Yes. This is a biased article. Even after Federer’s godly grace and 20 slams, I still dare to think that Rafael Nadal is the GOAT. And I have good reasoning to back my claim.
As curtains rolled down on the Roland-Garros 2018, the winners podium hosted an all too familiar face. As he has been doing it almost every year since he debuted in 2005, Rafael Nadal lifted the French Open trophy for a record 11th time.
ALL the feels for @RafaelNadal. #RG18 pic.twitter.com/SD4f0mKSFa
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 10, 2018
Nadal’s career has been nothing short of phenomenal. The current world number one has a significant tennis-watching population believing he is the greatest tennis player ever in the Open Era. His trophy cabinet is bulking out, the record books are filling out, and the doubters are diminishing fast. Time and time again, injuries halt his procession to tennis immortality. And yet, time and time again, the man from Mallorca races back to the top.
He won an under-12 regional crown at age 8, and by 12 he had won Spanish and European age-group junior titles. By the time he was 15, he had turned professional. Nadal won his first match against prime Federer when he was only 17, and there was no looking back from there. All he needed was a Grand Slam, which also came soon enough. At 19, he won the 2005 French Open on his debut.
To date he remains the only man, bar Andre Agassi, to have won a career Grand Slam and an Olympic men’s singles gold medal. Nadal is also one of only three players who have accomplished the feat of winning Grand Slam titles in their teens, 20s, and 30s – the other two being Pete Sampras and Ken Rosewall.
Rafa is equipped to beat Roger Federer’s record Grand Slam total. That is the bold prediction made by Eurosport pundit Mats Wilander. The debate for who is the greatest has been reignited. Yes, it is an exercise in futility. We are witness to the greatest tennis generation (The Big 4) and among them, the two greatest tennis players of all time.
🏆 The last six men's Grand Slam winners
🇦🇺 Federer
🇫🇷 Nadal
🇬🇧 Federer
🇺🇸 Nadal
🇦🇺 Federer
🇫🇷 Nadal👑 Still kings#FrenchOpen pic.twitter.com/QQNdaAMo3y
— Unibet (@unibet) June 10, 2018
The ruthless aggressor vs. the tireless counter-attacker. The suave Swiss vs the shy Spaniard. Two contrasting styles, two different personalities, and the two most talented men to pick up a racket. Why reduce their greatness to a useless debate? Because to fully comprehend their greatness, we need parallels, and there are no comparisons to their greatness other than themselves.
Nadal now graces the 2nd spot on the list for most Grand Slams; three behind Federer. Nadal has the better head-to-head record in the 38 matches played between them, leading 23-15. However, Federer has won the last 5 meetings between the pair. Even if you strip out their results on clay, Nadal performs better on hard surfaces than Federer on clay, having won 10 of the 23 meetings on grass/hard courts.
Many high profile professionals were seated in Paris to witness ‘Rafa’ Nadal create history. Some celebrities and sportsmen even took to Twitter to acknowledge his greatness – including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Mario Götze.
Congrats to one of the best sportsmen in the world. I had the opportunity to watch the legend @RafaelNadal at @rolandgarros . He is a big inspiration and role model for me. pic.twitter.com/HTnnyZU8J6
— Mario Götze (@MarioGoetze) June 11, 2018
Roger Federer is four years older, but Nadal is more injury-prone. Nadal has missed nine Grand Slam appearances due to injuries. One might wonder what would have been if he had played those events. With both players now entering the twilight of their careers, this is set to be another passage of dominance from the eternal rivals. Only time will tell who comes out on top, but I’m praying it’s the Spaniard.