Nadalites – Rafa Nadal Talk

[the AntiPusher]

Yeah that match grew in dread as it progressed. Same in 2022 but he got a grip on that one before it slid away…

If you look at his record at RG and on clay, the tennis Gods have been more than favorable to Rafa.. go back to watch the Rome final vs Roger that took 5sets.. it’s incredible how resilient he was at such a young age.

 

[Kieran]

If you look at his record at RG and on clay, the tennis Gods have been more than favorable to Rafa.. go back to watch the Rome final vs Roger that took 5sets.. it’s incredible how resilient he was at such a young age.

Except for the injuries, yeah he’s been greatly blessed..

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

He’s right. And I know a very strong Rafa fan who decided not to watch it cos the conditions favoured Djoker. But Rafa felt it that day. I think he even said that to someone before the match. No way he was going to lose. It was immense and kudos to Djoker for making the third set competitive..

The first 2 sets Rafa played were "Vintage Rafa' I just sat back and was in awe of the way he played, he just went up another gear, agree 'no way he was going to lose. I was waiting for a response from Novak it came, but Rafa would not be denied.

 

[the AntiPusher]

The first 2 sets Rafa played were "Vintage Rafa' I just sat back and was in awe of the way he played, he just went up another gear, agree 'no way he was going to lose. I was waiting for a response from Novak it came, but Rafa would not be denied.

I said this years ago.. the level Rafa played that day., the God had not created another human being to compete with him.. the Rafa that defeated FAA in the 5th set was at that level IMO

 

[El Dude]

Anyone seen the Rafa show yet?

 

[the AntiPusher]

Anyone seen the Rafa show yet?

I’m watching it now..for me it’s fascinating..Rafa really let’s the film makers inside of his most creative and critical nerve wrecking moments..e.g. I thought it was something wrong with my nerve pre tournament match only , I always had to go pee….pee pee it seems like I could turn it off..jeez Well, Rafa experiencing that type of nervous system energy.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I’m watching it now..for me it’s fascinating..Rafa really let’s the film makers inside of his most creative and critical nerve wrecking moments..e.g. I thought it was something wrong with my nerve pre tournament match only , I always had to go pee….pee pee it seems like I could turn it off..jeez Well, Rafa experiencing that type of nervous system energy.

I will start watching it when I get a chance, David and I were discussing it today, he hasnt begun watching it either.

 

[the AntiPusher]

EL Dude is gonna hate me for doing this but it has to be said.. @El Dude

Rafa said that winning 14 RG probably would be harder record to break than winning 24 GS titles like Novak’s total.. I would agree ..
Here's the math I learned at a Big Ten University jajajaja

Rafa played RG 19 times won 14 titles. That’s a 75% winning percentage..
Novak played 82 grand slam tournaments. He won 24 times. 24/82. That’s 29.268 %.
Rafa only played 67 grand slam tournaments and won 22. That’s 32.836 %..
Roger 20/81 that’s 24.691%..
that means
Rafa is the GOAT

 

[Kieran]

EL Dude is gonna hate me for doing this but it has to be said.. @El Dude

Rafa said that winning 14 RG probably would be harder record to break than winning 24 GS titles like Novak’s total.. I would agree ..
Here's the math I learned at a Big Ten University jajajaja

Rafa played RG 19 times won 14 titles. That’s a 75% winning percentage..
Novak played 82 grand slam tournaments. He won 24 times. 24/82. That’s 29.268 %.
Rafa only played 67 grand slam tournaments and won 22. That’s 32.836 %..
Roger 20/81 that’s 24.691%..
that means
Rafa is the GOAT

It’s all about opportunity, isn’t it? If you’re injured and can’t play, you give the other guy an opportunity to get some easy slams. Inflate their record. Fortunately for Novak, and Roger, Rafa had more injuries. I’d never think of Novak as being greater than Rafa..

