Thus ended another Roland Garros championship in the hallowed turf of red clay and it was really no surprise that the same old face Rafael Nadal reigned as the champion once again. Yes, the invincible Vamos Rafa Nadal did it once again to claim an eye popping 14th La Coupe des Mousquetaires. Incidentally just the last week, he witnessed his favorite football team Real Madrid FC win their 14th EURO Champions League and one week later Rafa showcased that he didn't want to be left behind in the race winning the hearts of the French public once again.
This unprecedented figure of 14 is as unenviable and jaw dropping as it gets. It almost seems humanly impossible that one man has literally dominated this surface year after year with unflinching ease. In the early 2000s Pete Sampras headed the Grand Slam tally by moving ahead of Roy Emerson and ending his career with a tally of 14 slams. To think, Rafael Nadal has equaled Pete's tally of Grand Slams just exclusively from the French Open seems just too stupefying to even comprehend. In just 18 attempts, he has catapulted himself to 14 wins and life did come a full circle as he won his 14th championship exactly on the same day as when he won his first crown on a Sunday evening on June the 5th 2005 as a moppy haired teenager with a pair of Bermudas and sleeveless tees when he had just turned 19. And the 14th came just two days after he had turned 36.
Though Rafa is always a firm favorite at Roland Garros, the scene wasn't the same this time around. He had been toppled by his greatest rival Novak Djokovic in the semifinals last year and he arrived to this tournament seeded 5th and also not being able to win any of the prior clay court events. His mental health wasn't in the best shape with a recurring foot injury and he certainly didn't set the ball rolling in the initial rounds. He dug deep to win his 4th round encounter and went to the quarter finals against his perennial adversary as a heavy underdog. There was no doubt that Rafa was hurt having lost to Djokovic last year after that epic semi final went the wrong side for him. But despite all the repercussions plaguing him, Rafa avenged the defeat from last year phenomenally by defeating the very same player en route to another victory in 2022. To win Novak along the way was the icing on the cake and certainly a bitter sweet moment for Rafa.
So now in the Grand Slam race, Rafa steers clear by getting to 22 slams and going 2 ahead of his all time rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Despite Novak's non participation in the Aussie Open, not many bet on Rafa to claim the Aussie Open, a place where he had been negated many a time. The win at French Open just enhanced his tribe to an awe inspiring 14th win which looks like a record which will never be overtaken in the history of a single tournament by anyone henceforth. There was a time when 10 titles in a single tournament seemed a distance too long to bridge but Rafa has gotten to a mind boggling 14. His 2 main rivals are a distant second when it comes to wins in a single tournament with Novak claiming 9 Australian Opens and Roger Federer gaining 8 Wimbledon Championships.
Right from almost the start of the century, it's been this trio who have completely dominated the state of tennis over the last 2 decades. It's interesting to note that since Roger Federer won his first Grand Slam way back in 2003 Wimbledon, there have been 75 Grand Slams that have taken place with the Big 3 winning 62 of those - Nadal 22, Federer 20 and Djokovic 20. This accounts for more than 80% of total slams won. Out of the remaining 13, 6 have been won by Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka who have 3 titles apiece. Hence combined wins of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Wawrinka make up more than 90% of the total slams won since Wimbledon 2003 claiming 68/75 Grand Slams which is absolutely astounding. The final remaining 7 slams out of the 75 have been won one each by Andy Roddick (2003 US), Gaston Gaudio (2004 RG), Marat Safin (2005 AO), Juan Martin Del Potro (2009 US), Marin Cilic (2014 US), Dominic Thiem (2020 US) and Daniil Medvedev (2021 US).
This clearly orchestrates that Men's tennis level has been more or less a monopoly over the last 20 years with 3 players completely dominating the sport. 2 other passengers capitalizing briefly and few others managing to win one bite of the cherry. There have always been great rivalries across eras in the sport of tennis but the longevity and consistent domination witnessed by these 3 sublime tennis players seems to defy gravity. So many records have got tumbled along the way and the urge to win doesn't seem to have dwindled one bit. Also traditionally, most players in the game of tennis have retired at their peak in the early 30s but Roger Federer has crossed 40 and Rafa and Novak have both gone past their mid 30s and still don't look like calling it a day.
