CAMELOT FANTASIES

I think this battle will rage on for a few decades. It's interesting though to see the rationales for the debate.

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal - who is the greatest of all time?
May 22 2014

http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/roger-federer-vs-rafael-nadal-greatest-of-all-time/

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly among the fiercest battles ever seen in the history of tennis. There have been epic rivalries in the past, from Bjorn Borg vs John McCenroe, to Boris Becker vs Stefan Edberg, and later Pete Sampras vs Andre Aggassi, but for today's generation of tennis fans it is Federer vs Nadal that is considered the definitive rivalry of the sport.

The reason why I call the Federer vs Nadal rivalry the best rivalry in tennis history is because each of them has at some point or the other been called the greatest player of all time by different tennis legends – right from Sampras openly admitting that Federer is tennis' greatest ever to Aggassi saying that Nadal is the 'all time no. 1'. Then of course, there's the sheer mutual respect between Federer and Nadal which makes them praise each other as the 'greatest ever' in tennis.

The views are often contrary to each other; they all differentiate, and hence, can make it really hard for a tennis fan to actually come to a conclusion about who among these two is the 'GREATEST' of the game.

I'll acknowledge here that I've always been fond of Federer's classy tennis style, it's something that makes him stand out from the rest. But having said that, Nadal’s strengths cannot be ignored. His grasp of the court, his long reach and on top of that, his sheer fitness and enthusiasm for the game absolutely have to be respected.

Through this article I'll be looking at some very key aspects about the games of these two, including their respective records in the four Grand Slams as well as their overall sucess in all tennis tournaments. I'll also be taking into consideration the 'age factor' and the fact that both of them have been world No. 1.

Grand Slams
Nadal has always been rated as the 'king of clay' and Federer as the 'master of grass' – so the differentiation between these two must begin from these two very courts. Let's begin with clay first.

Claycourt: Nadal and Federer have played 15 matches on clay and thus far, Federer has performed shockingly below par with Nadal clinching 13 of the 15 matches that they've played. Nadal has always been the superior player on clay and in fact, has the highest win percentage in tennis history on claycourts. He’s won eight French Open titles to the solitary one that Federer clinched in 2009. No doubt, in this aspect, he's well and truly miles ahead of Federer.

Grasscourt: This is where Federer has enjoyed tremendous dominance throughout his career. Federer has won seven Wimbledon titles and Nadal only two. For the 3 consecutive years 2006-08, Federer and Nadal met in the Wimbledon finals, the first 2 were sealed by Federer and the last one – truly a thriller, Nadal snatched away from Federer 4-6,4-6,7-6,7-6,7-9, the match was played for 4 hours 48 minutes, making it the longest ever Wimbledon final. Tennis greats, critics and commentators widely consider this as tennis' "greatest match ever".

Hardcourt: Nadal and Federer have played 14 matches on hardcourts with Nadal having the upper hand here too, leading the tally 8-6. We have to distinguish this further and compare the stats in terms of – indoor and outdoor courts. In the former, Federer leads Nadal 4-1 but in the latter, Nadal leads Federer 7-2. In terms of Major victories, however, Federer leads the tally with nine as opposed to Nadal’s three.

Back in 2012, Nadal labelled Federer as the 'favourite on these kind of courts' – with reference to their match at the Australian Open earlier that year, which even though Nadal won, was a very neck-and-neck battle with the scoreline reading 6-7,6-2,7-6,6-4. The two have never played at the US Open so no comparison can be made there.

Rankings
In this area, there aren’t too many complications. Federer has been ranked No. 1 in the world for 302 weeks, while Nadal so far has been at the top for 137 weeks. The Swiss is the clear winner here.

Overall titles
Federer leads the tally here with 78 titles to Nadal’s 63, but Nadal has won far more Masters 1000 titles – 26 to Federer’s 21. So it’s difficult to say who comes out on top here.

