| Rafael Nadal | |
| Country | Spain |
| D.O.B | 3 June 1986 |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Rank | NO. 3 |
Among the finest tennis players ever is Rafael Nadal. He is the most successful male player in history in terms of Grand Slam singles wins with 20, 36 ATP Tour Masters 1000 trophies, 20 ATP Tour 500 championships, and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. Nadal has a record of 12 French Open victories, four U.S. Open victories, two Wimbledon victories, and one Australian Open victory in the majors. He has competed in the Davis Cup-winning Spanish teams in 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2011.
Because of his dominance on clay courts, Nadal has acquired the moniker “The King of Clay” and is often regarded by experts and other athletes as the best clay-court player in history. His accomplishments on hard courts were nonetheless outstanding, although considerably less impressive. He won two U.S. Open championships and ten Masters 1000 titles. In all, Nadal has 78 victories in his career. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has ranked Nadal No. 1 for a total of 209 weeks on seven different times. He achieved his first No. 1 ranking on August 18, 2008. Nadal was injured between October 31, 2010, and June 6, 2011, and did not participate in any events.
Rafael Nadal approaches Roger Federer’s record.
Rafael Nadal is closing up on a significant record that Roger Federer presently holds in the U.S. Open. At the U.S. Open 2022, Nadal beat Fabio Fanginini in the second round. On Thursday night, Rafael Nadal defeated Fabio Fanginini in the second round of the U.S. Open 2022, the year’s final grand slam competition. Days before the victory, the 36-year-old defeated Australian Rinky Hijikata in the first round with scores of 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. With the victory in the opening round, Rafael Nadal moved one record at the U.S. Open closer to passing legendary Swiss tennis player Roger Federer.
Why He Has Surpassed Roger Federer
better backhand
Although Federer possesses a decent backhand, it may be unpredictable at times. His one-handed backhand, which is more prone to errors than his two-handed backhand, necessitates the best footwork in the game. His footwork might be of some days, contributing to his careless mistakes.
Because of Nadal’s strong spin, a one-handed backhand, especially a right-handed one, is a terrible matchup against him. It’s difficult for opponents to take the ball as it rises. Nadal’s backhand is excellent because it is steady and has a lot of spins. His only shortcoming is that he occasionally sprints around the backhand, which causes him to lose position.
Enhanced Service
Nadal’s serve is clearly worse than Federer’s, but it was among the worst in tennis at the start of his career. He depended on his defense to keep him out of trouble because it was pretty sluggish.
Nadal practiced continuously, and ultimately his diligence paid off. Nadal only lost one set against Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open finals last year. This demonstrated how diligently he had practiced his game and serve. Many players struggle with the left-serve spin, including Federer.
A goal to strive towards
Federer lost his edge once Pete Sampras was eclipsed in terms of Grand Slam singles championships. Since overtaking Sampras with his 15th career Grand Slam victory, Federer has only captured one other Grand Slam, the Australian Open in 2010. Federer has not won any trophies this year, not even non-Grand Slam ones, after losing in the finals of the U.S. Open and the French Open.
Federer can still easily defeat the majority of his rivals. Regrettably, Federer can no longer defeat top-notch competitors. Nadal, who will be younger and more determined than Federer, will keep going after Grand Slams even after he surpasses Federer’s record.
Strength and stamina
Federer and Nadal are both in fantastic form. Despite being in shape, they rarely need to demonstrate their endurance because they rapidly dispatch their opponents. In a five-set showdown, Rafael Nadal is still expected to prevail. His exercise regimen is extraordinary.
Federer and Nadal have faced off a few times in five sets, with Nadal now holding a 3-2 advantage. Additionally, Nadal is 2-1 versus Federer in Grand Slam five-set matchups, winning the last two.
Can compete with anybody
The truth is that Nadal is unbeatable. I’ve emphasized in earlier articles that Nadal cannot play tall players since their spin doesn’t concern them (e.g., Robin Soderling and Juan Martin Del Potro). Even if that hypothesis has sort of fallen by the wayside, he still has trouble winning such games.
In their four matches together since Nadal’s defeat by Robin Soderling at the French Open, Nadal has lost just one set. Although the Del Potro encounter at Wimbledon was incredibly exciting, Nadal has added a backhand slice to his repertoire. Del Potro’s height made it challenging for him to get down and catch some of the balls when he shot short and to his backhand throughout the match. Therefore, the only threat to Nadal is a type of tall people.
Nikolay Davydenko is the only other player who may cause Nadal any issues. In ten career meetings versus Nadal, Davydenko has six victories. Nevertheless, Davydenko, who is 30 years old, dropped out of Wimbledon’s first round this year.
Nobody seemed to cause Roger Federer any issues either. Perhaps Andy Murray, who has an 8-6 record in their encounters. Rafael Nadal is the one opponent that even Federer cannot defeat.
Able to defeat Roger Federer
If you can’t defeat your opponent, you can’t claim to be the greatest tennis player ever. There is no evidence that Federer could defeat Nadal. Against Federer, Nadal has a 17-8 career record.
Not only his overall match record, though. The most crucial factor is Nadal’s record against Federer in Major tournaments. In eight matches, Nadal is 6-1 against him. Because of his backhand’s poor matchup with Nadal, as was already said, Federer is unable to defeat him. The mental aspect will ultimately determine the winner, and Federer is aware of this every time he gets onto the court against Nadal. Federer is entwined in Nadal’s finger. The fact that Federer is aging doesn’t help either.
Conclusion
To conclude, We can just say Nadal is near breaking Roger Federer’s record and can break it. But no matter what, he is an excellent player that nobody can disagree with.