Rafael Nadal

A page and forum to discuss all things Rafael Nadal.

Nadal 5

Current ranking: 14

Last result: Australian Open second round (lost to Mackenzie McDonald)

Next tournament: Roland Garros

57 Comments on Rafael Nadal

  1. [Google translation, an excerpt]
    Ultima Hora, January 29, 2015: ¤¤ Rafael Nadal thinks positive.
    Nadal diminishes the importance of the problems in the right abductor that weighed on him in his duel with Berdych: “No problem to underline. There are things that happen, but it doesn’t affect neither the final result nor what will come next (in reference to his participation in Rio de Janeiro, from 16 to 22 February, and Buenos Aires, between February 23 and March 1). ” ¤¤
    http://ultimahora.es/deportes/rafa-nadal/2015/01/30/143322/rafael-nadal-piensa-positivo.html

    Reply

      • So there was some kind of injury. It doesn’t sound serious thank goodness. Rafa just needs to get a bit of rest and then resume his preparation for the South American clay tournaments. I think they will be ideal in helping him get the match play he really needs and with lesser competition, helping him to work his way back mentally with confidence and good feelings.

        Reply

    • AO, February 1, 2015: ¤¤ He [Rafa] has nearly three million Twitter followers more than the next closest tennis player on the planet [S.Williams] and a handy 14 Grand Slam singles titles to his name certainly helps his popularity, so it is little wonder Rafael Nadal has topped the Australian Open’s Social Leaderboard for 2015.
      The leaderboard tracks Twitter to determine the most popular players at the Open during the fortnight.
      “It is a fun way to engage fans, they get to participate in the tournament by pushing their favourite to the top. It also give a real indication of the level of global buzz, or conversation about a player on Twitter,” he [IBM developer Tony Johnson] said.¤¤

      Reply

  12. Thaddeus McCarthyBecome a fan
    Author and EntrepreneurEmail
    •
    Why Rafael Nadal is (Still) my Hero and is the True GOAT
    Posted: 02/02/2015 5:19 pm EST Updated: 02/02/2015 5:59 pm EST

    http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2562238/thumbs/n-RAFAEL-NADAL-large570.jpg

    I am writing this before the outcome of the Australian Open Final. But I will say now that no matter what happens in the final does not change the fact that Rafael Nadal is my hero and deserves the title of GOAT. In this article I will start with stating why he is my hero, why he should be all of ours, and why he is the greatest example in tennis today of prevailing against human suffering. My other big piece of this article will be about why he, more than anyone else deserves the title of GOAT.
    Simply put, Nadal is my hero because he has overcome struggles. But much more than me, is that he has proved the naysayers wrong. While it’s true that he always had the talent, he initially was confronted by the problem that he was for a long time, much younger than many of the other players in tournaments. When he was eight he won the under-12s Balearic Islands Championship. Prior to entering, there were many that doubted whether a boy so young could win such a prestigious age-grade tournament against boys of much older. After all, 3-4 years at that age often seems like an eternity. The biggest moments in Nadal’s career when he has overcome the naysayers though, have been when he has been crippled by injury. Especially in 2005 when he injured his tarsal scaphoid bone in his foot. His doctor said that he wouldn’t be able to play tennis again. His own father said that he may need to choose another sport. But overcome this injury Nadal did, with the help of some specially made shoe soles. In 2012 it was his knee that crippled him, an injury that may have been caused by the soles that have spared him from aggravating his tarsal scaphoid bone in his foot. People thought he was finished, and that finally this was the injury that would bring him down. But as we all saw in 2013, he swept the field in winning two Slams and taking home the U.S. Open title.

    The frequently used point to the reason as to why Nadal cannot be classified as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) is that he doesn’t have the record number of Slams. The argument always used when people (rightly) classify Jack Nicklaus as the greatest golfer. The problem with this though, is that tennis is more of a one on one game than golf. Essentially in golf, you are always playing against yourself. In tennis you are always playing against the guy on the other side of the net, which is why the head-to-head records in tennis are so hugely important. And Nadal is the only top player in this era who has a positive record against all of the other top players. The only other player who can rightly displace Nadal from this argument of the GOAT is Rod Laver. And the reason people will use this is that he won the only open-era Slam (all four) in 1969. This is a reasonable argument. But when did having one great year ever mean that someone is the GOAT? Again, to answer this I will turn back to golf.

