Rafael Nadal: Turning the Tables Against Novak Djokovic Will Add To His Legacy

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at Internationaled.org

Published: October 21, 2011

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Rafael Nadal has always been the one blemish on an otherwise perfect resume for Roger Federer. Nadal's record against Federer is probably the sole reason there is not complete agreement about Federer being the greatest of all time. 

Take Nadal out of the equation and Federer would most likely sit with 20+ Slams including those very coveted calendar Slams. Not to mention close to 400 weeks as the world No. 1 and a French Open resume that included not one, but four or five wins.

He would be the male equivalent of Steffi Graf, dominating all surfaces and all Slams. 

But Federer never really found a way to deal with the Nadal riddle, especially in their many clay matches. Though Federer did enjoy a stretch of success in the middle of their rivalry, he never really managed to respond to the Nadal challenge.

The rivalry started with Nadal leading 6-1 before Federer won five of the next seven to make it 6-8. Since then, Nadal is 9-2 and 17-8 overall.

While the argument is less often voiced these days, it is still the same—how can Federer be the greatest of all time when he loses twice as often as he wins against his biggest rival or his own era? 

While Nadal has forced Federer to become a better tennis player, and vice versa, Nadal has also "tarnished" Federer's legacy—as possible as that is to do against a 16-time Slam winner. 

Now, Nadal is faced with the toughest challenge of his career and his ability to respond will determine part of his own legacy. 

This may sound strange, as Nadal had to usurp the "greatest player of all time" to become the world No. 1 and win most of his slam trophies.

But Nadal has always known how to beat Federer. His game is tailor-made for it. 



Even in what is probably Federer's best year ever, 2006, the Swiss Maestro suffered four of his five defeats (92-5 for the season) at th...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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