Analysing the draw at the Beijing Open

The draw for the Beijiing Open is out. Amongst the top players, Nadal seems to have got an easier draw compared to Djokovic. 

Nadal opens his campaign against a qualifier, followed by a possible 3^rd round meeting against Kohlsreiber. His potentital quarter final opponent could be Haas or Hewitt. None of these players pose a real threat to Rafa.  Nadal’s first true test would come in the semis when he may face Berdych or Isner.

Djokovic meanwhile has a slightly trickier draw with Wawrinka in his quarter of the draw. He opens his campaign against Lukas Rosol, Nadal’s conqueror at Wimbledon 2012, and could face Verdasco in the 3^rd round. A tough quarterfinal test could present before Djokovic in form of Wawrinka, who has stretched him to limits twice this year in the Australian Open and the US Open, losing both matches in 5 sets.

All in all, this draw favors Rafa more and has increased his chances to reach the finals at the Beijing Open and regain the no. 1 ranking.

Rafa Nadal would regain no. 1 ranking at the Beijing Open

Rafa Nadal has embarked on his journey to reclaim his no.1 ranking. The Beijing Open, starting 30^th September, provides him an opportunity to get back to no.1 .

Rafa only needs to reach the final of Beijing Open to get back to no. 1 in the ATP rankings. Considering his form on hard courts this year (22-0), it’s not wise to bet against him doing so.

Also with Andy Murray out with injury, the only serious threat to Rafa would be Djokovic, who won’t meet him before the finals. So, Rafa reaching the finals and dethroning Djokovic is a big possibility.

This would be his 3^rd reign at no. 1 and considering his current lead of nearly 3000 points over Djokovic, this might well be a long reign at the top of the rankings.

Why Rafa Nadal is the G.O.A.T

With the U.S.O pen title win over Novak Djokovic, Nadal is close on the heels of Federer’s Grand Slam haul of 17. The G.O.A.T discussion is alive again.

 

Rafa Nadal already has arguably the greatest resume of titles for any tennis player in history. With 13 Grand Salms, 26 Masters Series titles, 4 Davis Cups, 1 Olympic Gold medal and 102 weeks at no. 1 as of now, Rafa can rightly stake claim to being the greatest tennis player of all time.

If we look at various factors that need to be considered in judging an all time great, Rafa qualifies on most of them.

Rafa has won Grand Slams on all surfaces and can complete a 2^nd career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open 2014. He has faced top level competition in the form of Federer and Djokovic throughout his career and defeated them to win most of his Grand Salm titles. He also holds a positive,   dominant head to head against all his top rivals.

Comparing this to his 3 rivals in the G.O.A.T debate, we can argue Rafa’s superiority over all of them.

1.      Pete Sampras

Pete won 14 Grand Salms, but never could win anything on significance on clay. That is 1 out of the 3 playing surfaces. Comparatively Rafa is an all surface great.

Apart from that, Sampras didn’t have to have the greatest ensemble of tennis players ever in form of Federer, Djokovic and Murray that Rafa had to face throughout his career.

Above all, his lack of success on clay leaves him behind Rafa in the G.O.A.T debate.

2.      Rod Laver

Laver played most of his tennis on grass and clay, with 3 of the 4 slams being played on grass in the 60s. Just imagine how many slams Rafa would have if 3 Grand Slams were played on clay!

Also, when we talk of his rivals, no such all time great come in the picture compared to Rafa who had to contend with Federer and Djokovic his entire career. Rafa arguably has a much tougher competition. Also, the competition hadn’t reache dits peak in the 60s with tennis still limited to a few centres  during Laver’s time. 

Add to this , Laver never played on hard courts to win Grand Slams, the physically most demanding surface. All these indicate Rafa to be better than Laver.

3.      Roger Federer

One statistic brings the real picture here. 10-21 ! Such a negative head to head against a fellow player puts a big question mark over Federer’s claim as the G.O.A.T.

Also, during his peak years from 2003-2007, when he won most of his Grand Salm titles, the level of competition wasn’t great. Almost all of his rivals including Hewitt, Safin, Roddick lacked the skills as well as the dedication to become a great rival.

Ever since Nadal and Djokovic matured, Federer’s domination has crumbled, and especially Nadal has bullied and dominated him on all surfaces. He holds records of 12-3 on clay &  7-2 on outdoor hard courts against Federer. That’s where 3of the 4 Grand Slams are played.

If Federer isn’t the best player of his generation, which these stats clearly show, how can he be considered the greatest of all time?

All these point to the conclusion that Rafa indeed is the G.O.A.T and with 13 Grand Salms already at the age of 27, he can shatter the GS record of 17 held by Federer and be universally proclaimed the greatest ever tennis player of all time in 2 years from now!

That would put to an exclamation point on this G.O.A.T debate with Rafa rightfully assuming this mantle.