Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal: Can We Still Compare Them?
The two biggest stars of men's tennis are continually compared with one another.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have won the lion's share of men's singles titles over the last seven years. They have been the dominant force on the ATP Tour, winning multiple Grand Slam events ever year.
However, the recent run of Grand Slam events has not been as kind to Federer, while Nadal is starting to rack up the trophies. So, who is on the right side of this rivalry as of late, and is it fair to still compare the two?
Does Age Matter?
1 of 8
Age is a huge determining factor in tennis, and it may start to rear its head in the vaunted Federer-Nadal rivalry. Nadal is 24-years-old compared to Federer's 28. That four year window is a significant margin in tennis.
Federer, who turns 29 next week, may already see his game start to slip as he pushes 30-years-old. For reference sake, Pete Sampras won only two of his 14 Grand Slam titles after his 29th birthday. The younger Nadal could be looking at the same statistics.
Who's Riding a Hotter Streak?
2 of 8
Federer began the year on a high note by claiming his fourth Australian Open title (his 16th career Grand Slam victory). However, Federer was outdone by Nadal, who captured both the French Open—his fifth in six years—and his second Wimbledon title in three years.
The door was open for Nadal to win the two midsummer Grand Slam events after Federer fell in the quarterfinals at both tournaments, snapping his streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals.
Nadal Has the Leg Up
3 of 8
Federer still has the slight edge when it comes to winning Grand Slams over a larger sample in recent history, but Nadal is making it one-sided when these two match up.
Nadal has won six of the last seven matches versus Federer, including three straight Grand Slam finals: the 2008 French Open and Wimbledon and the 2009 Australian Open.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Hard Court Advantage
4 of 8
One of the glaring advantages Federer still has over Nadal is his continued success on hard court. Federer, a four time Australian Open and five time US Open champion, is still playing at a very high level on the hard stuff.
Federer has failed to reach the final of the US Open and Australian Open only four times since 2004, which covers 13 cracks at the two tournaments.
Meanwhile, Nadal has reached the finals in a hard court tournament only once in his career in 2009, when he won the Australian Open.
However, Nadal has reached the semifinals in four of his last five tries on the hard court and appears headed in the right direction.
Last Impressions
5 of 8
Last impressions can do a whole lot for one's credibility. That's not a good thing for Federer, who we most recently remember failing to make a Wimbledon final for the first time since 2003.
His 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 loss to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon sent shock waves around tennis after Federer received only glancing criticism for his quarterfinal loss at the French Open.
Federer complained about injuries during his four set loss to Berdych, but does it run deeper than that?
Slip-Sliding Roger
6 of 8
Federer once sat atop the ATP World Rankings for 237 consecutive weeks. However, following back-to-back quarterfinal exits at Grand Slam events, plus victories by Nadal and good runs by Novak Djokovic, Federer now finds himself the No. 3 player in the world. A spot he has not found himself in in over six years.
Nadal's Ascension
7 of 8
Consecutive Grand Slam titles have elevated Nadal to the No. 1 player in the world. He is currently over 3,800 points clear of second ranked Djokovic and 4,000 points ahead of Federer.
For reference, at this time last year, when Federer was fresh off consecutive wins at the French Open and Wimbledon, he was only 2,000 points ahead of then No. 2 Nadal.
Where Does That Leave Them?
8 of 8
Federer's 16 Grand Slam singles titles are the all-time record. He's 29 and has given no indication that he is ready to hang up his sneakers.
Federer claimed six of those Grand Slam titles by the time he was 24-years-old. Nadal, conversely, already owns eight Grand Slam singles titles and just turned 24 in June.
Nadal is already an expert at what was the bane of Federer and Sampras' careers: clay. He has five French Open titles and counting. Two Wimbledon titles in the last two years show Nadal is adjusting to the grass and winning on it. But can he find out a way to win on hard courts the way Federer had to figure out the clay? If Nadal does, he's going to give Federer's 16 titles a record.
The biggest question of all may be can Federer keep pace and keep the goal posts moving?
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
