Why Roger Federer - Rafael Nadal rivalry is the best
Why the Fedal rivalry is one of its kind?
Imagining sports without rivalries is like imagining the unimaginable. Rivalries are the best thing that can happen to any sport. You always need two athletes performing at their best to make it an intriguing contest. Rivalries often bring out the best in an athlete. Ask any athlete, he will tell you he does not like victories that come easily. A victory that comes out of a fierce, hard fought contest can be savoured for the rest of his career. Speaking of rivalry, we cannot think beyond the most talked about rivalry in the contemporary world of sports.
Of course, I am talking about Federer-Nadal rivalry that has dominated tennis for the past decade like no other rivalry has. The past decade has seen some scintillating contest between them. Federer, arguably the greatest player of all time, has 17 Grand Slams to his credit. Nadal, the man from Mallorca, Spain, with 14 Grand Slams is not far behind either.
Their style of play is so closely related to where they come from. Roger’s game is so much like the Swiss Alps, pristine in every sense. Nadal’s game is so much like Spanish bull-fighting, fighting it out every point as if it were his last chance.
Strengths of both players
The Swiss master has made Wimbledon victories a mere formality over the years. The man from Mallorca has hardly put a foot wrong at Roland Garros for the past decade and is aptly named ‘The King of Clay’.
Federer’s strength has always been his serve. His huge serves almost always bail him out of trouble. The Spaniard has always relied on his vicious spinning forehand that puts his opponents in a fix. His athleticism makes him a formidable opponent to any player in the circuit. He not only chases down balls that other players would be happy to let go, but also sees an unlikely opportunity in them.
Federer has ticked off all the boxes in a tennis player’s wish list. His passion for the game is anything but diminishing. He has shown us all that age is just another number.
Nadal has had a never ending list of career threatening injuries. But every time this indefatigable champ has defied all odds to make a stronger comeback. He, in my opinion deserves to be called ‘King of comebacks’ as well. Head to head stats are heavily stacked in favour of Nadal, 23-10 in favour of the Spaniard. But these numbers tell only a part of the larger story. Rivalries are much more than number crunching.
Unparalleled rivalry
What makes this face-off stand out? Is it only about the on-court action? After 33 meetings between these two, almost every game running down to the wire, every nerve of their body stressed, emotions running high, they remain the best friends in the circuit. Their respect for each other has only grown with every contest. Every rivalry has some forgettable ugly spats, but this rivalry has seen none of these ugly moments.
This fantabulous rivalry may well be in its last stage. It has given us a whole new way of looking at rivals even in my life. But the tennis fans still hope there is one final showdown left between them. It is so sad that rivalries like these have only one winner at the end of a contest. Rivalries, now have a new benchmark.