Imagining Tennis without Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Over the past decade, two names have dominated men's tennis, and they are obviously Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Well, if you did a little research, you would learn many facts that would seem quite mesmerizing about these two in the world of tennis. 

After Roger Federer won his first ever Grand Slam title in 2003 at Wimbledon, 27 Grand Slam tournaments have taken place (excluding the 2010 Wimbledon tournament). Federer has won 15 of them and Nadal has won seven. This equals 22 combined victories for the two. Andy Roddick, Marat Safin,Gausten Gaudio, Novak Djokovic, and Juan Martin Del Potro have won the remaining five slams, one apiece.

The phrase "utter dominance" is very suitable here. In this world, thousands of tennis players turn pro every year. Yet 22 of the last 27 Grand Slams have been won by only two men!

Tennis today would have been very different if Roger and Rafa weren't in it. Yes, it wouldn't have been as interesting as it was when Roger was searching for records, but the gates of Grand Slams would have been more open to deserving candidates.

People often tend to say that Roger Federer plays in an era of weak competition. This is one of the lamest excuses I have heard. When Pete Sampras was playing, his major threats were Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter, Goran Ivanesevic, Boris Becker, and Michael Chang. I don't see these players killing the likes of Roddick, Andy Murray, Djokovic, and Nadal. Not in this lifetime! This is not the era of weak competition—the utter dominance of Federer during his prime made everyone else look mediocre.

Now to the point. If Federer and Nadal hadn't been here, some of the following things might have happened:

1. Andy Roddick would have held the No. 1 spot for a relatively long time. I have always felt sorry for him. How would you feel if you kept losing to the same person time and time again? That was the kind of frustration that he must have felt in his lopsided rivalry with Federer. Even today, Roddick is doing exceptionally well. On his good days, I don't see anyone breaking his serve other than Federer and Nadal.

2. Britain would have most certainly had a Grand Slam champion by now! Yes, I'm referring to Murray and not Tim Henman (no offense to him, though). Murray could have easily won the 2008 U.S. Open or the 2010 Australian Open if it was not for Federer. Curiously, he defeated Nadal in both tournaments.

3. The retirement age would have extended for some players. I never knew the method in which Carlos Moya became the world's No. 1 player. Yes, he won a Grand Slam tournament and finished runner-up to Sampras in another, but he was terribly inconsistent. He isn't retired yet, but at this stage, I don't see him shining in any major tourney. Similarly, players like Ivanesevic and Safin would have given a bit more time before their retirement if it was not for the prodigal sons of tennis.

4. A great rivalry between Murray and Djokovic would have furnished. Djokovic, in my opinion, is under-appreciated at times, but he under-performs at other times as well. The fact that he has a Grand Slam win is a big plus (despite the credit we give him for that) and he surely would have won more if Rafa hadn't killed him time and again.

5. Finally, a new king of clay would have been born. Clueless? I'm talking about Juan Martin Del Potro. Yes, his record in Roland Garros hasn't been particularly impressive, but let's check it out.

His first tournament was in 2006, when he qualified as a wild card and was only 17 years old. He lost to a former champion in Juan Carlos Ferrero. Then the next year, he lost to Rafael Nadal. In 2008, he suffered from an injury and couldn't perform well. In 2009, he again lost to the eventual champion, Roger Federer, in the semifinals. Later, though, he defeated the Swiss Master in the U.S. Open Finals.

This year, he didn't play due to an injury. This record is pretty impressive to me. Given his competition, he would have beaten the grass-friendly Andy Roddick and Andy Murray, and he surely would have had a chance to become the King of Clay.

All these "would haves" might have happened, but men's tennis wouldn't be in the highly rated place in which it comfortably occupies today. A clap to the greatest rivalry on the planet, a clap to their sportsmanship, and finally, a clap to the two greatest players of the modern era!