“Unfair Advantage”: Three-Time French Open Champion on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s Unparalleled Dominance

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both won 20 Grand Slams each. The pair, usually known as ‘Fedal’, has made a significant impact on tennis in the last 15 years. However, tennis legend Gustavo Kuerten believes that as compared to the players of the previous generation, they both enjoy an unfair advantage.

“The fact is that life is going to change a lot over the next 50 years, and this is a reflection of what is to come. Nadal and Federer have five or eight years of extra tennis life compared to previous generations. If you think about a 15-year career, it’s 50 percent more than a ten-year career. They started before us and will finish later,” said the 44-year-old Kuerten.

The 3-time French Open winner Kuerten clearly pointed out that earlier players used to have a 10 to 12 year-long career. This provided them with fewer opportunities as compared to the ones playing right now. These days, players usually have a career of at least 15 years, which can extend to 20 years.

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‘Has science at its disposal’- Kuerten on the generation of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Kuerten also emphasized the importance of science and technology, which has helped these players play for so long. The Brazilian believes that advancement in medicine has also yielded good results for them.

“They are from a generation that has science at its disposal, they have the physical capacity to do things much better for much longer. And their time is decisive,” added Kuerten. He also talked further about the significance of technology.

The 44-year-old even mentioned that it was due to betterment in the levels of technology that kept players competitive even till the age of 40. “Tennis players will play for 20 years and will still be competitive at 40. And that’s when they have to try to play well at 35, at 38,” concluded a critical Kuerten.

There is not even an iota of doubt that Kuerten was talking about Federer. The Swiss last won a Grand Slam two years back when he lifted his 6th Australian Open title in 2018. He was 36 then. He is 39 now. But he still managed to reach the semis of the Australian Open 2020. It is likely that Federer will return to the court at the Australian Open 2021. He will want to win it and take the lead once again in the Grand Slam tally.

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