Mike Sams
G.O.A.T.
Now that Nadal has captured his 13th Slam and his confidence is at a high once again and he is injury free, 2014 could be big for him. But there are several things one must acknowledge first:
1) Nadal will not have the benefit of another 8 month vacation to rest his body fully which means he will go thick into the rigorous grind of the full tennis season in 2014.
2) Murray, Del Potro, Djokovic will be likely motivated and healthy by the time 2014 rolls around and there could be some additional players adding to the mix who come in with nothing to lose (Wawrinka, Tsonga, Verdasco, Isner, Federer, Dimitrov, Gulbis, Janowitcz, etc.)
3) Nadal felt pain in knees (according to reports) during Wimbledon and had a long rest before the hardcourt season to rest up after a rigorous clay season.
4) Nadal has never successfully defended a non-clay title in his entire career so the possibility is strong that he will gain many new points but also lose many defending points when autumn hardcourts roll around in 2014.
5) Nadal will be turning 28 in June but age is just a number so not a huge deal. It's about how one keeps themselves in top condition.
6) Staying on top is more difficult than getting to the top because you're defending your ranking and your points while others are making a charge.
So with that being said, Nadal's challenge now is to surpass Federer's 17 Slams. Nadal has at least 5-6 good years in him I think if he keeps his body healthy and his wheels don't come off and injuries don't accumulate. I can see him winning at least another 4 French Opens, another AO, another USO.
I have a feeling he is having trouble with Wimbledon because he's so physically spent from the brutal clay season and there's not enough time to rest nor transition from clay to grass in only a few days (Queens and Halle start literally the day after Roland Garros final). So I think Nadal will not make as much of an attempt at Wimbledon and would rather preserve his body and focus on the other 3 Slams.
So all in all, I can see Nadal winning at least another 6 Grand Slams over the next 5-6 years in a worst case scenario. That should take his tally to 19 at the very least. I can see Nadal retiring on at least 19 Slams.
What do you guys think?
1) Nadal will not have the benefit of another 8 month vacation to rest his body fully which means he will go thick into the rigorous grind of the full tennis season in 2014.
2) Murray, Del Potro, Djokovic will be likely motivated and healthy by the time 2014 rolls around and there could be some additional players adding to the mix who come in with nothing to lose (Wawrinka, Tsonga, Verdasco, Isner, Federer, Dimitrov, Gulbis, Janowitcz, etc.)
3) Nadal felt pain in knees (according to reports) during Wimbledon and had a long rest before the hardcourt season to rest up after a rigorous clay season.
4) Nadal has never successfully defended a non-clay title in his entire career so the possibility is strong that he will gain many new points but also lose many defending points when autumn hardcourts roll around in 2014.
5) Nadal will be turning 28 in June but age is just a number so not a huge deal. It's about how one keeps themselves in top condition.
6) Staying on top is more difficult than getting to the top because you're defending your ranking and your points while others are making a charge.
So with that being said, Nadal's challenge now is to surpass Federer's 17 Slams. Nadal has at least 5-6 good years in him I think if he keeps his body healthy and his wheels don't come off and injuries don't accumulate. I can see him winning at least another 4 French Opens, another AO, another USO.
I have a feeling he is having trouble with Wimbledon because he's so physically spent from the brutal clay season and there's not enough time to rest nor transition from clay to grass in only a few days (Queens and Halle start literally the day after Roland Garros final). So I think Nadal will not make as much of an attempt at Wimbledon and would rather preserve his body and focus on the other 3 Slams.
So all in all, I can see Nadal winning at least another 6 Grand Slams over the next 5-6 years in a worst case scenario. That should take his tally to 19 at the very least. I can see Nadal retiring on at least 19 Slams.
What do you guys think?
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