It’s happening again, the two best players of all time, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal face off for the 36th time with Rafa leading their head-to-head 23 to 12. To me, Nadal has looked sharper so far, but Federer looks to be in a playful mood and is serving well which is the key for him to beat Rafa again after their spellbinding Australian Open final in January. The event is called the “Fedal” and is arguably the best thing to watch tennis. Who knows how many more of these titanic battles we will see before one of them retires? …
Fedal
Pinch your arms. It’s really happening. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are playing another Grand Slam Final (a “Fedal”) against each other after two five-set semi-finals of absolutely amazing quality. And it feels like some kind of divine justice that the guys left standing are Federer and Nadal. This means that on Sunday Federer can win his 18th slam or Nadal his 15th. Who is your pick? This is what Bet365 says about the odds:They bookies at Bet365 obviously think that the head-to-head, 23-11 in Nadal’s favour, is a very important factor in this match. And it’s hard to deny …
My predictions for the Australian Open wasn’t very good ahead of the tournament, but round-by-round they’ve been pretty decent. And now it’s really getting mouthwatering with both Federer and Nadal in the semi-finals, only one step from another classic Fedal final. Can it be? Federer vs Wawrinka is the battle of the Swiss and it’s one where maestro Federer has an overwhelming head-to-head record (18-3), but their last Grand Slam match in the Roland Garros quarter-finals 2015, Wawrinka won in straight sets (he later won the tournament). Wawrinka is ranked three in the world and has won a slam the …
It’s getting closer. After a topsy-turvy Australian Open where both Djokovic and Murray went out early, we have a quarter-finals setup that is really interesting with three matches that are very hard to pick. The bookmakers at Bet365Â seem to agree. But hey, you say, there are four matches! Well, judging by Zverev’s comments about the moment his playing one of his idols, Roger Federer, and that he was crushed four years ago 6-0 6-0, I think Federer will just be too strong for him. But if there’s something this Australian Open has taught us it’s that I can be completely …
The blog has been silent for a while. Reason being perhaps that I think the air kind goes out of the tennis season when the final slam of the year is played. As a long time Federer fan it might also be that the two losses to Djokovic in slam finals stung too much and prompted a break from tennis. This also happened on the court for me when a knee inflammation appeared as from nowhere and sidelined me for weeks. But talking about Federer losing in finals and knee problems is an easy transition to the long awaited episode …
The above clip reminded me about an old article I wrote about the Fedal rivalry or as I called it then: The Battle of Legends – Federer vs Nadal. I wrote it before Djokovic came thundering in and changed the conversation. Despite the Federer vs Nadal rivalry not being as competitive in head-to-head stats (Nadal always seemed to be quite a convincing favourite), it was magical in the contrast of personalities and playing styles. Being a Federer fan always made it more exciting to watch than Nadal vs Djokovic, because Roger was somehow always the underdog despite often being ahead …
Two spectacular quarter-finals took place today, and they were spectacular in very different ways. Federer‘s trashing of Del Potro was masterclass in efficient and brilliant tennis. Whatever Del Potro threw at the great Swiss, the tennis maestro had an answer to which shows in the final score 6-4 6-3 6-2. Del Potro didn’t play bad at all, but today he was still a class below Federer who looks really eager to play his best in 2012. He will sure be a tough nut to crack for… Rafael Nadal, who was really on the ropes against a Tomas Berdych playing the …
The tennis year was supposed to start with a bang with Federer and Nadal (Fedal) playing in Qatar. It looked like a very likely final. In the end neither Federer nor Nadal made it all the way there; Federer withdrew for the first time since 2008 because of back pain and Nadal was swashbuckled by an inspired Monfils in the semis. This left the title open for Tsonga who due to Federer’s semi-final withdrawal instead play an exhibition set against Stefan Edberg! And this is exactly what happened. Tsonga continued his great form from 2012 and beat Monfils in final …
And so here it is, the match we’ve been waiting for, another grand slam final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. In some way this final feels different then the previous ones, especially since they played their last GS final against each other in the 2009 Australian Open 2,5 years ago. A lot has happened since then. Djokovic has showed he’s probably the best player in the world right now. Federer has won the French Open and reached 16 Grand Slam titles. Nadal has proven that he wants to be in the GOAT discussion by making a career slam and winning 9 …
Well, it was the final we all wanted in the end, the first “Fedal” in one year. It was a good match, tight, not one of the best for sure, but entertaining. Federer looks like he has stepped up his game a level or even two since the horrible performances in Rome and Estoril. He can very well be a finalist at Roland Garros that starts on Sunday. But can be he beat Rafa? In my opinion, no. Rafa didn’t play his absolute best yesterday (neither did Roger) but he still manage to get the W by 6-4 7-6. He …