Head-to-head matchup
It was fascinating to hear Federer admit after his match against Nadal earlier this year at the Australian Open that he is forced to alter his natural mode of play to compete against Nadal. For the Spaniard, however, the game plan has always been simple – attack the Federer backhand with the huge topspin crosscourt forehand. Nadal’s leftiness has always been an advantage for him against Federer, which partly explains the huge discrepancy in the head-to-head record on clay, where the ball bounces higher than other courts.

The bottom line
One of tennis' most well regarded players Bjorn Borg said in 2010 that Federer is the 'greatest' the game has ever seen, but went on to add, 'But Rafa has the chance to be the best ever'. It's always been very neck and neck between these two - one has been superior on claycourts and the other has been better on grasscourts.
Just a few months ago Federer had said that 'Nadal can break my record of 17 Grand Slams', further reinforcing the fact that these two don't actually mind the other being the superior, which is great to see. These two have had a friendly relationship for years now, playing charity matches together and engaging in fierce battles at the Slams, and it's very heartening to note that they have always had great respect and admiration for each other.

In terms of age, Federer is 32 and Nadal is 27. Age is just a 'number' for sportspersons, but surely in the context of this article, it cannot be ignored. Nadal does have the age factor in his favour and as Becker said, if Nadal "continues to be healthy", he may go on to become the greatest in the game.

Thus far in his career, Federer has won 17 Grand Slams, while Nadal has won 13. If we consider this from the age viewpoint - Nadal is 27 - it would be evident that if he does play till the age of 32, he still has about four years of solid tennis ahead of him. With that in mind, let's consider this – four years means 16 grand slams (four in one year), and Nadal at this point of time is just four Slams behind Federer. So if he even wins one Slam per year for the next four years, he'll be equal with Federer, and that is the worst case scenario for him.

Going by that projection logic, it clear that Federer is correct - Nadal can definitely break his 17-Slam record. There are very strict parameters for longevity in tennis though - it is not an easy game, and it requires a high level of mental and physical fitness. If Nadal continues to be strong mentally and physically, then he's surely a force to be reckoned with – even as far as being the 'greatest ever' in tennis is concerned.

5 reasons why the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry is better than the Federer-Nadal one

http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/5-reasons-nadal-djokovic-rivalry-better-than-federer-nadal/

As exciting as the Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal rivalry has been ever since it unfolded for the first time exactly a decade ago, in the recent few years a shift seems to have occurred in the hierarchy of tennis rivalries. To be more precise, the Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic seems to have usurped the top spot from ‘Fedal’.

This shift hasn’t come about immediately, but has rather been building up momentum slowly and gradually, as if allowing for people to get acclimatised to a new trend in men’s tennis. And while it cannot be said with absolute certainty that the Djokovic-Nadal rivalry will pip the Federer-Nadal one to go down in history as the defining rivalry of this generation, there is no doubt that at the moment, the Serb vs Spaniard battles rule the roost in the tennis world’s consciousness.

Here are five reasons why Djokovic-Nadal has eclipsed Federer-Nadal as the top rivalry in tennis, at least for the moment:

1. Close head-to-head numbers

Of the two rivalries, it’s been the Djokovic-Nadal rivalry that has been more closely fought with the Spaniard only marginally holding onto his lead in the head-to-head against the Serb. In the 40 matches they have played so far – the latest coming in the recently concluded Miami Masters final that Djokovic won – Nadal has won 22 times with Djokovic dogging his heels and trailing him just four matches behind, with 18 wins.
In comparison, the Federer-Nadal rivalry has been more about Nadal than about Federer, especially in recent years, with Nadal having a comfortable head-to-head record of 23 wins over Federer’s 10 victories. These irrefutable facts speak for themselves.

2. An all-encompassing rivalry

Another distinguishing factor between the two rivalries is that while Djokovic and Nadal have played against each other in almost all big tournaments, the Federer-Nadal rivalry still finds itself relatively confined to a handful of events.  Federer and Nadal have never played each other at the US Open, Paris Masters, Canada Masters or the Olympics, while Nadal and Djokovic only have the Shanghai Masters missing from their list of battle venues, and even that doesn’t seem likely to be missing for much longer. Sure, the periodic alterations in the construct and distribution of ATP events is an important factor that cannot be ignored while documenting the tournaments contested between the two sets of rivals. But even with these underlying factors, it cannot be denied that Nadal vs Djokovic is a more evenly distributed battle spanning all surfaces and conditions as compared to Federer-Nadal.

