OT: Rafael Nadal wins 11th French Open and 17th Major
Rafa has just won his 11th French Open and his 17th major overall. He is 3 behind Federer for most all time.
I would personally love for him to end up ahead of Federer when it’s all said and done. He should be able to win the French 3 or 4 more times. I just wonder if Federer has another Major or two in him.
Do you think he could pass him? And would you be happy, or do you root for Federer over him?
I don't want him to pass Federer - when you have to get most of your majors on one specific surface, you're not in the running for greatest of all time IMO
While I am not a tennis expert, I agree with you comment completely. There is no question that he as dominated at the French Open, but he has "only" won 6 titles at the other 3 majors. While Roger Federer has only won 1 French, due in huge part to Rafa's dominance of that tournament, he has won 6 Australian Opens, 8 Wimbledons, and 5 U.S. Opens - far more balance IMHO.
I can see that side of it. I just like Nadal more as a player and person, so that’s why I want him to have that record. Even if he gets that, I still think it’s hard to argue that Federer isn’t the best all around of all time.
You can make a similar argument for RF - he's won 9 of his 20 on grass and only 1 on clay.
Nadal leads in virtually all the head-to-head statistics:
Overall: 23-15 Nadal
Slams: 9-3 Nadal
Clay: 13-2 Nadal
Hard: 11-9 Federer
Grass: 2-1 Federer
French: 5-0 Nadal
Wimbledon: 2-1 Federer
Australian: 3-1 Nadal
(They have never played at the U.S. Open)
20 and 17 slams for the two of them is pretty sick.
he should be better head to head as he is what, 4 years younger than him?
Federer has actually won their last 5 meetings dating back to 2015. The fact that Fed no longer plays on clay balances the H2H rivalry in his favor. If he could have beaten Nadal when he was just coming onto tour, he would have fared much better.
Edit - Fed has won 8 on grass (Wimbledon)
Great points! I like it!
Yeah. He's unquestionably the greatest clay tennis player of all time but on the other three surfaces he's been more like a top 5 or 10 all-time guy. An amazing career, regardless.
Nope. Nadal has proven he can win all majors. You cannot fault him because he mastered clay while no one else has.
He would have made it a lot easier for himself if he could have closed out the 5th set in the Australian earlier this year (he was up a break but RF came back to beat him). Then it would be Federer - 19 and Nadal - 18 as opposed to RF- 20 and RN - 17 where it currently stands.
I think Federer will be the favorite again at Wimbledon. Of the 4 slams, grass is Nadal's weakest surface right now. Djokovic, while playing better than he was in 2017, still is not in top form. Wawrinka is just coming back. I don't know when we will see Murray again. Cilic, DelPo, Dimitrov or Anderson could make some noise but they can't seem to get over the hump. Of the next generation, I think Zverev is the only one who could win multiple slams but it feels like he needs to lose a few first.
I like Rafa again in the U.S. Open and he will continue to win the French as long as he stays healthy. Maybe some day somebody will figure out how to play to his backhand because his forehand is just devastating on clay. But if Fed wins one more, it will be pretty hard for Rafa to catch him.
Great summary!
Rafa's best case would be to get to 21+ with at least 3 in each major (say 12 French, and 3 of the others). This is something that would give him the breadth that people think he is missing because he has so many French titles and I think he'd be the first male ever to win 3 of each.
The problem is he lost to Wawrinka some 5 years ago and to Fed in 2017 in the Australian Open finals, both matches he probably should have won. I also don't see another Wimbledon in his future.
I'm a big Rafa fan, but I give Fed a lot of credit for resurrecting his career these last 2 years when his days of winning majors looked over.
Good to see Rafa back.
I still prefer Boris and Ivan.
Well if you're nostalgic for the 80s, let's get that red banner with the hammer and sickle back on your avatar!
It's hard to believe he just turned 32. He's been so good for so long, it feels like he should be old by now.
It’s pretty clear...Federer is the best, Rafa is the most dominant on a single surface. I’m a fed fan myself. That stupid curled lip that Rafa wears all the time is off putting. Federer just oozes class and I love him for that, plus his longevity is incredible.
The interesting thing in this debate is the difference in surface dominance. You have Federer best on grass, where the points are generally the shortest, and the big serve is usually rewarded. You have Nadal who is best on the slowest surface where overall athlethism and recovery are rewarded. The unfortunate thing for Nadal is that the hardcourts at the US & Austrailian are closer in speed to Grass, than clay. This is basically a 3 to 1 advantage for Federer in surface preference. If you had a 2nd major with a slower surface like clay, what would the major #'s look like? I lean towards Rafa because he is the better athelete, and I just like him better.
Even giving him the French next year, and a lot can happen in tennis in a year when you are that age, I do not believe Nadal has two more Majors left in him. Could be wrong obviously, but between his style, his age, and the younger stars catching up, it's going to be very tough for Nadal. Unbelievable that two of the greatest ever played at basically the same time.