Will Injuries Keep Rafael Nadal from Becoming the Greatest of All Time?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: August 18, 2014

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Rafael Nadal exploded onto the tennis scene in 2001, skidding across courts in capris and slashing his racket like a machete through jungle brush. He played so hard that one had to wonder: How long can that body take that kind of a pounding?

His legs have weakened with recent injuries to his (right or left or both) knees, but now the injury bug has moved up his body and claimed his wrist. It’s the right wrist for a lefty with one of the more bruising two-handed backhands on tour. And his play proves Nadal isn’t the type of player to take a little off his fastball.

This raises the question: Is Nadal’s climb up the summit as the greatest tennis player ever over? If not, does he have enough left in those legs to catch Roger Federer?



As it stands, Roger Federer, who some consider the greatest tennis player in history, sits atop a pantheon of legends with 17 Grand Slam titles. Nadal is tied for second with 14. The people who argue Federer isn’t the greatest are the same people in total mourning over Nadal’s withdrawal from the U.S. Open, as reported by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). Nadal is 23-10 all-time against Federer. For some that’s hook, line and sinker.

Nadal has owned Federer for much of their career overlap, so it’s hard to fully endorse Federer as the greatest ever when many believe he’s not the best of his generation. Federer merely got the jump on Nadal, turning pro three years earlier and being five years older than Nadal.



He’s not the only athlete sitting on 14 majors chasing down a historically high number. For anyone following the fringe sports of tennis and golf, those numbers are the big numbers, familiar specters in the canon of country-club athletics.

Jack Nicklaus, golf’s Golden Bear, has 18 major championships on his mantle, and he’s being chased by Tiger Woods, who has been stuck ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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