Maybe he would have even beaten Thiem without Nadal on the way
That's misleading. Fed played RG 17 straight years and in 22 years, he's skipped it only after turning 35 and still played it at age 37 and 38.Fed skipped a lot of RG so didn't have as many raw stats.
I would go with Federer since he was almost a perennial finalist there, which Nadal was not at the Australian Open the same way. Even if Nadal obviously had much more shots of winning more, he ultimately only won once, just like Federer at RG.
Tough one. Both went through hell to win their only title and their top levels are pretty comparable. But Federer had more quality showings in his prime compared to Nadal and tougher opponents as well so I'll go with him.
Comparing their best runs:
Nadal AO '09 > Fed RG '09
Nadal AO '12 > Fed RG '07
Fed RG '06 > Nadal AO '14
Fed RG '11 > Nadal AO '17
Fed RG '05 > Nadal AO '08
Fed RG '10 > Nadal AO '07
Fed RG '08 > Nadal AO '19
Nadal's best runs were a bit better and he did get unlucky with injuries, but I feel Fed had a more consistent level.
This was 25-11 Nadal last night and now it’s 29-25.Fed is losing his magic.
True. Fed magic can never be underestimated.This was 25-11 Nadal last night and now it’s 29-25.
the magic is only beginning.
Only reason Nadal is better at AO is due to fact that he took down the best HC player at that time who was also a multi AO slam champion. On top of that he managed to push AO GOAT to the edge during the final.
What did Federer acheive at RG apart from getting that free french open slam off Soderling's effort?
Well Nadal nearly beat Djokovic and Federer at the AO whereas Fed never really got close to beating Nadal there imho. Also Fed never beat Nadal at the French whereas Nadal beat him 3 times at the AO including a little known final there........
Fed's draw at RG 09 was tough unlike Djoko's free very easy RG 16 (nadal out injured and Murray taking out Wawrinka&then laying an egg in the final). Fed beat a peak delpo (~ peak Wawrinka in RG 15 who convincingly beat Djokovic).
Oh and Fed beat peak Djoko in RG 11.
Well Nadal nearly beat Djokovic and Federer at the AO whereas Fed never really got close to beating Nadal at the French imho. Also Fed never beat Nadal at the French whereas Nadal beat him 3 times at the AO including a little known final there........
That's kind of irrelevant now. Djoko's 2021 RG title was better than Fed's.Fed's draw at RG 09 was tough unlike Djoko's free very easy RG 16 (nadal out injured and Murray taking out Wawrinka&then laying an egg in the final). Fed beat a peak delpo (~ peak Wawrinka in RG 15 who convincingly beat Djokovic).
Oh and Fed beat peak Djoko in RG 11.
Well Nadal nearly beat Djokovic and Federer at the AO whereas Fed never really got close to beating Nadal at the French imho. Also Fed never beat Nadal at the French whereas Nadal beat him 3 times at the AO including a little known final there........
Nadal.
The guy was a few games away twice from being a multiple time AO champion.
Must have really galled you to see Federer actually win that 17 Final
Good luck on pushing prime Nadal to 5 in a Roland Garros FinalNot even close. Nadal beat an ATG for his lone AO, instead of Soderling. Nadal lost 2 epic 5-set AO finals, in '12 and '17. Federer has never even gone 5-set at RG against an ATG.
Good luck on pushing prime Nadal to 5 in a Roland Garros Final
I have to concede that.2011 was in fact Fed's best chance to beat Nadal there, he had an even better chance than in 2006 I would sayHe should have done in 2011, lets be honest here, he was inches away from taking the first set, and was equal to Nadal in the next two sets, taking one of them.
Definitely. Surface not as slow, Nadal no longer the same speed demon.I have to concede that.2011 was in fact Fed's best chance to beat Nadal there, he had an even better chance than in 2006 I would say
That's kind of irrelevant now. Djoko's 2021 RG title was better than Fed's.
Only reason Nadal is better at AO is due to fact that he took down the best HC player at that time who was also a multi AO slam champion. On top of that he managed to push AO GOAT to the edge during the final.
What did Federer acheive at RG apart from getting that free french open slam off Soderling's effort?
Nope. I disagree. Fed's RG 2009 was significantly better in terms of level as well as highest&overall opposition faced - delpo of RG 09 > nadal of RG 21 by some distance.
RG 09 fed easily beats Djoko of RG 21.
Djoko gets props for winning RG 21 at his age though.