The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : The makings of a great matchup

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 13, 2006

Sport

Sport - Tennis

The makings of a great matchup

— FILE PHOTO: AP

CHAMPION STUFF: There is a great rivalry going on between Rafael Nadal (right) and Roger Federer.

PARIS: Longing for the days of McEnroe vs. Connors? How about McEnroe vs. Borg? Sampras vs. Agassi?

Men's tennis has been lacking a buzz-worthy duel in recent years, and No. 1-ranked Roger Federer vs. No. 2 Rafael Nadal has most of the makings of just such a matchup.

``There's a great rivalry going,'' said Federer's coach, Tony Roche. ``That's great for tennis.''

Well, not so fast.

Here's one apparent problem: One guy keeps winning (Nadal holds a 6-1 head-to-head edge after Sunday's French Open final).

Here's the real problem: They've only played each other at one Grand Slam tournament so far, the French Open.

That's not to say that, over time, Roger and Rafa can't eventually turn their showdowns into something that matters in the mainstream. They present contrasting personalities and styles of play, and they've separated themselves from the pack.

Wimbledon and the U.S. Open mean more to most casual fans, and it's that latter group that needs to become interested for a rivalry to really register.

Those are the stages where it has to happen. And it has to happen in finals, with a major title at stake. That's what gets everyone excited.

No one says, ``Hey, remember Andre Agassi's 1992 French Open quarterfinal victory over Pete Sampras?'' People do talk about Agassi-Sampras in the 2001 U.S. Open quarterfinals, though, a four-tiebreaker thriller under the lights. And, of course, their meeting in the U.S. Open final the following year, when Sampras won his 14th Grand Slam championship in what turned out to be the last match of his career.

Those two played 34 times as pros, and the significance of their rivalry isn't diminished by the fact that Sampras held a 20-14 edge, including 4-1 in major finals. What's key is that they played four times for the Wimbledon or U.S. Open title. Similarly, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg met four times with one of those trophies on the line. It helps, too, that they produced one of tennis' seminal moments: the 1980 Wimbledon final, with an 18-16 tiebreaker in the fourth set and an 8-6 fifth set. — AP

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail