Like I think I could probably beat an 8 year old Nadal but probably not a 12 year old Nadal. Alternatively what is the youngest version of an old Federer you think you could beat? (Assume no crazy injuries just regular old person wear and tear)
Posted Sep 16, 2021, 1:19 PM UTC
I could beat 17 year old Nadal ..... in chess
Well maybe
Omibile!
I think I could beat him in mental math. I'm pretty fast at it.
I tennis... I have never played, so maybe I could beat 5-year old nadal.
If you have never played, you honestly might not be able to beat 5-year old Nadal.
Damn, he began playing at three. I'm toast.
My tennis coaches’ 7 and 9 year old boys came to practice last week and I played doubles against them. I could not be beat them, so I don’t think I’m beating young Fed or Rafa.
No the fed version is supposed to be old, like could you beat an 80 Roger?
Ohh. Well, I could make him run but I think he’d quickly outsmart my game so… ?
I think Fed only started at 6 or 7 so you might have a shot, Rafa was hitting with Toni from 2 or 3 so much less likely
Long but relevant story -
I used to coach in summer tennis camp at a major university (never played on a team growing up or had my own lessons but was self taught and had access to the school facilities so watched a lot of tennis and played a lot).
I was good enough to warm up with most of the older kids (camp was 5 years old through some high schoolers) and appear competent and not embarrass myself. Many kids thought I was on the team, even (they won’t make good recruiters).
Anyways I was always the coach for the youngest group of kids so we would play drills and fun games is all. That way the real coaching was done with the real players.
Anyways, one morning this 7th grade girl (I was a 23 year old 6’ 5” tall boy) challenged me to play a set. She had been playing tennis her whole life with lessons and camps constantly. She was one of the best in her age group at the camps. I figured I could barely beat her.
She bageled me, 6-0.
From then on I told people my skill level was just below “7th grade girl who takes lessons.”
tl;dr most of us couldn’t beat an 8 year old Nadal and certainly not a 12 year old.
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35-year-old Federer immediately after knee surgery MAYBE
Hurry! Before the anaesthesia wears off
Proceeds to double fault the game away. Knocked-out Rog, up 1 game to 0.
Wouldn't you want it to wear off so you have a chance
Like, 10 minutes after knee surgery you mean?
Still wobbly with anaesthetic
Best I could do is probably Federer during knee surgery
And Fed could only hit with an IV bag, not a racquet.
Preferably on heavy anaesthesia.
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Nadal really is the Itachi of tennis isn't he lol
Now I'm trying to figure out who all of the top players from that era match with their counterparts in Naruto. Full analysis after I rewatch the series
Djokovic = Sasuke (also prodigy, very similar to Itachi but peaked later than Itachi and eventually surpassed him as well | seen as villain at times with a temper)
Federer = Kakashi (chill, genius known for all-around skills, coming up with new moves, and not known for physical prowess | later surpassed by younger main characters)
Wawrinka - Gai. Not regarded as the best but when he opens 8 gates turns into Stanimal he is the strongest.
Damn, I wasn’t prepared for this.
I was going to go with Obito for Djokovic lol. Starts out as a jokester and then dominates with no mercy
Madara is veganism in this analogy
I've always seen Djokovic as Madara and Roger as Hashirama.
Please don't ruin Kakashi for me
djokovic = naruto, you can not change my mind on this
Yeah but everyone loves Naruto at the end, this sub definitely doesn't share the sentiment ha
did you not watch the us open finals?
Prob 9 year old because that’s before you can get super muscular and his endurance might not be great but I think anyone saying anything past 13 that isn’t pro themselves needs a app in the face
You don't think 9 year olds have great endurance? Have you ever met literally any 9 year olds? They're boundless energy lmfao
I could dominate the fetal Nadal!
That's the new Fedal. Fe(tal)(Na)dal
Quick google search says he started playing tennis at age 4. So my answer is 3 year old Nadal.
I could beat 10 year old Nadal.
Idk why this is so controversial: I am a D2 college tennis player…
I don’t think I could even beat 13 year old Nadal, but 10? Probably.
I saw a video of 14 year old nadal and that kid was unreal. But a D2 player should beat a 10-12 year old Nadal I would think
Yeah I'd agree. The height imbalance alone and advantage on serve should push you over the edge
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At 15 he beat a mid thirties Pat Cash, he would easily beat all non professional tennis players
Yeah everyone on this sub knows that you’re D2 player lmfao
Yeah, I'm somewhere around there, too. I definitely could not beat 13-year-old Nadal. It probably comes down to at what age Nadal could handle a 110 mph serve.