Coming now to the GOAT debate, it just stretches on and on. Roger Federer was the best player of the 2000s decade and there is no doubt that Novak Djokovic was the best in the 2010s decade. Rafael Nadal is easily the greatest when it comes to a single slam domination not to forget going ahead to 22 in the Grand Slam race. Rafa has always been more injury prone compared to his peers but his will to win and killer instinct has always been at a staggering level. I would humbly submit that the GOAT debate will war on for some more time but personally in my opinion the race is now just between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Roger Federer was an invincible force much up till the end of 2010 but hasn't really done much to get the ball rolling in the last 10 years or so except for that dramatic year in 2017. Even in the hallowed court of Wimbledon where he is supposedly the best ever, he has poor returns against his nemesis Djokovic having lost 3 finals there.
Class wise, grace wise, style wise and even fan following wise Roger Federer may still be the GOAT but taking purely numbers and records into the equation, it stands pale in comparison to his two biggest rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The latter two have uplifted their game further into the 30s which Roger certainly couldn't by claiming 8 slams apiece. Roger Federer on the other hand could easily have had over 25 slams by now if he was able to convert his chances where he came a cropper in the 'oh so near yet so far' cases. The Wimbledon defeat against Novak Djokovic in 2019 would rank as his most painful not to forget losses against upcoming rookie Juan Martin Del Potro in US open final of 2009 losing a tough 5 setter and also a close shave loss to Marat Safin in the 2005 Aussie Open despite having match point. Three times he has been defeated by Novak Djokovic after having match points, twice in the semi finals of US open and once in the final of Wimbledon. One would have imagined Federer to have converted at least 4-5 of these extremely close encounters eventually into Grand Slam victories but alas it was not to be. This fact would always be hurting Federer and his fans. Though Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have also suffered some ignominies in close Grand Slam losses, it certainly doesn't come as painful as Rogers who literally had some of these matches in the bag by the claw of his racquet. Also most of Rogers individual records have also been upended over time and he only has the most Wimbledon wins still to his credit but even there Novak is within just 2 of his grass Grand Slams.
In terms of Weeks held as Number 1, it's clearly Novak Djokovic who aces it. The same goes for most prize money captured as well. Novak is also the only one to win all 9 Masters 1000 tournaments which makes his feats at such an accomplished and commendable degree. Nole also has a better head to head record against both his competitors of course it's just to be noted that he is just one ahead of Rafa in their clashes. In terms of notable clashes contested between the three, Djokovic invariably has won most of the best and tightest slugfests witnessed. Though it may not count for much in the records stake, it is to be noted that Novak Djokovic however is yet to register a Gold Medal victory at the Olympics unlike Rafael Nadal who claimed Gold at Beijing, China in 2008. Among the three however Roger Federer holds the record for the most singles titles having captured over 100 with both his rivals chasing him but still a little distance away. The most singles titles overall have however been won by Jimmy Connors with 109 to his credit.
Thus, in the end it is really a tough ask to branch out and give the credit of 'GOAT' to one singular player. The race continues and things could change and be far more clear once all the 3 greats eventually hang their boots. It however looks like Roger Federer is out of the race having aged past 40 and not in the physical state to play as much as he wishes. Rafael Nadal's never say die attitude however still keeps him pumped up as ever and Novak Djokovic despite all the controversies and poor fan following is determined even more so to win more and more titles. At the end of the day, the 'GOAT' debate apart, the sheer joy provided by these 3 monarchs is unmatched, unparalleled and simply unimaginable. It is a celebration of 2 decades of tennis wizardry by 3 geniuses who have upscaled the game of tennis and brought it such great reputation as a sport of honor.
No comments:
Post a Comment