A Comparison of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Tuliponaru Joco

Contributor Written on August 09, 2009

Previous Next

Slide 1 of 13

LONDON - JULY 06: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerland pose for pictures with after Nadal won in five sets in the final on day thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6

Julian Finney/Getty Images

I will take each aspect of tennis, and give Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer each a grade out of ten to compare them.

First Serve

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Roger Federer of Switzerland serves during the men's singles final match against Andy Roddick of USA on Day Thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 5, 2009

In the first serve, Federer has a bit more power, but most of all, his placement is beautiful.

Nadal's serve is not by any stretch a bad serve, but he doesn't get as many aces. One thing he does very well, is that he backs it up excellently.

Federer has a bigger serve, but Nadal backs his up just as well as Federer backs his.

Federer: 9 1/4

Nadal: 8 1/2

Second Serve

PARIS - MAY 31: Rafael Nadal of Spain serves during the Men's Singles Fourth Round match against Robin Soderling of Sweden on day eight of the French Open at Roland Garros on May 31, 2009 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Nadal has a more consistent second serve than Federer, and he has as much top spin on it as Federer. Federer backs his second serve up just as well as Nadal.

Federer: 8 1/4

Nadal: 8 1/2

Forehand

Roger's forehand is hard, but it doesn't have as much top spin as Nadal's.

Anyway, I think that Federer can place it better, and the velocity is too hard to handle. One really good thing about his serve is that as he hits, he jumps and gets back into 'ready-position' to get to the next ball.

Federer: 9 1/2

Nadal: 9

Backhand

Nadal has a fast, heavy backhand, and it's so hard to get back well. He was born right-handed, so he's using his natural power on the backhand.

Federer's is more beautiful, but not the best. He's very prone to mistakes on his backhand, but the one-handed motion is nice.

Federer: 8

Nadal: 9

Slice

Nadal doesn't use his slice very often, but I've seen it work just as well as Roger Federer. Both of their slices are deep, and good.

Federer: 9

Nadal: 9

Return of Serve

MALLORCA, SPAIN - MAY 2: Rafael Nadal of Spain in action against Roger Federer of Switzerland during 'The Battle of the Surfaces' at The Palma Arena on May 2, 2007 in Mallorca, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

They both have excellent returns in different ways.

Federer puts the ball back in play, and relies on his strokes, like when he played Ivo Karlovic at Wimbledon, he just tapped the ball back. He won that match in straight sets.

Nadal crushes the return, and hits winners here and there.

Federer: 9

Nadal: 9

Volleys

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 24: Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a backhand volley during the men's singles second round match against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain on Day Three of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis

Federer has a feather-touch, and places his volleys beautifully. Nadal hits them hard, which are also good volleys, but not great.

Federer: 9 1/2

Nadal: 7 3/4

Dropshot

I have only seen Nadal do this a couple of times, but it is very effective for him. I also know that Federer's is fabulous.

Federer: 9

Nadal: 8

Footwork

PARIS - MAY 29: Rafael Nadal of Spain stretches for a backhand during his Men's Singles Third Round match against Lleyton Hewitt of Australia on day six of the French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2009 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Gett

Nadal's footwork is incredible, and it's so hard to hit a winner by him. He just gets to everything.

Federer's is good, but it's not as good as Nadal's. Nadal is so fast, that he gets one ball, runs back, gets another, and so on.

Federer: 8 1/2

Nadal: 10

Mental Toughness

PARIS - JUNE 12: Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal poses with his trophy in the Place de la Concorde on June 12, 2006 in Paris, France. Nadal won the French Open final. beating Roger Federer at Roland Garros 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6. (Photo by Francois Durand/

If Nadal is up or down, it doesn't matter. If he hits a bad shot one play, it's not important. He just regroups, and starts all over again.

If Roger's playing badly, he lets that get to him a bit. Federer has come back many times.

Federer: 9

Nadal: 10

Total

Federer: 89

Nadal: 88 3/4

Hope you enjoyed the slideshow.

Begin Slideshow

That's the end of this slideshow, here are a few more you might like...

Can Roger Federer Carry Off Pink?: The Top Questions from the O2

The Tennis World Tour Finals has now answered some of the biggest questions of the tennis year. Let’s start with the easy ones. Who would end the year as No. 1? Easy: Roger Federer...
Inside London's Dome With The Best Men In Tennis

London may be cold, grey and storm-ridden. Parts of this wintry country may be submerged in floods from the heaviest rainfall since records began...
Tennis Power Rankings

As we embark on the ATP Tour World Finals, the top guns aren't exactly playing up to snuff. Roger Federer has struggled since the U.S. Open final, Rafael Nadal hasn't fully regained his form and Andy Murray has been virtually nonexistent...

