Having both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the same team was a unique opportunity for many and a once-in-a-lifetime scenario. Laver Cup, this brand new tournament of tennis was the perfect playground for these two titans of tennis. But, the fairytale weekend is done and dusted as the action will return to the ATP circuit where there are some unfinished businesses to be settled.
Currently ranked first in the world, Rafael Nadal would love to finish the year in the same slot, but Federer is likely to give him a hell of a ride. Despite being an exhibition event, the Laver Cup saw an unexpected level of intensity right in between.
Moreover, Roger Federer seems to have passed his dark phase that followed him during the 2017 Us Open. His game had the same aggressiveness and sharpness as it did back in the first months of the year. That's good news for the competition overall as he will have to work hard to catch Nadal from behind as the Spaniard has an apparently comfortable 2000 ranking points leverage.
The numbers are pretty even
Trying to find the better man of the 2017 season, Rafael Nadal seems like an easy peak. After all, he is the only one who has made into three Grand Slam finals winning two of them. On the other side, Federer won two out of two and made it to the quarterfinals at 2017 US Open. Earlier this year, he made the decision to skip out the entire clay court swing including the French Open which was initially on the schedule.
When it comes to Masters 1000 titles, they can brag about winning the same - two per each. Federer dominated the first three months of the year winning the Australian Open (his first Major since 2012 Wimbledon). Then, he cemented that with a double success at Indian Wells and Miami.
He added up another ATP 500 title in Halle, prior to Wimbledon.
Rafael Nadal dominated the clay court swing. Losing two finals in the first part of the year (Australian Open and Acapulco), he bounced back on his favorite surface to clinch the title in Monte Carlo and Madrid- two Masters 1000. Winning the title in Barcelona (ATP 500) came as an in-between bonus.
Practically, Federer and Nadal have the same titles' distribution under their belts; two Grand Slams, two Masters 1000 and an ATP 500 each.
Federer has a decent shot to close the gap
Traditionally, Roger Federer delivers better during this part of the season. For the 36-year-old Swiss, it would be the perfect closing partiture of a tremendous season to clinch the year's end world No.
1 seat. He is expected to compete in Shanghai, Basel, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals in London. It's a busy schedule, and it'll be interesting to watch how he'll handle it knowing his inclination for a smarter, shorter calendar.