Roger Federer should blame himself for rival Rafael Nadal’s incredible success, according a famous tennis insider. In fact, the tennis influencer Bastien Fachan has shared a theory regarding the careers of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, as reported by the express.co.uk website.
The famous tennis influencer pointed out that a young Nadal was personally invited by Federer to watch his Indian Wells clash with Juan Ignacio Chela at Indian Wells 2004 in his private box. Federer could very well have avoided Nadal’s challenge, and this was said by Fachan.
As noted by Fachan, the invitation gave Nadal an eagle-eyed view of Federer from the front seat, allowing him to analyze every part of his game, up close and personal.
Tennis influencer: Roger Federer should blame himself for Rafael Nadal’s rise
Just over a week later the two met for the first time in Miami and, having taken home best 10 days earlier, Nadal knew his opponent’s game inside out.
And he used that to his advantage, targeting Federer’s weakness on the left side and subsequently defeating the then world No. 1. This ushered in an era of dominance for the Spaniard and, as Fachan described it, a mental edge over Federer.
Nadal went on to win six of his first seven matches against the Swiss legend, winning four French Open crowns in four years, as well as the 2008 Wimbledon title ahead of Federer. Both Federer and Nadal are two of tennis’ greatest competitors ever, forming two sides of the three-way GOAT debate with Novak Djokovic.
Federer has long dominated the debate, having started his career just before Nadal and Djokovic. Despite this, his two rivals have since recovered, both surpassing the Swiss great’s record of 20 Grand Slam victories. Below you can read the tweet of the tennis influencer Bastien Fachan:
At 2004 Indian Wells, Federer invited a 17-year-old Nadal in his box – inadvertently creating a butterfly effect that would change the course of his career
Let’s go back 19 years… 𧵠pic.twitter.com/CB96qf6mq5 — Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) March 8, 2023
Source: Tennis World USA
