The former coach of Rafael Nadal has said ‘statistic’s‘ prove that Novak Djokovic’s win over Roger Federer at Wimbledon on Sunday was not as good as the 2008 final.
Toni Nadal spoke out about the match during an interview with COPE and Radio Marca. Djokovic required five hours to defeat his Swiss rival in a marathon encounter at The All England Club. Saving two match points on route. The clash saw the use of a final set tiebreaker for the first time in a Wimbledon final. During the clash the world No.1 hit 54 winners to 52 unforced errors and saved six out of the 13 break points he faced. Handing Djokovic the 16th grand slam title of his career.
Despite the triumph, 58-year-old Nadal believes the 2008 final contested between Federer and his nephew Rafael was of higher quality. That match lasted 4 hours and 48 minutes with Rafael winning 9-7 in the final set to claim his first title at the grand slam.
“It was a very good and lively match for the fans,” Toni Nadal said.
“It had all the ingredients that it could’ve had, with Federer’s two match-points, the length [of the match] … although the data shows that the 2008 final was better.”
In this year’s tournament, Rafael lost in the semi-finals to Federer. The Spaniard hasn’t reached the final of the event since 2011 and hasn’t won the title since 2010. Wimbledon is his worst performing grand slam in terms of matches won. His current win-loss record stands at 53-12. In contrast, at the French Open, where he has won the title more times than any other player, it is 93-2.
“I said that [Rafa] Nadal would come close at Wimbledon because he won in Rome and Roland Garros, and was in a great place mentally.” Said former coach Nadal.
“He didn’t play his best tennis in the semi-finals, he wasn’t like he was on other days.”
Both Djokovic and Rafael are closing in on Federer’s all-time grand slam record of 20. The next test for the trio will be at the upcoming US Open, which will get underway during the last week of August. Looking ahead to the major, Nadal believes defending champion Djokovic is the favourite to win. The Serbian won the last four out of five major tournaments.
“Today, I see Djokovic as favourite for the US Open because he’s won Wimbledon and the Australian Open [this year], but the three are very close,” he concluded.