    Even though Tiger Woods has achieved an awful lot in the sport, there are still not many people around who rank him as greater than Jack. If one great year is argument enough for inclusion in the GOAT category, then Bobby Jones’ Grand Slam in 1930would place him as the GOAT. But when do we ever hear his name mentioned. The other big argument for Jack is that not only did he win 18 majors, he also came in second place 19 times. Federer has finished second in eight Slams, while Nadal has gotten second six times. Still, Federer has the got the numbers on him in this category. What now needs to be taken into consideration is that Nadal has often been hampered by injury. He has therefore missed a lot of Slams, he has been taken out early in some others, due often to injury.

    If Nadal was sitting on a total right now of eight Slams, I don’t think he would deserve so much discussion in the GOAT argument. But as he sits on a total of 14, his numbers aren’t too shabby. He has built up a very respectable haul, despite being hampered by injury. There is also the fact that he has won all four Slams, the Davis Cup, Olympic Gold Medal, and a record number of Masters Series titles. In fact, I would argue that his high placing in total number of Slams won (2nd equal), his first in Masters series titles won, and his career Slam; places him in a higher category than Sampras, Borg, Connors, or Agassi. When it comes to deciding on him vs. Federer, their Grand Slam and Masters Series titles I think balance each other out. I think that his superior head-to-head record against Federer places him in the better position. When you add to this the factor that the common man can find more in common with Nadal than in Federer, this adds further weight to the Nadal argument. After all, how many of us are as naturally talented as Federer clearly is? It is said that Federer doesn’t have to train as much as the other players. Wouldn’t we all love to hardly train, and just be great?

    I’m sure we would, but the fact is that for 99 percent of us, we have to struggle and fight our way through the world and to forge our place in it. Every time he goes out on the court we can all see Nadal doing this. Nadal is the ultimate fighter in tennis, and never gives up a point lightly. It was sad to see him having an off day against Thomas Berdych in the quarterfinals. He likely was affected by his back injury from last year and his subsequent lack of quality match practice. He is at a time now where he will try to come back from injury. He has done it many times before, and many fans will assume that he should just be able to do it again. Whether he does or doesn’t, as a fan, I still and always will regard him as a personal hero of mine. He is in my eyes, the Greatest Player of All Time.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thaddeus-mccarthy/why-rafael-nadal-is-my-he_b_6529870.html

    Reply

    • Man, same old argument. Despite being a huge Nadal fan, I think Federer deserves to be called GOAT, unless Rafa wins more Grand Slams than Fed does.

      Reply

      • He will have to get all the way to 17 to be goat if he does so only by winning more Frenches. But if he gets to 16 by winning non-French majors, that may get him all the way go goat.

        Reply

      • Disagree.

        Olympic Gold singles + 23-10 h2h + winning record vs EVERYONE in Top 30 + Four DC titles more than makes up for three less slams.

        Even if it didn’t, you can’t be the greatest of all time and only win 30% of your matches (in 33 matches played) against another player. Period.

        In my opinion, Rafa is the best.

        Reply

      • I’m with you on this hawkeye,

        also because Rafa lost so many strong possibilities to win slams with illnesses and so also left the door open for Roger… I add this consideration only for the narrow discussion of number of slams because had there been no busted knees in 2009 already the count would be 15 – 17 and counting, and had there been no back injury at the start of AO 2014 the count would have been 16 – 17 and counting, to state the two strongest examples. And then there are a number of tournaments Rafa missed, where he might have stopped Roger, etc.

        I don’t consider either of them or anyone from any generation a GOAT – you really can’t compare. If we are talking Greatest Male Player of His Generation… with that Rafa is 1, Roger a close 2nd in my book. And of course they both are _among_ the male goats.

        And then there are the female champions…

        Reply

      • More impressive is Nadal’s accomplishments (vs Fed) were achieved over a period of higher competition AND when the bar in tennis had been raised. Golden Era vs Weak Era. As chloro points out, his conversion rate in slams entered is also slightly higher even if you compare them both at the same age. At 28.5 yrs., Rafa has 14 slams in 40 attempts (35%) and at the same age as of summer of 2000, Fed, with the Weak Era to his advantage, had 16 slame in 47 attempts (34%).

        Interesting to bring up women. Until recently, I’ve long considered Steffi Graf to be GOAT with 22 slams. Serena has just 19 but I think now they are about equal. Margaret Court of course has 24 but does that mean she is the GOAT? Of course not. Which, for the same reasoning, is why Fed isn’t the defacto GOAT just because he has the most slams.

        No, Rafa is truly indeed the greatest player of all time.

