Clash of the titans
Every draw sets up a potential final between the No.1 and No.2 seed, and here they just happen to be Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Of course, they are.
On top of a gazillion other achievements, these two titans of 21st-century tennis have won the last six Grand Slam titles between them, even at the ages of 32 and 36 respectively. Who doesn’t long for the fulfilment of seeding and the first Wimbledon contest between these two champions since the "greatest match ever" 10 years ago?
On the eve of the 2018 Championships, the All England Club hosted a world premiere of Strokes of Genius: Long Live Rivalry. Tennis Channel’s mesmerising documentary, which examines the Federer-Nadal rivalry through the lens of the legendary 2008 final, certainly whets the appetite for the emotion of a re-run.
To roll back 10 years and set the scene... this was the year then five-time champion Federer was on a trajectory to take his rightful place as the most dominant player in the history of the game.
Four hours and 48 minutes later, the Swiss maestro had to acknowledge he had a bona fide rival. Nadal staked his claim with a gutsy 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7 victory to secure the first of his two Wimbledon crowns.
It was a pivotal match on so many levels. In the film, Nadal recalls his thoughts after losing the third and fourth sets and standing a set from losing his third straight Wimbledon final to Federer.
I was No.1 in the world for the first time in 2004, I didn't want to have a rival. I just wanted to be the best and there was the rest basically
“I could lose the final. But, I wasn’t going to fail,” he said. “I’d be ready to compete till the end. Federer could win, but I wasn’t going to lose.”
Federer, equally candid, was illuminating on the consequences of his loss. “I was No.1 in the world for the first time in 2004, I didn't want to have a rival. I just wanted to be the best and there was the rest basically. That's how I saw it,” he said. “When Rafa came onto the scene, I guess at first I had to also appreciate the rival, you know. That he's going to be around and he's going to win his French Opens and win more in the future and he's going to be around. And maybe I have to adjust my game towards him. I have to accept that.”
Friends and rivals
One of the most poignant observations in the film is about how great rivals – Borg and McEnroe, Navratilova and Evert – develop an intense lifelong friendship away from the court based on mutual respect. In retirement, in a crowd, wherever, they are drawn to each other. So much shared experience creates an unbreakable bond. On screen, Federer expanded on the Roger-Rafa relationship.
“Rivals become an important part of your career, you know. Especially him being a left-hander and me being a right-hander. He's got the double-handed backhand. Me, I've got the one-handed. He grunts. I don't. He's got the pirate pants. I don't. He's got the sleeveless shirt. I don't. So everything's different.
"He's very shy in personality off the court. On the court I may be more shy and off the court I may be more, you know, outgoing. So, it's a very interesting contrast and I think that's why our rivalry was or still is so loved by so many people. Either you're team Rafa or you're team Roger, it’s hard for the fans to go on both sides. Today, I feel they can because they just feel like it’s so great that we’re still both at the game at this later stage of our career.”
I think that I play in a more intense manner than Federer and he plays in a more elegant and aggressive way, always supported by a drive and a serve that is hard to stop
Nadal, too, had a fascinating analysis of their rivalry. “Evidently, I play a very different game than Federer’s. Each point is important to me. To Federer, not all points are equally important, because he knows his serve is very hard to miss. So, he can be confident playing other points I can’t, he plays making more unintentional mistakes than me, because his style is more... I’d say aggressive. He does take much more risks than me. I think that I play in a more intense manner than Federer and he plays in a more elegant and aggressive way, always supported by a drive and a serve that is hard to stop.”
Strokes of Genius: Long Live Rivalry, directed by Andrew Douglas, was made in association with All England Lawn Tennis Club, Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment and Amblin Television and is available internationally for sale and rental on iTunes