in doubles is better than nothing I guess. Hang with the boys and celebrate returning to the World Group. A positive moment for Spain, but since Nadal made no difference at all in the outcome of these matches it must be ruled a
FAIL. Easy matches yes, but in the ghetto all year thanks to Rafa.

2017:

New life (y)

Nadal is back from the dead at AO. All is well in Nadal World again with the exception of Federer NEO BH raining down on the Bull. He is ready for anyone, anywhere, anytime, except for Federer :D. Moving on to the point now...2017 DC had a good and easy start with Croatia. Nadal didn't show up which is understandable after the AO. Spain handled business. Next up was Serbia which falls between Miami and Monte Carlo. Yes, it was possible to send guys there in an attempt to win, but Spain elected not to. DC captain left Nadal out as it would interrupt his clay schedule. I understood the move at the time with Federer winning #18 and spanking the field. Djokoray were vulnerable too. Nadal needed the French Open badly to keep pace. Spain sent the B team to Belgrade. Indoor HC btw lol. Excusable this time. Nadal is a slick fella. As far as his 2017 season, it was a full season. 78 matches played, all Slams played, all Masters played, 2 Slams won, 6 titles. So, 2017 was a full season for Nadal and Spain maintained the World Group without his help, but not because he was injured or didn't play a full season. He pursued personal goals instead of team goals. Spain settled so Rafa could chase Roger. Rafa again liable for DC lull. Despite my understanding of his endeavor, I have to say
FAIL from a DC point of view. Also you were wrong again about his availability and full seasons once again 8-B

2018:

Playing the British on clay LMAO, stay home Rafa and heal the hip.Too soon. Germany is coming up in 3 months. Exactly 3 months later Nadal decided he wants to play tennis again lol. DC on Clay his moment to shine and help bring the trophy back home to Spain maybe. Might as well since every time he wins a slam, Roger does too. Two birds one stone. Clay Prep & DC to wipe away 3 months of HC avoidance. After going on to fully recover and have another great clay season, Nadal plays his best Wimbledon in years making the SF. After that wins Canada Masters and is a favorite to win UO. Unfortunately, Nadal retired with a knee injury vs Delpo in the SF as we all know. He would not make be able to make the DC SF vs France that was only a matter of days away. This year will
PASS because I give Nadal the benefit of the doubt injury wise with it being a Slam SF. I will remind everyone once more that this was Indoor HC. Man, that guy is good ;) After that he had two more injuries and a surgery without playing a match. Scheduled an ankle surgery that no one earth knew about to take place on ATP Finals draw day LOL, but listed abdominable as the reason for withdrawing :X3:. Point being that he still ran from Indoor HC after DC. It's the most obvious thing that the tennis world has ever known. Have a good day.
You do realise Rafa has just carried Spain to a Davis Cup title on INDOOR HARD, right?.

BTW, Rafa came to play to the Viña del Mar tournament early in 2013 after 8 months out with injury. There was even doubt until the last moment he would play, cause he was still in pain from what he said then. So yeah, he didn't play DC right before that.
 

TheGhostOfAgassi

Talk Tennis Guru
Only some highlights, Nadal the servebot and the Spanish clique against mugs wasn't too enticing and so it proved to be, none of them could even break his serve once. Yes we know he's in a different league to everyone he played there, nothing new.
I really liked watching DC finals this year. Rafa Lopez doubles was great. Also Felix and Shapo for example.Seeing how much it means to all of them. Lots of energy and passion. More than in ATP matches. Joyful to watch this fighting and enthusiasm!!
 

papertank

Hall of Fame
Measuring Davis Cup literally is a bit problematic since no matter how good someone is they need at least one other person to step up at some point to allow them to progress through the draw.

However, it would be foolish to ignore Nadal’s performance this week as anything other than another example of why he is a titan of the sport and possibly the GOAT. Playing 4 high pressure singles matches without losing a set, and then coming out and saving the doubles time and again is a serious achievement.
 

octogon

Hall of Fame
Measuring Davis Cup literally is a bit problematic since no matter how good someone is they need at least one other person to step up at some point to allow them to progress through the draw.

However, it would be foolish to ignore Nadal’s performance this week as anything other than another example of why he is a titan of the sport and possibly the GOAT. Playing 4 high pressure singles matches without losing a set, and then coming out and saving the doubles time and again is a serious achievement.


It's interesting. If I had to list Nadal's top 10 performances across a whole tournament, the 2019 Davis Cup would easily be in there. I might even go as far as to put it in the top 3. It's kinda crazy to think what he did, on traditionally the least friendly conditions for his game (indoor hardcourt)
 

MeatTornado

Talk Tennis Guru
Can we get real, this week does not influence the GOAT debate at all. Fedal have already won too many trophies for anything apart from Slams to really make a difference at this point.

Of course, Nadal's Davis Cup record as a whole is special. It shows how passionate he is playing for his country to have never lost since his debut, and also proves that he can deal with the extra burden of having a team/country rely on you.

