🇪🇸 16 years ago, in 2008, Rafael Nadal scored a double hat-trick (6 goals) against Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos without breaking a sweat
Messi and Ronaldo should consider themselves lucky that he chose tennis instead of football 🎾 ⚽
The year is 2052.
Nadal has just won his 44th Roland Garros title. Djokovic has won his 37th Wimbledon.
Media continue to speculate when the next gen will take over.
Fans still wait for Federer to return from his knee surgery.
Murray is now a 100% metal cyborg.
Some might not remember when Federer played against Nadal in a half grass / half clay court match in 2007.
Federer had won 48 straight matches on grass (5 years+ undefeated), while Nadal had won 72 straight matches on clay (3 years+ undefeated).
Nadal won 7–5, 4–6, 7–6 (12–10).
🇪🇸 Rafa Nadal: can barely play 2-3 matches in a row without breaking down
🇨🇭 Roger Federer: one of his knee's is destroyed, now walks with a limp forever
🇬🇧 Andy Murray: half of his body is now made of metal, a borderline cyborg
🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic:
You win a grand slam 1 time, you go down in history.
You win a grand slam 5 times, you go down as a legend.
You win a grand slam 10 times, you achieved the impossible.
You win a grand slam 14 times, you are Rafael Nadal Parera.
👑 🇪🇸
He may not be the smartest, or the strongest, or the fastest, or the hardest worker, or the most consistent, or the most talented, or hit the best shots, or have the best mentality
If Novak Djokovic acts friendly and passive - "He's trying too hard to be loved, he's desperate"
If he acts more assertive and speaks up - "This is why he isn't loved"
I don't care if you like or dislike him, but the double standards are crazy.
Rafael Nadal at 21 years old is NOT dropping 2 sets against Sascha Zverev in a Roland Garros final.
In fact, he bageled Carlos Moya, then beat Djokovic and prime Federer back to back. He dropped ONE SET all tournament.
I'm a huge Alcaraz fan, but please stop this nonsense.
Rafa Nadal on the grand slam record:
"I am not frustrated for a simple reason - because I believe that within my possibilities I have done everything possible to make things go as well as possible for me. With 22 grand slams, you cannot live frustrated."
If Rafa Nadal lost in the first round of Roland Garros for the next 23 years until he was 𝟲𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗹𝗱
In the year 2047, he would still have a win rate of 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟴𝟬%❗
Yesterday, Ben Shelton hit a 246.2 km/h (153.0 mph) serve. Here are the facts:
- Fastest Wimbledon serve ever (❗)
- 9th on the fastest serve ever list
- 5th on the fastest ATP-recognised serve list
This really didn't make the headlines... But wow!
What's crazy is that Roger Federer has genuinely been the biggest story at Wimbledon this year and he isn't even playing. He retired almost a year ago and it's still all about him.
No one in tennis will ever have this much aura. He really does own the streets and always will.
How many young players even take the time to sweep the court after they're finished practicing?
No matter how big or successful you become, be like Rafa Nadal:
If you are wondering why we use the term "Big Four", watch this clip.
Andy Murray was playing points like this and winning big titles in the middle of the prime Big Three era.
One of the greatest grass court players this century.
So apparently, there was over 10,000 people present for Nadal's practice session today.
This is absolutely unheard of.
We're talking about PRACTICE! Not the game... PRACTICE!
🇩🇪 🇪🇸 Alex Zverev on Rafa Nadal:
"Number one is sportsmanship. I witnessed it first hand when I got hurt here in 2022. He was texting me and messaging me throughout the process of recovery entire time."
👏🏻
One is called a single surface specialist while the other two are called the most versatile players of all time:
🇪🇸 Nadal
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠🟠
🟢🟢
🇷🇸 Djokovic
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟠🟠
🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢
🇨🇭 Federer
🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵
🟠
🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢
This is the equivalent of somebody entering the top 10 today and staying there until 2041, without dropping out once.
A lot of people don't realise how crazy that is.
Iga Swiatek dominating matches like this doesn't mean women's tennis is a bad entertainment product.
It just means that there is one player much better than the rest of the field.
Nobody complained when the Big Three monopolised men's tennis for 20 years.
Jannik Sinner becomes the new world number
#1
today.
Just a reminder that THIS is what he had to beat to help him get there.
Dont let anybody tell you that it's not thoroughly deserved.
You gotta feel bad for the next gen guys like Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Zverev etc...
They were getting smacked by the Big Three for years, then as soon as they got old and worn out, Sinner and Alcaraz came along
This is a good time to bring up the fact that a 36 year-old Rafael Nadal, after 7 months out injured, beat this monster in a Hard Court grand slam final from this position:
Rafael Nadal, with a crippling abdominal injury, not able to serve or move properly
His forehand absolutely CARRIED him through this
This was genuinely one of the greatest forehand performances I've ever seen 🥲
🎾 🟢 Wimbledon 2008 - Federer vs Nadal
You might not see two better passing shots... And this happened ON BACK TO BACK POINTS... On match point... in a Wimbledon final ❗
This match goes beyond description.
𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲
Can you believe that this was only about 10 months ago?
He was halfway to the calendar year grand slam, playing his best grass tennis in years. World number 1 looked locked on.
How quickly it all changed. Feels like such a distant memory now. Sports is cruel.
🏆🟢 Wimbledon final. 5th set. Serving for the title. 0-15.
You just put a poor drop shot into the net.
Imagine having the balls to do THIS against Novak Djokovic the very next point.
𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐳, 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧.
Throwback to when Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played a short exhibition on the Burj Al Arab hotel helipad in Dubai in 2005, 200 metres above sea level.
It looks like an edited photo but this actually happened.
- The significance of the point
- The timing in the match
- The celebration
- The reaction of Zverev
- The close up of the trophy 🏆
Put the contract on the camera man's table, let him write whatever numbers he wants on there
This is the man behind the voice of Rafa Nadal's iconic Roland Garros introduction.
It never gets old, will be such a big miss this year.
@marc_maury
🔥
Rafa Nadal has actually played TWO LESS tournaments than Novak Djokovic over the past 12 months, yet we aren't hearing anything about him still being 2nd in rankings.
When he's fit, he's still the best player in the world.
10 years on the professional tour between them.
0 broken rackets.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are already setting a great example for future players.
The perfect description of the Federer vs Nadal rivalry:
"𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬"
The sport was never the same.
🇪🇸 🇵🇱 Iga Swiatek:
"Rafa for sure inspired me a lot... He is the reason why I play like this. Rafa has always been my idol."
When your idol is Rafael Nadal, you are destined for greatness ✅
🏆🏆🏆🏆
So Novak Djokovic officially withdraws from Roland Garros... Wimbledon may also be in doubt.
Shame on those who said he was faking his injury.
Imagine suggesting that any of these great champions would fake injuries to somehow gain an advantage... Absolute nonsense.