3. The age factor

The five-year age gap between Federer and Nadal meant that there was a considerable disparity in the timings of their peak periods. Though Nadal has suffered from injury setbacks, Federer’s maturity in age has played a part in shifting the advantage in Nadal’s favour with the passage of time, which can be seen in the increasingly straight-forward nature of results between the two. But in the case of the Djokovic-Nadal rivalry, the lack of age difference (Djokovic is just one year younger than Nadal) has allowed each man to take turns dominating the other, because of which their rivalry has been thrown wide open.

4. Frequency of match-ups

Of the two sets of rivalries, in the recent couple of years, the Federer-Nadal rivalry has tapered off in volume – in 2013 Federer and Nadal faced off against each other four times and in 2012, they faced each other just twice. It doesn’t help that Federer has seen his ranking plummet recently, because of which he often ends up meeting his nemesis well before the finals. On the other hand, Djokovic and Nadal four times in 2012 before injuries cut short Nadal’s season that year, and as many as six times in 2013. Moreover, being the two best players in the world and being ranked as No. 1 and No. 2 (interchangeably) for a good part of three years now, Nadal and Djokovic have faced each other only in summit clashes (the notable exception being last year’s French Open, where Nadal’s ranking had taken a nosedive because of his injury).
These are statistics that have allowed the Djokovic-Nadal rivalry to make further inroads in the minds of tennis followers as the definitive rivalry in the world.

5. Peculiarities and differences in style and game

Style of play matters, and plays an important role in setting apart any rivalry. Admittedly, the Federer-Nadal rivalry is unique in that it brings two diverse styles of play into action. But the undeniable advantage that Nadal enjoys with his lefty crosscourt forehand aimed at Federer’s backhand has made the contrast in styles into something of a powerhouse vs light-weight battle.
On the other hand, the Djokovic-Nadal rivalry is well-heeled in terms of distribution of strengths and weaknesses. It allows both players even purchase in the course of the match unlike the Federer-Nadal rivalry, which makes the strategic and tactical planning all the more important. There’s no go-to tactic that either Djokovic or Nadal can employ to achieve any kind of consistent superiority over the other, so the two players look for the tiniest of cracks in each other’s game to gain the ascendancy. That makes their match-ups thrilling and fascinating in a way that very few other rivalries are in modern tennis.

French Open 2014: Rafael Nadal soars into cloud nine with victory over Novak Djokovic in the final
Jun 8 2014

http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/french-open-rafael-nadal-defeats-novak-djokovic-9th-title/

An already formidable legend received yet another glorious chapter today. The emperor of clay continued his inexorable conquest with a fluid victory over Novak Djokovic to gain a ninth title in Roland Garros. The Spaniard proved too good for his opponent as he rallied from losing the first set to claim a dominant 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 victory in three and half hours inside a packed Phillippe Chatrier to successfully defend the French Open title for a fourth straight year. Nadal's victory left Djokovic's hopes for a career grand slam up in fumes even as the Spaniard walked away with his fourteenth career grand slam title, just three short of the seventeen held by Roger Federer.

The heat was causing discomfort even in the shade, so it was easy to believe Nadal had the edge with the conditions favouring the enormous top spin on his ball – allowing it skid and jump like a venomous serpent. The Serbian had complained of fatigue after his semifinal and needed to manage his physical and emotional balance under the warm skies this afternoon to stand any chance.

As is customary for him, Nadal chose to receive, soon as he won the toss. Djokovic though seemed willing to break away from pattern. Djokovic followed a backhand crosscourt wide in the Adcourt with another to draw a forehand error from Nadal on his way to 2-1 in the first set. And he was showing a happy propensity to strike at Nadal’s forehand without any fear.

