Federer-Nadal : Immortality Beckons – essentiallysports.com

Federer-Nadal : Immortality Beckons

Popular Culture, they say, captures zeitgeist like none other. After all, an era is best remembered by the icons that graced it and shaped it. Our heroes are who we live by and swear by. This is true more in the sports arena than in any  other place. After all, come what may, my Dad will always one up me for being there to witness Diego Maradona live. Similarly, whatever becomes of my life, I’ll have it over my posterity that I witnessed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal live. 2 of the all time greats. How many times does it happen that 2 of the sport’s greatest icons are there to settle the debate as to who is better during the same era? You may throw a hundred stats at me but you still can’t convincingly settle the debate as to who between Sachin Tendulkar or Don Bradman is better.

This is not to say that being in the same era helped it any better. We still don’t know who’s to be considered the King of Kings-Federer or Nadal. But, now that both are in the twilight of their glorious careers, and we wait for another chapter of this storied rivalry, it is as good a time as any to look back on the rivalry that shaped the modern tennis era like none other.

For me and the world, it all began on one balmy, breezy afternoon in Paris, fittingly at the City of Love. The year was 2005, I was still a bright kid in class and Roger Federer’s ascent to the top was almost complete. He was routing opponents all over, Andre Agassi was becoming yet another guy who stuck to the sport for far too long, my grandma had a better backhand than Andy Roddick, and Lleyton Hewitt was someone who was hell bent on disappointing you. Contrast this with Federer’s meteoric rise, and everyone was sure that tennis was set for an era of 1 man domination. Nadal, not so much. Though they had met twice before, it was this SemiFinal of French Open 2005 that catapulted Nadal into the public eye. Federer was up 2 sets to none, and was well on course for his maiden final appearance at Roland Garros. Nadal stormed back to claim the next 3 sets, match, and of course, the Championship too. Though nobody knew at that time, this too was the beginning of an era – Nadal’s reign at the Roland Garros. The first shots had been fired. On hard court and grass, Federer still lorded over the rest. Like others, on these surfaces, Nadal too was a lesser being, aspiring to dethrone the Swiss maestro. A pattern emerged.

Federer-Nadal : Immortality Beckons

Come 2006, Nadal finally fulfilled the promise of a prodigy. A once in a generation one. He was the ultimate manifestation of the ‘sum is always greater than the parts’. No part of his game was a phenomenon that had never been seen before, but add up the parts, and what you got was a fierce Valhalla warrior, complete with the flowing locks, the bulging biceps, and the endurance of a marathon runner. A player who defined what it means to slug it out.

A player who solely relied on his graft. He first conquered Federer at the Dubai hard court Finals, ending his Open Era record of 56 consecutive wins on the surface. Then came the clay court again, and with it, the first instant classic of this still in its nascent stages rivalry. Rome 2006 still remains the longest match the duo ever indulged in, clocking in at an otherworldly 5 hours, 5 minutes. Yes, 5 sets. Again, Federer led the first 2 sets, again Nadal came back to claim the next 3, of which, in the 5th, Federer had 2 Championship points but lost it all in a tiebreak. The pattern.

Next stop, Paris. Final. Yep, Nadal. Federer took the first, Nadal the next 3. Then came Wimbledon 2006, Nadal’s first Final appearance at tennis’ hallowed grounds. Here, as expected, it was a whitewash, with Federer comfortably taking Wimbledon for the 4th consecutive time. 2007 was play, progress, rinse repeat for this rivalry. Except, Nadal was getting better on grass, for long Federer’s backyard.

2008 was the defining year. After absoluting whitewashing and spray-painting Federer all over with disdain in the French Open Final, Nadal went on to sound the death knell for his hegemony at SW19. Wimbledon was lost in what many consider to be the greatest game of tennis ever played. Nadal won 2, Federer won 2, a slugfest of epic proportions ensued in the fifth where physics was challenged, limits of endurance belied and jaws were finally picked from the ground after 4 hours, 48 minutes. A king lay without his kingdom. The 2009 Australian Open was the last epic Grand Slam Final these 2 graced. Another 5 setter Nadal victory led to Federer’s teary eyed, now immortal “God is playing games with me.”

So, what exactly was it about this duel that captured the public imagination like never before? End of the day, last thing the public wants is a dichotomy when it comes to Grand Slam winners. They always like it competitive. For starters, it was the contrast in styles. Federer, an orthodox, right handed serve and volley stylist in an era of hard hitters. Perfection personified. Nadal, on the other hand, was a southpaw who fought for each point like it was his last. A ferocious forehand with top spin like the game had never seen. But, he had his limitations, unlike the Maestro.

