didnt even recall the ace novel said that .
that analogy wouldnt hold water if nadal actively went up against them for the title .
whats more accurate is in tourney's where roger and fed participated , nadal ducked the competition, letting someone else do the job of taking them down, then only going after those titles when they were out of sight.
shanks really wanted the title but didnt want to go after the bigger competitors because he is smart . honestly the worst generation in that regard are the only ones that are gutsy .