Don't read this if you haven't watched the match. Nadal beat Federer in another epic battle of what will probably be considered the 2 greatest men's tennis players of all time (by the time Nadal retires). Federer cried afterwards. It was sad. Nadal played out of his mind and Federer could not do anything about it. 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2 Federer's mental block just got deeper. Will he be able to win #14 now? Wimbledon should be another epic match.
I'm skeptical about Nadal going down as one of the top 5 of all time. He relies so much on his legs, and I fear he won't age very well. Once the speed goes, he's an average player. I expect Federer to remain one of the 3 or 4 best in the world for another 5 years--he's simply too good of a shot maker to fall off the map.
Thing about Nadal is he probably has about 8 more years of peak physical condition. He's only 22 and he has 6.
Actually I would say his window of opportunity is roughly the next 4 years. Agree with Lil Jules, he won't be able to sustain this for the long run. He'll average 2 grand slams a year and get to that 12-14 range and slow down, just like Federer is doing now. No-Joke-a-vich is going to give Nadal hell for years to come. And don't forget Andy Murray.
I agree with each of you here. Nadal's game requires optimal physical conditioning, and he is not likely to maintain that much past 4-6 more years, but it is great to watch right now. He could develop more to his game over time and develop some saavy, veteran play with shot placement, etc that allows him to endure beyond his physical glory years, much like Andre Agassi did in his later years. I agree with PMcEnroe who said that what Federer needs now is a coach, someone who can give him objective advice and formulate a gameplan to overcome this mental block he is developing with Nadal. I think Federer became emotional when he realized the "living legends" of the game were primarily there in case he won another major - he felt he let them down, hence why he became so emotional, FWIW.
