Nadal Sets New Slam Winning Streak

With this years win at the French Open Nadal has now won at least one slam in 9 consecutive years starting with his first win way back in 2005. This is a new record. The previous record was 8 consecutive years and was jointly held by Borg, Sampras and Federer.

For a player who many thought might have a relatively short career to end up as one of the most enduring is remarkable.

It is certainly a remarkable achievement, and one that will take quite something to equal, let alone surpass. With his near-invincibility at RG, he can more than likely keep the run going.  All credit to him.

Of the names you mention, it is Borg who (as so often from my personal perspective) gives food for thought. One can't help wonder just how much more he might have gone on to accomplish had he not left the sport so very early. Of course, it's perfectly possible that he may have never won another Slam - especially given the diminished level of motivation to which he later referred. But the pity is that we shall never know ........  

I often wonder if the man inside harbours regrets at leaving the game so early given the talent he had.
He was similar to Nadal in many respects.

Also Borg did it in completely different era (a more difficult one). imho Borg's achievement is greater.

What a guy.

Borg is a serious contender for GOAT in my opinion. His achievements were targeting, and lest we forget he won the most emphatic FO's on record, even more so than Nadal.

Of course he then skipped across the Cannel and won on the polar opposite surface, not like today.

Everyone always says how Borg left the game "early" and of course he was relatively young when he retired. I was therefore surprised to discover that he was a slam winner for eight consecutive years sharing a record for length of time at the top. So surprised that I had to double check that it was correct. Maybe it's difficult for many reasons to maintain such a high standard over a long time period?

Nadal could have quit last year as well- but he stayed on to win in a ninth in a row.

Borg was 3 months off his 27th birthday when he retired, so he wasn't that young and he had achieved a lot. I think he may well have regained some of that hunger and desire, but I'm of the opinion he saw the rising talents as well as his loss of appetite as a catalyst to retire.

Being depressed in your chosen job is a vicious circle.

Red wrote:Nadal could have quit last year as well- but he stayed on to win in a ninth in a row.

y? coz he lost to lukas Rosol?

invisiblecoolers wrote:

Red wrote:Nadal could have quit last year as well- but he stayed on to win in a ninth in a row.

y? coz he lost to lukas Rosol?

Well, any reason could be a catalyst for quitting.
If he say Rosol as such a threat that he though he wouldn't be able to win another slam, I suppose so.

But that fact is, he didn't quit, and now he's broken the record of how many consecutive years you can win slams in.

Djokovic is currently on 3- I don't think he has a chance of getting to 9 considering he is only one year younger than Nadal.

_homogenised_ wrote:Also Borg did it in completely different era (a more difficult one).  imho Borg's achievement is greater.

That's an interesting opinion. I presume that means you don't rate any player today as highly as players back in that more difficult era?

Lol HE, good point. Some of these posters want it both ways.

Jubba, after losing to Mac at US81 Borg's career was done...he won 2 more ATP matches. At US81 he was 25y 2m...ridiculously young to retire but the fight just suddenly went out of him. Just like it did with Coria after Nadal got his number. This sudden downturn is Borg's only blemish.

Another interesting point about all those Wimb-RG doubles Borg won is that the English summers 76-80 were nearly all hot and dry...not that his achievements weren't stellar because they were but they were aided a little bit by fantastic weather...it rarely seemed to rain at Wimbledon back in the 70s, surely everyone remembers the worn out courts every year.

Lydian, do you see any of the current players breaking this record?

No, Djokovic has best chance but he needs 7 more years to beat Nadal which would put him to 33yo...can't see him winning a slam every year up to that point, not impossible though.

Yeah, it would take a remarkable effort from Djokovic to overhaul this.

Not sure it's that consequential a record TBH though.

lydian


Lol HE, good point. Some of these posters want it both ways.

Jubba, after losing to Mac at US81 Borg's career was done...he won 2 more ATP matches. At US81 he was 25y 2m...ridiculously young to retire but the fight just suddenly went out of him. Just like it did with Coria after Nadal got his number. This sudden downturn is Borg's only blemish.

