How good would Nadal be if he was right handed

[tpatennis]

Just having a debate with a friend. How good would Nadal be if he was right handed. What would his highest ranking be? How would his game be different and because he wouldn't be quite so good, would he not have the confidence and intimidation factor we see from him now? and would this lead to him being ordinary? He would still be an amazing athlete though!

I know its hard to say but just wondered what you all thought.

Thanks

Tom Allsopp

https://www.tpatennis.net

[tennis_chiro]

Nadal's greatest strength

Just having a debate with a friend. How good would Nadal be if he was right handed. What would his highest ranking be? How would his game be different and because he wouldn't be quite so good, would he not have the confidence and intimidation factor we see from him now? and would this lead to him being ordinary? He would still be an amazing athlete though!

I know its hard to say but just wondered what you all thought.

Thanks

Tom Allsopp

www.tpatennis.net

Tom,
I used to say that the clear advantage Rafa had over everyone else was that even as his opponent was about to put away a sitter/bounce overhead at the net, Rafa still believed he was going to win the point...and he would do anything to make that belief reality. Lately, I think a little doubt has crept in. If he hadn't been so dominant, would he still have been able to develop this mindset? I don't think the fact that Federer kept him at #2 for so long really diminished that belief. Again, on the other hand, with what Nole has done to him lately, I'm not so sure. But if he had been a right hander, do you realize he would be regularly serving in the mid 140's. Remember, he is a natural right-hander. Imagine having to deal with that! In the same vein, what if Rosewall had been a lefty? He was a natural lefty. The backhand was fabulous, but what set him apart was mostly his mind. But maybe with a bigger serve he wouldn't have developed such good accuracy, consistency and competitive tactics.

What do you guys think?

don

[tpatennis]

The bull....

Tom,
I used to say that the clear advantage Rafa had over everyone else was that even as his opponent was about to put away a sitter/bounce overhead at the net, Rafa still believed he was going to win the point...and he would do anything to make that belief reality. Lately, I think a little doubt has crept in. If he hadn't been so dominant, would he still have been able to develop this mindset? I don't think the fact that Federer kept him at #2 for so long really diminished that belief. Again, on the other hand, with what Nole has done to him lately, I'm not so sure. But if he had been a right hander, do you realize he would be regularly serving in the mid 140's. Remember, he is a natural right-hander. Imagine having to deal with that! In the same vein, what if Rosewall had been a lefty? He was a natural lefty. The backhand was fabulous, but what set him apart was mostly his mind. But maybe with a bigger serve he wouldn't have developed such good accuracy, consistency and competitive tactics.

What do you guys think?

don

Exactly! thats what I was thinking although you make a good point about the 140mph serve. But yeah, I think he suffers from confidence. If Federer or definitely Sampras lose 5 matches in a row they still believed they will win but as we see from Nadal after his Djokovic defeats his mindset is built on winning and felling good. If he was 15 in the world he wouldn't be as mentally tough like Canas etc... and he wouldn't have the bull on his shoes haha

-Tom Allsopp

[tennis_chiro]

Do you have to be just a little bit nuts?

Exactly! thats what I was thinking although you make a good point about the 140mph serve. But yeah, I think he suffers from confidence. If Federer or definitely Sampras lose 5 matches in a row they still believed they will win but as we see from Nadal after his Djokovic defeats his mindset is built on winning and felling good. If he was 15 in the world he wouldn't be as mentally tough like Canas etc... and he wouldn't have the bull on his shoes haha

-Tom Allsopp

It is often said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? Don't you have to be at least a little bit insane to keep taking the beating you have to take to become a good player and believing you are going to win? Haven't all great players been at least a little bit OCD? More likely a lot! As they mature and become more complete individuals, it is hard for them to maintain the necessary singular focus that the highest levels of performance require. Very few develop the mature approach to excellence that Agassi seemed to acquire as he got older. Billie Jean staring at a ball for hours on end alone in her room before Wimbledon finals! Sampras's singular focus on tennis alone to the exclusion of everything that was available for him. Various players following routines that include eating at the same restaurant every night, maybe even the same meal. Tiger had a different outlet! The mind and even the body are capable of so much, but this sport requires so much to play at the very highest level. Very few have been able to find the joy and satisfaction that Agassi (and Graf) have seemingly found from tennis and in their extended careers after the end of their competitive careers, especially among players mentioned as GOAT's.

I think Rafa has grown as a human being and he is not quite the automaton that he seemed to be just 3 years ago. Certainly, Roger's life is a lot broader than it was 4 or 5 years ago. Judging by the occasional fabulous displays Roger still puts on, his deterioration is something more than physical. Perhaps it's not deterioration at all, but simply growth. It's very tough to focus a laser on more than one spot at a time; that's the great thing about a laser: focused beams of light. Most of the "deterioration" of a tennis player in their late 20's and early 30's may not be physical at all (although I think it does play a part), but rather that they have grown so much that they can no longer generate that mind-numbing focus that is required to produce the performances they routinely brought out in their early 20's.

don

[don_budge]

Another interesting question...or two

Another interesting question might be, as long as we are speculating about the way things may of been, is how good would Nadal of been if he had two forehands? Maybe with a two handled racquet? Is that racquet really legal? What is the function of the ITF anyways? Afterall, he rarely ventures to the net so this style of play makes him a perfect candidate...especially if what tennis_chiro says is correct about his being a natural right hander.

Another interesting question is that of Nadal's golfing skills. I read recently that in 2005 he was thinking of switching over to golf because of an injury to his foot. I think that he would of been a right handed golfer...and a terrific one at that! If he could get all of that inner fire under control...otherwise it would be straight to the looney bin.