(1)

9 Comments

There are no comments yet. Get the conversation started by leaving the first comment

Loading more comments...

posted just now

Loading...
Nobody has liked this comment yet

Cancel

This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete

<form action="/accounts/create_from_facebook_comment" class="new_facebook_user" id="new_facebook_user" method="post">	<input id="facebook_user_facebook_id" name="facebook_user[facebook_id]" type="hidden" />
	<input id="facebook_user_proxied_email" name="facebook_user[proxied_email]" type="hidden" />
	<input id="facebook_user_profile_pic" name="facebook_user[profile_pic]" type="hidden" />
	<input id="facebook_user_profile_url" name="facebook_user[profile_url]" type="hidden" />
	<ul>
		<div id="facebook_questions">
			<li class="fb-question" id="facebook_full_name_container">
				<p class="question">
					<label for="facebook_user_use_full_name">Use your full name <strong class="full_name"></strong> on Bleacher Report?</label>
					<br />
				</p>
				<p class="options">
					<input name="facebook_user[use_full_name]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_use_full_name" name="facebook_user[use_full_name]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_use_full_name">Yes</label>
				</p>
				<div class="input full-name-edit" style="display:none">
					<p>Edit your name for Bleacher Report:</p>
					<div class="fb-first-name">
						<label for="facebook_user_first_name">First Name <em>(required)</em></label>
						<input class="signup_text_input" id="facebook_user_first_name" name="facebook_user[first_name]" size="30" type="text" />
						
					</div>
	
					<div class="fb-last-name">
						<label for="facebook_user_last_name">Last Name <em>(required)</em></label>
						<input class="signup_text_input" id="facebook_user_last_name" name="facebook_user[last_name]" size="30" type="text" />
						
					</div>
				</div>
			</li>
			<li class="fb-question">
				<p class="question">
					<img src="/images/default-user-icon-medium.png" class="profile_pic" />
					<label for="facebook_user_use_profile_pic">Do you want to use your Facebook profile picture on Bleacher Report?</label>
				</p>
				<p class="options">
					<input name="facebook_user[use_profile_pic]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_use_profile_pic" name="facebook_user[use_profile_pic]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_use_profile_pic">Yes</label>
					
				</p>
			</li>
			<li>
				<a id="facebook_connect_submit"><img src="/images/shared/submit.png" /></a>
			</li>
		</div>
	</ul>
</form>

723
reads

9
comments

1
likes

written on August 09, 2009 Opinion

<form action="/accounts/create_from_facebook" class="new_facebook_user" id="new_facebook_user" method="post">	<input id="facebook_user_proxied_email" name="facebook_user[proxied_email]" type="hidden" />
	<input id="facebook_user_profile_pic" name="facebook_user[profile_pic]" type="hidden" />
	<input id="facebook_user_facebook_id" name="facebook_user[facebook_id]" type="hidden" />
	<input id="facebook_user_profile_url" name="facebook_user[profile_url]" type="hidden" />
	<ul>
					<li class="fb-question">
				<div class="input">
											<div id="facebook_placebo_submit">
							<img src="/images/shared/submit.png" />
						</div>
										<div class="fb-first-name" id="fb-email">
						<p><strong>Email Address</strong></p>
						<input class="signup_text_input" id="facebook_user_email" name="facebook_user[email]" size="30" type="text" />
						<img alt="Small" id="facebook_email_indicator" src="http://assets2.bleacherreport.com/images/shared/spinners/small.gif?1259884154" style="display:none" />
						
					</div>
				</div>
				<div class="input" id="facebook_password_container" style="display:none">
					<div class="fb-first-name notice">
						<p>This email address matches an existing user profile. Please enter your password to connect your accounts.</p>
						<p><strong>Password</strong></p>
						<input class="signup_text_input" id="facebook_user_password" name="facebook_user[password]" size="30" type="password" />
						
