US Open preview: Federer, Nadal one match away from facing each other

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal got through their fourth round matches on Monday and are set to face tough opponents in the quarters. If they get through the next round, Arthur Ashe could set the stage for another historic face-off between the two.

It’s hard to imagine that they’ve never clashed at Flushing Meadows, but Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could make history again if they meet for the first time at the US Open in the semifinals.

But they just have to get through their quarterfinal opponents first, and both will give them runs for their money. Federer faces Juan Martine del Potro, who is playing inspired tennis and played the match of his life against Dominic Thiem on Monday. Nadal has to get through #nextgen player Andrey Rublev, one of a handful of young dynamos making strides this year.

How Federer and Nadal have fared so far

Rafael Nadal entered the U.S. Open as the new number one, but off of inconsistent performances at the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters events. Federer made the Canadian final but lost to the sensational Zverev. He suffered issues with his back, forcing him to withdraw from the Western & Southern Open. Nadal lost to Nick Kyrgios in the quarters there.

Neither Federer nor Nadal played great in their first couple of matches coming into New York, but both found their stride by the third round. At this tournament, they’ve practically been mirroring each other in performance. After Rafa’s third-round win over Leonardo Mayer, he did the same in three easy sets in his fourth round against Alexandr Dolgopolov, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.

Federer needed just three sets each to sail through third and fourth round wins over Feliciano Lopez and Philip Kohlschreiber. But how is the back holding up? The third seed started playing more freely against Lopez, but took a medical break with Kohlschreiber. However, he insists everything’s all good.

“[I] just needed a bit of a rub on my back, my bottom, and I didn’t want to do it on court,” Federer joked in his on-court interview with Brad Gilbert. But he said there’s no need to panic. “It’s all good, no problem there. I’m not worried about it.”

Quarterfinal matchups

The Swiss tennis legend will battle the man who stopped his streak of five consecutive U.S. Open titles in 2009. If it weren’t for Juan Martin del Potro, the 19-time grand slam champion would have a record six titles (and 20 slams). Even with the Argentine’s dramatic comeback Monday night, Fed’s not sweating the rematch.

“I think we’re different players today,” Federer said according to ATP. A lot’s happened since 2009. “We both play differently.”

And what does Rafa Nadal think about the 19-year-old Russian, Rublev, who he faces next?

Well, for one thing, he admires his youth.

“When you are young you feel that everything is new,” said the 31 year-old. “If I can come back to 19, I take it… Of course, better be 19 than 31. I always wanted to be young… I don’t want to get older. For the moment I didn’t find the way to stop that watch.”

The Spaniard also talked about how the losses at Wimbledon, Montreal, and Cincinnati affected him coming into the last grand slam.

“So few tough losses in a row that, you know, makes you feel a little bit more stressed when you are competing.”

But he says those recent defeats are behind him.

“Every victory, every set that you win is more confidence.”

Dolgopolov was supposed to be a difficult draw, but Nadal dispatched him in three easy sets.

Making history again

If the two titans of tennis (#fedal) break through to faceoff in the semis, it will be the first time they play each other at Flushing Meadows, which is hard to imagine given their 37 overall battles. While Nadal still holds the upper hand with 23 victories against 14 defeats, most of those have occurred on the surface he owns, clay (13-2).

Lately, the Swiss legend has made great strides to even out the odds, winning their last four matches (Basel in 2015 and three this year in Australia, Indian Wells, and Miami). Federer has done yeomen’s work on their rivalry all year, all three being hard court wins. Going into this year, Federer only owned their head-to-head on grass, but now he’s one up on hard courts as well (10-9).

The two have added to their legacies all year long. Federer started out the year with the first grand slam win in Australia, but has since claimed his record eighth Wimbledon and two more Masters 1000 trophies at Indian Wells and Miami. Meanwhile, Nadal scooped up practically every clay title during the spring including a historic 10th French Open win and two more Masters titles himself, tying Novak Djokovic at 30.

The prospect of witnessing the two sports icons battle on new ground in the last grand slam of the year is tantalizing. But until then, will Juan Martin del Potro or Andrey Rublev spoil the party?