Rafael Nadal: ‘Roger Federer and I will be replaced by these two players’ News

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Rafael Nadal: ‘Roger Federer and I will be replaced by these two players’

By Daily Sports on July 31, 2018

RAFAEL NADAL has named two players he thinks will dominate the sport once he and Roger Federer retire.

Nadal and Federer have dominated tennis for well over a decade and have won 37 Grand Slam titles between them.

But the pair are coming towards the latter end of their careers and the NextGen are expected to soon step into their shoes.

Alexander Zverev, 21, has rose to third in the world ranking this year but he has only once reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam.

Canadian Denis Shapovalov, 19, is another rising star which Nadal has tipped to have a successful career.

But first they must learn how to compete in best-of-five-set matches at Grand Slams to fulfil their potential.

“The young guys are coming: Zverev, Shapovalov,” Nadal said.

“I’m not going to name them all, but there are many out there right now who I think are particularly special, and they are obviously going to replace us.

"It’s either because they are going to just be better than us in a short time or because logic dictates that age will eventually catch up to us.

"Our era was particularly exceptional, when a series of players dominated the tour for years, at the highest level of tennis, at the biggest tournaments."

Nadal has also backed fellow countryman Jaume Munar, of the Rafael Nadal Academy, to have a bright future.

"[Munar] has made major strides in recent months and for us at the academy, it is with great satisfaction to see that we are able to help an up-and-coming Spanish player," Nadal added.

Nadal is currently preparing to return from a two-week break as he starts his build-up for the Rogers Cup, which gets underway on Monday, August 6. (Express.co.uk)

•Photo shows Nadal

Source Daily Sports

Posted July 31, 2018