Since the 2017 Australian Open's final reached its conclusion, many have wondered when the Federer and Nadal duel would resume. A month and a half later, the opportunity emerged at Indian Wells. For Federer, the world no. 10, it was a certainty that he would be playing against top-seeded players earlier in the contest. Fate brought Nadal, and the recipe for another so-called Fedal was ensured. Their rivalry goes way back in time, with their first ATP clash in 2004, in Miami. That first meeting was a breakthrough moment for the young Spaniard at that time.
Perhaps the biggest rivalry in tennis history, this duet of the titans stirs up emotions on a daily basis.
Nadal leads the head-to-head stats
Despite winning yesterday at Indian Wells over Nadal, Roger Federer still remains at a significant deficit. The overall stats are now 23-13 for The Spaniard. While at his peak (2008-2011) Nadal obliterated Federer so many times. Just remember all those Grand Slam finals, whether it was French Open, Wimbledon, or Australian Open, Nadal bulldozed the Swiss. Even so, the trend is on the verge of changing judging by their last 3 encounters. Still, the gap is insurmountable, as both players have a limited time left on the professional tennis circuit.
In the past years, when facing Nadal on the biggest stages of men's tennis, Roger Federer used to suffer a blockage, an invisible wall kept him from playing his best tennis.
Now, in the twilight of his career, it seems as though it is no longer there.
Nadal struggling recently
To offer a genuine sample of how things tend to find their own balance, since 2015, Nadal seems to have been on something of a downward spiral. Facing Federer in the final, the Spaniard lost in 3 sets. Their next match was in Melbourne of this year, with Federer securing the win.
Now, at Indian Wells, the Swiss is building a solid streak over Nadal. By taking a look at their head-to-head stats, for the first time, Federer, the Swiss Maestro, has won his 3rd consecutive match against Nadal.
