Why It’s Foolish to Sleep on Rafael Nadal at the 2013 US Open

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 29, 2013

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Rafael Nadal has traditionally finished his best tennis by the time July flips into August. While widely applauded as "The King of Clay," the Spaniard has never earned a moniker for his play on fast, hard courts. Tennis fans will never call him "The Sultan of Cement."

Many people categorize Nadal’s career from August-December as a gaping hole in his resume to be considered the Greatest Player of All Time (GOAT).

He has won 57 career titles, but only six of them were on hard courts in the August-December span. Since, 2005, his only three titles have been the 2008 Olympics in China, the 2010 U.S. Open and the 2010 Japan Open.

The struggles of late summer and fall are well-documented. The fast courts neutralize his greatest tennis advantages. He has battled knee tendinitis and blamed hard courts for his injuries. It’s clear that to Nadal, hard courts are a necessary evil at best and more suited for the outer realms of Hades.

These years, Nadal has not proven he can succeed on fast courts. He has been dusted in early rounds two consecutive years at Wimbledon, a tournament of which he once competed in five finals in six years. He has also not played on fast courts since 2011.



So Nadal certainly cannot be considered a favorite ahead of Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray. He might be listed behind an ailing Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro and David Ferrer, if one simply looks at performance and production the past two years.

But don’t close your eyes if Nadal is lurking in the dark.

 

The Unconventional Swordsman

The greatest swordsman is not afraid of the second-greatest swordsman. It’s the unconventional swordsman who can defeat him.

Nadal is the ultimate unconventional tennis champion. It’s simply impossible for most players to prepare for his unique barrage of skills. There’s never been a...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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