Incredibly though, they have met just once at the Australian Open – that epic match from 2009 when Nadal beat Federer in five sets – the first time Rafa had won a hard court Grand Slam title.
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Australian Open Semifinals- Live TV Streams (Free)
Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer, Thursday, not before 7pm (8am GMT)
At Montreal, Nadal went out in his first match and Federer in his second. Can anyone even remember that happening before?
I think that at the first Masters event of the North America tour most of us expected repeat semifinals featuring the top four of Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray.
But just a few days in, and three of the four have been sent packing. Only Nole is still standing.
So with Federer yet to win a Major or Masters in 2011, and Djokovic almost unbeatable, can we pronounce the Nadal and Federer era definitively dead?
Well, in the sense of two players totally dominating a sport, as Roger and Rafa did from 2006-2010, probably, yes, that history making epoch has ended.
It’s been a great run, and in the future we will probably look back and be amazed how long it lasted rather than at how it inevitably faded to an end. We’ll treasure forever the great memories including the incredible Wimbledon, French and Australian Open finals and unique friendship in rivalry .
But in another sense, we can hope that the era still has some legs.
Federer has another Major or two in him, and although we will see more downs than we have been spoiled to experience in the past, there will still be the ups – to savour not just for rarity, but especially for the grit and skill that will be needed to beat younger upstarts.
And Nadal is far from a done force. Provided he can manage his calendar to limit the pounding on his body, we can expect to see a more dosified and focussed Rafa sharpening his game to face the new challenge that is Novak Djokovic. I think we can hope for a minimum of 4 or 5 more good years, highlighted by many great matches with the Serb, as well as a few scorchers still with Roger, Andy and some yet-to-be-discovered young talents.
So for now, I’m putting this Montreal disappointment behind me, and looking forward to see our champs rested and back in the game come Cincinnati and Flushing Meadows.
With Rafa just crowned with his tenth Grand Slam at Roland Garros, how do his achievements compare with Federer at the same age?
This time we’ll look at what each of them had won at the age of 25 years and 3 days.
Below is the summary of results achieved as of June 6th 2011 by Rafa Nadal, and comparing it with what Federer had already won back in August 2006 when he was the age Rafa is today.
UPDATE – Result – Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer, 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 to claim his record equalling sixth Roland Garros title, his 10th Grand Slam, and to retain his ATP Number One position – congratulations Rafa, and also to Roger for a fantastic tournament!
To date Rafa leads the head to head (16-8) and in Grand Slam finals (5-2). This will be the first time the two meet in a Major final since the 2009 Australian Open (Nadal won), almost two and a half years ago!
So what, apart from the glory of the Roland Garros title itself, is at stake in Sunday’s historic encounter? If Federer wins, he will:
- Have 17 Grand Slams, three clear of second best Peter Sampras
- Have beaten Rafa to win a Roland Garros title, adding legitimacy to his GOAT (Greatest of All Time) legacy
- Have solidly demonstrated that the Rafa-Nole show is really the Rafa-Nole-Roger show.
If Nadal wins he will:
- Match Bjorn Borg on 6 Roland Garros titles
- Claim his 10th Grand Slam
- Stay at No. 1, just keeping Djokovic at bay, at least for a few more weeks
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Roland Garros Final – Live Tennis on TV Streams (Free)
Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer, Sunday, 3pm (1pm GMT)
Option 1 – French Open – Tennis – Live TV - English
Option 2 – French Open – Tennis – Live TV – English
Option 3 – French Open – Tennis – Live TV – English
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A few weeks ago I posted that Rafa would stay No 1 – he still can, with a little help from a friend.
I had picked that Rafa Nadal would win Rome and Roland Garros and therefore hold on to the ATP No. 1 ranking until at least the beginning of Wimbledon.
Unfortunately I underestimated Novak Djokovic, who continued his amazing run of form to beat Rafa in Rome.
But now it is Paris. Five sets, Grand Slam tennis.
And Rafa has a trump card this time in… Roger Federer, who could be the one to knock Nole off his perch in the semis and allow the Mallorcan to stay atop, just… just…just maybe… a little longer.
Here is the calculation, should Nadal win, and Djokovic fall in semis:
Update: Matches over – Nadal beat Lopez 6-4, 6-2 while Federer crashed out to Gasquet – 4-6, 7-6, 7-6
Rafael Nadal played very badly yesterday and will hope to improve a good deal against Feliciano Lopez. He has a 7-2 lead in the head to head.
Roger Federer has beaten Richard Gasquet of France on 8 straight occasions from nine matches, with the Frenchman having to look back to their first meeting in 2005 for inspiration.