I'll go with 7 and 70. I could beat a 7 year old Nadal or a 70 year old Federer
I feel like 70 year old Fed is gonna be way better than 7 year old Nadal.
I think a 70 yo Federer wouldn't have enough power or speed to be a real threat. Compare to a 7 yo Nadal who can run faster than I can at 34.
He would serve soooo much harder than the 7 year old. And probably smack winners off most of your serves.
I think you get real degeneration around 80-85 for people who have been in peak condition most of their lives like him. I mean, he’s 40 now so he’s obviously going to age tremendously well…
Actually, I think you're right. I'm going to revise my numbers to 8 and 80
Basically 80 YO Fed will hold all his serves, and smack any weak serves into oblivion. It would be 6-2 or 6-3 for Fed in the absolute best case scenario for me
there’s a guy at my club who is mid 70s, still computer rated 4.0. he loses more matches than he wins, but he is still winning at 4.0 in his mid 70s. super crafty, perfectly placed lobs and dropshots. has zero problem dealing with pace. can’t run, but positions himself well enough. i’d like to think that 70 yo Roger could still compete at a very high club level
These guys won’t win singles matches though. You have to be able to run.
Doubles though, watch out.
no i’m actually talking about singles. i have his USTA record pulled up and he won three singles matches at 4.0 this season. i’m not gonna link it here for privacy reasons.
one time i told him i hope to be able to play at his level when i’m his age. he told me no - we should both hope to play at this level when we are 90.
epic. really inspiring!
Have you not seen 60+ year Macenroe or Borg play? They're way slower than when young but the skills are all there.
McEnroe and Borg are your not average club level 60-70 year olds
I have a 70 year old tennis player at my club who is a very good player 70 year old fed would destroy us. I’m not great by any means but I can hold my own against decent coaches at my club
I highly doubt anyone that’s not a college level player could beat a 70 year old Fed. I’ve played on 4.0 teams with guys pushing 70. They stuck to doubles but they were competitive and none of them were 20 time major winners.
That sounds about right. McEnroe is 62 and I'm sure he would beat the crap out of me. But 70 sounds like I could out lob him.
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You are overestimating how well an average r/tennis redditor can play tennis. I've been playing tennis on and off for a few years and I still suck at it.
Hah sorry I don’t mean the average redditor on this sub. I mean the average solid tennis player.
By anyone on this sub, I mean there are some solid players here, but even then, by that age, Rafa was pro level.
Are you kidding? He hits about 40 solid balls in a row in that video. Looks like 4.5 tennis at least to me.
Right. I even wrote exactly that in another comment on this thread. By “Solid experienced adult player” I mean that: most solid 4.5 player could win.
His balls are high and loopy, mostly because he’s super small and young. A grown adult man that’s experienced would hit 40 balls against him because he’s put a lot more into each one.
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No. They are definitely playing 5.0+ level tennis here, the average experienced adult is 3.0-4.0.
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I'd put them closer to 4.5, because I would expect adult 5.0 to have much stronger serving for obvious reasons, but the point still stands.
I don't know man, look how consistent his shots are. Sure, I'm a grown man and can hit the ball harder, lower and deeper than him in that video, but he looks like he'd get them all back in and just wait for me to make a mistake every time.
Some crafty 4.0 pusher type could probably beat this Nadal. But 12 year old Nadal would kill any normal 4.0 player with nice strokes.
Interesting question to ponder. I’ll go with 6 month old Rafa b/c his muscles aren’t developed enough to hold a racquet. After that, I’m screwed. 😂😂
I could maybe take him at 13. He hit puberty at age 14 and beat Carlos Moya in exhibition match that same year so 13 is probably the limit unless you have pro tennis aspirations
(Source: all-conference player at a D1 school)
Kind of unrelated but I think I could also beat Novak if we both chugged 10 beers
(Source: also a D1 alcoholic and definitely not allergic to gluten)
Also I’m talking about Novak Djokovic and not Dennis Novak. Ironically Dennis Novak would probably beat me after 10 beers while Djokovic would not.
(Source: Dennis Novak is Austrian)
I chose anytime pre-puberty as well. I've hit against top national under 12s for fun and as long as you hit away from them it isn't that terrible. You can hit topspin loops that jump 3+ feet over their heads. They move back and then you just dropshot. The speed/power isn't there yet.
