No doubt, every person who follows tennis keenly would have thought about whether Rafael Nadal will be able to surpass federer’s overall grand slam titles record or not. If he manages to do that, how long will it take him to break it and what will be his final tally? What are the hurdles on his way to achieve this? And a whole lot of other questions related to it. The following piece is what I think about this entire scenario and possibilities & difficulties.
So far Federer has won 17 grand slam titles overall whereas Nadal won 14. So, the difference between the two might appear as just 3 in number & less but anyone with enough knowledge about tennis would say that it is easier said than done. There is still a long way ahead of Nadal if he ever wants to break this Roger Federer’s record.
For me, it is almost impossible for Rafael Nadal to write this overall grand slam titles record on his name. He might still be able to prove me wrong but I came to this opinion based on the following points which I think would be the top three reasons & quite valid. Let’s have a look at them,
Age: Yes, you heard it right. Nadal is aging and there is no denying the fact that he too will face the difficulties which all aging sporting icons face. Some might argue that, there is still a lot of time left in him but my point is, in terms of performance levels there is difference between the time and prime time. Nadal too will face that. Federer too was only 28years old when he won his 14th title. Just do your own math to find how long it took him to win the remaining. Legs will slow down, reflexes will be a fraction late, energy levels won’t sustain for too long etc. If I am not wrong, all these factors do affect.
Injuries: we all know that Rafael Nadal is prone to injuries on a regular basis. His aggressive style of playing too a reason for these injuries of him. He already missed few tournaments due to injuries and nobody can guarantee his injury free career span from here. It’s always tough for any player to reach his prime after an injury and even if he manages that, it would take a lot time. Requiring to do that repeatedly is what which is going to be a biggest hurdle between him and this record.
Competitors: Rafael Nadal has been part of the greatest era of the game. Along with himself, his contemporaries Roger Federer and Djokovic are all time great tennis players ever to play this game. Because of their immense talent, together they managed to take the game to new corners of the globe. Coming to the point, Just like Nadal, both Federer and Djokovic are aren’t finished with their game yet. Federer might be at the end of his prime but Djokovic still has a lot left in him. Apart from these two, Nadal has tough competitors in youngsters who want to make their presence felt at the big stage. Nadal’s recent regular loses to some of these youngsters supports this theory. So passing through these youngsters and the likes of Murray, Federer and Djokovic for 3 or 4 more times would be a tough task for any player who is aging and prone to injuries.
Despite all these, I would be happy to see him prove me wrong as I have nothing against him. These are just my thoughts, some of you might agree and some might disagree. One thing is for sure, records are meant to be broken.
So far Federer has won 17 grand slam titles overall whereas Nadal won 14. So, the difference between the two might appear as just 3 in number & less but anyone with enough knowledge about tennis would say that it is easier said than done. There is still a long way ahead of Nadal if he ever wants to break this Roger Federer’s record.
For me, it is almost impossible for Rafael Nadal to write this overall grand slam titles record on his name. He might still be able to prove me wrong but I came to this opinion based on the following points which I think would be the top three reasons & quite valid. Let’s have a look at them,
Age: Yes, you heard it right. Nadal is aging and there is no denying the fact that he too will face the difficulties which all aging sporting icons face. Some might argue that, there is still a lot of time left in him but my point is, in terms of performance levels there is difference between the time and prime time. Nadal too will face that. Federer too was only 28years old when he won his 14th title. Just do your own math to find how long it took him to win the remaining. Legs will slow down, reflexes will be a fraction late, energy levels won’t sustain for too long etc. If I am not wrong, all these factors do affect.
Injuries: we all know that Rafael Nadal is prone to injuries on a regular basis. His aggressive style of playing too a reason for these injuries of him. He already missed few tournaments due to injuries and nobody can guarantee his injury free career span from here. It’s always tough for any player to reach his prime after an injury and even if he manages that, it would take a lot time. Requiring to do that repeatedly is what which is going to be a biggest hurdle between him and this record.
Competitors: Rafael Nadal has been part of the greatest era of the game. Along with himself, his contemporaries Roger Federer and Djokovic are all time great tennis players ever to play this game. Because of their immense talent, together they managed to take the game to new corners of the globe. Coming to the point, Just like Nadal, both Federer and Djokovic are aren’t finished with their game yet. Federer might be at the end of his prime but Djokovic still has a lot left in him. Apart from these two, Nadal has tough competitors in youngsters who want to make their presence felt at the big stage. Nadal’s recent regular loses to some of these youngsters supports this theory. So passing through these youngsters and the likes of Murray, Federer and Djokovic for 3 or 4 more times would be a tough task for any player who is aging and prone to injuries.
Despite all these, I would be happy to see him prove me wrong as I have nothing against him. These are just my thoughts, some of you might agree and some might disagree. One thing is for sure, records are meant to be broken.