In what appears to be one of the biggest clashes in the ongoing Australian Open, old foes Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will be up in arms against each other in the tournament's semifinal on Friday.
Federer might have struggled for form after witnessing a disastrous season last year, but that shouldn't deter the Swiss ace to give his Spanish counterpart a run for his money.
It's the New Year and the first Grand Slam tournament, but there's nothing new about the Nadal-Federer rivalry. Two of the biggest names in the sport have formed a rivalry that is considered to be one of the greatest in tennis history
Federer might have struggled for form after witnessing a disastrous season last year, but that shouldn't deter the Swiss ace to give his Spanish counterpart a run for his money.
It's the New Year and the first Grand Slam tournament, but there's nothing new about the Nadal-Federer rivalry. Two of the biggest names in the sport have formed a rivalry that is considered to be one of the greatest in tennis history
The long-standing competition between these two dates back from the third round tie during the Miami Masters in 2004. It was Rafael Nadal's first step towards stardom after the 17-year-old Spaniard stunned Federer and the entire world with a straight-sets win.
Hungry for success while enjoying the spotlight, Nadal achieved the impossible after beating the Swiss star in French Open final to clinch his first Grand Slam title.
Ever since that day, the two have turned out to be two of the fiercest competitors in the history of the sport. They are the only pair of men to have finished six consecutive calendar years as the top two ranked players on the ATP tour from 2005-2010.
Nadal and Federer also boast the record of their longest consecutive reign at the world number 1 and 2 rankings after holding the top slots for 211 consecutive weeks. The reign ended in 2009 after Brit star Andy Murray dethroned the Spaniard from number 2 ranking.
The duo made every French Open and Wimbledon final from 2006 to 2008. Lauded as the greatest match by many tennis greats, Nadal and Federer put each other to test during the never-ending 2008 Wimbledon final.
Hungry for success while enjoying the spotlight, Nadal achieved the impossible after beating the Swiss star in French Open final to clinch his first Grand Slam title.
Ever since that day, the two have turned out to be two of the fiercest competitors in the history of the sport. They are the only pair of men to have finished six consecutive calendar years as the top two ranked players on the ATP tour from 2005-2010.
Nadal and Federer also boast the record of their longest consecutive reign at the world number 1 and 2 rankings after holding the top slots for 211 consecutive weeks. The reign ended in 2009 after Brit star Andy Murray dethroned the Spaniard from number 2 ranking.
The duo made every French Open and Wimbledon final from 2006 to 2008. Lauded as the greatest match by many tennis greats, Nadal and Federer put each other to test during the never-ending 2008 Wimbledon final.
The marathon-match that lasted for 4 hours and 48 minutes was also the longest in the history of Wimbledon. It was eventually won by Nadal in five sets and broke Federer's Open-Era record of 65-match winning streak that spanned for over five years.
While Federer has been superb on grass courts with two wins out of their three clashes, Nadal is almost unbeatable on clay with his tally of 13 victories out of 15 games.
But, it's the hard court that has been unpredictable for their rivalry. Nadal(8) and Federer(6) are almost at par as far as their 14 clashes in Australian Open and US Open are concerned.
Out of their 32 clashes over a span of nine years, Nadal leads their rivalry with 22 wins against Federer - who has managed to pull off 10.
No tennis guru or a fan would have anticipated the semifinal clash to feature Roger Federer - who has struggled for form throughout the last season. Federer lacked consistency and confidence in his play after shocking Grand Slam exits last year.
But, this year has been completely different for Federer. Thriving under new coach Stefan Edberg, the Swiss ace seems to have finally found his rhythm that was thoroughly exhibited during his triumph over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray earlier in the tourney.
Despite being fairly successful against FedEx, it will be anything but a walk in the park for Nadal considering a blister in his palm and Federer's newly-found form.
Despite being fairly successful against FedEx, it will be anything but a walk in the park for Nadal considering a blister in his palm and Federer's newly-found form.
0 comments:
Post a Comment