Nadal vs Federer: Fire and Water
Youthful aggression vs boring but beautiful? Everyone has a view on tennis' two titans, and now it's turn to add our two cents.
If Swiss court genius Roger Federer were a coconut at the top of a palm tree, that would have to make Spaniard superstar Rafael Nada the ambitious monkey trying to pull him down. Coconuts and monkeys aside though, Federer has been the undisputed champion at the top of the tennis tree for four years now but as of 25th July 2008, Nadal will have been making worthy challenges for the World No. 1 title for three of those years. In the process of duking it out for the ultimate honour, both players have also established new records for the number of weeks spent consecutively in their top two World Ranking positions.
Arriving at the No. 1 makes any player memorable; remaining No. 1 despite an exhaustive rivalry makes that player a legend. This Federer most certainly is - and within his lifetime too. We said he was lucky. But he could be forgiven for not feeling that right now, as he most professionally attempts to deflect waves of critics declaring his time might be over, in the fallout to his recent French Open loss to Nadal. One imagines that Nadal, in a comparable situation, might have employed a little more shouting in his own defence. But that's part of the joy, intrigue and drama of this remarkable contest: the extreme contrasts in character and style of these two compelling players.
Nadal we shall associate with the element of fire. He is young, passionate, a souped up Spanish successor to the emotional on-court antics of superseded Australian star Lleyton Hewitt. In sports champions, the mental fortitude required to drive that winning edge sometimes spins off into a kind of miscontrued egotism; Nadal, indeed, has often been found guilty as charged. Facing the Wimbledon match of his life at only 22 years old, he narrowly defeated Pat Cash in a exhibition match at 15. At 19 he first broke Andrei Agassi's record of the number of consecutive matches won by a teenager, racking up 24, and then defeated Agassi himself at the Canadian Masters. In that same year, 2005, Nadal laid out the groundwork for his ongoing contest against Federer, winning 79 matches to Federer's 81. He also became only the third teenager to reach the World No. 2 ranking. His play is strong, fast, aggressive and best suited to the deep red clay courts.
In contrast, watching 26-year-old Roger Federer play was poetically described to me this morning as 'watching poetry in motion'. Federer is a grass court specialist and a more gentle character. Descriptions of his playing style also often seem to include adjectives like 'fluid' and 'smooth' and author David Wallace Foster went as fare as to describe his infamous and feared forehand as a 'great liquid whip'. Do not be seduced by the lyrical descriptions though: the man is a magnificent menace in a match even though he's just so nice about it you can't resent him for a moment.
This makes it such a pity that he's suffered a critical backlash since his French Open defeat earlier this month at the hands of Nadal. For one thing, the contest was held on clay, which has always been Nadal's domain, where Wimbledon is battled out on grass. For another, Federer is still recovering his form after suffering the dreaded wasting illness, glandular fever. And even if the crown does slip later this week at the All England Club, does it spell the end for the Federer age? It is a tribute to the ability of Nadal that some think it does; it's a tribute to Federer that he's looking the possibility in the eye and still talking candidly about next year. One thing is for sure: he isn't going to bow down without a hell of a fight.
Think you know your tennis ins and outs? Test yourself with our Wimbledon Wizard quiz!
If Swiss court genius Roger Federer were a coconut at the top of a palm tree, that would have to make Spaniard superstar Rafael Nada the ambitious monkey trying to pull him down. Coconuts and monkeys aside though, Federer has been the undisputed champion at the top of the tennis tree for four years now but as of 25th July 2008, Nadal will have been making worthy challenges for the World No. 1 title for three of those years. In the process of duking it out for the ultimate honour, both players have also established new records for the number of weeks spent consecutively in their top two World Ranking positions.
Which all makes Federer a jolly lucky man, really. There's nothing more unfortunate for a champion than to have no rival of equivalent talent to prove themself against.
Arriving at the No. 1 makes any player memorable; remaining No. 1 despite an exhaustive rivalry makes that player a legend. This Federer most certainly is - and within his lifetime too. We said he was lucky. But he could be forgiven for not feeling that right now, as he most professionally attempts to deflect waves of critics declaring his time might be over, in the fallout to his recent French Open loss to Nadal. One imagines that Nadal, in a comparable situation, might have employed a little more shouting in his own defence. But that's part of the joy, intrigue and drama of this remarkable contest: the extreme contrasts in character and style of these two compelling players.
Nadal we shall associate with the element of fire. He is young, passionate, a souped up Spanish successor to the emotional on-court antics of superseded Australian star Lleyton Hewitt. In sports champions, the mental fortitude required to drive that winning edge sometimes spins off into a kind of miscontrued egotism; Nadal, indeed, has often been found guilty as charged. Facing the Wimbledon match of his life at only 22 years old, he narrowly defeated Pat Cash in a exhibition match at 15. At 19 he first broke Andrei Agassi's record of the number of consecutive matches won by a teenager, racking up 24, and then defeated Agassi himself at the Canadian Masters. In that same year, 2005, Nadal laid out the groundwork for his ongoing contest against Federer, winning 79 matches to Federer's 81. He also became only the third teenager to reach the World No. 2 ranking. His play is strong, fast, aggressive and best suited to the deep red clay courts.
In contrast, watching 26-year-old Roger Federer play was poetically described to me this morning as 'watching poetry in motion'. Federer is a grass court specialist and a more gentle character. Descriptions of his playing style also often seem to include adjectives like 'fluid' and 'smooth' and author David Wallace Foster went as fare as to describe his infamous and feared forehand as a 'great liquid whip'. Do not be seduced by the lyrical descriptions though: the man is a magnificent menace in a match even though he's just so nice about it you can't resent him for a moment.
This makes it such a pity that he's suffered a critical backlash since his French Open defeat earlier this month at the hands of Nadal. For one thing, the contest was held on clay, which has always been Nadal's domain, where Wimbledon is battled out on grass. For another, Federer is still recovering his form after suffering the dreaded wasting illness, glandular fever. And even if the crown does slip later this week at the All England Club, does it spell the end for the Federer age? It is a tribute to the ability of Nadal that some think it does; it's a tribute to Federer that he's looking the possibility in the eye and still talking candidly about next year. One thing is for sure: he isn't going to bow down without a hell of a fight.
Think you know your tennis ins and outs? Test yourself with our Wimbledon Wizard quiz!
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