Beauty and The Beast: The Greatest Rivalry in Tennis History

    Smack! Rafael Nadal delivers a smack to the tennis ball, and immediately falls to his knees, winning Wimbledon 2008. Rafa gets up, and walks to the net, shaking hands with Roger Federer, in arguably the greatest rivalry ever. Despite the intensity of tennis, these two champions are huge fans of each other, in, undoubtedly, also the nicest rivalry ever.

    The track record between Beauty and the Beast is 13-7 for Nadal (the Beast), but yet some are calling Federer the greatest of all time. In my opinion, this is the greatest rivalry in tennis history. The level of kindness and empathy that they show towards each other is amazing. With these two, there's never a need to rub it in. When Nadal won Wimbledon, and Roger was crying, Nadal consoled him by hugging him and talking to him, patting him on the back, doing all sorts of things. That is sportsmanship.

    Nadal, playing with sheer power, often outlasts Federer, by making him move. He also exploits Roger's weakness: the high backhand. Federer is not able to handle when it's hit high, with a lot of topspin to his backhand. Nadal, at 100 percent, is unstoppable on clay. However, it's pretty close on hard and grass. In the 2007 Wimbledon final, Rafa was winning the fifth set, and had all the momentum. Unfortunately for him, he got injured, and lost the match.

    If you're like the beast, playing with power, then injuries do happen, and they're not unfair. It all depends on your style of play. Beauty, Roger Federer, does not have too many physical setbacks because his style of play is like a ballerina; swift movements, and beautiful shots.

    For most players, Nadal's topspin is way too hard to handle. But for Federer, his movement, like a gazelle, makes him able to back up, get in position, and stroke the ball back. Other players that have good movement, can do the same, but they don't. Roger's movement give him a huge advantage.

    Hopefully, the greatest rivalry in tennis history has just begun.