The seventh game was a tight affair. Nadal worked Djokovic across with his forehand before taking the point with a steaming down the line winner to put the Serbian under pressure. Djokovic responded well, surviving the deuce game when Nadal pushed a backhand crosscourt wide, but the Spaniard was clearly pumped.

A relieved Djokovic sensed opportunity knock his door, when Nadal made a pair of forehand errors to fall to 0-30. The Serbian struck a brilliant backhand cross court winner to gain two break points. Nadal saved them both to force deuce, but a third followed. The break came when Nadal sent a forehand crosscourt wide.

Serving for the set at 5-3, Djokovic fumbled, dropping to 0-30 in the ninth game. Seeming strangely unsettled, Djokovic was missing the first serve and flew a backhand too far to offer two break points to Nadal. But Djokovic played with conviction then varying pace and striking deep to win four points in a row and snatch the set.

Djokovic may have beaten Nadal four times in a row, but the incredible Spaniard was yet to lose a clay court match over five sets since his shock defeat to Robin Soderling five years ago. In fact Nadal has an 89-1 record on clay for five set matches. So Djokovic was clearly operating with the odds stacked against him on a court that Nadal owned. The first set was vital for the Serbian, less so for the Spaniard.

The fifth game of the second set was an important one, in that Nadal had played his best game yet to spur himself forward. And tension mounted in the next game, when Djokovic sailed a backhand long to gift break point. Nadal thought he had a winner, but Pascal Maria, down from his perch confirmed that it was just long.

An unperturbed Nadal produced a pair of ferocious forehand winners to gain another break point. The break was his soon as Djokovic sank a slice in the net on the next point. Surprisingly Nadal followed that with a slack game – a double fault gave Djokovic two break points and he took the second of those, when the defending champion floated a forehand long to bring it back on serve at 3-4.

Djokovic survived deuce and a break point in the next game to get back to even terms at 4-4. A little later though, Djokovic, serving to force a tie-break, let his nerve slip a little. He let it be known with a double fault and Nadal tore into him with his forehand to take the second set 7-5. Like an aroused lion, he shook violently as he let out a guttural scream that might perhaps have been heard from anywhere in the 16th Arrondissement.

Nadal broke Djokovic for a second straight time, in the second game of the third set to a 2-0 lead. By now Nadal found the means to consistently draw Djokovic more and more on to his forehand – driving Djokovic wide off the Adcourt before milking a winner with a forehand into open spaces. As the match entered its third hour, Nadal was in control again at 3-0.

In the fifth, Djokovic had an opportunity to break when Nadal failed to control a forehand but a backhand error from the Serbian spent it quickly. A pair of explosive forehand winners took him to 4-1. The duo indulged each other in an attritional tussle in the seventh game, with the Serbian making a desperate effort to force a break.

But despite stretching Nadal to five deuces and a break point in a twelve minute game, the Serbian just could not breach the resilient defenses of the Spaniard. And perhaps dispirited by that, he made a series of forehand errors to surrender another break and the set to Nadal. The Spaniard could almost sense the kill, it was difficult to imagine his opponent taking the final two sets.

Djokovic missed an easy backhand volley on game point in the sixth game. And a pair of backhand errors were enough to hand Nadal what appeared to be a decisive break. But an uncharacteristically nervy game to follow that left Nadal vulnerable. The set was back on serve again, when Nadal sailed a forehand wide on the second break point.

The ninth game was intense, with Djokovic seeking a way past Nadal. The Serbian dragged his forehand wide at deuce and a big serve from Nadal forced a stretch return on the next point to leave Nadal just one game from a fifth consecutive French Open title. Djokovic appeared comfortable at 30-15 in the tenth game, but a brilliant backhand pass from Nadal put the stress back into the game at 30-30.

Djokovic pulled a forehand wide to gift match point to Nadal. And as the crowd started to make a raucous noise, Djokovic let it affect him, throwing in a double fault to hand victory to the great Spaniard. Nadal was beside himself in tears as he received the trophy and the Spanish national anthem rang out inside Phillippe Chatrier.

