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Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have created one of the greatest rivalries in sports history. While their epic struggle has been driven by the contrast in their styles of play, they often seem intertwined -- so much so that they provided the tennis lexicon with a new word, "Fedal."

These men are more than rivals. They're collegial champions and friends, ambassadors and advertisements for the game. The over-30 idols staged a joint comeback this year, battling tooth, nail and press clips to sweep all four Grand Slams and end the year atop the ATP rankings (Nadal at No. 1, Federer right behind).

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Theirs was a tennis feel-great story, but it also sent a message. Andre Agassi, now coaching Novak Djokovic, told ESPN.com: "They are redefining what people are capable of and what career longevity actually means."

But the Year of Fedal did leave one intriguing question hanging for fans. Put simply, "Who had the better year?" If the ATP had an MVP for 2017, would the honor go to muscular Nadal or meteoric Federer? Let's go through the details and pick one:

Overall record: Advantage, Federer

The magic number when it comes to winning percentage in tennis is .900, or a 90 percent success rate. Federer once again cleared the highest bar with a WP of .912, based on a match record of 52-5.

Nadal exposed himself to losses far more often, but unlike Federer, he played a healthy schedule on all surfaces. He finished 67-11 for a winning percentage of .859. Nadal's age (31, compared to Federer's 36) probably had something to do with his heftier workload.

The sheer volume of matches Nadal contested also had an enormous upside. It earned him the year-end No. 1 ranking. That counts for a lot, but one other detail swings the pendulum to Federer's side for good: He made eight finals and won seven. Nadal won six finals and lost four -- three of them to Federer.

Quality titles: Advantage, Federer

Two of Nadal's six titles were majors (French Open and US Open), and he added ATP Masters 1000 wins at Monte Carlo and Madrid. Federer saw Nadal, and raised him one Masters title. Fed won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and three Masters. He completed the demanding "Sunshine Double" when he won at Indian Wells and Miami, beating Nadal at both places.

"This is where it all started for us in 2004 when you were a little boy who grew into a big man and strong man," Federer said after he hammered Nadal 6-3, 6-4 in the Miami final. "We have had some epic matches over the years, which I didn't always enjoy, but mostly [did]."

Grand Slam performance: Advantage, Nadal

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, one of Fedal's perpetually disappointed rivals, put it best when he remarked: "We all have in mind that Roger now has won 19 majors and Rafa won 10 times Roland Garros almost in a row, which is just unbelievable. What can we say about it except, magnifique?"

Federer recorded 18 straight Grand Slam match wins before he took his first -- and only loss -- to Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals of the US Open. But Federer skipped the clay season and Roland Garros. He was forced to five sets five times -- four of them in Australia. Nadal was 23-2, with four five-set matches, but two were tough to digest -- the Australian Open loss to Federer and that five-set battle Nadal lost to Gilles Muller in the fourth round of Wimbledon.

The average ranking of Nadal's 25 Grand Slam opponents was No. 42, while for Federer it was 57. Federer had the easiest run in the Australian, where his opponents' rankings averaged out to No. 87, while the figure for Nadal was No. 19.

Nadal gets the endorsement here because he played all the majors and won more matches. Federer's decision to skip clay in order to prepare for Wimbledon was understandable, but in tennis, showing up counts.

Consistency: Advantage, Nadal

Being the King of Clay is well and good, but it's pretty easy to go from prince to pauper when only 30 percent of tour events are staged on dirt. Nadal piles up wins regardless of surface -- something Federer did not do in 2017 because of his decision to bypass the clay segment.

Only one tournament (Shanghai Masters) had a faster Court Pace Index this year than the Australian Open (CPI, 42). Federer loved the fast courts; Nadal, not so much.

Federer was unable to exploit the 35.7 CPI at the US Open to survive past the quarterfinals, while Nadal won the event despite being outside his comfort zone. The courts in Flushing Meadow were slower than those in Melbourne but still faster than all but two of the outdoor Masters 1000 events.

As Simona Halep said of Nadal at the WTA Finals: "I always love the way he's on court. Every match that he wins is like the first match of his life and the last one. So this is impressive." It's also remarkably consistent.

