Will Nadal equal Sampras' record of 14 slams?

Will he win 3 more slams, to equal Sampras' record of 14 slams?

  • Yes

    Votes: 24 34.8%

  • No

    Votes: 45 65.2%
  • Total voters
    69
R

-RF-

Hall of Fame
A year ago I would have said a definite yes, and also would have rated Nadal's chances of surpassing Roger's (then) 16 as very probable.

How much a difference a year makes- after constant knee injuries he'll be out for a total of 8 months at least.

He needs 3 more slams to equal Pete's record of 14. Hmm.

Personally, I think he'll fall one short. He'll (just about) get FO 2013, his final French Open, and pick up a non-clay slam from somewhere too (Wimbledon or US).

Thoughts?


rafael_nadal_loses_to_david_ferrer31.jpg
 
Last edited:
G

gsharma

Professional
Doubt it. I see maybe two more slams in him. People need to realize that clay is very physical surface to play on and win on. As Nadal ages, I feel winning on clay will get harder.

All depends on his knees. He should have gone for surgery.
 
Clarky21

Clarky21

Banned
No. Nadal will be fortunate to make it to 12 slams so 14 slams is out of the question. Besides, doesn't he actually have to come back and play to win anything? Odds are he's done.
 
cc0509

cc0509

Talk Tennis Guru
Clarky21 said:
No. Nadal will be fortunate to make it to 12 slams so 14 slams is out of the question. Besides, doesn't he actually have to come back and play to win anything? Odds are he's done.
Click to expand...

He is not done. He is pulling a vanishing act for a while. ;)

I think Nadal probably will match Pete's record of 14 slams.
 
D

Deleted member 77403

Guest
One step at a time for him.

First he needs to be mentally, emotionally and physically ready to step back on the court, and go through the trials and tribulations that come with life on the tour again.

Then he needs to step back onto the court, when he 110% ready in his heart and mind to really give every ounce he has to take one final bite at glory. Start off on the surface that will give confidence, and feel like home - clay.
Get that winning feeling back, that hunger, and the desire to win more.

Build it and take it from one event to the next, and start peaking for slams. Then just tackle each slam and the challenges that come with it, one by one.

And just try to win one slam first. And see where that takes him.
 
Clarky21

Clarky21

Banned
cc0509 said:
He is not done. He is pulling a vanishing act for a while. ;)

I think Nadal probably will match Pete's record of 14 slams.
Click to expand...


Yes he is. I have no hope of him ever even coming back, and even if he did he won't win anything.

Not a chance.
 
F

fedfan46

Rookie
No way. He is most likely not going to win another non-clay slam and 3 more FO's just aren't going to happen. 12 or 13 slams at the most
 
hisrob777

hisrob777

Rookie
It's all about his health. If the knee holds up upon his return rest assured he will fight for every tournament he plays. I think anything is possible. Best case scenario for him, if healthy, is another couple years of contending for slams. Worst case is the knees never get to 100% this year and he sadly retires from the sport.
 
namelessone

namelessone

Legend
It all depends on the state of his knees and how much they allow him to compete.

Right now he is a guy that went 6 months without even playing an ATP match and a comeback in the ATP is a different prospect than one in the WTA.

Not to mention that even if Nadal somehow manages to come back to a somewhat respectable level, his knee problem is chronic and will forever haunt him moving forward.

The real question should be: can he make it to 12(not 14 or 17)?
 
zagor

zagor

Bionic Poster
-RF- said:
A year ago I would have said a definite yes, and also would have rated Nadal's chances of surpassing Roger's (then) 16 as very probable.

How much a difference a year makes- after constant knee injuries he'll be out for a total of 8 months at least.

He needs 3 more slams to equal Pete's record of 14. Hmm.

Personally, I think he'll fall one short. He'll (just about) get FO 2013, his final French Open, and pick up a non-clay slam from somewhere too (Wimbledon or US).

Thoughts?


rafael_nadal_loses_to_david_ferrer31.jpg
Click to expand...

You mean, does Nadal have another miracle in him? Depends on a lot of factors, we'll see.
 
cc0509

cc0509

Talk Tennis Guru
namelessone said:
It all depends on the state of his knees and how much they allow him to compete.

Right now he is a guy that went 6 months without even playing an ATP match and a comeback in the ATP is a different prospect than one in the WTA.

Not to mention that even if Nadal somehow manages to come back to a somewhat respectable level, his knee problem is chronic and will forever haunt him moving forward.

The real question should be: can he make it to 12(not 14 or 17)?
Click to expand...

No it is not. The only players who can possibly be a threat to Nadal, even a Nadal who has been out for half a year or more, are Djokovic, Murray and possibly Federer and this is only off clay. On clay, Nadal is still a lot better than those three.

