Federer wants Nadal as his doubles partner at Laver Cup
Australian Open champion Roger Federer has expressed his desire to play with his arch rival Rafael Nadal in the inaugural Laver Cup in September this year. He said, "I've always wanted to play with Rafa... just because our rivalry has been so special." He had recently defeated Rafael in the finals of the 2017 Australian Open to win his 18th Grand Slam title.
Rise of The 'Fedal'
The rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is considered as one of the greatest in the sport and very few would disagree to that. The two former world number one met first time in 2004 in the third round of Miami Masters. Nadal, then 17, defeated the then world number one Federer in straight sets to make his mark in the sport.
First Grand Slam final, 2006 French Open
The two met for the first time in a Grand Slam finals at the 2006 French Open. Nadal denied Federer a Career Slam by winning the final match 1--6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) and establishing himself as the 'King of Clay.'
Rafa's dominance over Roger
Federer and Nadal have faced each other in 34 encounters till now, with Nadal having an upper hand with 23 wins. Of the eight Grand Slam finals, Nadal has won six. Federer has not yet been able to defeat Rafael at the Australian Open and the French Open. Nadal has denied Federer a Calender Grand Slam twice in his career.
Federer-Nadal meet each other for the 35th time
Arch rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will face each other at the 2017 Australia open finals. It will be the fourth time that the pair will meet at the Australian Open. Nadal has defeated Federer all the three times previously.
Federer defeats Nadal; wins Australian Open
Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal in the 2017 Australian Open men's singles finals to win his 18th Grand Slam title. The Swiss won the match 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in an epic finale. It is the fifth time Federer has lifted the Australian Open Trophy and the first time he has beaten Nadal in the tournament.
Laver Cup: A new addition to tennis calender
Laver Cup is a new tournament, which will see two teams led by Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe play against each other. With six players in each team, Borg will lead the European team, while McEnroe will lead the rest of the world team. The three day tournament will see three singles matches and one doubles match being played each day.
