Messi and Ronaldo have to show in the FIFA World Cup they are as fit as Djokovic and Nadal in Grand Slams
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Who is the fittest? That could well be another debate in modern sport at a time the FIFA World Cup in Qatar is now warming up, slowly. These days, the easiest thing to do on social media is to run popularity polls and decide who is the greatest.
The war in tennis has just about subsided, for the time being, with Novak Djokovic adding yet another year-end title on Sunday. It is altogether another matter that his current ATP ranking shows that the method adopted by the ATP Tour is faulty. In contrast, we saw how Rafael Nadal flopped at the year-end show, though that is not what should be taken into account while defining his stature.
21 Grand Slam titles for Djokovic and 22 for Nadal, they run each other closely. With the mouth-watering prospect of these two fighting it out in 2023 as well, one has to factor in a Young Turk like Carlos Alcaraz, who did extremely well in 2022, plus Holger Rune.
Fitness is one of the biggest factors which has defined the superiority of tennis players, where strength, endurance, and stamina are key ingredients. Anyone who has watched the maestros, Nadal and Djokovic, will agree, playing in Melbourne, Paris, London, and New York, during the four Majors, is very different. The atmospheric conditions are different as well as the surfaces.
The bottom line is, these tennis superstars have to be ready to rough it out in the heat, early summer, a usually wet Wimbledon, and dry New York towards the end. The wear and tear their bodies undergoes is maddening. It depends on the surface where tennis is being played. One common factor is, they (Nadal and Djokovic) have to run miles side to side, front and back, and also make snap changes in their direction of movement. This is what can be dangerous.
Fans are lucky they have seen the best from these two magicians over the years, both on the wrong side of their 30s. In fact, they are inching toward the 40-mark. Going by the current trend, there is everything to suggest these two men are not going to give up any time soon. Fans will continue to love it.
History will judge Messi and Ronaldo in coming weeks ruthlessly as results in the World Cup have thrown up surprises
How about comparing the fitness levels of these tennis Gods with football’s presiding deities, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo? Both the sports are different in nature, yet, you have to agree, how well they have looked after their bodies matters. Tennis is an individual sport where you are engaged with the opponent, one on one.
In football, the two giants, if you could still call Messi that after his flop show against Saudi Arabia, are not playing one on one. The dimensions of a tennis court and a football field are very different. Yet, if you were to compare the time they spend in the field of play, just for argument’s sake, both have different yardsticks. You have to be an athlete as well in football with greater strength in the lower body.
It has to be a mix of explosive energy, body feint, artistry, and then that burst to score. Sometimes, the footballers are running at crazy speeds. In a quick moment, they have to turn, run sideways and then lunge ahead. All this makes for fascinating viewing.
Messi has billions of fans rooting for him, even now. Sadly, on Tuesday, he was exposed in terms of fitness and finishing skills. This is what will haunt Argentina in every match they play from here on. A day later, on Thursday, Portugal will also be tested to the hilt by Ghana. Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the news, non-stop. First, for the two interviews with Piers Morgan Uncensored and then his split with Manchester United. The new twist is how the hero and the club parted ways amicably. Had we not heard, the club would be slapping a fine of British Pound Sterling 1,00,000 on Ronaldo. Well, maybe that was just a dummy threat!
Ronaldo has been trending, yes. Now we need to see him trending in terms of fitness, speed, and pumping in goals. Again, these two football rock stars, with a bizarre number of followers, are also on the wrong side of their mid-30s. This will be the last World Cup for them, win or lose. Comparing the body wear and tear of Nadal and Djokovic with that of the football geniuses, here is a small bit of stats. Ronaldo has played over 1100 matches and Messi over 957, across all formats: leagues, internationals, and World Cups.
The point is, are these two men who earn obscene sums of money in salaries and sponsorship, as fit as the tennis greats, Nadal and Djokovic? To be sure, this debate is academic, not imaginative. Of the four maestros, two have shown — Nadal and Djokovic — age does not matter when it comes to performance. By the end of this FIFA World Cup in Qatar, history will judge if Messi and Ronaldo are also in the same league of being super fit. Till the 2018 World Cup in Russia, there were no doubts. This time, fitness, speed, and having to show their bodies can still cope with the rigors of today’s football have come into focus. Gone are the days when skills alone mattered. The barometer of performance is scoring goals and winning the World Cup. Agree?
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)