Rafael Nadal: 10 Reasons Why He Has Surpassed Roger Federer (2024)

The issue has been debated innumerable times.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the two faces of tennis today.

Everybody knows their stats, so I won’t repeat them. Basically, no one else comes close to comparing to their achievements.

Although Federer and Nadal have numbers, one thing has changed: Nadal is now considered the best player in the Federer-Nadal generation. Maybe Nadal can be considered the best of all-time.

Here is a list of ten reasons why Nadal has surpassed Federer.

Federer unquestionably has a better serve than Nadal, but at the beginning of his career Nadal’s serve was one of the worst in tennis. It was very slow, and he relied on his defense to get him out of trouble.

Nadal practiced and practiced, and eventually the hard work paid off. In the U.S. Open last year, Nadal dropped only one set in the finals to Novak Djokovic. This showed how hard he had worked on his game and his serve. The left serve spin gives many players problems, including Federer.

Seeing Nadal give up on a point is like seeing pigs fly. It just doesn’t happen. This may lead to more injuries and a shorter career, but right now Nadal only knows how to play the game.

Although Nadal’s opponents should have done thorough research on him, it doesn’t show. At least a couple of times in every match, Nadal's opponent will think the point is over only to be surprised by Nadal pulling a fast one. Federer also is a good hustler, but no one compares to Nadal.

After Federer surpassed Pete Sampras for the most Grand Slam singles titles, he lost his edge. Federer has only won one Grand Slam—the Australian Open in 2010—since surpassing Sampras with the 15th of his career. He lost in the finals in the US Open and the French Open, and this year, Federer has won no titles, even missing out on non-Grand Slam titles.

Federer can still beat most of his opponents with ease. Unfortunately, Federer can no longer beat quality opponents. Unlike Federer, Nadal will continue to pursue Grand Slams even after he passes Federer’s record because he has more determination and will also be younger.

Nadal and Federer are both in incredible shape. Even though they are fit, they rarely have to show their endurance because they finish off their opponents so quickly. Regardless, Rafael Nadal is favored to win over anyone in a five-set match. His workout routine is out-of-this-world.

Nadal has had a few five-set run-ins with Federer and is currently 3-2 against him in those matches. Furthermore, in Grand Slam five-set matches, Nadal is 2-1 against Federer, having won each of the last two.

At only 25 years of age, Nadal still has many more years to win Grand Slams. Nadal was younger than Federer when he won his first Grand Slam title (Nadal was 19, Federer 21). Right now, Nadal has 10 Grand Slams and is on a tear, having won three of the last four Grand Slam titles.

The bottom line is that nobody can beat Nadal. I have stressed in previous articles that Nadal can't handle tall guys because they aren’t bothered by his spin (e.g. Robin Soderling and Juan Martin Del Potro). That theory has sort have gone by the wayside, but those are still difficult matches for him.

Since Nadal's French Open loss to Robin Soderling, the two have played four times, and only once has Nadal dropped a set. The Del Potro match at Wimbledon was very entertaining, but Nadal has incorporated a backhand slice to his game. During the match, he hit short and to Del Potro’s backhand, and Del Potro's height made it hard for him to get down and get some of the balls. So tall guys are Nadal's only threat, but only sort of.

The only other player that can give Nadal some problems is Nikolay Davydenko. Davydenko has won six times in ten matches against Nadal in his career. Still, Davydenko is also 30 years old and lost in the first round of Wimbledon this year.

No one seems to give Roger Federer problems either. Maybe Andy Murray, who has an 8-6 record against him. But there is one player that even Federer can’t beat: Rafael Nadal.

Federer has a good backhand, but sometimes it is inconsistent. His footwork is the best in the game, as it needs to be for his one-handed backhand, on which errors are more prevalent than for his two-handed backhand.Some days, his footwork isn’t there, causing him to make careless mistakes as well.

A one-handed backhand, especially a right-handed one, is a horrible match up against Nadal because his spin is so high. Opponents have to take the ball on the rise, which isn’t easy. Nadal has a great backhand because it is consistent and has a lot of spin. His only flaw is that he periodically runs around the backhand, putting himself out of position.

Nadal and Federer have about equal net games, but Nadal has the slight edge. At the beginning of his career, Nadal rarely came up to net and instead relied on long rallies. Although he won points on the strength of his fitness, the strategy took a toll in the later rounds of tournaments. Now, Nadal isn’t afraid to come to net, and his game has improved as a result.

The ability to play in the clutch is a characteristic every athlete must possess. That special individual that wants the ball in his hand for the last shot or isn’t afraid to throw the ball on a fourth and long situation.

Tennis is no different. Nadal has an innate killer instinct that kicks into gear whether he is well ahead or slightly behind. Federer is clutch, but not half as clutch as Nadal. In Grand Slam finals, Federer is 16-7, compared to Nadal's record of 10-2. The only opponent Nadal has lost to is Federer, at Wimbledon in 2006 and 2007. Meanwhile, Federer has lost six times to Nadal and once to Del Potro.

You cannot call yourself the best tennis player of all-time if you cannot beat your rival. Federer hasn’t shown any indications he can beat Nadal. Nadal has a 17-8 career record against Federer.

And it’s not just his overall match record. What’s most important is Nadal’s record in Majors against Federer. Nadal has six wins in eight contests against him. Federer can’t beat Nadal because it’s a bad matchup, as previously stated, with his backhand. The deciding factor is not who has the better game; it’s mental, and every time Federer steps on the court he knows he is going to lose to Nadal. Nadal has Federer wrapped around his finger. It also doesn’t help that Federer is getting older.