Roger, Rafa and the Weak Era Idea

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: October 21, 2010

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Roger Federer is overrated. Rafael Nadal is overrated. Their rivalry is overrated. Is any of this actually true?

Men’s tennis is in an odd place. There are only two players worthy of in depth analysis, along with a handful of hopefuls who haven’t proven much more than the ability to hit a few flashy shots, dominate lesser players and occasionally push the world’s two best players.

Obviously, Nadal and Federer are thin a class of their own. Their rankings and stat sheets point to that unwavering truth. They have won a combined 24 Grand Slam Singles titles since 2004. To put that in perspective, 28 Grand Slams tournaments have been played during that span. Honestly, I’m struggling to hold back laughter at this point. That is 89% of all important tournaments played since 2004. This is a level of domination that has never been seen in tennis before and, quite frankly, I’m willing to bet the farm that it’s never happened in any other sport.

Federer and Nadal have been the only players to reach the number one ranking since early 2004, when Roger Federer wrestled the mantle away from American Andy Roddick. No one aside from Nadal has even sniffed the top spot. Men’s tennis has been a two man race for so long, that its prompted many former champions and media pundits alike, to proclaim that at least one of these two guys are neck and neck for the greatest tennis player who ever lived. The numbers support this idea, but does that make it true?

I caught a hell of a lot of flack about a year ago for introducing the idea. I knew what I was getting into, but I’ve never been afraid of a little confrontation. The idea was that numbers sometimes do lie. Perhaps as good as Roger Federer is, he’s benefited from entering his prime during what I call a “lame duck” period of men’s tennis. A time during which a changing of the guard occurred, an in-between time where t...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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