        But, then again, what do I know. I’m just a tennis fan.

        Reply

      • Additionally, I would argue (and so would Fed likely base on his statements about his own game), 2014 Fed was AT LEAST as good as prime time Weak Era Fed and it is only due to the Golden Era (mostly Rafa) why his results have faded. He is now 17 slams in 65 attempts (26% conversion rate).

        2014 Fed would have won just as many slams from 2004-2007.

        Reply

      • And I say mostly due to Rafa because he has stopped Fed NINE times in slams (5-0 clay, 3-0 HC, 1-2 grass) compared to Nole SIX times (6-6 overall). Other guys who would have DEFINITELY won slams during the WEAK era have also stopped Fed such as Tsonga, Berdych and Del Potro.

        There was only Rafa on clay that stood a chance against Federer during the Weak Era.

        At the midpoint of the Weak Era end of 2005, Rafa was Number 2 in the world at just NINETEEN yeas of age!!!!

        The rest of the top 8 was filled out by Roddick, Hewitt, Davydenko (who never made a slam final), Nalbandian,a 35 yr old Agassi,and Coria.

        No, it’s quite plainly obvious to anyone able to analyse the history of the game, Rafa is the best.

        Reply

  13. Djokovic said:

    “I wasn’t too far from winning a title both times when I lost to Rafa but it’s a Grand Slam on the slowest surface that is physically the most demanding one.
    “That’s something that makes it more difficult in terms of winning against Nadal, he has lost only one match in his entire career which is probably the most impressive record in tennis history.
    “It’s very important [winning the French Open] but if I don’t succeed in doing that in my career it’s not the end of the world, but I am definitely going to keep on trying. I have been very, very close and that allows me to believe I can make that final step and that’s something that keeps me going.”

    So even djo is afraid of the physical battle against rafa in paris and rafa’s dominance has created significant doubts in his mind about whether he will ever win RG?

    Reply

    • Whether afraid or not, Novak knows from repeated personal experience better than we do just what a wall / mountain Rafa is at RG so he knows he needs to have a lot going his way to have a chance and that’s even for Djoker who has so far come the closest (with the obvious expection of a hobbled Rafa).

      Reply

      • Hawkeye,

        I really appreciate your arguments for Rafa as GOAT. I think the fact that he won his slams against a Fed in his prime, when no one else could, is significant. There is no question that a weak era preceded this golden era of tennis. If anyone thinks that Roddick, Hewitt, Davy, Nalby or Safin was NOT a weak era, then they are kidding themselves.

        I have stated my position many times that there can never be a GOAT. I do not believe in that argument, which was propagated initially by Fed fanatics who wanted to elevate him to God status. I think that a player can only be the best in his era, which is what Rod Laver said. If anyone was to be the GOAT, or in the discussion, Laver would have to be at the top of the list. He played in a golden era, too. There wasn’t a weak player in the bunch. He faced the likes of Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, Pancho Gonzales, Tony Roche, John Newcombe, Fred Stolle. He played the best of the best. He certainly is among the greatest to ever play the game. I also do not discount his achievements because the sport was then played on only grass and clay. In his time, he was simply the best. The other marker is a player’s records standing the test of time. Laver has records over forty years later that have not been matched.

        I am content with Rafa being among the greatest to ever play the game. His place in history is assured.

        Reply

  14. vamosrafa,

    I am not putting much stock in what Novak said about possibly never winning RG in his career. That’s his way of taking the pressure off himself. I think that Novak is still very determined to win RG and get that career slam. But he does acknowledge that beating Rafa at RG in a final is probably the toughest task in this sport. That’s just stating the obvious.

    Novak knows just how tough it is to try to beat Rafa there. He’s tried a few times!

    Reply

    • @chloro ,i agree that is is almost bound to happen.

      @NNY, yeah, it really is a way of taking the pressure off. Novak has tried it many times now and he knows it is the mission impossible of tennis.

      Rafa at RG is in his head. Rafa just has to be healthy and playing his usual tennis.

      Reply

  15. What I don’t understand is that people were quite happy to say Federer was GOAT even before he won his only FO but demand that Nadal has to win more off FO slams to be considered GOAT even though he’s won all the 4 slams.

    Reply

  19. I am annoyed that the 2016 Olympics will be played on hard court. I assumed it would be on clay. Silly me!

    But Rafa can do it on any surface.

    Reply

    • I am pretty disappointed too. I wonder how long Rafa has known this.

      Rafa will be 30 that summer and clay would have been a nice help for a change.

      Reply

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