Incredible what these two accomplished in different sports on the very same day.
On Sunday, 11th October 2020, two modern sporting greats achieved record-equalling feats in two different sports and two different countries.
In Formula 1 at the Nurburgring in Germany, Lewis Hamilton won the Eifel Grand Prix for his 91st career victory, equalling the incredible record set by Michael Schumacher. In tennis, Rafael Nadal won an incredible 13th French Open title and, with it, he equaled Roger Federer’s record of 20 grand slam singles titles won by a male tennis player.
While the devastation caused by the Coronavirus pandemic has changed the world and has seen many major sporting events canceled, delayed, or forced to be played behind closed doors, the achievements of Hamilton and Nadal provided good memories to what has otherwise been a terrible year for sport and all aspects of life.
Schmacher & Hamilton: Formula 1 elite (photo, SkySports)
For Lewis Hamilton to achieve 91 Grand Prix wins in his career is barely believable. Like me and many other Grand Prix fans, Lewis watched Schumacher in his all-conquering Ferrari set a record that no-one thought could be matched. At the time of setting the record in 2006, Schumacher’s 91 victories were only one short of the combined number of races won by Alain Prost (51) and Ayrton Senna (41), who are second and third on the list of the highest number of F1 race wins.
Many thought that Michael Schumacher–with a combination of his wholehearted dedication to the sport, plus his incredible ability as a racing driver added to the dominance of the Ferrari car at the time–had set a record that would never be beaten. Yet, now just 14 years later, Lewis Hamilton, who started his F1 career the season after Schumacher won his last race, has not only equaled his record of race wins but is also already the outright record holder for most pole positions (96). And he is surely on his way to also equalling Schumacher’s record for drivers world titles of 7.
It seems almost inevitable that Lewis will push forward with more records if he and his Mercedes car maintain their current dominance level. Like Schumacher before him, Lewis is a supreme racing talent.
Raphael Nadal’s straight-sets victory over #1 Novak Djokovic in the French Open Final will go down as one of his finest and most dominant performances ever. Nadal confirmed his status as the ‘King of Clay’ as he won a record 13th French Open title–the most any player has won at a single grand slam tournament. Nadal has only lost two matches in 15 years of competing at the French Open–a remarkable achievement in both consistency and longevity at the sport’s pinnacle.
Courtesy: express.co.uk
Nadal is now level with his great rival, Roger Federer, with 20 grand slam singles titles. Both men have won each of the four grand slam tournaments at least once. In fact, along with Djokovic (17 titles), the top three men in history (for winning grand slam titles) are all currently competing. This will surely be remembered as The Golden Age in men’s tennis.
For Nadal to reach the record of 20 grand slam singles titles–especially whilst competing in the same era as the two other most successful players in history–is a testament to his remarkable ability and character. He is driven to improve his game.
Whatever the number of race wins and world championships, Hamilton ends up within his career. Whatever the number of tennis grand slam titles Nadal ends up winning, both athletes will be remembered as two of the greatest ever. G.O.A.T.’s both.
