Roger Federer: Is Federer's Rivalry with Nadal Best Tennis Has Ever Witnessed?

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Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Might Be the Biggest Rivals In Tennis History

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have met in the finals of seven (soon to be eight) Grand Slam matches.

McEnroe/Connors, Agassi/Sampras—does Federer/Nadal have the same cache?

Yes—and then some. Both players rank among the best to ever play the game. Each has a set of specific strengths and weaknesses that colors each match they compete in. Nadal, for example, is a master of the clay court. Federer has that shot running backward, between his legs.

“It always seems to me that Rafa needs to be in a French Open final to make it special, and I got the match I guess I was hoping for,” Federer said in The New York Times.

Agassi and Sampras had the battle for America's hearts. McEnroe and Connors had the battle of the generations. What do Federer and Nadal have? Swedes and Spaniards are certainly not natural rivals.

For these rivals, it is truly the battle for greatness, maybe even the greatness of being the greatest. Never before have two players so dominant, so talented peaked at the same time. When such talent converges, rivalries are born naturally. There's no way to prevent it.

It would be like if Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus were playing together at Augusta, like Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron going for 61 in the same season.

So enjoy it while it lasts, because like any sports rivalry, it will end sooner rather than later.

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