tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5067626333101248863.post1613799939760425417..comments2023-05-03T13:04:16.028+01:00Comments on Sporting Thoughts: Can Rafa get to 18 Slams?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04512498202142278952noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5067626333101248863.post-30158064845692681942014-08-12T22:33:09.841+01:002014-08-12T22:33:09.841+01:00sorry slow reply, I've been away. I'm afra...sorry slow reply, I've been away. I'm afraid I just googled the 13 slam picture so can't help with updating it, although happy to email you the JPG if you needAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04512498202142278952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5067626333101248863.post-46847822594269578612014-08-09T00:10:56.639+01:002014-08-09T00:10:56.639+01:00I've been using your pic of Rafa's 13 slam...I've been using your pic of Rafa's 13 slam wins as an avatar for some time. I need a pic of his 14 slam wins. Are you going to do one?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5067626333101248863.post-66428724615577781122013-09-19T17:03:27.699+01:002013-09-19T17:03:27.699+01:00The stat that stands out clearly above all others ...The stat that stands out clearly above all others is the head to head in majors. <br />Nadal 8-2 Federer, with both Fed's wins coming at Wimbledon.<br /><br />Good article.<br />T.HAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5067626333101248863.post-14313634845923888102013-09-13T01:57:45.915+01:002013-09-13T01:57:45.915+01:00Great points! (From another anonymous contributor!...Great points! (From another anonymous contributor!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5067626333101248863.post-83486908886425571392013-09-12T03:53:39.592+01:002013-09-12T03:53:39.592+01:00Nice try Sam but your admirably subtle attempt to ...Nice try Sam but your admirably subtle attempt to hide your Fed favoritism won't wash. Eg "Are longevity, fitness and range of shots more or less significant than physical strength, power and mental attitude?" Talk about a loaded question! And "head-to-head can be misleading"? I'm not sure. I reckon if Murray had been in his early 20s in the years 2003-2007, when the Fed was beating the likes of Philippousis and Baghdatis, he'd have racked up 12 grand slams too.<br /><br />The only thing that skews a well-established head-to-head rivalry (ie one in which the players have met at least 10 times) is age, and given that Nadal has dominated Federer at EVERY stage of their respective careers, that's not a factor in this case.<br /><br />Despite that, I think your article is excellent!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15344890349637789210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5067626333101248863.post-27649565574393120492013-09-11T23:26:18.419+01:002013-09-11T23:26:18.419+01:00Interesting comments. I'm a huge fan of both (...Interesting comments. I'm a huge fan of both (as players and personalities) and think the debate over who is/was better will surely never be unanimously settled. <br />Head-to-head can be misleading, no one thinks that Murray will be remembered as a better player than Federer but is ahead in matches between the two. Equally it's impossible to determine when players are in their prime. Some Rafa-Roger matches were when the Spaniard was still maturing, some have been since the Swiss was past his prime.<br />How one defines greatness is another factor too. Are longevity, fitness and range of shots more or less significant than physical strength, power and mental attitude? Like I say, we could comment all year and be no nearer a consensus!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04512498202142278952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5067626333101248863.post-29736683789414505922013-09-11T18:19:35.910+01:002013-09-11T18:19:35.910+01:00To Anonymous 1....... you can be selective on whic...To Anonymous 1....... you can be selective on which stats you pick out and spin it any way you wish.<br />Let's take few shall we.....<br />Nadal best surface clay with 8 French vs Federer best grass 7 Wimbledons.<br />Federer's worst surface clay...... 1 French<br />Nadal's worst surface hard court 2 US ,1 Australian & 1 Olympic.<br />Nadal is clearly the better player if you consider those stats, and remember Fedrerer failed to get that elusive Olympic gold on his favourite surface.....whilst Nadal managed to win gold on his worst surface.<br />Let's imagine if instead of 2 hard court majors each year you had 2 clay court majors.......it doesn't take a genius to work out who would come out on top by a big big margin!<br /><br />KLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5067626333101248863.post-44787646707072058642013-09-11T03:15:49.572+01:002013-09-11T03:15:49.572+01:00a) Great article. Very insightful, well-written an...a) Great article. Very insightful, well-written and full of genuinely interesting stats.<br /><br />b) In response to my fellow anonymous contributor, yes, if you discount the head-to-head and take into account the year-end tournament, the Fed is still the "more dominant player in this era". On the other hand, if you take into account the Monte Carlo Masters (Nadal 8, Fed 0), or masters tournaments in general, or the ability to play left-handed, or the ability to speak Spanish with a Majorcan accent, Rafa wins. My point being, why on earth WOULD you discount the head-to-head? Tennis is a sport, not a sonata or a newspaper editorial, and like any proper sport, the only thing that matters is results. And the results between these two players are very clear. From their first meeting, when Nadal was 17 years old and hadn't finished growing, until their most recent, when RN beat RF at one of the few tournaments that the Fed has won more than anyone else, are clear. Rafa has a commanding, crushing lead over Federer. The idea that the dominant player is the guy who has lost most of their matches - more than twice as many as he's won in fact - is frankly borderline.<br /><br />Come to think of it, no wonder you want to ignore the head-to-head. Talk about an inconvenient truth!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5067626333101248863.post-47356206763864638842013-09-11T01:00:42.142+01:002013-09-11T01:00:42.142+01:00Nadal seems to have the most trouble except on cla...Nadal seems to have the most trouble except on clay against opponents with huge serves where breaking is very difficult. Then he has to rely on a few points going his way to eek out a tiebreaker. Isner has given him difficulty in the past and with the maturation of a player such as Raonic the likelihood of his being upset at Melbourne, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows is enhanced as Nadal ages. If JDP recovers from his seemingly endless battle with injuries he will present Nadal with problems at Wimbledon and the two hard court slams<br /><br />I am sure Rafa will begin to play a reduced schedule especially on clay to preserve himself for the majors.<br /><br />Remember despite their one sided head to heads, Fed is still clearly the superior Grand Slam player on hard ( 9 to 3) and on grass (7 to 2) and if you take into account the year end tournament (Fed 6, Nadal 0) Fed is still the more dominant player in this era.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com