In his now seminal piece, ‘Roger Federer as a Religious Experience’, DF Wallace described his serve as “a seamless eel like motion”. This was as apt a description as any. His forehand could put balls all day long into spaces the lesser eye didn’t even know existed, his backhand was a glorious one handed brushing aside of whatever came his way and he hardly ever seemed to break into a sweat. Nadal, on the other hand, was when talent meets hard work meets the right teacher meets unbelievable strength of character.

Before Nadal was, labor waited for him. Federer showed what perfection was, Nadal showed how you could better perfection without achieving it. Federer is why we watch sports, Nadal is why we take up sports in the first place. These 2 were polar opposite behemoths, and the world had waited too long for 2 such masters to appear. So, when they did, we embraced them with open arms.

Federer-Nadal : Immortality Beckons

Further Nadal’s human side is shown by the injuries he has sustained, the impossible to keep up play taking its toll on the body. We got a rare peak into the psyche and vulnerabilities of a champion, when he described in his memoir ‘Rafa’, how he sat alone and cried the whole night long after his Wimbledon Final loss, in 2007. How that haunted him when the 2008 Final came around and how he would have been a broken and damaged man, had he lost the 2008 classic. We identified with it, because we all have been there. Into the heart of darkness.

As for Federer, no such memoir exists. Nobody knows how that beyond perfection mind functions. Nobody has seen a hint of despair on that inscrutable matchtime Spock like face of his. No emotions, no exultations, no angst. Just an other worldly being going about his job. Oh, and fittingly, no injuries.

The rivalry has gone on for 10 years now. They still partake in matches that are a sight for the sore eyes. Federer, went on to win French Open 2009, when Nadal suffered a shock loss in the fourth round. He also brushed aside Andy Roddick in another classic to reclaim Wimbledon. Since then, both have relatively declined, Federer only having won 2 Slams and Nadal consistently plagued by injuries, hampering his progress on surfaces other than the red clay. Not to discount the emergence of Novak Djokovic as a force to be reckoned with.

Nonetheless, their respect for each other on and off the court remains undiminished. Refreshingly, there are no snarky remarks, no heated exchange between the two. They are often seen bantering and sharing a laugh with Federer admitting that a victory over Nadal is still a joy to behold, while Nadal always aggressively brushes aside the ‘GOAT’ tag, maintaining that it should only be reserved for Federer.

The Swiss won their last meeting, in 2015. He now trails in the H2H, 11-23. As the pattern shows, whenever they meet for the last time, I’ll put my money on Nadal to have the last laugh. As 2017 rolled in, amongst other things, fans of the pair desperately wished for one last meeting between the two stalwarts. Our prayers have been answered and how! Federer came back from a 6 month layoff/rest looking sharp, and Nadal seems to be a man on a mission too. The two meet tomorrow, to decide who will be the Australian Open champion, 2017. Infact such has been their dominance, that the last time two such legends met in a final, it was Pete Sampras beating his old nemesis Agassi in his last ever match where he went on to lift the US Open, 2002.

Admittedly, their path to the final was made easier by the surprisingly early exits of #1 and #2 Herr Murray and Herr Djokovic. But, that’s to take away nothing from the two who have beaten the likes of Kei Nishikori, Stan Wawrinka and the form man Dimitrov. The two have displayed more than glimpses of their old imperious self, dispatching their opponents with disdain, and slugging it out when they needed to. Infact, at 4-4 in the fifth set in the SF, Nadal was serving at 15-40, to stay alive in the Championship. He called on his famed resilience to dig deep and rattle off 4 points to take the game.

Even as a Federer fan, you couldn’t help but rejoice at the sight of Rafael Nadal roaring back to life. More than anything, this sets down the template for a very, very exciting 2017 with it’s crop of ATP leaders,young turks wanting to establish themselves, and these 2 maestros rewinding the clock back a few years and showing the kids how it’s done. We’ll be overjoyed if these 2 end up contesting more Grand Slam finals in this year, but that might be getting too far ahead of ourselves.

Anyhow, Federer’s record of 17 Grand Slams will almost never be bettered. Same is the case with Nadal and his 9 French Open titles. There are a host of other individual accomplishments that the 2 share, which’ll be trailblazers for generations to follow. But, now that they walk into the sunset of their respective careers, and I move from carefree teenage years to adulthood, and grapple with perplexing questions like mortality, I’ll always fondly remember my childhood, when 2 Gods walked the tennis court and mortals knew their places.