Oh no. I'm definitely pro-Rafa whenever they play. Rafa is my #1. Fed is somewhere in my top 10.
You're a Sampras fan? I love him. Watching him on grass was just sublime. Fed has a couple more slams but it's like the whole MJ and Kobe debate. Sometimes the #s don't tell the story. IMO Fed can't be the GOAT. Unfortunately, Rafa's presence has raised enough question marks to make sure of that. If Rafa (and to a lesser extent Del Potro) hadn't gotten injured Fed could even still be tied with Sampras.
For that argument it doesn't matter really matter if Fed never plays Rafa at USO. He's already lost to him in a HC slam. This distinguishing slow from fast is just semantics. He's only beat Rafa at Wimby and lost to him in 3 other slams. If they play and Fed wins it doesn't change that much. Just confirms what the prevailing thought is that Fed is better on fast hards than Rafa. But if he loses then that's really tarnishes his legacy. At this moment he's the best player of his generation and if he loses to Rafa history will be re-written very quickly.
I agree with you, especially the part about how Rafas and Del Potro's injuries opened a late door for Fed. On the one hand you could say Fed earned it anyway by being so metronomically consistent and healthy, always putting himself in position to take advantage of any slippage from his peers. On the other hand...it was just kind of an empty way to do it. It's similar to how the '09 Lakers broke through for a title by beating the Magic while KG was hurt...yeah, props to the champ, but it tarnishes it.
I guess, ultimately, that's part of why I like the idea of a Fed/Nadal final. Well first, I like it just because it's the most interesting. But second, if Fed's going to win another then I want him to go through his nemesis to do it. Also, on the other hand, if Rafa is going to win his first US Open crown it'd be more fitting for him to do it by going through Fed.
