Roger Federer got the sweet revenge that he has always dreamed of against his biggest rival Rafael Nadal. With the win against the Spaniard at Basel, Roger Federer finally topped Rafael Nadal in the history of tennis.
According to USA Today Sport, "But Federer's 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Nadal on Sunday in Basel was even bigger, a victory in a minor event that's as major as it gets, as in beating Nadal, Federer snapped his rival's five-match winning streak, narrowed the gap between the two historically and gave a little more ammunition to the pro-Federer crowd who always have Nadal's massive head-to-head advantage as a defensive talking point."
With Rafa floundering this season, Roger Federer has solidified his place in tennis history as he looks into 2016.
Some have been even saying that Rafael Nadal may have foiled his own career by strengthening the game that Roger Federer plays.
According to Tennis World USA, Roger Federer freely admitted that Rafael Nadal helped him strengthen his game so that he could truly be the reigning champion. He said in the most recent interview, "'The most intense rivalry I have ever had was with Rafa, no doubt on that - confessed Federer - It has been an epic and incredible rivalry and it will continue to be like this because we are going to play often in the future."
But other than their intense rivalry, Rafael Nadal forced Roger Federer to alter the way he played so much so that it actually foiled the Spaniard's plans to rule ATP. The Swiss player said, "He made me change my game many times since he is lefty and we had never seen a player who could hit the ball with so much spin... Now I play with more strength, before I had such a 'soft' game. My movements, the way I hit the ball, I'm a different player due to Rafa's presence."
Looks like Nadal destroyed his own career by strengthening his greatest rival.
While showing the world that he could take on Roger, Rafa accrued injury after injury, both physically and mentally, which eventually caused his downfall. While he is on the road to recovery, he has been beaten by every single player that he has defeated in the past.
Recently, the former world number 1 opened up about his recovery. According to NDTV Sports, he said, "Sometimes I recover from injuries. This time what I had, with my not having the control of my nerves or my emotion, is like coming back from an injury, too. It's not a physical injury, but it's a mental injury."
Rafael Nadal will probably never catch up with Roger Federer's world records or his historical prominence in the world of tennis, but he has relinquished his dreams long ago. But with his girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello keeping his confidence high, Rafael Nadal is ready to climb back to the top.
