Thirteen was certainly the unlucky number for Federer and Nadal this week, as the new world rankings found them both\u00a0outside the world\u2019s top four for the first time in thirteen years. At that time, Federer had won Wimbledon for the first time and Nadal was just a 16-year-old (albeit a freakishly powerful one) heading for the world\u2019s top 50.\u00a0 Since then, of course, the pair have been so dominant in men\u2019s tennis that they have become inextricably\u00a0linked with each other and are usually\u00a0referred to simply as \u201cRoger and Rafa\u201d (and perhaps in time that will be further shortened\u00a0to just \u201cR & R\u201d).\u00a0 For so long they were part of \u201cthe big four\u201d, along with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Indeed, between 2005 and 2010 (before Djokovic began his rise to the #1 ranking), they were so all-conquering that they were effectively a top two, with everyone else miles (and hundreds of ranking points) behind.\u00a0 Now, however, with both of them slipping out of the world\u2019s top four at the same time, it is impossible not to wonder\u00a0whether the Federer-Nadal\u00a0rivalry, which has constituted arguably the greatest rivalry in tennis history, is finally coming to an end.<\/p>\n
In many ways, of course, it was not a surprise to see Nadal at #5 and Federer at #7 in the new world rankings, because both men have undeniably been in decline for several years now. In Federer’s case\u00a0time and injury finally caught up with him in 2016.\u00a0 First, he missed the French Open with a back problem, which ended his scarcely believable run of competing in 65 consecutive Grand Slams since the Australian Open in 2000. Then at Wimbledon, during his semi-final loss to Milos Raonic, the Centre Court crowd was astonished to see him receiving on-court treatment for the first time that anyone could remember.\u00a0 Finally, after Wimbledon he succumbed to serious injury for the first time in his career, as his persistently troublesome knee ruled him out of the Rio Olympics and the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
At 30, Nadal is five years younger than Federer, so it was not simply age catching up with him this week\u00a0as\u00a0he suffered another surprise defeat \u00a0to Victor Troicki at the Shanghai Masters.\u00a0 In Nadal’s case, it is not so much the years taking their toll\u00a0as the mileage. \u00a0He broke through at a much earlier age than Federer. The Spaniard was just 18 when he won his first Slam, the 2005 French Open, whereas Federer was comparatively ancient at 22 when he first won Wimbledon in 2003. In addition, his ultra-physical playing style has always exacted a much greater toll on his body than Federer\u2019s more fluid movement has on his. \u00a0Roger has always seemed to glide around the court, while Rafa rumbled and roared, and as a result Rafa has missed many more Grand Slam events in his career than Roger.<\/p>\n