I remember that Federer was saying for years he was going to retire after the London Olympics. And he didn't. He loves so much the sport and things have changed the past few years. Now it has become that 30smth can still be at the peak. If he's healthy and can remain competitive I think he will reach his 40s playing. .... As for Djoker reaching Fed? LOL. He's miles and miles away from even being in consideration to reach him. To achieve smth like that you need perfect health and a great time of dominance. And also to be lucky with competition. Back then when every time the finals were Fed- Nadal they also took advantage of a time when the talent was relatively low in the tour. Who else was there? Murray and Djoker were too young and green , Safin was crazy, Roddick was one dimensional and Agassi was on his last legs.
Agree with everything you've said! Spot on. Also, I detest Novak. He always came off as a little cocky and creepy with his stone cold gaze..maybe I unfairly characterized from the beginning, but I truly started disliking him a few years ago when he ripped his shirt off after a QUARTERfinal match victory over Wawrinka. I thought it was an extreme display of douchebaggery. What do you think Nadal's chances are of matching or surpassing Fed's slam total? He looked sharp last night but Stan, Andy, and Novak will always be in the way if roger isn't. Could he win 4 more French titles though?....
I don't think he should, and there's every indication that he could continue on for a couple of seasons at least..but he's used cryptic language lately. Apparently he told the directors at the AO that "hopefully he will see them again next year, but if he doesnt, it's been a great ride." I think outside factors such as family time and perhaps not wanting to go out where he's not making finals anymore..there's no gurantee that he'll be at the winners circle for any of the other finals this season. I hope I'm proven wrong though!
When he was younger he was a very antipathetic person. . Remember the ridiculing "imitations" of other players he did all the time? Also his dad is crazy, threatening a journalist with guns because he was critical of his son. I don't know about Nadal because I haven't been following the tour for about 3 years now. Logically claycourters with his playing style especially don't have very long carreers. But he has already exceeded expectations in that area. If he stays healthy and there isn't many rising stars appearing he has a tiny tiny chance. 4 slams! That's a huge gap. But who knows ? The sport has changed a bit since 5 years ago. With players having much longer longevity than everbefore. If you said then that there would be an AO final with a 35 y.o vs a 30 year old everyone would laugh. Even 30 year olds were considered on their last legs. Especially if they didn't have a very dominating serve.
I just think he is a very analytical and objective person. He is German Swiss. He knows that father time is against him and he knows how much work he had to do to get back to this point. If he has another major injury, I think he is done. I don't think he wants to go through what he went through the last 6 months again.
I don't really hold what Novak did in the past against him. He was young and immature...like a lot of athletes at that age. For the most part, I feel he's been acting okay lately. I don't think he can catch Fed, but if he has another 3 slam season he'll be close. With a 4 slam gap, Rafa would have to win some majors outside of the French. For the last few years, he's been getting bounced early at Wimbledon...so I think he would have to win an Aussie or US open or two. It's possible, but I think he would need a good draw and avoid playing Novak and maybe even Andy and Stan. Djokovic would also be a tough out for Rafa at the French because he's a bad matchup for him, even on clay.
An amazing tournament. The Nadal v. Dimitrov match was the best of the tournament. That was crazy. Dimitrov played at a level he's never played at before, and Rafa turned back the clock and upped his own level every step of the way to be able to beat him. The final was a great final. Out of those two, I was pulling for Fed. I'm glad he won, but it was a hell of a match. Novak, seems to have really dropped off. It is especially true since he went from his restrictive diet to an even more restrictive vegan diet. Since he went Vegan he doesn't seem to have the power, or endurance that marked his best stretch. Novak could be the best ever. After retooling his conditioning and and showing an incredible work ethic, he had no weaknesses. He was amazing. I think in addition to his diet, his philosophical outlook, parenthood, and life has changed his priorities. All of that together shows that he isn't the player he once was. I don't fault Novak at all for anything done when he was younger. None of it was really that bad. He had lung issues that tall slender folks often get. Roddick was an ass that mouthed off about Novak's health issues, and Novak trounced him, and spoke about it. Good for Novak. The bad for Novak was that his health issues still hurt him later on.
