Rafael Nadal (Photo : REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)
Only three Grand Slam titles are separating Rafael Nadal to equaling the 17-major title haul of Swiss tennis great Roger Federer. At 28-year old, it appears the Spaniard has all the time in the world to even or equal that record, but history and statistics showed that Nadal may need to go through the eye of a needle to accomplish such feat.
In his recent article on Orange Live, tennis writer Douglas Perry is claiming that Nadal is actually facing an 'uphill battle' to shatter Federer's record, and he put the blame on the Spaniard's diminishing mental strength.
Over the years, Nadal has been one of the fiercest competitors in the game, winning as many as 14 Grand Slam titles and breaking multiple records to assert his claim among the greatest tennis players of all time.
While his bludgeoning style of play is simply a terror against opposing players, Nadal had separated himself from the rest with his incredible mental toughness which allowed him to pull off big comebacks and score crucial points in close matches.
Now, Nadal has admitted that he's starting to lose that calm composure under immense pressure. The nerve that used to be reliable is now erratic and costing him big matches after another. For Perry, Nadal's nerve problem is a sign that his mind 'begins to rebel' after years of playing an enormous number of tennis matches.
"Why is 28 so often the turning point for great champions? That's when players start to lose a bit of foot speed and recovery ability. But Federer is proving week after week that it's physically possible to remain a top player into your 30s. For many champions, it's the mental focus, once so reliable, that starts to pop in and out. It's a form of burnout. After more than a decade and hundreds of matches on the ATP tour, the mind begins to rebel. It wants to do other things, to relax more, listen to the birds sing and children laugh."
Nadal, who is gunning for his 10th French Open title in the next couple of months, will be tested not only by his hungry rivals (Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray) but also his poise that seems to be betraying him as of late.
