Sorry Novak Djokovic, but Roger Federer v Rafa Nadal matches take tennis to a different plain

They are the millions of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal partisans, who had been waiting for nearly 21 months for the 34th episode of the fascinating rivalry between two of tennis’ greatest, writes Ahmed Rizvi.

Roger Federer, left, with a game that bespeaks elegance, is a puritan’s delight, while Roger Nadal is the nemesis, the darling of the rebellious and irreverent Generation Y, our columnist writes. (AP Show more

There was no Novak Djokovic in Basel last week, or Andy Murray, but try telling that to the “Fedal” fans.

Fedal who? In tennis speak, they are the millions of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal partisans, who had been waiting for nearly 21 months for the 34th episode of the fascinating rivalry between two of tennis’ greatest players.

Yes, at their peaks, Federer and Nadal had fought on grander stages; 32 of their first 33 clashes took place at either a grand slam, a Masters or the year-end championships, and 19 of those matches were for a title.

In recent times, though, those two grandmasters have been put in the shadows by Djokovic, whose name also features in two of the most-played rivalries of all time – 45 matches against Nadal and 42 against Federer.

READ MORE:

Still, a Djokovic v Federer duel, or Djokovic v Nadal, fails to ignite the kind of passions that a Federer v Nadal showdown does.

That, of course, is no reflection on the Serbian, he has been an incredible champion, but Fedal and their contrasting styles, and personalities, take tennis to a different plain.

Federer, with a game that enunciates elegance, is a puritan’s delight, while Nadal is the nemesis, the darling of the rebellious and irreverent Generation Y.

Together, they were the talk of the sports world in their heydays, winning 25 of the 30 grand slams from the 2003 Wimbledon, Federer’s first major, and the 2010 US Open, won by Nadal.

Djokovic has won nine of the 20 majors since (Nadal has won five and Federer one), but the Serbian still lags way behind those two in the popularity stakes.

On Facebook, the two have a combined total of 28,981,414 likes (Federer 14,406,514 and Nadal 14,574,900; Djokovic has 6,152,527 likes and Murray 3,388,529) and those numbers are almost certain to increase in the coming days as this Basel final could perhaps be the start of the final instalment of their fascinating rivalry.

It could prove to be a turning point for Nadal, too, following a disappointing first nine months of 2015, when he failed to win a major for the first time since 2004. He did not even make it past the quarter-finals at the grand slams.

Federer, 34, managed to edge the Basel final 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to bring the five-match losing streak against his nemesis to an end, but there were positive signs for the Spaniard as well.

Struggling with his confidence since the start of the year, he is finally looking like the Rafael Nadal of old reaching two finals and a semi-final in his last three tournaments.

In Shanghai, he beat two top 10 players in Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka in straight sets, and in Basel, he beat three former top 10 players and survived three gruelling three-setters in his first three matches.

The loss to Federer, however, could perversely prove to be the biggest positive. It could stir memories of their memorable battles of the past and trigger Nadal’s resurgence.

Fedal fans certainly hope so.

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE