Tennis Prose




Jun/10

16

Nadal vs. Federer – in the boxing ring

By Scoop Malinowski

Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal on a tennis court is always captivating theater, so competitive that after 21 meetings it’s still unclear who really is the superior all-around player. Though Nadal leads the head-to-head 14-7, Federer is far ahead in total grand slam victories (16-7). So just out of curiosity, what would happen if these two supreme gladiators put on the boxing gloves and battled it out for 12 rounds in the squared circle at Madison Square Garden for a prize of $10,000,000, in an ATP Heavyweight Championship fight promoted by Don King? We asked several tennis insiders for their opinion of such a match…

“In this corner, weighing in at 188 pounds, the reigning French Open champ, #1 in the world from Manacor, Mallorca, Spain…RAFAEL NADAL!. And weighing in at 187 pounds, the defending Wimbledon champion, #2 ranked challenger, from Basel, Switzerland, ROGER FEDERER!”

Bud Collins: “Well I think Nadal would be too big of a left hooker with those muscles. Yeah, I think it would be Nadal. (By TKO?) No, he’d knock him out.”

Tommy Robredo: “Federer. For the age. He’s five years older. When you have five more years than the other one you have a little more power, no?”

Olivier Rochus: “Nadal. He has more fighting spirit and I think physically he’s stronger than Federer.”

Jarkko Nieminen: “I don’t know. They’re both strong guys. It’s tough to say. Who has better techniques. And Nadal seems to have bigger muscles but Federer has great technique in tennis. So maybe he would have the same in boxing too. So then it’s over toughness.”

Fernando Vicente: “Nadal, no? Nadal. Too powerful.”

Justin Gimelstob: “I would say I think Nadal’s one of the strongest guys on the Tour. But boxing I think has a lot more to do with than just strength. But Nadal would be rough. I don’t think a lot of guys would want to have to deal with him.”

Mike Agassi: “Nadal is the physically stronger man. You can see the muscle.”

Vince Spadea: “Well I’d say Federer. Federer probably has more punching power and he can still move. He can stick and move.”

Ivan Ljubicic: “Oh, definitely Nadal. He’s stronger physically.”

Carlos Moya: “Boxing…oh I guess Rafael looks stronger than Feddy but…probably the one who has been fighting more would win. I know Rafael never fought in his life [smiles] but I don’t know about Federer, what he did when he was younger.”

Fabrice Santoro: “The easy selection would be to say Nadal. Because he has a lot of punch and a lot of energy. But Roger is a smart athlete, a smart guy, so he would have a chance too.”

Robby Ginepri: “I’ve never seen them without racquets in their hand against each other. I think Nadal would have a little bit more of an advantage, he’s more cut up than Federer. I don’t know. It’d be a fun match to see though.”

Tim Henman: “I think Nadal would win. (TKO?) I think so, yeah. Great question [smiles].”

Brad Gilbert: “Nadal. He’s a little bit stronger. Federer would have to keep his distance. He’d have to stick and move. I think Nadal would have to get in on the inside. He’d be more of a brawler. I don’t know. But I’d pay $50 to see it [smiles].”

Georg Bastl: “I think Nadal. He would have more punch.”

Greg Rusedski: “I think it’s pretty one-sided. I think Nadal would win the boxing match. Federer would be doing the running this time instead of vice versa [smiles].”

Tomas Berdych: “Boxing match…ah, Nadal. I think maybe he’s stronger and maybe for boxing it’s more important.”

Lleyton Hewitt: “I don’t know mate. Good question [smiles].”

Donald Young: “I don’t know. It’s hard to decide. Depends on the surface [smiles].”

Jonas Bjorkman: “They’re different. They can’t be in the same weight class. 10 or 15 kilos difference, so you can’t compare a boxing match like that. It’s like having Tyson and one of those light heavyweights. (But what if Federer moved up in weight and he challenged him in the ring?) Then he’d win. On class [smiles].”

Andy Murray: “Nadal. He’s just stronger and maybe physically just a bit better than him. But I think Dimitri Tursunov would beat Nadal [smiles]. (Tursunov is standing near us.)”

Michael Llodra: “Federer. He’s more crazy than Nadal. (Oh he is?) Yeah. I know him now since long time, in juniors. Now he’s a little bit cool. But I see he can be more crazy than Nadal. It’s not about only the muscle. He has a small muscle and he is more crazy than everybody. And you have to be crazy when you want to fight. (Can you share an example of the craziness of Federer?) No, no, no. I say he’s crazy. That’s all I say [smiles]!”

Rafael Nadal Photo Credit: Gail Koskorelos

“Roger Federer” oil painting by John Murawski (www.myartnsoul.blogspot.com)

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19 comments

  • Dan Markowitz · June 17, 2010 at 2:27 pm

    Scoop,

    In all hilarity, why would anyone who’s sane pose a question as to who would win a boxing match between two tennis players. If we go in this vein, why don’t we ask, who would a boxing bout between you and me. Or better yet, why don’t we stage such an event, and get tennis-prose.com bloggers to attend the bout. We could the pretty girls to march around the ring between rounds with the round cards. I love it, Markowitz v Scoop, Madison Square Garden!

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 17, 2010 at 2:46 pm

    I did this article a couple years ago and a cut version ran in TENNIS. It’s just something creative, different. I tried it out of curiosity, as an experiment not knowing what players would say but it turned out to be pretty insightful and amusing especially the comments of Moya, Llodra, DY, Bud Collins, BG, etc. So far it’s by far the most read article on our site, and I see that people have posted it in message baords in China and Hungary and Spain so far. So it’s bringing in new readers, which is good for the site.

    Red vs. Scoop for one set next March at MSG as the prelim would be a good match, our singles matches are more exciting with constrasting styles than Venus vs. Kim or Ana I, don’t you think?

  • Dobey · June 17, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    In a street fight with no rules, you would go with Rafa. He is physically very imposing. But in a real boxing match where the boxers are required to wear regulation gloves, you would have to go with Federer. Look at it like the Dempsey- Tunney fights. Dempsey was more physically imposing but Gene Tunney was great at movement, jabbing, footwork, all the kinds of things that Federer is great at. If I were going to make a comparison of Fed to a current era boxer, the guy that I would pick would be Felix Trinidad. Trinidad was not ripping with muscles but man oh man was Felix Trinidad silky smooth. Guys would get exasperated with Trinidad during Felix’s prime. Let’s home, however, that Federer does not hang around long after his prime like Trinidad did and Joe Louis both did.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 17, 2010 at 7:29 pm

    Trinidad no doubt was a great exciting fighter but he was somewhat limited in his skillset outside the scythe like left hook and right hand which were devastating. he could be outboxed, though only by a grandmaster such as a prime Bernard Hopkins. Federer is so creative and diverse as a tennis player, much more than Tito as a boxer. I would compare Federer more to a Ray Leonard or Roberto Duran or perhaps Hopkins. Just tremendously smart, creative, passionate, talented driven machines.

    Nadal is hard to compare, he’s so unique. Maybe prime Marvin Hagler (not the faded version who lost to Leonard) or a lefthanded Aaron Pryor.

    Federer vs. Nadal in boxing would probably mirror their tennis wars, with each winning some, losing some, in dramatic thrilling contests of course.

  • Sid Bachrach · June 17, 2010 at 9:48 pm

    A boxing match between Nadal and Federer would be like those great boxing matches in the early 1980s between Aaron Pryor and a guy from Nicaragua whose name escapes me. He wss a tall thin guy and I kind of recall he was moving up in weight. Just can’t think of the guy’s name.
    Maybe Federer could be compared with Joe Louis in his prime. Louis always found a way to come back from disaster, like when he fought Billy Conn. I watched that boxing match on you tube and Joe was about out of the fight and found a second wind and won by KO. In his prime, Federer would always do that. Roger would come up with these magical shots that just stemmed the tide. He has some magical shots against both Djoko and Murray. But if Nadal turned his attention to boxing, he has such sublime athletic skills that I think he would be good at it. Andre Agassi could probably have been a good boxer. His dad was a boxer and could have taught him and Andre has fantastic hand eye coordination. Andre also trained like a demon. When people see guys like Floyd Meriweather clowning around and acting silly, they forget just how hard he and other boxers train. Keeping your hands up like that for 12 rounds under that kind of pressure has got to be brutal. I had read somewhere that Gene Tunney was an excellent tennis player and after he retired from boxing, spent alot of time on the tennis courts.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 18, 2010 at 12:24 pm

    Sid you’re thinking of ‘The Explosive Thin Man’; Alexis Arguello. Joe Louis was technically a machine but he was said to be a slow footed who had problems with movers. I think Federer has more range and diversity in his game to be compared to Louis, Federer is more Ali than Louis, minus the outspoken personality of course. I see Lendl as more Louis. Pancho Segura recently said he was friends with Tunney but he made no mention of his tennis skills, which probably speaks volumes 🙂
    As for some ATP players who could have success in boxing, you gotta consider Roddick’s power and ferocity. Tsonga, Safin and Hewitt too. Throw Murray in their too, what the heck.

  • Dobey · June 18, 2010 at 4:30 pm

    To Sid and Scoop, Regarding Gene Tunney, you guys have got to read this great biolgraphy about Tunney called (appropriately) Tunney. It’s written by a former sports writer for the NY Times. It’s a great read, especially the part about how Tunney flies to Philadelphia for the first fight with Jack Dempsey. But back to tennis! The author mentions that after Gene Tunney retired, he loved to play tennis and golf with his wife and especially with his children. The book does not say whether Tunney was especially good at tennis, but you’ve got to figure that someone who was such a gifted boxer would be good at other sports. And boxing and tennis are the two sports where you are using your legs and arms at all times. I agree with Justin Gimmelstob that golf is a craft, not a sport. But you guys have got to read this biography. It’s a great read.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 18, 2010 at 7:01 pm

    Dobey was that the book where the writer met him by coincidence on the train? And then he became friends with Tunney? Great great book. The flight to Philly was amazing, the whole book was classic, as good as a book can get. It’s pretty tough for HWT boxers to excel in tennis as the movements are difficult for big men to master. Two big HWTS Klitschko and Golota both said they are not even decent at tennis but they do love it and enjoy greatly to watch it. Lennox Lewis plays often but I have never seen him play, but I heard through the grapevine he is good.

