Here we are, three months deep into the season of 2017, hours away from another classic of men's tennis. Roger Federer (6 ATP) and Rafael Nadal (7 ATP) will fight for the miami crown. A week and a half of high-intensity tennis will find its winner at Key Biscayne at the second Masters 1000 event of the year. The stakes are high for both men and for the public as well. The 37th round of their rivalry is about to put down on the paper another marvelous story of the greatest rivalry in this sport. It's a thrilling match-up recipe that can only produce great tennis.
Federer is about to complete the Sunshine Double
In tennis jargon, there are some terminologies that only applies to this area. So is the so-called Sunshine Double which consists of winning both Indian Wells and Miami Open in the same competitional season. For Roger Federer, this probability has gained some ground as a result of his brilliant wins over Tomas Berdych and Nick Kyrgios. Against these two, Federer was pushed into a 3 set encounter, having to save two match points in a row against the Czech. But Federer will be moving into a well-known territory though it's been more than a decade since he last won back-to back Indian Wells and Miami. He accomplished the so-called Sunshine Double twice in his career in consecutive seasons back in 2005 and 2006.
Eleven years later he has the opportunity to snatch the 3rd of this kind, which is another proof of him challenging the force of time.
Nadal seeks the maiden Miami crown
On the other side, Rafael Nadal (7 ATP) has mixed feelings when thinking about Miami. He never won this tournament despite playing four finals over the years.
His shared history with Federer at Crandon Park is also intriguing. Back in 2004, they had their first meeting on the ATP Tour and it happened here in Miami with the Spaniard getting the winning ticket. But the very next year, they faced again, this time in the final, an epic match where Federer had to regroup from a 2 sets deficit.
The last show on the American outdoor hard will bring these two greats head to head on the stage. Having won their last two meetings, Federer might be considered a favorite but Nadal has the advantage of spending less time on the court this week, unlike Federer who really battled for his spot in the final.
