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Greg Rusedski uważa, że pandemia koronawirusa ostatecznie zabrała Rogerowi Federerowi szanse na zdobycie kolejnego tytułu wielkoszlemowego. Brytyjczyk wątpi, że po powrocie do gry Szwajcar będzie w stanie rywalizować o triumfy w Wielkim Szlemie.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
04 Czerwca 2020, 08:15

Roger Federer
PAP/EPA / LUKAS COCH / Na zdjęciu: Roger Federer



Koronawirus. Piłka nożna przykładem dla tenisa. Greg Rusedski: Skoro piłkarze mogli wrócić, to tenisiści też
Z powodu pandemii koronawirusa tenisowe rozgrywki zostały zatrzymane na początku marca. Kilka tygodni wcześniej Roger Federer przeszedł operację kolana. Szwajcar planował powrót w czerwcu na okres gry na kortach trawiastych.
- Śmieję się, że Roger miał operację i całe rozgrywki zostały zatrzymane, dopóki nie wróci do zdrowia - zażartował Greg Rusedski w rozmowie z portalem tennis365.com. - Oczywiście, pandemia to bardzo poważna sytuacja i teraz najważniejsze jest zdrowie ludzi, ale ta przerwa dała czas Rogerowi na wyleczenie kontuzji.


Dodatkowy czas na dojście do zdrowia i odbudowanie formy to według Brytyjczyka pozytywna strona obecnej sytuacji dla Federera. Negatywna w opinii 46-latka jest taka, że po wznowieniu rywalizacji Szwajcar będzie miał bardzo małe szanse na triumfy w turniejach wielkoszlemowych.

- Kiedy wznowimy rozgrywki, myślę, że nie będzie mu łatwo podołać wyzwaniu, jakim jest zdobycie wielkoszlemowego tytułu. Będzie miał 39 lat, a w takim wieku wygrywanie najważniejszych turniejów jest bardzo trudne - stwierdził.

- Widziałem filmy z treningami Djokovicia. Nadal też już wrócił na kort. W przypadku Federera nie widzę, co nowego na tym etapie kariery mógłby wnieść do swojej gry, aby wygrać turniej wielkoszlemowy, gdy ta dwójka będzie w najwyższej formie - uargumentował były czwarty tenisista świata i finalista US Open 1997.

Zdaniem Rusedskiego, jeśli US Open zostanie rozegrany, faworytami turnieju będą Novak Djoković i Rafael Nadal. - W zeszłym roku w US Open Roger był umęczony upałami i odpadł w ćwierćfinale. Gdyby wygrał, byłaby to wspaniała historia, ale uważam, że to Nadal i Djoković będą głównymi faworytami. Federer jest na mojej liście następny, bo nigdy nie możesz go zdyskredytować - powiedział.

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Rafael Nadal
Don't know if Novak Djokovic wins more, I'd love to finish with 25 Slams: Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal gave his thoughts on his Slam tally, and whether he thinks he will break Roger Federer's all-time record.
Nadal also spoke about his love for cooking, saying that his favorite dish is seafood broth.
Modified 09 Jul 2020, 12:43 IST
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World No. 2 Rafael Nadal is making the most of the ongoing suspension of the ATP tour.While certain sectors have re-opened in Spain and other parts of the world, competitive tennis is still a few weeks away from resumption. As such, Nadal is limited to the training element of the sport - which leaves him with plenty of time to focus on other things.
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That's a luxury rarely afforded to top players, and in a recent interview with BBC Sport’s Sue Barker, Rafael Nadal revealed what he's been doing in his downtime. The Spaniard spoke about his newfound interest in cooking and his love for seafood, and later also gave his thoughts on how motivated he is to add to his Slam tally.

Susan ‘Sue’ Barker OBE is herself a former Grand Slam champion, having won the French Open title back in 1976. She first asked Rafael Nadal what he's been cooking lately, as the Spaniard has posted a few videos of him spending time in the kitchen during the lockdown.
"Well everybody did different things during lockdown," Nadal said. "I tried to cook more than before. Of course I make mistakes but somewhere I start to cook different things. In such moments it is important to have some fun too.”
Barker then asked Rafael Nadal if he had a favorite dish which he cooked for his wife, to which the Spaniard responded:
“Well I love seafood, so if I have to say something, the broth, seafood broth with rice.”

