With their wins today in the semifinals of the Madrid Open, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal resume their rivalry, and perhaps, in a way, the second half of their careers, when they face off in the finals tomorrow.
Although Nadal is a heavy favorite based on his recent success on the clay courts this spring, the timing of the resumption of what some feel is the greatest rivalry in sports may be great for tennis, but it may not be so much for the man many feel is the “greatest of all time”.
With Nadal still leading in the head to head 13-7, one could look at this rivalry as more of a domination by the Spaniard, not just in terms of actual wins, but of the quality of the wins as well. Nadal has won the biggest matches including the classic 2008 Wimbledon final, the epic 2009 Australian Open final and the several times both have met in the French Open finals. And though Federer won their meeting in Madrid last year, many feel that win, and Federer’s eventual title run at the French Open, both have asterisks to them since Nadal was still feeling the effects of his four-hour “deathmatch” with Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Open semifinals.
Just by getting to the finals, Federer has dismissed the early consternation by many who thought that his game was out of sorts for Roland Garros. And even if Federer finds a way to defeat Nadal tomorrow, Nadal, who will now be No.2 in the world, still goes into Paris the odds-on favorite. So in a way, the Madrid final is more of “welcome back” match to a rivalry that has created worldwide interest in even non-tennis fans.
But let’s remember what’s taken place since the last Nadal/Federer showdown. We’ve seen the resurgence of Andy Roddick and Nikolay Davydenko, the breakthrough of Juan Martin del Potro at the U.S. Open, and the rise of new stars like Robin Soderling and Ernests Gulbis. My point is that the tour has grown in depth and variety since the last Federer/Nadal match, and is much better for it in the long run. Rivalries are great, but a sport can’t live on them alone.
Let’s assume that Roger Federer wins not only tomorrow but in Paris and the rest of the year, completing a Grand Slam. If he retired from the game having done all that, but still with a losing record to Nadal, would it matter? Probably not, except to those that like to bring up statistics during debates after a few beers on who is the “GOAT”. But I think it would matter to Federer. That’s why, even if with time not on his side, don’t be surprised if he summons his best game yet to beat Nadal in the next few years. And if that inspires Nadal to find a level we haven’t seen before, then the “dream” will be even more fulfilling, not just for them, but for all of tennis.
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