Re the knee problem, that depends on whether you believe that his knee injury is serious. I do not.
 
namelessone

namelessone

Legend
cc0509 said:
No it is not. The only players who can possibly be a threat to Nadal, even a Nadal who has been out for half a year or more, are Djokovic, Murray and possibly Federer and this is only off clay. On clay, Nadal is still a lot better than those three.

Re the knee problem, that depends on whether you believe that his knee injury is serious. I do not.
Click to expand...

You are basing this on the assumption that nothing has changed once Rafa steps on the clay. But he has not played a top player in ages, on any surface. I'm not saying that you forget how to play on a surface but as I said, he is not getting any younger and Djokovic(worthy rival)+Fed(no pressure) could beat him up this year in RG.

DelPotro needed almost another year to get back into top form after staying out 9 months and he played two third of the time on his favourite surface when he came back. I doubt Nadal can play southamerican clay tourneys(most of which are 250's from what I remember, so not exactly the toughest of draws), take time off for IW and Miami and come back to kick top guy ass in MS clay tourneys.
 
90's Clay

90's Clay

Banned
Its not looking likely at this point. In the last 2 years, he hasn't managed a title outside of clay. But its Nadal. I've learned not to rule anything out with that guy
 
Meriko

Meriko

Rookie
I probably won't be voting on any of these polls until I see Nadal play again. I don't consider myself a Nadal fan, and would love to count him out, but he's bounced back before. I know this is an exceptionally long break, but still. Once he's been back for a while and we all see where he's at, maybe then we can start predicting the rest of his career, at least at little bit more realistically.
 
Feather

Feather

Legend
No, I don't think he will overtake Pete.

I don't see him winning more than two majors, both RG.

I think he will end up with 12 majors
 
The_Order

The_Order

G.O.A.T.
Feather said:
No, I don't think he will overtake Pete.

I don't see him winning more than two majors, both RG.

I think he will end up with 12 majors
Click to expand...

If he wins RG he'd be a good bet to win Wimbledon as well. Winning RG will give him his confidence back and he will definitely want to make up for last Wimbledon's poor result. Not saying he'll def win WIM if he wins RG but he will be pretty hard to beat imo.
 
cknobman

cknobman

Legend
My current vote has is based off how Rafas health has been progressively becoming more and more of a problem each year on tour.

I voted no I think he will get no more than 13 at the rate he is going.
 
SLD76

SLD76

G.O.A.T.
Id like to rule Nadal out for 14 but...who the heck knows with him.

Ill say it this way, if he skips *any* CC tourny, or fails to make the final of *any* CC tourny, then I will believe his career is in jeopardy.

Nadal always rises like a phoenix for clay season and despite any offseason worries, always seems to be A Ok for clay.

My .02
 
M

Magnetite

Professional
Have to see how we'll he plays once he comes back.

If he's the same Nadal, then 3 more slams is definitely within the realm of possibility.
 
pringles

pringles

Semi-Pro
The best thing is to wait till Monte Carlo, obviously.

Right now, it would be a no. A no that could easily change into a yes at the end of 2013.
 
Bowtiesarecool

Bowtiesarecool

Rookie
In all fairness, No one can really say for certain. He is only 26. Rafa could take the whole year off, play only on clay, and still be a heavy favorite to win the FO a couple more times before he retires.
 
veroniquem

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
At this very moment, I'd be happy to see him play, period. I can see no way of minimizing 8 months + off the tour (and no way to predict with certainty what will happen when he comes back).
 
dapchai

dapchai

Legend
gsharma said:
Doubt it. I see maybe two more slams in him. People need to realize that clay is very physical surface to play on and win on. As Nadal ages, I feel winning on clay will get harder.

All depends on his knees. He should have gone for surgery.
Click to expand...
Clarky21 said:
No. Nadal will be fortunate to make it to 12 slams so 14 slams is out of the question. Besides, doesn't he actually have to come back and play to win anything? Odds are he's done.
Click to expand...
namelessone said:
It all depends on the state of his knees and how much they allow him to compete.

Right now he is a guy that went 6 months without even playing an ATP match and a comeback in the ATP is a different prospect than one in the WTA.

Not to mention that even if Nadal somehow manages to come back to a somewhat respectable level, his knee problem is chronic and will forever haunt him moving forward.

The real question should be: can he make it to 12(not 14 or 17)?
Click to expand...
Feather said:
No, I don't think he will overtake Pete.

I don't see him winning more than two majors, both RG.

I think he will end up with 12 majors
Click to expand...
Fiji said:
No. Nadal might equal Emerson though. Maybe even wim 13 slams. No more.
Click to expand...
I agree with all of you.
 
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