The victory here on Sunday only goes to embellish an already mighty legend. Even the great Bjorn Borg could not manage five successive titles in Paris. No other man has ever won eight titles at a single event, let alone nine as Nadal accomplished today.

Overall, it was a telling performance from Nadal, who managed to get the ball back on his forehand to dictate terms. Djokovic was on the defensive far too often and lacked in consistency and quality to mount a serious threat to the king of clay.

Only time will tell how far Nadal can reach in his quest for grand slam silver, but on Monday he will retain his position as the world No. 1 and head to the grass as one of the favourites for Wimbledon.

•   Nadal: “I’m training hard. Can’t wait to play at US Open” (via Twitter: @LuisGatTWI/Style – Il Giornale)

Q. In New York, in fact, you’ve won twice.
Rafa: And of course I can not wait to play there. It is always a Grand Slam, always a great emotion.

Q. Are you ready?

Rafa: Ah, who knows… I can only say that I’m training hard. The results then depend on many things.

Q. Let’s talk about your other sport passion: it was also the year of “La Decima” of your Real Madrid.

Rafa: Ah, what a thrill, too. Of course I saw the match, I would not have missed it for the world. My celebration was crazy: the title was unforgettable.

Rafael Nadal - The War Horse
by Jim Cole for Tennis World USA

http://www.tennisworldusa.org/rafael-nadal-the-war-horse-articolo19348.html

Rafael Nadal reminds me of the Edgar Degas bronze "Horse with Head Low," I saw while on vacation in Paris. The connection seems appropriate considering Nadal's success in Paris. This piece by Degas conveys immense determination, unbridled power, and collected grace. All are characteristics in Nadal's possession. Just like Degas' horse, these characteristics in Nadal reveal great muscular tensions rippling within the body. This tension creates the feeling that something explosive is about to happen and Nadal fans are rarely disappointed.

Nadal's Technique

Nadal's service is considered by many to be an on-again/off-again part of his game and a point of weakness. Nadal can seem to struggle with himself and his serve. Often, he has to fight to hold it, all true. It is also true that Nadal's YTD percentage of service games held is 85%.

Nadal's return game is superior by any standard, with a service break percentage of 36%. Nadal is an excellent defender with a great set of scrambling skills that make him a serious contender on all three court surfaces: amazingly quick footwork when change in direction is necessary (clay); dangerous shot-making selections manufactured on the run (grass); a survivor instinct for preserving a point when all seems lost (hard court).

Nadal's ground stroke game is where he separates himself from the pack, where he sets a pace the field cannot match. Playing aggressively from behind the baseline, Nadal relies on heavy topspin off a western forehand and a two-handed backhand to pound an opponent's ramparts into rubble. Nadal is an excellent counter-puncher with a killer slice backhand and nerves of steel. He is absolutely fearless. "Losing is not my enemy," Nadal has said, "fear of losing is my enemy."
By tour standards, Nadal's volley and forecourt skills are only adequate. He can handle easy to moderately difficult volley situations at the net well. Difficult volley situations are a career-long problem for Nadal. The root of Nadal's problems with difficult volleys and his problems with the serve share a common source: Nadal is simply not comfortable with a Continental grip. Not with the serve. Not with the volley. Not ever.

The Intangible. Nadal is like a wild stallion, pawing the dirt, challenging opponents. He is untamed and ruled by a great passion for the heat of battle. Among the best players in the world, he is the one who truly loves the battle more than spoils. "As a player,"Nadal has said, "you can win and you can lose and you must be ready for both”.

Nadal's Record and Results
Rafael Nadal Parera (AKA: Rafa) was introduced to tennis at age 3 by his uncle, Toni Nadal. Fast forward at 12 years, Rafael wins his first ATP match at the age of 15 years. Fast forward another nine years and Nadal is the youngest player (24 years old) to complete a career Grand Slam. Altogether, Rafael Nadal has been a top 5 player since 2003. His career singles record is 702 - 137.

