At 3:30 AM ET, Rafael Nadal will battle arguably the greatest tennis player of all-time, Roger Federer. According to Chris McKendry (ESPN), this marks the 27th meeting between Nadal and Federer. I remember watching their classic from Wimbledon in 2008. That match got me hooked on to the sport of tennis. From there, I saw them battle a few more times, with Nadal winning most of those battles. They are our modern-day McEnroe and Borg.
However, the Federer/Nadal reign in tennis may be coming to an end. World No.1 Novak Djokovic has shown his dominance on the tennis court. Putting together one of the greatest season’s ever by a player, Djokovic won three of the four grand-slam events last season (Australian Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open). He lost to Roger Federer in the semifinal of the French Open last year. He was able to best Federer in a five-set thriller two-months later at the U.S. Open.
A four-time major champion, Djokovic will be looking to cement a legacy. With a win in the semifinal against Andy Murray, Djokovic will look to officially dethrone Federer and Nadal. With a win, he will have his fifth major title, and a third Australian Open championship. From a fan perspective, I want to see Federer/Djokovic three. It would be their third meeting in the last four grand-slam events. The previous two were contested in the semifinal round. This would be a final. It could be Federer’s last stand.
The real winner from whoever wins, the fans. They are experiencing great tennis at a time when tennis may not be the ‘thing’. It isn’t as popular here in America. That’s because we have no dominant tennis star. However, the fans need to enjoy and embrace the great tennis they have been treated to over the past several years. A great rivalry was born and executed perfectly. A new challenger has risen, and he wants his legacy to be remembered in the annals of time. We’ve been treated to tennis greatness, and hopefully that doesn’t stop anytime soon.
cphelps2012 