Advertisement

'Federer and Nadal light years ahead of Murray and Djokovic'

Tommy Robredo says the 'Fab Four' concept is flawed because Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are miles ahead of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.

Tennis pundits have been referring to Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic as the 'Fab Four' for years, with Stan Wawrinka sometimes making it a 'Fab Five'.

TONI NADAL: Federer greatest of all time, not Rafa

But according to Robredo, Murray and Djokovic don't deserve to be in the same league as Federer and Nadal.

"I would not say four but two because for me Nadal and Federer are at another level, in another dimension," the Spaniard said recently.

Federer and Nadal. Image: Getty
Federer and Nadal. Image: Getty

"Rafa won Roland Garros, Monte Carlo and Barcelona 10 times: it's easy to say it, but if you think about it, it's something unbelievable.

"Despite Murray being no. 1 and a phenomenon, Nadal is an icon for what he did, for the fact that he has been playing for a long time, his Grand Slam titles, Masters 1000, autographs he has signed.

"They are things that if compared to Djokovic, who was no. 1 too, are light-years away.

"And then Federer, the person who sells the most tickets in the world after not playing for six months."

Federer and Nadal have enjoyed an incredible resurgence after injury-plagued 2016 seasons.

Federer extended his record haul of 18 grand slams with victory at the Australian Open in January, while Nadal recently won the French Open for his 15th major.

In contrast, Djokovic has 12 grand slams but recently fell out of the world's top two players for the first time since 2011, while Murray has two majors and two Olympic gold medals.

Murray himself has given weight to Robredo's argument by recently saying he won't be able to live up to the legacies of Federer and Nadal, who have been able to return to top form despite injuries well into their 30s.

The 30-year-old Scot, who reached the semi-finals at the French Open before losing a five-setter to Wawrinka, said he might only have three or four more years in him.

"My coach Ivan Lendl was still competitive at the top until he was about 32 but, generally, over the past 20 to 30 years, normally by early 30s is when players have struggled to stay at the top," he told BBC Sport.

"I know some of the players have been doing really well until their mid-30s recently, but that might not be the case with me. Maybe the next couple of years are the last few where I have a chance to compete for the majors and the biggest tournaments."

with AAP