Has Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer had the best 2017?

Federer and Nadal ruled men’s tennis in 2018 (Picture: Getty)

There’s no doubting that the men’s tennis season will be fondly remembered as one of the least likely in recent times.

Having been without a Grand Slam title since 2012 and 2014 respectively, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal went on the rampage at the top level, splitting the four majors between them.

The pair started the year at No. 16 and No. 9 in the ATP rankings after spending many months away from the ATP Tour due to knee and wrist injuries, but both have soared back to the top of the men’s leaderboard.

Nadal was crowned as 2017’s world No. 1, but there are many who believe Federer – who won more titles – has actually enjoyed the best season.

Here we take a look…

Head-to-head

Federer has beaten Nadal in all four of their meetings (Picture: AFP/Getty)

There can only be one winner in this category…

Federer may have suffered against his long-time rival throughout the years, but he won all four of their meetings in 2017 – extending his unbeaten record against the world No. 1 to five wins.

Worryingly for the Spaniard, since their five-setter at the Australian Open, he’s failed to pick up a set – losing comfortably in Masters 1000 events at Indian Wells, Miami and Shanghai.

Federer v Nadal 2017 h2h

Head-to-head

Federer 4-0 Nadal

2017 meetings

Australian Open F: Federer 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 Nadal

Indian Wells R16: Federer 6-2 6-3 Nadal

Miami F: Federer 6-3 6-4 Nadal

Shanghai F: Federer 6-4 6-3 Nadal

Winner: Federer

Winning streak

Nadal won the Madrid Masters during his incredible run (Picture: Getty)

Federer may have the advantage in terms of win/loss percentages, but that is perhaps slightly skewed by playing 21 fewer matches than the world No. 1 throughout the year.

Nadal’s weakened record in finals largely goes hand-in-hand with his head-to-head record. Both have lost one final to a non-Fedal player, with Sam Querrey stunning the 31-year-old in Acapulco and Alexander Zverev downing Federer in Montreal.

Both men won a Grand Slam without dropping a set with their record-breaking French Open and Wimbledon titles, and although Nadal dropped fewer games – it’s perhaps easier to keep that score lower on a clay court rather than a grass court.

Federer & Nadal 2017 stats

Federer

Win/loss: 52/5 (91.2%)
Slam record: 18/1 (94.7%)
Top 10 record: 14/2 (87.5%)
Finals record: 7/1 (87.5%)
Longest winning streak: 16
Best Slam: 74 games dropped (Wimbledon)

Nadal

Win/loss: 67/11 (85.9%)
Slam record: 23/2 (92%)
Top 10 record: 12/6 (66.7%)
Finals record: 6/4 (60%)
Longest winning streak: 17
Best Slam: 35 games dropped (French Open)

One fair measurement we can assess is their longest winning streak and it’s Nadal who comes out on top.

The Spaniard didn’t lose a match throughout Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid – before being stopped by Dominic Thiem in Rome – which resulted in him winning 17 contests on the spin.

Federer came pretty close through Halle, Wimbledon and Montreal before suffering defeat to Zverev in the final, although Nadal also matched his best total of 16 with a second impressive streak from the US Open through to the Shanghai Masters before the Swiss stopped him.

Winner: Nadal

Titles

Federer won an eighth Wimbledon title (Picture: Corbis/Getty)

Federer’s higher quantity of titles is one of the strongest arguments for him enjoying the better season of the two, although in terms of biggest crowns at the Slams and Masters events, the duo are level.

Nonetheless, it’s pretty difficult to award this category to anyone other than the Swiss, despite the world No. 1 being involved in more finals and showing decent longevity.

Federer & Nadal titles 2017

Federer
Titles: 7 (Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Halle, Wimbledon, Shanghai, Basel)
Grand Slams: 2
Masters 1000: 3
ATP 500: 2
Finals: 1 (Montreal)

Nadal

Titles: 6 (Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Roland Garros, US Open, Beijing)
Grand Slams: 2
Masters 1000: 3
ATP 500: 1
Finals: 4 (Australian Open, Acapulco, Miami, Shanghai)

Winner: Federer

Ranking

Nadal ended the year as world No. 1 (Picture: AFP/Getty)

Perhaps the only true test to really measure who’s had the best season – at least when both players have won the same number of Slams – is the year-end world No. 1 ranking.

Nadal became the oldest man to end a year as the top-ranked star on the planet, which is a fine achievement in itself, and he finished more than 1,000 points clear of his old foe at the top of the ATP leaderboard.

2017 ATP rankings

1. Nadal – 10645
2. Federer – 9605
3. Dimitrov – 5150
4. Zverev – 4610
5. Thiem – 4015
6. Cilic – 3805
7. Goffin – 3775
8. Sock – 3165
9. Wawrinka – 3150
10. Carreno Busta – 2615

Winner: Nadal

So it’s a draw?

Nadal shades it (Picture: AFP/Getty)

It’s ended 2-2 in the main categories of note, but we’ve not invited you here to sit on the fence…

We’re giving the edge to Rafa.

Federer’s head-to-head and generally higher match-win percentages would most likely be less impressive had he faced Nadal on his favoured surface of clay.