Jim Courier believes it would be very hard task for Rafael Nadal to stay competitive for a long time like Roger Federer, because of the way he approached the game, the four-time Grand Slam champion said in a recent interview via Tennis Tonic.
Courier apparently shared the same point of view with Pete Sampras and other tennis legends with regards to Federer's unprecedented longevity in the sport, adding that Nadal might never play at a high level beyond his 30s primarily because of his rough playing style.
"The amount of energy that Roger uses to hit a shot is way less than what used by Nadal when hitting his strokes. Federer interprets tennis as if it was a dance, a ballet on the court. Nadal instead, when he is playing, it looks as if he is battling," Courier said in describing the difference in styles between Federer and Nadal.
"That sort of explains why the Spaniard will not enjoy the same longevity as Roger, even though we would all love to see Rafael competing when he is 33. Credit must be given to those who taught Roger to play that way."
At the age 33, Federer has remained a force in men's tennis and even achieved greater heights this year after reaching his first Grand Slam finals in two years at the Wimbledon Open and winning his first Davis Cup title with team Switzerland.
Sampras, who retired from the sport at the age of 32, thinks the Federer is the player to watch next season despite the presence of Nadal Novak Djokovic, Marin Cilic and Stanislas Wawrinka, who are playing at the prime of their careers.
"He has put up some huge numbers there in a career that has been so phenomenal. And this year he added the Davis Cup. He is 33 and he is getting stronger day by day." Sampras said in a recent interview. "In the near future I don't see Federer slowing down. As a player it is pure pleasure watching him," Sampras said of Federer.
Meanwhile, the 28-year old Nadal has been struggling to stay in shape the past two years. While he pulled off an incredible back by winning 10 titles after missing seven months with a knee injury in 2013, Nadal's 2014 season has been marred with several injuries.
The Spaniard blew several opportunities to add more Grand Slam titles as an ugly-looking blister and back problems caught him off-guard against Wawrinka in the finals of the 2014 Australian Open, while a broken right wrist forced him to withdraw from the North American hard court season, including the US Open championship. The string of misfortunes continued when he was diagnosed with appendicitis during the Asian circuit of the ATP Tour.
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