Another interesting point about all those Wimb-RG doubles Borg won is that the English summers 76-80 were nearly all hot and dry...not that his achievements weren't stellar because they were but they were aided a little bit by fantastic weather...it rarely seemed to rain at Wimbledon back in the 70s, surely everyone remembers the worn out courts every year.



I had to check that retirement year, didnt seem right but I trusted wiki...meh !

Yep, he was just 25 which jolted my memory into gear, 27 didn't sound right when at the time, we were all saying it was unbelievable news. 10 years on from that and I remember a conversation in which I said Borg could have won more if he hadn't retired, based on the fact that the players around a couple of years after, were not that better than he was in his heyday. The fact that his comeback resulted in a comedic tenure on the pro tour for about 3 yrs because he insisted on using wooden racquets only proves for me that if he had stayed the course and embraced the new technology he could have won some titles, but when your hunger implodes, it takes a lot to get it back. Maybe, with the lightweight racquets that were coming on the scene, he would have enjoyed the same kind of success he had on the seniors tour when he switched over from wooden pads.

Now he becomes the Greatest player ever to take the tennis racquet .

^ Take a few deep breaths, calm down and try not to get upset. Nadal already is one of the greatest players. He doesn't need this extra stat to prove it.

hawkeye wrote:^ Take a few deep breaths, calm down and try not to get upset. Nadal already is one of the greatest players. He doesn't need this extra stat to prove it.

Thats what exactly you have to say to yourself , we all know how good Nadal is and where is place in history stands for, your getting over excited of late, so you have to follow your advice and take deep breaths and relax ,if this stats makes him the "THE GREATEST PLAYER OF ALL TIME" for you so be it, atleast it will make you happy.

I go with your belief.

hawkeye wrote:^ Take a few deep breaths, calm down and try not to get upset. Nadal already is one of the greatest players. He doesn't need this extra stat to prove it.

This is what prompted me to ask why these stats are being put up in the first place, like the h2hs, the slam streak, the MC streak, etc. To educate the anti-Nadalites?

Whoever is living inside a CVAC, should come out now, because Nadal has been doing this since 2005.

Maybe it's just to celebrate a good achievement of Nadal?

laverfan wrote:

This is what prompted me to ask why these stats are being put up in the first place, like the h2hs, the slam streak, the MC streak, etc. To educate the anti-Nadalites?

In this case because a record has been broken. Quite a long standing record as Borg made it. (Sampras and Federer matched it). It is the sort of record that won't get broken often. I presume that's a good enough reason to mention it. "anti-Nadilites"? How scary!

Red wrote:Maybe it's just to celebrate a good achievement of Nadal?

How many different threads you need 1000?, if Fed fans open 1000 threads, Djoko fans open 1000 threads and Lukas Rosol fans open 100 threads the forum will be full of sh--- and spam, do you need that.

Well celebrating is acceptable but at the same time bundle them all and the fan boys and girls can make merry in that thread.

I remember the old 606 had Rafito fan girls club and that thread was quite popular however got locked several times for spamming

Who exactly is writing sh** or spamming here?

HE has written two pro-Nadal threads in recent times- one with this achievement, and the other with a positive head2head against the top 20. There's nothing wrong with that at all, and I would be happy if Murray wins Wimbledon and breaks a certain record if Murray fans were to write articles stating that etc.

I think in this position it's actually you who appears to be uncomfortable at the fact Nadal has achieved this and thus are showing an agitated and rude reaction. 
I can't remember any 'Rafito fan girls club' btw, whatever that was.

laverfan wrote:To educate the anti-Nadalites?

Whoever is living inside a CVAC, should come out now, because Nadal has been doing this since 2005.

Well he only recently broke the record, I am aware he has been playing good tennis since 2005.

And what exactly do you mean 'anti-Nadalites'? Are you saying we need their permission before anyone writes a thread? Who exactly are these 'anti-Nadalities'?

I think it's pretty clear that the sole reason people are getting annoyed is that some hate Nadal so much to the extent that any article that can even be construed as even a bit pro-Nadal will result in the author getting abused and attacked for no apparent reason.