  • dobey · June 19, 2010 at 3:49 am

    The book was by Jack Cavanaugh. I learned about the book while driving and listening to an interview on WFAN a few years ago with the author. I think he teaches journalism at Fairfield University now. At least that is what I remember from the interview on WFAN. The whole story about the flight he takes to Philadelphia for the fight with Dempsey is riveting. Tunney is on a tiny little airplane with a barnstorming pilot and nearly gets in a terrible disaster while flying to the fight. And the whole country rivited on the flight. This is one of my favorite sports books. And after his career, Tunney gives a lecture on Shakespeare at Yale University!
    I had read somewhere that Lennox Lewis is a very good chess player. And there are comparisons between boxing and chess. Each sport demands incredible concentration. One lapse in concentration and you can lose in a heartbeat. And both boxing and chess involve constantly thinking of your next move and your opponent’s next move and during the match itself, your’e out there all alone with no coach.

  • dobey · June 19, 2010 at 3:53 am

    I forgot to mention that it is the book where the author says he met Gene Tunney on the commuter train from Connecticut to New York. Just a great read.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 20, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    Yes I read that a year ago, terrific read by a top writer. Love that story how he randomly bumped into him on the train and then out of that goes and creates such a fine book. Some parallels between Tunney and Lewis as both were the best but in terms of popularity both were overshadowed for much of their reigns by more colorful popular fighters. Kind of like in tennis too how Pete Sampras was somewhat overshadowed by Agassi.

  • Dobey · June 20, 2010 at 2:36 pm

    I have been wracking my brains out trying to recall the name of a boxer from Puerto Rico who was a lightweight or welterweight (can’t remember which division) and he was overshadowed by Ray Leonard. I think the guy had a fight with Leonard that was stopped and I think fans from Puerto Rico were convinced their guy got a raw deal from the ref. I can’t remember the boxer’s name but his battle with Leonard had all the suspense of a Federer-Nadal match. Both guys were fast and graceful and smart. Just wish I could recall the guy’s name. I know he was from Puerto Rico but from there the trail runs cold. His name was something like Burmudez but that is all I can recall.

  • Sid Bachrach · June 20, 2010 at 2:59 pm

    Dobey, I kind of remember the guy you are talking about. Was his name Wilfredo Gomez? I am having some trouble remembering the guys from that era outside of Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns, Hagler and of course the great Ray Leonard. That was really an interesting era in boxing where the heavyweights were a complete bore but the lower weights had tremendous talents all in the same era. Sorry, I can’t be more helpful on the name of the guy who gave Leonard such a great tussle.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 21, 2010 at 1:24 am

    It’s Wilfredo Benitez who later preferred to go by “Wilfred Benitez. Benitez won a world title at the age of 17 and it was against a future Hall of Famer Antonio “Kid Pambele” Cervantes of Colombia.

  • Sid Bachrach · June 21, 2010 at 3:56 am

    Yep, now I recall that his name was Benitez. For some reason, I thought his name might be Gomez. There must have been a Wilfredo Gomez from that era and that name is still registered in my brain. Puerto Rico used to have great champions but aside from Trinidad there hasn’t been a great one in a while. Here is an interesting question and I don’t know the answer. Has there ever been a top 20 ranked tennis player from Puerto Rico, either on the ATP or WTA?

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 21, 2010 at 1:12 pm

    Gigi Fernandez, who is going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in three weeks. Just got her Biofile which will be posted soon. She was #1 in doubles.

  • Robby · January 1, 2011 at 2:54 pm

    I am sure Federer would win by KO ! Of course, Nadal seems very powerful and he will knock hard, but he is also very nervous and a large part of the crowd will be against him ! Federer will protect himself and hit back each time. He will certainly be very precised and wait his time. Uncle Tony will give ill-advice to Nadal. That is when Federer will attack and Nadal will look uncle Tony for better advice, in despair.Just the opportunity for Federer to get on Nadal, hit him as strong as possible once, twice ! Nadal beaten by KO ! Standing ovation for Federer ! That’s just a guess of course with some (bias) imagination !

  • FedererFan · May 22, 2011 at 8:20 pm

    Federer will be again no1, he has pause, and now he is ready to destroy Djokovic and Nadal.

    Go Fedex

  • Miranda · June 11, 2011 at 4:00 pm

    Federer will be again no1, he is complete player, i love him.

    Miranda

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