Rather than trying to clutch at straws and relate this to GOAT debate, perhaps we can analyse something that may be relevant for Nadal heading into 2020?
I noted was that Nadal's serve was very good, the indoor conditions and high altitude were contributing factors, but regardless I think it was his best serving week since USO 2010. I think the commentators said that since he went 5-1 down to Medvedev, he has won 84 service games in a row.
To not drop your serve at all against Tsitsipas, Schwartzmann, Khachanov, Shapavalov and others consecutively is unreal.
Tsitsipas and Shapo are notoriously poor returners. But the point stands, he's on a helluva roll with his serve atm. The type of rhythm you'd prefer to be in at literally any other time but the end of the season. I'm sure he'd rather be able to keep playing right now.
 
You do realise Rafa has just carried Spain to a Davis Cup title on INDOOR HARD, right?.

BTW, Rafa came to play to the Viña del Mar tournament early in 2013 after 8 months out with injury. There was even doubt until the last moment he would play, cause he was still in pain from what he said then. So yeah, he didn't play DC right before that.
Yes, why would I bother posting a lot of crap about DC? New format now with no motives concerning the season or long travel. Surface changes not a problem now. Home field advantage for Nadal, a bunch of mugs in his path. It was a nice little title for Nads. About 500 level I suppose. A 500 where the other good player lost early. I understand being proud that he did well on Indoor HC and all, but there's several top players that can go through that draw. One might say well, what about the doubles!?!? I'll say, "what about it"? Playing with Granollers isn't a bad deal at all. He's been in 3 GS Doubles Finals, won ATP Doubles Finals, 18 titles. Ranked #4 at one point. Lopez GS Doubles Champ and known for net skills. Nadal wasn't playing Doubles with Uncle Joe and he wasn't facing top echelon singles players either. Six days at one tournament doesn't change what's happened for the last 14-15 years.
 

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
LOL.

YEC involves beating 5 top 8 players back to back in a single tournament.

What happened this week - Rafa beat journeymen and last i checked he did not face a single top 10 guy. It was a creditable performance nevertheless but a guy with a pedigree of 12 clay majors , this week is nothing.
In spite of the DC being full of journeymen, Djokovic still couldn’t take his team to the SF.
 

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Yes, why would I bother posting a lot of crap about DC? New format now with no motives concerning the season or long travel. Surface changes not a problem now. Home field advantage for Nadal, a bunch of mugs in his path. It was a nice little title for Nads. About 500 level I suppose. A 500 where the other good player lost early. I understand being proud that he did well on Indoor HC and all, but there's several top players that can go through that draw. One might say well, what about the doubles!?!? I'll say, "what about it"? Playing with Granollers isn't a bad deal at all. He's been in 3 GS Doubles Finals, won ATP Doubles Finals, 18 titles. Ranked #4 at one point. Lopez GS Doubles Champ and known for net skills. Nadal wasn't playing Doubles with Uncle Joe and he wasn't facing top echelon singles players either. Six days at one tournament doesn't change what's happened for the last 14-15 years.
Except that Rafa was the only Olympic Gold Medallist in doubles in the DC draw.
 

Lleytonstation

Talk Tennis Guru
While this does add to his legacy (not the g-word debate), it can be said about others and winning doubles titles as well then. Without doubles and the team, he might not win, so while it does help his legacy for sure, others have things that are team related that can be added to their legacy as well.
 

Lleytonstation

Talk Tennis Guru
and beauty of back-hand too..
Come on now, it is about slams, until it is not, then it becomes about weeks, till that is not an option either... then it will be about the backhand. :sneaky:

No, obviously the “tiger” debate comes down to slams first, then after that it becomes murky.
 

ForumMember

Hall of Fame
It's not the win at DC but the manner in which Nadal carried his team to the finish line would help him in GOAT conversations.

He may have revived a whole tournament just by himself.
 
Ok, I’m gonna play the age card plus he just came from London to Madrid. I saw Rafa looked a bit tired and commies said he went to bed 5am final morning. He was the one making Spain win and he played A LOT! Yesterday doubles he was under a lot of pressure and he fell down on the ground to win.
Did you watch any of it?

Oh noez!

smiley_emoticons_santagrin.gif
 
Except that Rafa was the only Olympic Gold Medallist in doubles in the DC draw.
The subject at hand is how tough was this for Nadal? I say it wasn't as tough as some of you think. He never faced a top player and like you said, he's a gold medalist in doubles. I expected Spain to win it from day one. DC being a one week thing now allowed Nadal to be set in his habits with the timing right after the WTF (Indoor HC) He just came from playing 3 of the best players in the world where he found his form finally against Tsitsipas. No one else had that kind of preparation except Djokovic, but doubles messed him up. Nadal appears to be so dominant now that even off clay it's made for a lot of belief that he's at a level that maybe rivals Djokovic and Federer. Atleast among Nadal fans. Not all, but confidence seems a bit high for it to not be clay season. The way he handles the younger gen does create pressure for Federer and Djokovic to perform I'll admit. All of the guardians that could upset Nadal on a good day are almost all gone now. Nadal has a bit of a safety net knowing that next Gen hasn't figured him out yet. Dealing with Federer or Djokovic is his only worry really. Fedovic can't say the same. Not right now anyway. Nadal isn't suddenly better than Fedovic off clay. He's just in a better and more comfortable position. Next Gen must figure him out or he will run away with everything while Fedovic and Co. cancel each other out. Fresh confident Nadal in Finals vs Younglings or wore out Fedovic. All it takes is Fedovic being drawn in the same half. Australian Open it better not happen!
 
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