For the world’s number one tennis player, you’d be surprised that Rafael Nadal hasn’t had the best record at Wimbledon in recent years.
After making the final five years in a row from 2006 to 2011 (he skipped 2009 due to creaky knees) and winning the tournament in 2008 and 2010, Nadal’s best results since have been a paltry pair of fourth round appearances. For a guy touted as one of the greatest of all time (a ‘GOAT’), that’s a performance drop big enough to bungee jump from.
But it looks like good times are ahead in 2018 because Nadal has finally broken through his recent Wimbledon curse this year.
Moving like a panther and imparting enough torque on his forehand to spin the planet the other way, the Spaniard muscled his way through Jiri Vesely 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday. For anyone keeping tabs, Nadal has yet to drop a set this Wimbledon so he’s looking pretty darn good at the moment.
But Nadal’s progress isn’t the only thing to keep an eye on this year.
Over on the other side of the Wimbledon draw, fellow GOAT and long-time rival Roger Federer has been just as equally ruthless in reaching the quarter-finals, slapping away his last opponent Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 7-5, 6-4 and also not dropping a set so far.
Now that both GOATs are at the business end of Wimbledon, perhaps it’s time to start thinking about the one moment that could rival the FIFA World Cup final in terms of buzz: a Federer-Nadal final at Wimbledon.
A Federer-Nadal match is noteworthy on name recognition alone, but a potential Wimbledon rematch this year would be off the charts.
You see, 2018 marks the 10th year anniversary of the 2008 Wimbledon final match between Federer and Nadal, or as it is better known, the Greatest Match Of All Time.
Seriously, ask any tennis pro or expert and they’ll all tell you the same.
It’s probably the romantic tennis fan in me talking, but it seems almost fated that Federer and Nadal should meet once again at Wimbledon in 2018. Not only would it be the perfect 10th anniversary celebration of their Wimbledon 2008 final, but this hypothetical match would probably help us settle the long-standing argument of whether Federer or Nadal is greater.
Okay, okay let’s get realistic first. There’s still some work to be done for both men before that Wimbledon final match we all want to see.
Federer still has to beat number eight seed Kevin Anderson and the winner of a match between servebots Milos Raonic and John Isner to reach the final.
As for Nadal, he will most likely be facing off Juan Martin Del Potro before a showdown with his other long-time rival and fellow GOAT (OK, we’ll stop now), Novak Djokovic.
In other words, both men will have to go through some hard-fought battles before they even face each other – so there’s a chance their match might not happen.
So yeah, the Federer-Nadal Wimbledon final is far from a certainty – but wouldn’t it be nice if they actually do get there in the end?
Please, tennis gods, give us the match we all want and we’ll build you a giant monument made out of Nadal’s sweaty T-shirts.