Rafael Nadal: Closing in on Federer?

[Fizzy]

As any tennis fan knows by now, Rafael Nadal won his 6th French Open in 7 years. He is the current world number one and currently has 10 Major Titles. Federer currently holds the record for most major titles with 16 but one has to think with the level Rafa is playing, he can surpass that record. Nadal has been plagued by injuries in the past but if his knees hold up and he stays injury free, he has a good chance of surpassing Federer.

My question to you guys is if Rafa stays healthy, do you think he will surpass Federer in both major titles and possibly take the title of "best player ever" from him? Today, Nadal beat the best Federer we've seen in a while and did so in fairly dominate fashion only dropping one set. He is a young guy at 25 years old and still has quite a few years left in him. I feel if he can beat Djokovic at a Major this year, his confidence will sky rocket and he will be near unbeatable. If Nadal stays healthy for the next few years I strongly believe he may be referred to as the best tennis player ever. That's just my opinion, how about you guys?

 

[Big Sexy]

He most likely will. People thought no one would be better then Bjorn Borg and then Pete Sampras came along and people thought he would always be the best. Then came Federer and now Nadal. In tennis you have a short shelf life. Federer is now 29 and not the player he once was. Nadal is 25 and in the prime of his career. 5 years from now there will be a new up and comer challenging Nadal and we'll more then likely be having this same type of conversation.

 

[shattered dreams]

I think this might be jumping the gun a little bit. Who says Federer is done winning majors? Also, the Nadal staying injury free part is hardly a lock. While he is young enough to do it I am still skeptical. His game does not look like one that will age smoothly. You also have to factor in the talents of whatever players will rise to the upper echelon in that time. As you already have eluded to Djokovic is a major obstacle in such a pursuit.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Federer is 29 and has a few more years of tennis left in him. Nadal is 25 but has fitness issues. Despite that I feel that Nadal has a great chance of ending up with more major titles than Federer. Nadal has 45 titles at present compared to Federer's 67 and will probably keep on playing for a few years after Federer has retired.

That is not to say that it will be all smooth sailing for Nadal. Federer may not be at his peak but he is still a force to be reckoned with. The fact that he reached the finals of the French Open is proof of that fact because clay is not exactly Federer's favorite surface. The match was a bit one sided than I had expected it to be but perhaps it is explainable because Nadal's a master of the clay court and Federer's best days are behind him. This is undoubtedly the best rivalry of this generation and I feel that overall it is one of the best rivalries ever in tennis possibly superseeded by only the likes of Borg/ McEnroe.

I think that Nadal will definately be known as the best player of this generation if he ends up winning more titles than Federer. The best ever? In sports I feel that it is very difficult to compare sportsmen from different eras. Some will still claim that Laver was better, some will claim Borg and some might even claim guys like Sampras, Becker and Evan Lendl were better. This question is always difficult to resolve.

 

[Constipated Badger Bottom]

It's a strong possibility we will have to wait and see on how many major's Federer retires on, the only person I can see causing him problems is Djokovic who has shown in the first half of this year how much of threat he will be but I can still see it happening.

 

[Fizzy]

The question I have about Djokovic is how he will rebound emotionally from his loss to Federer. It is well known that Djokovic has had troubles in the mental aspect of the game before and seemed to have gotten them all sorted out. Now he loses a huge match like he did, and he may be broken mentally. We just have to wait and see.

It's a big "if" for Federer. His best surface is where the next tournament will take place so it will show us just how good Federer still is. Sure making it to the finals in the French which is known as his worst surface is an amazing feat, but winning Wimbledon again will prove how big of a force he is now. It's just a matter of time, but Federer has a lot riding on this next tournament in terms of his future. If he wins, it will further solidify him as the best player of all time, but if he loses on his best surface it would be a pretty hefty blow.