Can Rafael Nadal Still Surpass Roger Federer’s Grand Slam Record?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 23, 2012

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Rafael Nadal's recent withdrawal from the 2012 London Olympics seemed to most—at face value—as a necessary sacrifice required to prolong a career that has been repeatedly plagued by injury. And it was, but it was also more than that.

Participating in the London Olympics was important to Nadal for a number of strategic reasons. The most obvious of these was that it was a chance to represent his country on the biggest stage of all, at a time when Spain could use something to smile about.

The second reason was that a second win at the Olympics would be insurance in case he's unable to reach Roger Federer’s Grand Slam record.

 

Reality

A little less than two years ago, shortly after Nadal won the 2010 U.S. Open title—his ninth major overall—and was in the process of putting together one of the best seasons of his career—if not his best—14-time Grand Slam winner Pete Sampras claimed (via Setanta Sports) that Nadal could surpass Roger Federer's Slam record, but only if he scheduled his tennis year better.

Two major titles and two months shy of two years later, Nadal has managed his schedule better, but the rewards have been hard-fought and few.

Nowadays, Nadal cannot trust his body or his game with any degree of certainty, and his ability to catch up to Federer and surpass him is under massive scrutiny.



 

Problems 

Quite unlike his contemporaries Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer, Nadal is faced with a number of health problems. Firstly, there are restraints his tendonitis—an injury that has recurred times without number over the past seven to eight years—places on his ability to play the game to his maximum potential and also the restraints his style of play places on his body.

Nadal’s predicament is double-edged. In order to be the best he...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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