Australian Open 2019: Are we headed for another Federer vs Nadal match-up?
The first Grand Slam of the year is underway; the Australian Open 2019 is treating us with some beautiful tennis from some re-energized players, both young and old. The Australian Open being the first Major of the year, is a great way to analyse how each player has improved over the off-season.
Although age might not seem to be in favor of Roger Federer (37) and Rafael Nadal (32), both are proving to be solid contenders to win the tournament after their clinical victories in the 3rd round.
Federer vaporized one of the top upcoming players on tour, Taylor Fritz, who was one of the 10 remaining players under the age of 22 in the draw. The match, which lasted less than 90 minutes, ended with a 6-2 7-5 6-2 scoreline. The Swiss star registered some phenomenal stats - from an incredible first serve points won percentage to winning more than half of his break point opportunities while conceding none.
Meanwhile, Nadal, facing teenage home star Alex De Minaur who is coming hot from a tournament win in his hometown Sydney, notched up yet another strong finish. He triumphed 6-1 6-2 6-4 in just over 2 hours.
We have to keep in mind that both Fritz and Di Minaur are penned to be future stars of the game. To deny such talents so easily shows two characteristics of Federer and Nadal which make them such strong contenders to win this Grand Slam.
1) A higher level of strategic play. The extensive experience Federer and Nadal have accumulated over the years is clearly showing on the court as they seem to have an answer for anything the opponents throw their way.
2) A strong physical game. At a time where you would expect Federer to well...play like a 37-year-old, he still moves like a gazelle. And in the case of Nadal, he is still arguably one of the fastest on tour.
Nadal next faces Tomas Berdych, against whom he enjoys a 19-4 head-to-head. Their last meeting came almost four years ago, but the last time they played at the Australian Open - in 2015 - Berdych registered a straight sets victory.
Federer, on the other hand, plays yet another rising star Stefanos Tsitsipas. The two met in the unofficial Hopman Cup earlier this month, with Federer coming up trumps in a high-quality affair.
The anticipated match-up for Nadal in the quarters was supposed to be Kevin Anderson, but he crashed out in the initial stages to Francis Tiafoe. With Nadal's side of the draw a bit open, our best guess for a quarterfinal clash is Grigor Dimitrov, if not Tiafoe himself.
Federer is likely to meet Marin Cilic in the quarters who denied 2 match points to Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco on his way to the 4th round.
We don't want to look too far ahead, but it is tempting to wonder whether Federer and Nadal will win their next two matches and set up yet another epic clash in their epic rivalry. Nadal currently has a 23-15 lead in the head-to-head, but Federer has won the last five matches they have played.
We don't know how many more of these Fedal clashes we will witness, but considering the level of the top 3 seeds it seems like we may have quite a few treats this year itself.