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Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer: 5 reasons why it's not outrageous to suggest Nadal is the greater player

2017 Australian Open - Day 14
Rafael Nadal (L) and Roger Federer at the 2017 Australian Open

Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer is a rivalry that has spanned more than a decade. And it has, at times, been considered bigger than the sport of tennis itself.

Having met for the first time back in 2004, the pair have collided a staggering 38 times. While Federer has won the last five meetings, it is Nadal who dominates the head-to-head 23 to 15.

There will always be a debate as to who is the greatest men's singles player of the Open Era., and these two legends are always at the forefront of that debate. Here, I present five reasons why it is not Roger Federer but Rafael Nadal who holds that honour.


#1 Head-to-head record

It is not always justified to compare two players solely based on their head-to-head record, because there is always this one lesser player who has a better head-to-head against an objectively superior player. For example, Nikolay Davyedenko has a positive head-to-head record against Nadal (6-5), but no one in their right mind will suggest Davydenko was better than the Spaniard.

However, Nadal and Federer are in the same bracket of achievements, and so it becomes a bit easier to compare them on the basis of head-to-head. As mentioned above, Nadal leads 23-15 overall, but there's even more to this than seems apparent at first glance.

Federer leads the head-to-head on hardcourts 11-9 and 2-1 on grass. The big distinction, however, is that Federer has only been able to win just twice in 15 matches on clay.

In Grand Slams, Nadal holds the edge 9-3 - with a 5-0 record at the French Open. Even though Federer leads the head-to-head on hardcourts, he has only managed one victory in four attempts against Nadal at the Australian Open.

Nadal has also won more sets (67) than Federer (50), and more points too (3,670 as compared to 3,596).

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