If Murray wins Wimbledon and Murray fans write a few threads discussing the different British records he can be proud of, or Federer wins Wimbledon and Federer fans discuss the new records he would set with that victory; would people be complaining? Not a chance I don't think.

hawkeye wrote:

_homogenised_ wrote:Also Borg did it in completely different era (a more difficult one).  imho Borg's achievement is greater.

That's an interesting opinion. I presume that means you don't rate any player today as highly as players back in that more difficult era?

You're right in a way.  I think what Borg did (the 6 FO 5 Wimb) is the greatest achievement in tennis.  Not to mention he only entered Aussie Open once(?).  Borg managed to win the two opposite slams 5 times each, 5 cons at Wilmbledon in an era where the surfaces were completely different, and so were conditions.  I place that achievement above ANY other.   Federer would have adapted well to the older conditions because he has an immense amount of talent (like Borg), but there is no way to know how he would have fared, or how Borg would fare in today's power game.

In any case, although I see Federer as the GOAT, Borg is the one challenger to it.  I have no problem with anyone who places Borg above Federer.  Maybe there is a double GOAT One thing is for sure, it will never be Nadal, because he simply doesn't possess the beauty, touch, brains and talent that those two do, regardless of how many titles he has.

_homogenised_ wrote: doesn't possess the beauty, touch, brains and talent that those two do, regardless of how many titles he has.

I, along with millions of others, would say that Nadal's game is beautiful as well as thrilling or entertaining. I would say he has a fantastic touch and is extremely talented. In terms of 'brains'- I think mentally he's right up there, reading the opponent's next move and anticipation is vital to Nadal's game.

Lol, I think it became clear a while ago homogenised isn't a member of Vamos Brigade

You have to love armchair warriors glibly assessing the talent of a pro tennis player joint 3rd on the all time slam total. Do people who make these off the cuff assessments play the game to any decent level?

Not only do I love his game, so do millions of others.

Do you have proof of that? And Federer has the majority

Of course I have proof of that- I am part of Nadal forums and go very regularly to clubs and tournaments and I can see the impact Nadal has.

Red wrote:Who exactly is writing sh** or spamming here?

HE has written two pro-Nadal threads in recent times- one with this achievement, and the other with a positive head2head against the top 20. There's nothing wrong with that at all, and I would be happy if Murray wins Wimbledon and breaks a certain record if Murray fans were to write articles stating that etc.

For the stats purpose this 3rd thread in less than 3-4 days.

Red wrote:I think in this position it's actually you who appears to be uncomfortable at the fact Nadal has achieved this and thus are showing an agitated and rude reaction. 
I can't remember any 'Rafito fan girls club' btw, whatever that was.

Thats short minded thinking again, I am neither a fan nor do I dis like him let alone hate him, I do wish to see him win more slams, indeed I would any day prefer Nadal over Djokovic. I do like him for the human being he is let alone a great player, i have openly said in several threads how much he is meant for Tennis.

The problem with Rafito fan girls is that they get over excited and think world belongs to them, that does irritate, who asked you not to celebrate his success? Just requested bundle all of them into 1 single thread so you fan girls and fan boys can make merry in it without disturbing the rest.

I certainly don't think thats difficult to understand.

@Rafito fans club, ask the old originals 606 members and they will explain you about it.

invisiblecoolers wrote:

For the stats purpose this 3rd thread in less than 3-4 days.

And what exactly is wrong with that? Only two of them were to do with Nadal, and there's no problem at all with that.

invisiblecoolers wrote:The problem with Rafito fan girls is that they get over excited and think world belongs to them, that does irritate

Firstly can you stop labelling Nadal fans, 'Rafito fan girls'- it's degrading. I'm not a girl, and I like tennis as well as Nadal.
And where on earth has anyone said that the world belongs to them? What a bizarre line.

invisiblecoolers wrote:Just requested bundle all of them into 1 single thread so you fan girls and fan boys can make merry in it without disturbing the rest.

