Who would have had the best shot at beating Nadal today?

Which of the following would have had the best chance against Nadal?

  • Peak Soderling

    Votes: 9 12.0%

  • Peak Federer

    Votes: 8 10.7%

  • Peak Djokovic

    Votes: 58 77.3%
  • Total voters
    75
Djokovic but even peak Djokovic would have struggled today. Rafa was on point. Even when Stan hit great offense (inconsistenly) Rafa easily absorbed it and still won the rally.
 
Rod Laver said:
Prime sampras
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Pete would have won more games today than Stan did and he wouldn't play the ridiculous strategy Stan used today (only slightly better than Thiem's game plan). And yes, I know.... Nadal would easily beat Pete too. Just sayin' he would have put up a lot more resistance today than non-Stanimal.
 
Nadal hit some nice shots this match..but i was much more impressed with his overall level against djokovic in the RG semi a few years ago.

Novak can actually return nadal's serve.

Wawrinka's ROS is terrible.
 
World Beater said:
Nadal hit some nice shots this match..but i was much more impressed with his overall level against djokovic in the RG semi a few years ago.

Novak can actually return nadal's serve.

Wawrinka's ROS is terrible.
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it was a very impressive performance no doubt, but definitely not highest level, which is kind scary but ia, I don't think stan played nearly as well as he could have, partially not being allowed to, and partially he just wasn't all there. definitely a few shanks, that could have been winners. idt it would have made all that much of a difference, but could have won a few more games, maybe forced a tb
 
Peak Federer with 2017 Backhand/Mentality.

Peak Djokovic.

Before 2014 Nadal >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>2017 Nadal

Nadal from 2014 FO SF played better than this Nadal.
 
Might be going overboard,but I think only 2-3 players who have ever played this sport could even win a set against this Nadal at RG. Anyway,Djokovic...
 
eh this Nadal still wasn't peak level on clay. I can see a few guys giving him a fight. Peak Borg adjusting for era could definitely win.
 
Tennisanity said:
Yeah and he amazingly fought back to win the 3rd! But with the old mentality he disappeared in the 4th. Add the new 'free' playing mentality of today's Fed and I think he would take out Nadal at FO.
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you're going to tell me that fed, at 35, who was knocked out by lesser clay court players, no disrespect to them, who beat nadal in a very close match at AO, on hard court, would beat nadal at FO....oh boy
 
Alba Barragan said:
I know OP banned him, but I'll take every opportunity I have to bring this man into a conversation...
1981-rg-borg-2-poster.jpg
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His outfit alone is a good enough argument to bring him to this converstaion ;)
However, I think Peak Djoko would have made this final much more interesting and could have won it, too.
 
icedevil0289 said:
you're going to tell me that fed, at 35, who was knocked out by lesser clay court players, no disrespect to them, who beat nadal in a very close match at AO, on hard court, would beat nadal at FO....oh boy
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No, I said peak Fed with today's mentality and BH. Hypothetical player, but certainly a plausible one given what's happening now.
 
No-one, Rafa's knee or some other injury is the only thing that would stand a chance to stop him. Rafa would have 25 slams by now if not for an injury plagued career.
 
Rafa has played amazing but he isn't as good as he was in 05-09 or even 11-12.

06 Fed would beat this Rafa IMO. 13 Djokovic would take him to 5 and could go either way, like it did in 2013.

If conditions were like 2011 then I'd take 11 Fed too.
 
Peak Djokovic obviously has Nadal's number better than anyone ever. I still think Nadal would have beat him today though.
 
BeatlesFan said:
Pete would have won more games today than Stan did and he wouldn't play the ridiculous strategy Stan used today (only slightly better than Thiem's game plan). And yes, I know.... Nadal would easily beat Pete too. Just sayin' he would have put up a lot more resistance today than non-Stanimal.
Click to expand...
27‑May‑1996
Roland Garros
SF
1 and 7
Yevgeny Kafelnikov [RUS] d. Sampras
7-6 6-0 6-2

Pete seeded #7, lost by 11 games.
Stan lost by 12.

That's only his 3rd worst loss.

He lost by 15 games to Champion,

By 17 games to Chang in '89.
6-1 6-1 6-1

Pete had some REALLY bad days on clay. Don't think even at his peak you could expect much more from him against someone on that level on clay.
 
