It is yet another Nadal v/s Federer clash and by the looks of it, it seems to me that Nadal is all set to win his 4th consecutive French Open crown there by reemphasizing that he is the "King of Clay".
This 4th win will put alongside Bjorn Borg( the only other player to have won 4 Consecutive French Open titles). What a fabulous Achievement would that be?
Last June we had Federer equaling another record of this great player by winning his 5th consecutive Wimbledon.
Now if two people winning 5 Wimbledon and 4 French are great feats by itself, then how big is the same player 5 Wimbledon and 6 French??? The word "Incredible" would be an Understatement.
Will any other player ever be able to emulate that? I wonder.
Borg unlike Federer is not an "Artistic Assassin" nor a "bulldozer" like Nadal. He was meticulousness personified. Borg was all "Method" and "Meticulousness". I can say Borg was a CMMi Level 5.( Huh, not able to shrug off this IT hangover). Borg was as precise as a surgeon. As cool as as Ice ( that he was nicknamed Ice Borg),As shrewd as a Good Investor when it came to "Risk Assessment" and As fit as a "Marathon Runner"
Borg was never flamboyant, rarely did i see him play an Unbelievable shot. He was a master at doing the simple things perfectly and he was also as tough as they would possibly come.He would make simple adjustments to his game based on the surface and the player. Panic was one word which never seemed to exist in his dictionary. His Record in Five Setters confirms this fact.
So where does he rank? Is he better than Federer or Nadal? Well i don't want to give a judgment on this. I will leave the decision to the Reader's choice. I would however like to throw light on One Important Point. "The Quality of Opposition" Borg had Johm McenroE, Jimmy Connors, Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendle who were all great players. I turn now and look at the quality of the opposition and I am unable to find any quality here. The grass has slowed down and the quality has come down.
Well not for a moment i am saying that Federer is someone of lesser caliber. It is only unfortunate that there is not enough quality to bring the caliber out. He has got only Nadal to challenge him and that too on Clay. Its a pity.
My knowledge on both Tennis and Bjorg is as flippant as it can get. But still i am writing this because of the love i have for this champion.
P.S: Here is something some knowledgeable sources. Thanks to Wikipedia."In 2008, ESPN.com asked tennis analysts, writers, and former players to build the perfect open era player. Borg was the only player mentioned in five categories -- defense, footwork, intangibles, and mental toughness -- with his mental game and footwork singled-out as the best in open era history.[13]":
10 comments
No favorites for me, I think Nadal will win his 4th.
Greensleeves plz do not get angry on seeing this.
Lots of factors to consider in the comparision. wooden rackets to the modern ones. Well, even though the balls are now slower, for sure the returns are much quicker than in the past era, just because of the racket innovation. So, you never had a Roddick serving at around 220 kph consistently. Federer returns those with considerable ease. You didnt have people hitting the returns at around 160 kph like a Gonzalez, again Federer crushes him. the angled shots and passing shots of the present era are as spectaclular as it can get, Aggasi, Nadal and the Joker to name a few who excel in that. I see Federer slipping only against Nadal in the French open(may be coz of pressure) He has beaten him in clay a few times- Hamburg open, although he lost in a dissapointing fashion this year.
So Mr Ram, with the above things, all i am trying to say is, there can never be a Federer again, who has done Tennis a world of good.
Maybe Bjorg was indeed greater?
Yes, As xpected the Federer fan is in roaring form.
Federer has won 2 out of 11 in Clay against Nadal i guess. So whether its pressure or the fact that Nadal is superior to Federer on Clay,i leave that to u.
Yes the racket innovation has made players hit the ball harder. No doubts on that.
Coming to competition, I have just one question. Without thinking can u tell me who is the 4 th ranked men's player? The only players i can think of in mens are Joker( as per u), Nadal and of course Federer. As i said in the article very clearly, its not Federer's fault. I am infact disappointed to see such lack of quality. Agassi or a Sampras at their peak v/s Federer at his peak would have been a treat to watch and i am sure that would have matched Borg/Mcenroe, Borg/Connors or Mcenroe/Connors rivalry. Unfortunately we are not priveleged to see that.
Reg the verdict as to who is greater, as i said in the article no conclusion from my side. I leave the judgment to experts like u.I like Borg, Mcenroe, Edberg,Agassi, Federer, Nadal , Sampras. Even like Patrick Rafter for his serve and volley game. I admire Kuerten for his attacking game in clay(was the first person in a long time to play attacking tennis on clay, which Nadal is now doing better. So am just a fan and i leave the judging part to an expert like U.
without thinking, David Nalbandian is the eternal no 4!
For me Nadal matches a Mcenroe (maybe ppl would disagree) Joker is as good a Connors you would get. Maybe the current era is missing a Sampras, a good allround game- of course apart from Federer.
Some spice up-
Nadal is a smart chap, who wins against federer by using mind games.
Take the recent Hamburg finals as an ex. Fed was leading 5-0 in the first set. Nadal took an injury time out (didnt seem to be injured), Federer lost his touch, and he lost the set! he also went on to lose the match in a lovely 3 setter. Nadal surely makes a better Clay courter, but unlike Sampras, Federer can come very close if not lift the French open. (just a matter of hours to know this year's fate!)
Sleeves u did a great job in coming out with the number 4. Gr8 job.
Nadal a Mcenroe, Well not some but i guess a gud majority of even xperts wud disagree on that.
Mind games, well thts one place where i feel that Bjorg scores over anyone ever. Federer wud do well to get some of his traits. Once he get that he wud be invincible.
Yeah wish to see a gr8 match. Although i feel Nadal is better equipped to win, Federer can upset him for sure.Gud Luck ji.I would love to see a classsic of a match. Lets hope.
Sleeves ji, Mind games might have been the case at Hamburg, but not yesterday i guess. Crushed would be the right word.
ram, star sports showed a special program dedicated to borg..heard he was d best, but i had never really observed his game closely..
he is not a class act like sampras n federer, but still he never let's the ball pass without an attempt, he was like a machine...nothing xtraordinary in his game, xcept that he played with so much confidence n mentally very very strong, he won half d battle der....all concentration, loved him
Yeah Santu, thts what i mentioned If Borg were a software company then he would be a CMMi Level 5 without any doubts.
He did all the simple things so perfectly. Wonderful Champion.
glen mcgrath comes 2 my mind here
keeping things simple...
a gr8 xample 2 people like sreesanth, bajji n all those empty vessels