And why exactly does a positive thread about Nadal 'disturb' the rest. I have seen many positive articles all over the forum on many players- and there's nothing wrong with that.
To somehow say that there can't be two threads that are different in content- just because they contain something positive about Nadal, is an absolute disgrace. I think your 'disturb' line says a lot though- I think there are many on this forum who are genuinely disturbed and mentally affected whenever they see a thread that can be construed as pro-Nadal.

This is a fantastic achievement and has not been repeated by anyone so far in tennis history- especially considering people for saying that Nadal would be retired by the age of 23 and have no longevity.

Borg and Rafa won one for every year of their career (as an adult - from age 18). That's an achievement to be sure.

Of course, if Roger had won a slam in 2011 he would currently be on 10 in a row - and counting.

It's a good achievement by Rafa but in the final analysis it's not as important as the overall slam record. What will be cause for celebration for Rafa's fans would be getting that.

I don't think it's as important as even some of Nadal's other records, but I think it's pretty remarkable.

Many people thought this guy would be done by 23, some have predicted he's sliding down a a slippery slope without much friction every year since 2006; to win slams for 9 years in a row is something that not many people expected.

As for your latter point, we can basically rule out Nadal's chances of coming close to Roger's total- it's not much of a possibility.

Love the trench-war.

iC is referring to Wooffie threads, Red.

What trench war LF?

The only people really coming here and making derogatory comments that are irrelevant to the thread are you and Invisible Coolers.

I don't resent Ralitos putting up these 'records'.

After all, they've had to read about 7 Wimbedons, 17 Slams, 302 weeks at #1, 18 Slam finals in 19 events, countless consecutive Slam semis and quarters, most Y/e titles, most consecutive grass court wins, longest set winning streaks, and countless other records most of which are untouchable.

If people want to put up threads celebrating Federer- that's fine by me.

Federer's achievements don't make Nadal's worse, and Nadal's don't make Federer's better.

Red wrote:What trench war LF?

The only people really coming here and making derogatory comments that are irrelevant to the thread are you and Invisible Coolers.

OMG, what derogatory comment did we make , just requested to bundle all celebration of one player to one particular thread than spamming, and if this is derogatory no idea what word you will use when people have gone abusive and personal comments .

Anyways on a lighter note , I already said to HE that if these stats make Rafa "THE GREATEST TENNIS PLAYER OF ALL TIME" so be it, alteast it could make 2 people happy, I buy your theorem.

So can we please stop 1000's of thread for an accepted belief?

Lol BB, careful, spouting out records in a long list like that will have you deemed a Fedalito Fanboy. At the end of the day we all know the only record that truly counts is slam number. That's the hard currency modern tennis achievement has become defined by. Lets see where all these current guys ended up when they're playing on the Champions Tour...however, 17 is unlikely to be beaten by anyone anytime soon.

@ Red, if you not a girl thats fine, but on old 606 most of the Rafa fans happen to be girls, and they were proud of Rafito fan girls, they are the one who invented it not me.

Btw its proud to be a girl nothing to be ashamed of, your mom is a girl too.

I do love "Rafito Fan girls" phrase and will use it in general, if you don't belong to that category I understand and its not for you, but it applies to those who belong to that category.

lydian wrote:however, 17 is unlikely to be beaten by anyone anytime soon.

I am not sure about that, Rafa needs just 5 more to equal and 6 more to break it, its well possible, outside Rafa I don't think so somebody will do it for the near future, may be another generation.

lydian wrote:Lol BB, careful, spouting out records in a long list like that will have you deemed a Fedalito Fanboy.

Well atleast BB doesn't open 1000's of threads and brag of Fed's records, the day he does he can rightly claim that tag, for the moment its withheld and he don't deserve it.

lydian wrote:Lol BB, careful, spouting out records in a long list like that will have you deemed a Fedalito Fanboy. At the end of the day we all know the only record that truly counts is slam number. That's the hard currency modern tennis achievement has become defined by. Lets see where all these current guys ended up when they're playing on the Champions Tour...however, 17 is unlikely to be beaten by anyone anytime soon.

The accepted term is 'Fed-worshipper', I believe.

Thanks JHM, its good to get the nomenclature of fawning correct.

lydian wrote:...the nomenclature of fawning...

Is that a David Sylvian CD?