Such was the case when the two greatest and famous tennis players, Rafael defeated Roger Federer in 2008 to interrupt Federer’s string of Wimbledon triumphs. But, in truth, the rivalry had begun long before that fateful moment. They are, you must acknowledge, both extremely talented athletes with the sort of drive and determination that it takes to succeed in this sport, and at Wimbledon.
True, Nadal is five year’s Federer’s junior, but that can translate as easily into Federer having five years more experience as a top player. They are the only two men to ever have completed five consecutive calendar years as the two top-ranked players on the ATP tour.
Federer was number one for a record-breaking 237 weeks starting in February of 2004. Nadal, was right behind him at number two for 160 weeks starting in July of 2005.
Then they met in Wimbledon in 2008. Famous Swiss tennis player Federer’s defeat by Nadal stripped him of his number one ranking and the roles were reversed. Nadal, however, didn’t keep the number one spot too long. He was injured and while recuperating, slipped to number three for a while and then returned to the number two spot after winning against Federer in the Madrid Open in May of this year.
His win at the French Open rocketed Nadal into first place once more. Overall, Spanish tennis player, Nadal leads the contest 14 to 7. Tournament seedings are based upon rankings and seventeen of Federer and Nadal’s meetings have been in tournament finals, including seven of them in Grand Slam Finals.
They have played one another in every French Open and the Wimbledon Finals every year from 2006 to 2008 and met in the Australian Open tennis tournament in 2009. Nadal came away with wins in five of the seven, only losing their first two meetings at Wimbledon.
Their meeting in the 2008 Wimbledon final has been referred to as possibly the greatest men’s single’s final match in Wimbledon history. Whether you agree with that or not, you have to agree that this brewing rivalry ensures two top players are at their best each time they meet and allows us to be sure of some excellent tennis to view at this year’s Wimbledon Tournament.
