Rafael Nadal named the most dominant athlete since 2000
In a vote by the US sports network ESPN, Rafael Nadal prevailed in the search for the most dominant athlete of the 21st century. Rafael Nadal in Roland Garros, mind you.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jul 19, 2020, 10:11 pm
The tartan tracks on which Usain Bolt won his gold medals in the 100-meter sprint in 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro have certainly shown small, but possibly important differences for the sensitive athletes. However, no comparison to the differences with which the tennis professionals have to struggle on the different surfaces.
So it is only right and cheap that ESPN has made an important restriction in the search for the most dominant athlete of the 21st century in Rafael Nadal: "Only" the achievements of the matador on ashes in Roland Garros were considered. Who are looking for their peers
Only two losses for Nadal
Nadal played 93 matches in the French Open in single, only lost two: 2009 against Robin Söderling and 2015 against Novak Djokovic. The Mallorcan already has twelve titles, the 13th could follow this autumn, when the traditionally second Grand Slam tournament of the year should start on September 27th. These numbers were enough for the participants in the ESPN vote (there is no information on the magnitude of the vote) to vote for Nadal in first place before Usain Bolt mentioned above.
On the way to the "title" Nadal cleared three American icons out of the way with basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, boxer Floyd Mayweather and swimmer Michael Phelps, who died in a helicopter crash this year. A rare phenomenon with votes that are likely to be well received in the United States. It is all the more remarkable that the Jamaican Bolt had been a second non-US boy in the final.