Partners In Crime

Roger Federer (L) and Rafael Nadal are the two of the three men to win French-Wimbledon double since 1969. (Source: Reuters file)

Yin and yang. Chinese philosophy describes how two seemingly opposing forces are complementary and interdependent. Is there a more apt way to describe the relationship between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal? The righty versus the lefty. Federer’s free-flowing shot-making and point construction, a remnant of tennis’s classical era versus Nadal’s brutish ground-strokes and untiring legs, a template for today’s baseline slug-fests.

While less pronounced, the contrast is evident off the court as well, even extending to their attitude towards facing each other. Quizzed about a potential, long-awaited first meeting at Flushing Meadows last week, Nadal said, “If I am in the semifinals, no. It’s obvious, no? It sounds very good, but… I prefer to play against another player, an easier one if it’s possible.” Federer’s reply? “I’d love to play Rafa here in New York.”

Rivalries in tennis are unlike any other — high-stakes, perpetual and personal. The tug of war is what coaxes top players to leave their hearts out on the court. The most compelling, however, are the rivalries with the most contrast. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova come to mind. Evert, the steady base-liner, Navratilova, the constant attacker. There’s another, the rivalry of “Ice and Fire”. While Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe had other, longer rivalries, there’s a reason they don’t make movies about Borg-Connors or McEnroe-Lendl. The strikingly different demeanour of the parties involved is what caught the fancy of many. The cool Swede almost emotionless on court, the petulant American prone to outbursts.

Much like Evert-Navratilova or Borg-McEnroe, there has been no bad blood between Federer and Nadal, a rivalry split 23-14 in favour of the latter. Not that there wasn’t scope for any. With his idol Pete Sampras out of the game and Andre Agassi meandering, Federer, then 23, had already assumed the throne in 2004. He ran roughshod for three seasons, overwhelming all but one pretender. The two first met at the Miami Masters in 2004, and the 17-year-old Nadal beat then world No. 1 Federer. After the loss, Federer spoke about the struggle to handle the Nadal’s heavy top-spin and his struggle to counter the high bounce. It would take him 13 years, a bigger racquet and a rushing backhand to get out of the quandary caused by that deadly topspin.

A couple of years later, the two met on the red clay of Rome. A tense five-hour, five-set epic which saw Federer waste two championship points and, uncharacteristically, let his frustration show. During the final, he looked toward the player’s box and Rafa’s uncle-cum-coach Toni Nadal. “Everything all right, Toni?”. “I caught him in the act. He was coaching a little bit too much again today,” Federer said. Nadal replied, a day later. “He has to learn to be a gentleman even when he loses.”

Promoters, TV moguls and tournament organisers were left salivating. After all, some animosity, a little trash talk would have only driven the two up the charts. That never happened. They seemed content ruling their respective territories of grass and clay and trading the hard court wins. Unlike several other rivalries, this one never incorporated personal dislike, even when Nadal stormed Federer’s bastion to win the 2008 Wimbledon.

Today, the elder statesmen are back holding the top two spots for the first time since 2011 — a duopoly preferable to the monopoly Novak Djokovic enforced in 2015. The ascent of the gluten-free Serb and worthy contenders such as Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka have eclipsed the great rivalry of our times and Federer and Nadal have been unable to forge a similar relationship with any of them. “Our bond is stronger than the one I may have with Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray… I feel the most connected and closer to Rafa,” Federer said in 2014.

Maybe the two plotted the renaissance last year when their injury lay-offs overlapped. But with the younger rivals off with injuries and the youngest not up to the mark, the stars aligned. Federer and Rafa had a field year, running away with the four Grand Slam titles in a 2017 that seems like a throwback to 2007. Perhaps, there is a better way to describe the relationship. Federer-Nadal: Partners in crime.