 

[the AntiPusher]

It’s all about opportunity, isn’t it? If you’re injured and can’t play, you give the other guy an opportunity to get some easy slams. Inflate their record. Fortunately for Novak, and Roger, Rafa had more injuries. I’d never think of Novak as being greater than Rafa..

Agreed, in the NFL the rushing record holder is the Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith , Every sane NFL fan knows Jim Brown was by far the greatest running back and may be the greatest football player ever( I would say Walter Payton or Jerry Rice were the greatest I seen) but it’s truly Jimmy Brown. So to piggyback on you post, I’d never thought of Novak as being greater than Rafa..( I was a witness for the entire journey)

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Agreed, in the NFL the rushing record holder is the Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith , Every sane NFL fan knows Jim Brown was by far the greatest running back and may be the greatest football player ever( I would say Walter Payton or Jerry Rice were the greatest I seen) but it’s truly Jimmy Brown. So to piggyback on you post, I’d never thought of Novak as being greater than Rafa..( I was a witness for the entire journey)

Sorry, but I respectfully disagree. I graduated from the same high school Franco Harris went to, so I'm going to say that Franco was the best running back of all-time. He carried those Steelers teams to 4 Super Bowl Championships. Franco's single rushing touchdowns record at Rancocas Valley Regional High School lasted for over 40 years (until it was broken in 2008), and he led the school to its most recent undefeated season in 1966 (the wins total from that season was tied in 2017). I'm still mad that Joe Pa didn't fully utilize Franco during his time at Penn State.

However, I have to admit that Derrick Henry is making a very good case. He's doing this in an era when passing is more important. If he passes Emmitt Smith or even Walter Payton's final rushing total, Henry might have to be looked at as the best running back of all time. His high usage in high school and college (he won the Heisman at Alabama) only makes his durability in his 30s even more impressive.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

BTW
When did Rafa Nadal post suddenly become about American Football
AP where are you and what have you done to Rafa Nadal post thank you very much
You have some explaining to do

 

[DarthFed]

You guys are both wrong IMO. There’s Barry Sanders and then there is everyone else. Barry is also the clearest example of how much of a team sport football is, so sometimes we get a little hung up on team success when we talk about players. The guy had no O-line or QB and still did what he did. Imagine him behind the Dallas O-line?

Anyways, I get what AP is getting at but individual sports are a bit more cut and dry. Djokovic is a ton more accomplished than Nadal and Federer, it ain’t even close when all is said and done. If we are trying to make it a debate you have to discount certain things Novak did or prop up the very few things the others have going for them in comparison to Novak. The difficulty in doing that is just how much of their careers intersected with one another.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Oh I am suddenly becoming a expert now on American football lol!
I was going to post something about a new book regarding Rafa?
Why bother as his post has become a running commentary on Amercian football Meh!

 

[the AntiPusher]

Sorry, but I respectfully disagree. I graduated from the same high school Franco Harris went to, so I'm going to say that Franco was the best running back of all-time. He carried those Steelers teams to 4 Super Bowl Championships. Franco's single rushing touchdowns record at Rancocas Valley Regional High School lasted for over 40 years (until it was broken in 2008), and he led the school to its most recent undefeated season in 1966 (the wins total from that season was tied in 2017). I'm still mad that Joe Pa didn't fully utilize Franco during his time at Penn State.

However, I have to admit that Derrick Henry is making a very good case. He's doing this in an era when passing is more important. If he passes Emmitt Smith or even Walter Payton's final rushing total, Henry might have to be looked at as the best running back of all time. His high usage in high school and college (he won the Heisman at Alabama) only makes his durability in his 30s even more impressive.

It can be another real NFL fan that even has Franco Harris in their top ten running back ever.. Franco could not hold OJ Simpson or Jim Brown's jock strap.. I think Jim Brown said that once and challenge Franco to a foot race when Jimmy was in his late 40's.. Darth, where are you brotha.. I know you cant cosign anything talking about Franco Harris. Derrick Henry is a fantastic Bull of a runner but not as great as OJ or Jim Brown..