Much like with his tennis, Nadal likes to keep it simple in the kitchen. On the court the southpaw relies on perfect execution of the basics to produce spectacular results, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if his culinary experiments bear similar fruit.
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Over-ambition can be negative, says Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is one Slam away from equaling Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal is one Slam away from equaling Roger Federer's tally
In the last segment of the interview, Barker asked Rafael Nadal the all-important question concerning his Slam tally. The Mallorcan is a solitary title away from Roger Federer’s record of 20, and is a big favorite to at least equal the mark this year.Barker asked Nadal if winning a 20th Grand Slam served as a motivation, or if it was just another number. The Spaniard was his usual humble self in his response:
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“I say thousands of times now, I do my way. I am super happy with how my career has evolved all these years. I can’t go crazy thinking about 20th or I don’t know if Novak is winning more. I just try to do my way.”
Rafael Nadal does seem content with his achievements so far, but it is interesting to note that he brought up Novak Djokovic in his reply. The Serb himself is just two Slam titles behind Nadal, at 17.
Rafael Nadal is just two Majors ahead of Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal is just two Majors ahead of Novak Djokovic
“I just try to keep enjoying tennis," Nadal added. "Of course I will love to finish my career with 25 if possible! (laughs). But my feeling is it's important that over-ambition can be very negative. I just try to follow my route, my way. I hope to keep produce myself opportunities in the next couple of years.”
Rafael Nadal will have at least one opportunity to add to his tally this year, when he defends his title at Roland Garros in September. It is still unconfirmed if the Spaniard will make himself available to defend his title at the US Open in August.
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Published 09 Jul 2020, 12:43 IST
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Edition: English

ATPTour.com takes a closer look at the pair’s individual journeys to 20 Grand Slam titles.

When Rafael Nadal landed an ace out wide to convert championship point against Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros final, not only did he lift a record-extending 13th Coupe des Mousquetaires, he also equalled one of the most important records in tennis history.

For the first time, the Spaniard is on equal terms with Roger Federer on the Grand Slam titles leaderboard. Federer has held the outright lead in the category for more than 11 years, dating back to his 15th major championship victory at Wimbledon in 2009.

Chasing Federer ever since his first Roland Garros victory on his tournament debut in 2005, Nadal’s major haul is built on a foundation of consistent success at Roland Garros. The Spaniard has claimed 13 of his 20 major crowns on the Parisian terre battue, winning 13 of the past 16 editions of the event and clinching 100 wins from 102 matches at Stade Roland Garros.

<a href='/en/players/roger-federer/f324/overview'>Roger Federer</a> and <a href='/en/players/rafael-nadal/n409/overview'>Rafael Nadal</a> share a moment at the net following the conclusion of the 2008 <a href='/en/tournaments/wimbledon/540/overview'>Wimbledon</a> final.

Nadal’s remaining seven Grand Slam title runs can be split into two chapters. Nadal claimed three major titles outside of Paris between visits to Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010. In one of the greatest matches in tennis history, Nadal ended Federer’s hopes of earning a record-breaking sixth straight Wimbledon trophy with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 triumph.

The 34-year-old also claimed a five-set victory against Federer to win his only title at the Australian Open in 2009, before earning a second Wimbledon trophy in 2010. Throughout the 2010s, Nadal became the most successful player of the decade at the US Open, winning four titles at Flushing Meadows.

Nadal's 20 Grand Slam Titles

Event Titles
Australian Open 1
Roland Garros 13
Wimbledon 2
US Open 4
On the other side of the rivalry, Federer has largely spread his success across three Grand Slam events. Federer has won 19 of his 20 titles across Wimbledon (8), the Australian Open (6) and the US Open (5). The Swiss completed the Career Grand Slam in 2009 at Roland Garros, beating Robin Soderling to match then-record holder Pete Sampras’ mark of 14 major trophies.

Federer's 20 Grand Slam Titles

Event Titles
Australian Open 6
Roland Garros 1
Wimbledon 8
US Open 5
Throughout their rivalry, the two men have clashed in a record-equalling nine Grand Slam finals (Nadal leads 6-3). Those meetings have not only influenced their own major championship total, but also the tally of their greatest rival.

Ahead of their most recent Grand Slam final clash at the 2017 Australian Open, Andy Roddick billed their meeting as “the most important match in Australian Open history and possibly Grand Slam history.”


At the time, Federer and Nadal were separated by three major titles (17-14) and were both attempting to end the biggest Grand Slam title droughts of their careers. Federer was bidding to win his first Grand Slam crown since 2012 Wimbledon, while Nadal was attempting to lift his first major title since 2014 Roland Garros.

The victory went to Federer. The Basel native rallied from 1-3 down in a deciding set to defeat Nadal at a Grand Slam for the first time in almost a decade and move four Grand Slam trophies clear of his longtime rival.

Federer

It was Nadal’s second near-miss in Melbourne, having owned a 4-2 lead in the fifth set of his 2012 final against Djokovic. Federer has also experienced disappointment from winning positions, having fallen to Juan Martin del Potro in the 2009 US Open final. The Swiss also failed to convert two championship points at 8-7, 40/15 in the fifth set of last year’s Wimbledon final, as he attempted to capture a 21st Grand Slam trophy.

But despite their rare near-misses, Nadal and Federer have enjoyed more success at this level than any other players. After defeating Nadal in the 2017 Australian Open final, Federer told his close friend, “There are no draws in tennis, but I would have been very happy to accept one and share it with Rafa tonight.”

That may not have been an option, but the pair now stands side-by-side in the history books.