Federer, Nadal rivalry comes to a head again at Indian Wells

Roger Federer, at age 37, and Rafael Nadal, 32, will not be around forever. The two legends have come to define the game of tennis for so long. Let’s sit back and just enjoy their 39th clash in the PNB Paribas semifinals.

There will be a time in tennis when the two titans—Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal—will no longer be dominating it. It will be sad, and we will all go through a collective GOAT withdrawal. But on Saturday, at Indian Wells, that is not this day.

Dominic Thiem and Milos Raonic (having a terrific comeback, by the way) are also set to face each in the semifinal.

But all eyes will be on Federer and Nadal on Saturday.

Roger Federer will be 38 this August, and Rafa Nadal will be 33 in June. They’ve had some epic clashes in the past—with their 2008 Wimbledon battle considered the paragon of tennis greatness—that have come to define tennis at its best.

Ever since their fateful meeting in the first of the “Sunshine Doubles” (Indian Wells and Miami Open Masters events) at Miami in 2004, Federer and Nadal have clashed, with the Spaniard dictating the narrative, mostly on clay, but also on all surfaces.

That is, until 2017, with both legends returning to the sport in notable form after sitting out separately for much of the second half of 2016. They even joked about it when Nadal asked the Swiss as the guest of honor at the opening of his tennis academy in Majorca. Like a page out of a storybook, the two rivals worked their way back in the 2017 Australian Open final. Federer was down 3-1 in the final set, but this time, a retooled backhand and a renewed belief changed the outcome. Miraculously, the 20-time grand slam champ powered back and took the title.

Since then, Federer has also rewritten the Nadal-Federer rivalry playbook. Five victories in a row have allowed the Swiss player to narrow the gap on all surfaces except clay. The renewed faith in his ability to take on his nemesis propelled FedEx to follow up Melbourne with successive wins at Indian Wells, Miami, and Shanghai in 2017. However, Rafa still owns their head-to-head, 23-15.

Times have changed for the two great adversaries. Their rivalry is now relegated only to the courts, and mostly as part of the story of tennis. The two even sat down last week, at Federer’s rented house, and had coffee, to discuss the future state of men’s tennis.

Although the last time the two battled at Indian Wells, which Fed won in 2017, the two haven’t faced each other in over a year, despite being ranked No. 1 and 2 last year (with Federer becoming the oldest No. 1 for a brief stint that year). After his resurgent 2017, Federer dipped in form to turn in a more uneven 2018 than Nadal, who has made more grand slam finals than the Swiss lately, including this year’s Australian Open loss to Djokovic.

“I don’t think those five matches matter that much, to be honest,” Federer said via The New York Times. “A lot of time has gone by, unfortunately maybe for the rivalry, for us, or for me. It’s always better to keep on maybe playing against him.”

Federer went out in the fourth round in Melbourne, but has since rallied to clock in his 100th ATP title in Dubai, and hasn’t dropped a set in Indian Wells. Since the Australian Open, he has won nine straight matches and 15 sets in a row. The tired and winded Federer witnessed at last year’s U.S. Open has been nowhere in sight this year. He’s been in vintage form, trying out daring tactics in addition to his customary prowess. He defeated his unseeded opponent, Hubert Hurkacz, 6-4, 6-4, in just over an hour on Friday.

Nadal hasn’t dropped a set either but needed more juice to take down his opponent in the quarters, Karen Khachanov, taking both sets to tough tie breakers, 7-6(2), 7-6(2). His knee also flared up in the second set, putting his performance on Saturday in question.

But if there’s one thing we know about 17-time slam Nadal is no one fights like he does when injured.

“That’s part of my career too,” said Nadal, according to The NY Times. “I’m used sometimes to play with some problems.” Nadal is seeded higher than the No. 4 Fed, having remained ranked second since Djokovic’s comeback last year (who surprisingly went out in his second match here).

However, for this match, I place the odds in Federer’s favor. His hard court record, form, and injury-free physique will propel him to a sixth straight victory over Nadal, to claim his record sixth Indian Wells crown.

But really, who cares? Any opportunity to watch these two amazing legends face each other is a treasure that should be cherished every time.

The men’s semifinals at PNB Paribas will take place on Saturday, starting at 2:00 p.m. EST.