When Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal met on Mallorca in October 2016, the great days of their long-standing rivalry seemed to be over. The Swiss limped, the Spaniard hurt his wrist,”We could only play mini tennis with the juniors,”said Federer. No one, not even the two protagonists themselves, could imagine the Renaissance that the duel of 2017 witnessed.
Federer (36) and Nadal (31) turned back the clock and dominated their sport like they had not done for years. Record winners Federer added 19 victories to his Grand Slam account with the titles in Melbourne and Wimbledon, Nadal follows in the “eternal” leaderboard with his triumphs in Paris and New York with 16 major victories. The duo finished the season at the top of the world rankings.
However, things were different compared to earlier days: Federer always prevailed in the direct encounter. After a five-part thriller in the Australian Open finals, he beat his former fearful opponent Nadal in Indian Wells, Miami and Shanghai.
Nadal doesn’t want to stand up for these defeats. The conditions for a continuation of the duel of the year could hardly be better.