It was bound to happen sooner or later. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer met for the 34th time in their storied rivalry but this time, Federer came out on top with a 6–3, 5–7, 6–3 win. Before the match started, I thought Roger would dominate it given how well he has been playing in 2015 and considering that Nadal hasn't come close to his top form this year. As it turned out, the match ended up being quite close. Even in that final set, things were quite close before Roger took advantage of an opportunity in Rafa's final service game before serving it out.
As a Rafa fan, it would have been great if Nadal managed to eke out a win because it would have extended his lead over Roger in their head-to-head (it now stands at 23-11, still pretty one-sided). A win would also have meant that Nadal would have beaten Federer 6 straight times, the first time either of them strung that many wins against the other. (Rafa has beaten Roger 5 times in a row on three separate occasions; the most consecutive wins Roger has scored over Rafa is only two.) However, I guess it was only appropriate given that Roger was playing in Switzerland and he has practically owned this event, reaching the finals of this event every year since 2006 and winning it 7 times during that period. The very pro-Federer crowd would also have been absolutely gutted if their hometown hero suffered a loss.
Hopefully, Nadal can gain some momentum from this finals appearance and win a few more important matches in the remainder of the year to give him more confidence going into 2016.
As a Rafa fan, it would have been great if Nadal managed to eke out a win because it would have extended his lead over Roger in their head-to-head (it now stands at 23-11, still pretty one-sided). A win would also have meant that Nadal would have beaten Federer 6 straight times, the first time either of them strung that many wins against the other. (Rafa has beaten Roger 5 times in a row on three separate occasions; the most consecutive wins Roger has scored over Rafa is only two.) However, I guess it was only appropriate given that Roger was playing in Switzerland and he has practically owned this event, reaching the finals of this event every year since 2006 and winning it 7 times during that period. The very pro-Federer crowd would also have been absolutely gutted if their hometown hero suffered a loss.
Hopefully, Nadal can gain some momentum from this finals appearance and win a few more important matches in the remainder of the year to give him more confidence going into 2016.
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