His career prize money winnings total $70,704,129. He currently shares a two-way tie with Pete Sampras for 2nd most Grand Slam titles won (14) and for good measure won an Olympic Gold medal in Bejing. Many experts forecast Nadal is on pace to break Roger Federer's record of 17 Grand Slam titles sometime in 2017. Regardless, Nadal's 9 wins in Paris are alone an amazing accomplishment and define him as the finest clay court player in history. Andre Agassi was quoted in the Singapore Straits Times saying "Nadal is the greatest of all time, not Federer." Agassi may have a point, particularly if Nadal - now 28 years of age - ties or surpasses Federer's career Grand Slam record. 

Nadal beloved as International Sports Celebrity
Nadal's Blue Collar approach to setting goals and achieving those goals with brawn has tremendous appeal to his fan base and goes a long way toward understanding his crowning as International Sports Celebrity. Nadal has so completely perfected the working man image, there is a part of me that would not be surprised to see him bring a lunch pail on court. In his work on the tennis court Nadal unfailingly shows respect for the game, his opponents, and by extension, himself. He asks for no quarter and he gives none. Of course, Nadal's game does not enjoy the approval of everyone. Referring to charges that Nadal is often guilty of slow play Federer has said "that's not cool."
Nadal's scorch-the-earth style of play is an endless fascination for fanatical and casual tennis fans alike. Nadal's build and style of play will always summon the question of career ending injury. Perhaps Rafael's slow evolution into more of an all court player in recent years is part of Team Nadal's (led by Uncle Toni) strategy to prevent nagging injuries from developing and shortening his career. Andy Murray has seen firsthand the slow evolution of Nadal into more of an all court player. "He is movingly better on the hard courts," says Murray,"I think he is changing the pace of the ball a little more and he is not playing back behind the baseline as much as he did in the past." 
Nadal's Rivalry with Djokovic
Rafael Nadal has a long history with Serbian Novak Djokovic. Nadal and Djokovic have played 42 times, with Nadal holding a 23-19 advantage. There is a lot of history here. Nadal and Djokovic hold the Open Era record for most meetings.
In most recent times, it was Nadal who defeated Djokovic in the finals in New York in 2013. It was Nadal who crushed Djokovic's dream of a career Grand Slam eight months later (May, 2014) with a record ninth win on the clay in Paris. And it will be Djokovic's turn this upcoming September to settle the score with Nadal at this year's US Open in New York City. When asked if he enjoyed playing Djokovic, after losing to Djokovic in straight sets last April at The Key Biscayne Masters, Nadal replied "No. I like challenges but I am not stupid." 
The Run Up to the 2014 US Open in New York
Nadal and Djokovic are likely to be the odds on favorites to reach the finals of the men's championship this September in New York. Most likely Djokovic will be seeded 1 and Nadal 2, despite the fact that Nadal is the US Open reigning Champion. As much as I respect Nadal, I expect Djokovic to live up to his seeding and win the US Open by narrow margins in 5 sets, if he remains healthy. Even the slightest weakness in Djokovic will open the gate to a noisy charge (I prefer the Spanish estampida) by Nadal.
Rafa Nadal News
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The Impact of Rafael Nadal's Absence on US Hard Courts
By Joanie Agler Jul 31st 2014

http://www.tennisviewmag.com/tennis-view-magazine/article/impact-rafael-nadals-absence-us-hard-courts

    Not again.  Those are two words that are probably going through the minds of Rafael Nadal, his camp, and his fans throughout the world.  The situation may not be as dire as what he faced in 2 012, but a right wrist injury sustained this past Tuesday once more finds the Spaniard having to sit out the Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati.  It is also an injury that changes the entire outlook for the upcoming weeks of the summer hard-court season.

There is no getting around that Nadal’s absence in the coming weeks will be deeply felt, and he will be missed for a number of reasons.  But the good news is that, at least for the time being, the wrist injury does not sound too serious.  He seems relatively confident of being in New York, and even if not at his best, the sport will be better for it if he is.  That said, should the injury prevent him from playing at the US Open, he should still be ready to go for the fall to help make for an exciting finish to
2014.

great stuff lady TT.

keep it coming.

I am still hoping he can make the u.s. open.