Two Good in their game

It's an arduous task, one must admit. Writing again about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal that is. Every time one sits down to write yet another piece, one wonders, is there anything new this time?

The answer is obviously in the affirmative -- else you wouldn't wouldn't be reading this. And there lies the greatness of these two players. They have taken men's tennis to such a level that it is impossible to comprehend writing anything about the game without mentioning the duo.

So much so that since early 2005 -- which also happened to be the Spaniard's breakthrough year (Federer established himself in 2003) -- it is actually refreshing to see another name as the winner of an important tournament than these two. Such has been their dominance.

Sample this. Federer and Nadal have won 10 of the last 11 Grand Slams -- Marat Safin's 2005 Australian Open triumph being the only aberration -- and 18 of the last 23 Masters Series events -- the next level behind the majors.

Moreover, they hardly seem to lose in the finals, and if they do, it is against each other. Six of Federer's 15 career final defeats have come against Nadal -- and they happen to be his last six final defeats.

Likewise, four of Nadal's five career defeats in the decider have come against the Swiss -- and they have to be his last four final defeats.

The point to be noted here is that the two now seem to create a rivalry which the game had been waiting for since long -- the much-hyped Pete Sampras-Andre Agassi clashes was never a rivalry in the first place.

So frequently are the two meeting each other in the title clash these days that it is a relief for either if he has another opponent in the final.

"No, no, no. Seriously no," said Nadal recently when asked if he was disappointed not to be playing Federer at the Indian Wells final this year, where the Swiss had lost early, for a change.

This year itself the two have shared the three majors held so far and four of the five Masters Series events -- Novak Djokovic's triumph at Miami being the only aberration.

Recently, Nadal picked up his third straight French Open title -- he remains undefeated in the tournament -- to become the first player since the legendary Bjorn Borg to achieve the feat.

Two weeks later, Federer went a step ahead and matched the Swede's record five straight Wimbledon crowns, defeating Nadal in a thrilling five-setter.

"He's an artist on this surface. No weaknesses. Federer could win Wimbledon six, seven, eight times. He can play on any kind of surface, he is so complete.

And if he continues the way he has been doing and stays away from injuries and still has the motivation, he will be the greatest player ever.

I think motivation is the key thing and he has the motivation to continue to play for another three or five years," said Borg about the Swiss star's feat.

Federer's other achievement, and probably a bigger one, was that he finally managed to beat Nadal on clay, at Hamburg.

This, along with the fact that he has clearly been the more dominant player on surfaces other than clay, tilts the scales in Federer's favour when the comparison is strictly restricted to these two.

And that is probably why the Spaniard is still a distant second, a fact he admits. "No, I don't have a chance. For me
he's unbelievable," he was once quoted as saying.

Comparisons aside, what the two have done can be summed up by basically reiterating that they have taken the game to another level and have raised hopes of a long-lasting rivalry that is quintessential for the game to sustain interest.