OK Roger is the more successful player sure. But is he the better player? I am a Roger fan but I want to discuss the issue objectively. Infact, I have decided to assign points out of 5 to each component of their game, lets see what comes up!
1. Serve- Rafa is bullshit compared to Roger. Roger's serve gets him out of trouble like no other weapon can. So Rafa-2 Roger-5
2. Backhand- Roger's backhand is no match for Rafa's in my opinion. Rafa pulls off the most amazing crosscourts with his double handed backhands. So Rafa-5 Roger-3
3. Forehand- Well the serve and backhand was quite obvious, but who's got the better forehand? Its very very hard to say, but I am inclined to give Roger the edge. So Rafa-4 Roger-5
4. Unforced Errors and Shot control- Though Roger pulls off more spectacular shots I dont think he controls ALL his shots as well as Rafa. He is much more inclined to make an unforced error.
So Rafa- 5, Roger-4
5. Tenacity, Stamina and Speed- Phew this one is close! But I think Rafa holds the edge. He just doesnt give up on anything does he? So Rafa- 5, Roger-4
6. Court awareness, intelligence and presence of mind- I think we have to hand this one to Roger. He is very sharp, although Nadal is no minion himself! So Rafa-4, Roger-5
7. Passing shots, lobs, half volleys, smashes, net presence- I have seen them both pull off the most amazing shots as far as tyhis area is concerned. So I think its fair to say that they are equal. So Rafa-5, Roger-5
Ergo, Rafa's tally comes to 30 and Roger's tally comes to 31. It seems Roger is the better player and that's what my heart says. Do you guys agree or disagree? Please be fair and feel free to opinionate your scores on the factors I have mentioned or better add some factors if I left them out!
Just to clarify guys dont debate over whether Fed or nadal should be given 4 and 4 instead of 5 and 5. I am not trying to rate Fed or Rafa per se out of 5, I am just seeing their score vis-a-vis each other. So if you think Roger and Rafa deserve only a 4 each on their backhand and Nalbandian deserves 5 then you are jsut wasting your time. Its good enough to say that both should get 5. Remember my question is one of comparison and not appraisal of both these players.
1. Serve- Rafa is bullshit compared to Roger. Roger's serve gets him out of trouble like no other weapon can. So Rafa-2 Roger-5
2. Backhand- Roger's backhand is no match for Rafa's in my opinion. Rafa pulls off the most amazing crosscourts with his double handed backhands. So Rafa-5 Roger-3
3. Forehand- Well the serve and backhand was quite obvious, but who's got the better forehand? Its very very hard to say, but I am inclined to give Roger the edge. So Rafa-4 Roger-5
4. Unforced Errors and Shot control- Though Roger pulls off more spectacular shots I dont think he controls ALL his shots as well as Rafa. He is much more inclined to make an unforced error.
So Rafa- 5, Roger-4
5. Tenacity, Stamina and Speed- Phew this one is close! But I think Rafa holds the edge. He just doesnt give up on anything does he? So Rafa- 5, Roger-4
6. Court awareness, intelligence and presence of mind- I think we have to hand this one to Roger. He is very sharp, although Nadal is no minion himself! So Rafa-4, Roger-5
7. Passing shots, lobs, half volleys, smashes, net presence- I have seen them both pull off the most amazing shots as far as tyhis area is concerned. So I think its fair to say that they are equal. So Rafa-5, Roger-5
Ergo, Rafa's tally comes to 30 and Roger's tally comes to 31. It seems Roger is the better player and that's what my heart says. Do you guys agree or disagree? Please be fair and feel free to opinionate your scores on the factors I have mentioned or better add some factors if I left them out!
Just to clarify guys dont debate over whether Fed or nadal should be given 4 and 4 instead of 5 and 5. I am not trying to rate Fed or Rafa per se out of 5, I am just seeing their score vis-a-vis each other. So if you think Roger and Rafa deserve only a 4 each on their backhand and Nalbandian deserves 5 then you are jsut wasting your time. Its good enough to say that both should get 5. Remember my question is one of comparison and not appraisal of both these players.