Nadal's HC Peak : AO 2009 vs USO 2013?
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AO 2009 by a lot.
2010 USO was a joke of a draw... and 2013 all the top players were in one of the worst forms in quite some time... he just happened to be in the right place at the right time and took advantage which can't be said about other players.
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AO 2012 I'd say.
I agree...his 2010 and 2013 USO draws were pretty easy. His A09 SF/F performance though is arguably one of the best ever SF/F performances I've seen in my time of watching and I've watched a fair few slams including Sampras and Federer.
Interesting. You think he played his peak tennis and lost (and won playing sub peak tennis vs the same opponent)? Not saying it's not possible mind...just wondering.
I'd go AO 09>>>USO 2013>>AO 2012>>>USO 2010, all things considered.
Agree. His grass peak and HC peak coincided in 08-09(and obviously he was at his clay peak too)...a truly scary player he was then. His movement was just impeccable....only area where he was worse off was probably his serve which I think is better now..otherwise backhand, ROS, movement - you name it - were all better then IMO.
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U.S. open 2011. Of course his fans won't admit that because he lost. As if his HC peak can match a decent Fed or Nole.
U.S. open 2013 and 2010 were woeful, he had the easiest draws ever then an awful Djoker in the finals. Nadal didn't win those matches, Nole lost them. AO 2009 and AO 2012 he played some great tennis though. Fed choked in the final of the AO and Nando really should have won tjst semi, but Dull played well, credit where credit is due.
U.S. open 2013 and 2010 were woeful, he had the easiest draws ever then an awful Djoker in the finals. Nadal didn't win those matches, Nole lost them. AO 2009 and AO 2012 he played some great tennis though. Fed choked in the final of the AO and Nando really should have won tjst semi, but Dull played well, credit where credit is due.
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In AO 12, he took his most difficult opponent Djokovic on his favourite surface to the absolute limit and would've won that match had he not missed that sitter of a BH DTL pass but then again Novak could've won it in 4 had he not choked in the 4th set but still. And had Nadal won, you'd bet your bottom dollar that Nadtards would've touted that as his peak. 
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Uso 2011 > Ao 2009 = Ao 2012 > Uso 2010
Is this joke or what? USO2010 ofc. Backhand working good as ever. Serving up to 135mph. And absolutely peak movement. Just watch highlights on youtube or dailymotion from that matches. Nadal was an absolute machine determined more than ever to complete his CGS, no?
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AO 2009 not even close. Nadal's USO 2013 he didn't really get forced to dig deep against poor opposition- Boredo a quarter-final opponent and Gasquet a semi? Not to mention Djokovic going away meekly in set 3 and 4.
Whereas at the AO 09 Verdasco and Federer threw the kitchen sink at him and more yet he withstood the both of them back to back- and Federer was superb for 4 of the 5 sets. For me that remains his most impressive slam. To beat those two at the level they were at took something deep and intense.
Nadal's best tennis is nearly always in close matches against on-fire opponents because he's actually forced to bring something to the table other than just put a ball in court and in both of those matches he lifted it in order to beat two players playing off the scale.
I agree he played quite well in AO 2012 as well, arguably better than USO 2013 and on a par with USO 2010 at least.
Whereas at the AO 09 Verdasco and Federer threw the kitchen sink at him and more yet he withstood the both of them back to back- and Federer was superb for 4 of the 5 sets. For me that remains his most impressive slam. To beat those two at the level they were at took something deep and intense.
Nadal's best tennis is nearly always in close matches against on-fire opponents because he's actually forced to bring something to the table other than just put a ball in court and in both of those matches he lifted it in order to beat two players playing off the scale.
I agree he played quite well in AO 2012 as well, arguably better than USO 2013 and on a par with USO 2010 at least.
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Dull's USO13 was pure fluke. The level was nowhere close to USO10, not to mention AO09
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