I think if you are a strong d1 player you could take nadal when he was 14. A lot of people have been mentioning the exhibitions vs Cash & Moya. But I dont think those are normal conditions for a match and they are stacked against the pro - not expecting such a good player/humiliation once they start losing/lose-lose situation regardless of outcome.
A better yardstick would be his early atp futures matches. In a tournament where he was 14 and a half he played five matches with a 3-2 record against players ranked around ~900. So I reckon a strong d1 player could have a 50/50 chance of beating that Nadal.Sorry to be a partypooper - but hey Nadal was still one of the greatest teenage sportsmen ever.
The best I’ve done is beaten a player ranked 1400 ATP and taken a set off of a top 500 player. I’ve also lost 6-1 6-0 to a player ranked 900 so I don’t know what that says about me but 14 year old Rafa still probably beats me routinely on clay no matter what
I’m sure I’d lose to Nadal as a toddler. I suck at tennis!
3 year old Nadal is going down.
Going on my performance against nationally ranked u12s when I was in my late teens, I'm gonna say no older than 9, maybe 8. By age 11 they would be double bagelling me probably
Pretty sure I will never be able to beat Roger no matter how old.
Maybe 5 years old if he took a nap in the middle of each set.
Once 8 year old Nadal starts aligning the bottles, I’d be too afraid to compete.
When I was 22, I was visiting my aunt in Georgia and she said she had set up a match for me at her local club. When I got there, it turned out to be the number-one ranked 12-year-old in the state. I was down 6-2, 3-0 real fast. The kid didn’t hit hard, but he just put the ball deep in each corner, one after another, until I gave him a short ball he could put away. There was a small crowd forming to watch the local kid beat up on an adult. It was super embarrassing.
At that point, I figured that A) I had nothing to lose, and B) this kid was like 4’10. So I just hit drop shots and lobs for the rest of the match. He was sprinting back and forth from the baseline to the net and started getting upset. I beat him 6-4 in the second and was up 4-0 in the third when this 12-year-old ran off the court, threw up in a trash can, and quit. It was not my proudest victory.
So, 12-year-old Nadal would definitely annihilate me. But maybe I could lob 9-year-old Nadal to death?
This is the 9 year old Daniil Medvedev tennis strategy lol
That 12-year-old junior no. 1 was just a small kid who didn't know how to fight
Lol I would be so conflicted on how I would feel winning that way especially with that much of age gap. But hey a win is a win! Suck it youths!!
I’m a 4.0-4.5 player and I just recently was able to best an 19 y/o player who was on the varsity team. Albeit it was only one set because my body isn’t what it used to be, I’m 31. I’m just trying to Gauge what a number 1 junior of any state would be in NTRP system.
A number 1 junior is probably a 5.0 by the time they are 14. 5.5 by 16 and then it depends on growth on whether they rise above that
One of the best comments I’ve seen on this sub lol, I’m happy you beat that kid. Kids are annoying. 🤣
lol that’s like reverse battle of the sexes
55 year old Nadal vs World number 1 in 20 years' time for a true Battle of the Eras
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Did you celebrate the win with a loud vamos roar and fist pump combo?
What’s your rating? 4.0-ish?
I applaud the ingenuity.
I was a 4.0 at the time, yeah. I’m a 4.5 now, so maybe I’ve gotten a little better.
Pretty much this. I don't care how good you are..I am very confident I can take anyone who hasn't gone through puberty. The size and speed aren't there.
This story is so satisfying 🤣 Did you get a chance to talk to the kid after or what was the aftermath of him quitting? Did he shake your hand or just walk off the court?
At the moment it may have felt embarrassing, but nonetheless you probably taught the kid a valuable lesson that turned him into a better player
Damn your aunt really pulled a fast one on you, but that's a hilarious story.
Not nearly the same level of play, but when I was around 20, I had to play a 15 year old with a very average rating of lower club level play. Mine wasn't too good either, but I was often able to hang with better players than him, so I figured this match should be alright.
Now that match turned out really exhausting, since I could give him 4 deep balls in a row close to the corners, and he would still give it back deep. Essentially his game plan was simple:
He won in 3 long sets that were like 2-6, 7-6, 6-1 or something. I wasn't even out of shape back then, but I was incredibly exhausted after that match.
A few months later I came across his profile and saw that he went up a full level and a half in rating. I guess the lesson of this story is: don't trust ratings. :)
I love this story.