					</div>
				</div>
			</li>
				<div id="facebook_questions" style="display:none">
			<li class="fb-question" id="facebook_full_name_container">
				<p class="question">
					<label for="facebook_user_use_full_name">Use your full name <strong class="full_name"></strong> on Bleacher Report?</label>
					<br />
				</p>
				<p class="options">
					<input name="facebook_user[use_full_name]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_use_full_name" name="facebook_user[use_full_name]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_use_full_name">Yes</label>
				</p>
				<div class="input full-name-edit" style="display:none">
					<p>Edit your name for Bleacher Report:</p>
					<div class="fb-first-name">
						<label for="facebook_user_first_name">First Name <em>(required)</em></label>
						<input class="signup_text_input" id="facebook_user_first_name" name="facebook_user[first_name]" size="30" type="text" />
						
					</div>
	
					<div class="fb-last-name">
						<label for="facebook_user_last_name">Last Name <em>(required)</em></label>
						<input class="signup_text_input" id="facebook_user_last_name" name="facebook_user[last_name]" size="30" type="text" />
						
					</div>
				</div>
			</li>
			<li class="fb-question">
				<p class="question">
					<img src="/images/default-user-icon-medium.png" class="profile_pic" />
					<label for="facebook_user_use_profile_pic">Do you want to use your Facebook profile picture on Bleacher Report?</label>
				</p>
				<p class="options">
					<input name="facebook_user[use_profile_pic]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_use_profile_pic" name="facebook_user[use_profile_pic]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_use_profile_pic">Yes</label>
					
				</p>
			</li>
			<li class="fb-question" id="facebook_interested_in_writing_container">
				<p class="question"><label for="facebook_user_interested_in_writing">Are you interested in covering your favorite teams and sports?</label></p>
				<p class="options">
					<input name="facebook_user[interested_in_writing]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input id="facebook_user_interested_in_writing" name="facebook_user[interested_in_writing]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_interested_in_writing">Yes</label>
					
				</p>
			</li>
			<li class="fb-question">
				<p class="question"><label for="facebook_user_share_activity">Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity in your Facebook activity feed?</label></p>
				<p class="options">
					<input name="facebook_user[share_activity]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_share_activity" name="facebook_user[share_activity]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_share_activity">Yes</label>
					
					<br />
					<a href="#" id="share_facebook_activity_advanced_link">Advanced Sharing Options</a>
				</p>
				<p id="share_facebook_activity_advanced" style="display:none">
					<input name="facebook_user[share_activity_article_writing]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_share_activity_article_writing" name="facebook_user[share_activity_article_writing]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_share_activity_article_writing">When I write a new article</label>
					<br /><input name="facebook_user[share_activity_comment]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_share_activity_comment" name="facebook_user[share_activity_comment]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_share_activity_comment">When I post a comment</label>
					<br /><input name="facebook_user[share_activity_like]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_share_activity_like" name="facebook_user[share_activity_like]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_share_activity_like">When I like an article</label>
					<br /><input name="facebook_user[share_activity_poll_vote]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_share_activity_poll_vote" name="facebook_user[share_activity_poll_vote]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_share_activity_poll_vote">When I vote on a poll</label>
					<br /><input name="facebook_user[share_activity_fan]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_share_activity_fan" name="facebook_user[share_activity_fan]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_share_activity_fan">When I become a fan of another member</label>
				</p>
			</li>
			<li class="fb-question">
				<p class="question"><label for="facebook_user_fan_friends">Become fans of your Facebook friends connected to Bleacher Report?</label></p>
				<p class="options">			
					<input name="facebook_user[fan_friends]" type="hidden" value="0" /><input checked="checked" id="facebook_user_fan_friends" name="facebook_user[fan_friends]" type="checkbox" value="1" />
					<label for="facebook_user_fan_friends">Yes</label>
					
				</p>
			</li>
			<li>
				<a id="facebook_connect_submit"><img src="/images/shared/submit.png" /></a>
			</li>
		</div>
	</ul>
</form>

Sign up for Bleacher Report

Already have an account? Log in now » As a member you can get the latest on your favorite teams, post comments, write your own articles, and much more.

Join Bleacher Report

You must register in order for that functionality to work!

Sign up through Facebook

Follow your Facebook friends on Bleacher Report
Share your articles, comments, and more with friends

Great, , you're signed up!

i.e. San Francisco Giants, SEC Football, NFL, Golf

Selected Tags:

Yes, I'd like to receive an email newsletter for the topics I selected.

A Comparison of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Tuliponaru Joco

First Serve

Second Serve

Forehand

Backhand

Slice

Return of Serve

Volleys

Dropshot

Footwork

Mental Toughness

Total

That's the end of this slideshow, here are a few more you might like...

Can Roger Federer Carry Off Pink?: The Top Questions from the O2

Inside London's Dome With The Best Men In Tennis