Rafael Nadal 'statistically' better than Roger Federer at the age of 34

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will leave quite a legacy behind once they call time on their illustrious tennis careers. While people may debate over who is the greatest player of all time 'GOAT', both the tennis stars have gone onto create history by winning 20 and 19 Grand Slam titles respectively, which is the most in the history of the game. The 'Fedal' rivalry have also gone onto produce memorable matches, which will be remembered by fans for years.

Also Read: Rafael Nadal Turns 34: World No.2 Expresses Conditional Desire To Play In French Open 2020

Patrick McEnroe tweet on Raafel Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Recently on the Rafael Nadal birthday occasion, an old tweet of Patrick McEnroe from 2015 surfaced online in which he wrote about the rankings of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic when they will turn 34. Five years since the tweet, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have firmly held onto the top two spots in the ATP rankings. While Novak Djokovic is currently ranked No.1 in the world, Rafael Nadal holds the second spot in the rankings.

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While the Patrick McEnroe tweet at that time was a tribute to Roger Federer's accomplishment at the age of 34, he had clearly underestimated the abilities of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic back then. Five years down the line, the scenario has been completely different, While Novak Djokovic is yet to turn 34, statistically Rafael Nadal is probably a better player at the same age as compared to Roger Federer. Nadal turned 34 on Wednesday.

Also Read: Roger Federer Branded 'selfish' By Australian Player For Not Wanting Tennis Without Fans

Rafael Nadal holds edge over Roger Federer at Grand Slam events

Coming to Grand Slam records, Rafael Nadal currently has 19 Grand Slam trophies, while Roger Federer had won just 17 Grand Slam titles when he was just 34

Rafael Nadal won 19 Grand Slam titles in just 59 appearances, while Roger Federer had won 17 Grand Slam titles from 64 appearances.

Since celebrating his 30th birthday, Rafael Nadal has picked up five Grand Slam titles, which is a record in the Open Era, while Roger Federer has won just four Grand Slam titles after turning 30.

Rafael Nadal, at the age of 34, has won 35 Masters 1000 titles, which is 12 more than Roger Federer's tally of 23 at the same age.

Also Read: Rafael Nadal's 'ideal Player' Would Have Federer's Forehand And Djokovic's Backhand

Rafael Nadal's record at the international level compared to Roger Federer

Coming to international tournaments, Rafael Nadal fares much better than Roger Federer. Nadal has so far won five Davis Cup titles with Spain, while Roger Federer has won just one title. At the Olympics, Nadal has two Olympic gold medals - one in singles and one in doubles, while Federer has won one gold medal in doubles and a silver in singles.

Roger Federer betters Rafael Nadal in year-end championships and weeks at No. 1

While Rafael Nadal holds the advantage over Roger Federer in terms of Grand Slam titles and international trophies, the Swiss holds an edge over the Spaniard in terms of year-end championships and weeks at the No.1 ranking. Roger Federer has won as many as 6 year-end championships by the time he turned 34, while Rafael Nadal is yet to win one. Also, while Federer had been ranked World No.1 for a record 302 weeks at that age, the Spaniard has so far held the top spot for 209 weeks.

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