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Internazionali BNL D’Italia – Live Tennis on TV Streams (Free)
Rafael Nadal vs Feliciano Lopez, midday (10am GMT) Roger Federer vs Richard Gasquet, not before 3:00pm (1:00pm GMT)
Rest easy Nadal fans – Rafa will stay on top until at least after Roland Garros…
There has been a lot of talk of Novak Djokovic’s chances of taking over the ATP No 1 position from Rafael Nadal either at the Rome Masters or at the French Open.
But that possibility requires one massive assumption – that he can outscore Rafa at either Rome or Roland Garros.
Let’s not forget something – Nadal has won the Rome title in 5 out of the last six years, as well as Roland Garros in 5 out of the last 6 years. He is perhaps the best clay court player of all time, and unlike the Madrid Masters which is played at altitude, these courts are perfect for his style of play.
So even if Nole makes it to the final in both, Nadal is favourite to win both titles. And in that case after Roland Garros he will retain a lead over the Serb of…365 points!
Here is the calculation:
Nadal
Djokovic
Balance 11th May
12470
10665
less Madrid points 2010*
-1000
0
plus Rome 2011
+1000
+600
less French 2010
-2000
-360
plus French 2011
+2000
+1200
After Roland Garros
12470
12105
Note – Madrid 2010 points drop 16th May, and Rome 2010 points already deducted from balance due to change in tournament calendar since last year.
Well let’s not take this lightly, Nadal will have to play brilliantly to achieve the above, but so will Djokovic, and Rafa has history and experience in his favour. Odds are on him.
On the other hand, the really big challenge will be Wimbledon where things are no longer in Rafa’s hands. If as above Nadal wins on clay and Djokovic loses the finals, then even a Wimbledon title may not be enough if Nole does indeed make it to the third consecutive final. So THERE is his chance – but truth is, I back Rafa to win all three, but think the Serb will fall short at either the French or Wimbledon .
After Roland Garros
12470
12105
less Wimbledon 2010
-2000
-720
plus Wimbledon 2011
+2000
+1200
After Wimbledon
12470
12585
Note – Queens left out of above for simplification, but it could also come in to play. Rafa defends 45 points and Nole 20 points.
Then for July and August… not so many points to defend and he could make up points on the hardcourt tour of North America before defending his title at the US Open.
My pick is that Rafa will be at No 1 until the end of the year!
UPDATE – Nadal beat Lorenzi 6-7, 6-4, 6-0 while Federer beat Tsonga 6-4, 6-2
Rafael Nadal may perhaps be relieved to be facing 148th ranked local Paolo Lorenzi, instead of Thomaz Bellucci, but is sure not to take him for granted. It will be the first time the two have met. UPDATE – Match over – after a surprising lost first set, Rafa fought back to win 6-7, 6-4, 6-0
Roger Federer on the other hand has played Jo-Wilfred Tsonga four times before, and holds a 3-1 lead in the head to head. Not so easy but he should go through safely.
Below are the best links for free TV streams over internet that we could find in our wide scan and evaluation of available sources.
Internazionali BNL D’Italia – Live Tennis on TV Streams (Free)
Rafael Nadal vs Paolo Lorenzi, after about 2pm local (midday GMT) Roger Federer vs Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, not before 7:30pm (5:30pm GMT)
UPDATE – Match over, Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 and will play Djokovic in the final
Will we witness yet another Nadal vs Federer classic?
I sure hope so – most recent numbers and form are all in favour of a two set win for Rafa, but there is hope for Roger Federer:
- Nadal has a 12-3 lead in the clay head to head
- and is on a 36 winning streak on clay
On the other hand, Fed has beaten Nadal before for this title (2009), and has played very well to beat the likes of Robin Soderling in this tournament. So can he pull it off and reignite this rivalry?
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Mutua Madrid Masters – Live Tennis on TV Streams (Free)
Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer, not before 4pm local time (2pm GMT)
Option 1 – Madrid Mutua – Masters Series Tennis – Live TV - English
Option 2 – Madrid Mutua – Masters Series Tennis – Live TV - English
Option 3 – Miami Masters Series Tennis – Live TV - Español
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With Rafa just crowned with his tenth Grand Slam at Roland Garros, how do his achievements compare with Federer at the same age?
UPDATE – Result – Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer, 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 to claim his record equalling sixth Roland Garros title, his 10th Grand Slam, and to retain his ATP Number One position – congratulations Rafa, and also to Roger for a fantastic tournament!
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