3 reasons why Roger Federer could have a more long-lasting impact on tennis than Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are inarguably among the greatest tennis players of all time among men. Federer has won 20 Grand Slam titles, besides amassing 310 weeks as the world No.1. Meanwhile, Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles, besides having 209 weeks as the world No. 1.
Both Federer and Nadal have now retired from the game, but their legacy will continue to live on for a long time. Both of them are very close to each other in terms of their stature in the game, but Federer might just have more long-lasting impact than his contemporary and friend.
In this article, we will take a look at three reasons why it is so:
#3. Roger Federer is arguably more popular than Rafael Nadal:
Make no mistake about it, Rafael Nadal is extremely popular as a player and a brand worldwide. However, his popularity is relatively less than that of Federer, who has been voted the most popular tennis player in the world on numerous occasions. Furthermore, Federer's endorsements have also usually exceeded that of his rivals and contemporaries. As per a report from Forbes in August last year, Nadal earned approximately $15 million, considerably lower than the Swiss, who was getting $95 million despite having retired in 2022.
Roger Federer won the ATP Fan Favorite award for 19 consecutive seasons, from 2003 to 2021. He also won the ATP Sportsmanship Award on 13 occasions. Whereas it was only in 2022 that Nadal won his first (and only) ATP Fan Favorite award.
Federer is also deemed as extremely amiable off the court by his peers. Talking about his personality, Andy Roddick once said (as quoted by ESPN):
"I've told him before 'I'd love to hate you, but you're really nice'". "He's a real person. He's not an enigma. If you met him at McDonald's and you didn't know who he was, you'd have no idea he's one of the best athletes in the world."
Nadal is a great warrior and a fighter on the court but is probably not as polished as Federer in his speech and gestures. Hence, Federer’s popularity has remained unmatched till now.
#2. Roger Federer had a more aesthetic game than Rafael Nadal:
Those two complemented each other well. Federer was a genius of a player, with his groundstrokes painting lines wonderfully well on the tennis court. Rafael Nadal, in comparison, relied on his power more and also covered the court well. Complimenting the 20-time Grand Slam winner's playstyle, John McEnroe said (as quoted by SportStar):
"Roger Federer is the most beautiful player I’ve ever seen on a tennis court, without question.”
The difference in their playing styles could not be more expressed more prominently than through their respective forehands. Federer’s forehand was a perfect shot aesthetically, with his body balance and direction of the shot hardly having a flaw.
In comparison, Nadal’s forehand contained a prodigious amount of topspin that made life difficult for his opponents on the high-bouncing clay courts. The refinement in Federer’s shots will always come ahead of Nadal’s powerful strokes while making a tennis manual for future players.
#1. Federer was more of an all-surface and all-court player:
Roger Federer was more of an all-surface and all-court player than Nadal. Both players won the career Grand Slam, but Nadal’s 14 French Open titles make the clay-skew in his career quite obvious. The Spaniard won more than 60% of his career titles on clay. Just as Nadal has a fantastic record on clay, Federer has a stupendous one on grass, albeit to a lesser extent.
Federer was arguably the better player on hard courts than Nadal. The Swiss maestro also won five consecutive US Open and five straight Wimbledon titles, feats that are yet to be surpassed. As hard courts are the prevalent surface on the Tour, Federer’s legacy is slightly more significant than the Spaniard’s.
Praising his versatility, Jimmy Connors said (via the aforementioned source):
"In the modern game, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist or a hard court specialist ... or you're Roger Federer"
Moreover, Nadal was strictly a baseliner with a relatively ordinary serve. Federer, meanwhile, was as comfortable playing volleys as he was on the baseline, aside from having a very good serve.