Gary Duane said:
27‑May‑1996
Roland Garros
SF
1 and 7
Yevgeny Kafelnikov [RUS] d. Sampras
7-6 6-0 6-2

Pete seeded #7, lost by 11 games.
Stan lost by 12.

That's only his 3rd worst loss.

He lost by 15 games to Champion,

By 17 games to Chang in '89.
6-1 6-1 6-1

Pete had some REALLY bad days on clay. Don't think even at his peak you could expect much more from him against someone on that level on clay.
Click to expand...

I think if pete were out there today it would have been three bagels.
 
airchallenge2 said:
His outfit alone is a good enough argument to bring him to this converstaion ;)
However, I think Peak Djoko would have made this final much more interesting and could have won it, too.
Click to expand...

Maybe... but he wouldn't look half as cool as Bjorn while doing it. Just look at this:
08-Roland-Garros-tennis.jpg
tumblr_orewg9xjrW1wqm2m0o1_1280.jpg


It's not even close.
 
This was one of the best matches I've seen him play in years. Not that much difference between the best version of Rafa and that Rafa IMO. His backhand and serve were as good as I've ever seen them.

Probably only the best version of Djokovic would have stood some sort of chance, no player with a one hander. That goes for Guga as well. Nowhere was safe, anything short and you're done, Rafa was returning 1st serves deep consistently also. Definitely need to be serving well with placement.

Stan struggled with his defensive game, probably a bit gassed both physically and mentally. Rafa was relentless with his spreading of the court, he's always the first guy to create amazing angles and get himself in a good position early on. Always controlled the flow in that match.
 
Peak Fed 2006 could beat this Nadal. Federer stands on top of the baseline and could dictate rallies very well. Djokovic could only do that against an 80-90% Nadal. Whilst 2017 Nadal has improved his serve and backhand, his movement has still declined dramatically and Peak Fed could take this one quite convincingly in 4 sets IF he played 100% lights out.
 
Also Fed's defence is seriously underrated. Just look at his 2009 match vs Soderling at the US Open. Soderling was hitting bombs off the forehand wing but just kept tapping them back with ease.
 
If he had precious little opposition, how can it be one of his best matches?

The Green Mile said:
This was one of the best matches I've seen him play in years. Not that much difference between the best version of Rafa and that Rafa IMO. His backhand and serve were as good as I've ever seen them.

Probably only the best version of Djokovic would have stood some sort of chance, no player with a one hander. That goes for Guga as well. Nowhere was safe, anything short and you're done, Rafa was returning 1st serves deep consistently also. Definitely need to be serving well with placement.

Stan struggled with his defensive game, probably a bit gassed both physically and mentally. Rafa was relentless with his spreading of the court, he's always the first guy to create amazing angles and get himself in a good position early on. Always controlled the flow in that match.
Click to expand...
 
BeatlesFan said:
Pete would have won more games today than Stan did and he wouldn't play the ridiculous strategy Stan used today (only slightly better than Thiem's game plan). And yes, I know.... Nadal would easily beat Pete too. Just sayin' he would have put up a lot more resistance today than non-Stanimal.
Click to expand...
Don't forget, Sampras needs to want to win first, to quote Blocker...
 
ADuck said:
Peak Fed 2006 could beat this Nadal. Federer stands on top of the baseline and could dictate rallies very well. Djokovic could only do that against an 80-90% Nadal. Whilst 2017 Nadal has improved his serve and backhand, his movement has still declined dramatically and Peak Fed could take this one quite convincingly in 4 sets IF he played 100% lights out.
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+1

As good as Nadal was this year at RG, his opponents weren't that great compared to many of his earlier victories.

His early-round opponents never had a chance, and only Thiem and Wawrinka had a puncher's chance of winning a set, and they didn't deliver because they couldn't even get into a neutral rally to play offence with.

Once you're on your back foot against Nadal on clay, the only way to go is down.

Put 2008 Nadal in 2017, and he'd have lost even fewer games, IMO.
 
Nadal did not have to play any one of the big four, but that probably would not have mattered this past fortnight. But they are in general above the rest.
 
Bartelby said:
If he had precious little opposition, how can it be one of his best matches?
Click to expand...
Best matches against quality opposition, then probably not. A great match period, well, his form in that match spoke for itself.

When a top guy is playing his best tennis, the match isn't that competitive regardless. I struggle to think of matches where both guys are playing their best. You can almost forgive Stan for mentally imploding, the way Rafa played that match.
 
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