 

[the AntiPusher]

BTW
When did Rafa Nadal post suddenly become about American Football
AP where are you and what have you done to Rafa Nadal post thank you very much
You have some explaining to do

I am talking about greatest of a professional athlete

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Can we stop with all the talk about American football, please go and discuss it on the

I am talking about greatest of a professional athlete

Okay but I dont need to read a running commentrary on American football, and its comparison
I was about to post something about Rafa and tennis and for 1 minute I thought I was on the wrong post lol!

 

[the AntiPusher]

You guys are both wrong IMO. There’s Barry Sanders and then there is everyone else. Barry is also the clearest example of how much of a team sport football is, so sometimes we get a little hung up on team success when we talk about players. The guy had no O-line or QB and still did what he did. Imagine him behind the Dallas O-line?

Anyways, I get what AP is getting at but individual sports are a bit more cut and dry. Djokovic is a ton more accomplished than Nadal and Federer, it ain’t even close when all is said and done. If we are trying to make it a debate you have to discount certain things Novak did or prop up the very few things the others have going for them in comparison to Novak. The difficulty in doing that is just how much of their careers intersected with one another.

Novak has some remarkable stats but lets compare time spent on the court. As for Barry Sanders, yes he was a great runner but Barry was not an all purpose back like Walter Payton or Adrian Peterson.. I loved Barry but AP, OJ and Jim Brown was something special if you stacked the box against Barry.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Anyways, going back to the topic, I like Nadal, but it's clear to me that he is a step behind Djokovic and Federer. Nadal's numbers look a lot better due to his dominance of one surface/slam. He was good on the other surfaces, but for a very short duration, especially on grass (he was past his peak on that surface by 2012, as evidenced by his Wimbledon results). Federer dominated more surfaces/slams and Djokovic was more well rounded. Djokovic may be known for his 10 Australian Opens and 7 Wimbledon titles, but he also won 3 French Opens and 4 US Opens at his worst slams, while Federer won 5 straight Wimbledons and US Opens, and also 6 Australian Open titles. Federer even made a FO final nearing his 30th birthday in 2011, as well as FO semifinal nearing his 38th birthday in 2019, on his worst surface.

Rafa's peak years on grass/Wimbledon were 2006-11 (age 20-25), and after he lost to Rosol in 2012 at 26, he never made a Wimbledon final again.

 

[Kieran]

Anyways, going back to the topic, I like Nadal, but it's clear to me that he is a step behind Djokovic and Federer. Nadal's numbers look a lot better due to his dominance of one surface/slam. He was good on the other surfaces, but for a very short duration, especially on grass (he was past his peak on that surface by 2012, as evidenced by his Wimbledon results). Federer dominated more surfaces/slams and Djokovic was more well rounded. Djokovic may be known for his 10 Australian Opens and 7 Wimbledon titles, but he also won 3 French Opens and 4 US Opens at his worst slams, while Federer won 5 straight Wimbledons and US Opens, and also 6 Australian Open titles. Federer even made a FO final nearing his 30th birthday in 2011, as well as FO semifinal nearing his 38th birthday in 2019, on his worst surface.

Rafa's peak years on grass/Wimbledon were 2006-11 (age 20-25), and after he lost to Rosol in 2012 at 26, he never made a Wimbledon final again.

He got older and more burdened by injuries.

But when you say, “Nadal's numbers look a lot better due to his dominance of one surface/slam,” well you could almost be referring to Novak! Remember, he won 14 of his GS titles on hards - and nobody could dispute that the GS and MS surfaces favoured both Roger and Novak - but only the same number of USO titles, though Rafa played there far fewer times. Bear in mind that Rafa and Roger brawled together without Novak for more than half a decade - and Rafa actually beat Roger on hards as a 17 year old in 2004 - so when Novak finally grew a pair and quit quitting when matches got too tough for him, he faced a Roger who was certainly into the long endgame of his career, and Rafa who was skipping large chunks of his season through injuries.

That’s called, “opportunity”.