Head-to-head against the elite: Advantage, Federer

Federer won all four meetings with Nadal in 2017, which cut Nadal's lead in the career rivalry to 23-15. Federer also outdueled Nadal in two critical finals, the Australian Open and Miami Masters. What's worse for Nadal is that Federer basically crushed him in three of four meetings in 2017. It helped Federer compile a better record against top-10 opposition in 2017. He was 14-2 to Nadal's 12-6.


Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal all four times they played in 2017. AFP PHOTO / Nicolas ASFOURINICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images
"The Australian Open was a great match. The others, though, were one-way traffic," Paul Annacone, a Tennis Channel commentator who coached Federer through some of his best years, told ESPN.com. And all that traffic flowed toward Federer.

Impact on the game: Advantage, Federer

It may not be performance-based, but an MVP ideally has an influence on how the game evolves as well as how it is played. There's no doubt that the Laver Cup, pitting a team from Europe against one representing the rest of the world, was a great idea as well as a resounding success. Nadal played in it, but Federer invented it. Whether the event lasts and becomes a staple of the calendar is yet to be seen, but it's off to a terrific start.


While both men are inspirational, Federer brought one additional quality to the table of strivers. He was a 17-time Grand Slam champion, 35 years old, when he decided to change and grow his game by introducing the aggressive elements that shaped his success of 2017.

"I can learn from Roger that at any age you can still learn something in tennis, even if he was perfect before," Halep said. "He showed us that if you believe, and if you work hard, you can get better. So there is no limit, in my opinion, about Roger."

The 2017 MVP belongs to ...

By a nose, Federer is our choice as MVP for this extraordinary year in tennis.

Amerykańska pływaczka Katie Ledecky, a wśród mężczyzn ex aequo tenisiści: Szwajcar Roger Federer i Hiszpan Rafael Nadal triumfowali w plebiscycie francuskiej gazety "L'Equipe" na sportowego "Mistrza mistrzów 2017" (Champion des champions).

Po raz pierwszy w 42-letniej historii światowej edycji "Mistrza mistrzów" uhonorowano w jednej kategorii dwie osoby. Wcześniej miało to miejsce raz w krajowej wersji - w 1991 roku doceniono Guya Forgeta i Henriego Leconte, którzy zapewnili Francuzom triumf w Pucharze Davisa.


Federer i Nadal, skazywani przez wielu już na sportową emeryturę, przeżywali w minionym sezonie renesans formy. Podzielili się triumfami we wszystkich czterech turniejach wielkoszlemowych - 36-letni Szwajcar zwyciężył w Australian Open i Wimbledonie, a młodszy o pięć lat zawodnik z Majorki we French Open (po raz 10. w karierze) i w US Open. Pierwszy wygrał łącznie w mijającym roku siedem imprez, drugi o jedną mniej. Dodatkowo Hiszpan został liderem rankingu ATP.

Tenisista z Bazylei po raz czwarty w karierze został doceniony w plebiscycie "L'Equipe". Wcześniej miało to miejsce w latach 2004-06. Nadala nagrodzono w ten sposób jeszcze w 2010 i 2013 roku.

Specjalizująca się w stylu dowolnym Ledecky latem powiększyła swój już pokaźny dorobek o siedem medali mistrzostw świata. W Budapeszcie 20-letnia Amerykanka zdobyła sześć złotych krążków i jeden srebrny.

Rok temu w plebiscycie triumfowali multimedaliści igrzysk w Rio de Janeiro - jamajski sprinter Usain Bolt i amerykańska gimnastyczka Simone Biles.

Plebiscyt "L'Equipe" jest przeprowadzany od 70 lat. W przeszłości tytuły "Champion des champions" zdobywali m.in. piłkarze - Brazylijczyk Romario i Argentyńczyk Lionel Messi, amerykański golfista Tiger Woods i jego rodak koszykarz Michael Jordan oraz ukraiński tyczkarz Siergiej Bubka.

ROGER FEDERER must not be allowed to play at his high pace if Rafael Nadal wants to break the Swiss’ recent streak against him, according to Mats Wilander.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal look set to renew their rivalry - perhaps as soon as this month
Federer has played Nadal 38 times in their storied rivalry but only won on 15 of those occasions.

However, the world No 2 is currently on a five-match winning streak against the Spaniard.

And Wilander, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, believes he has figured out what Federer is doing differently to find a way past Nadal.

“Federer wants Nadal to play aggressive and make mistakes,” Wilander said.

Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal rivalry in Grand Slam finals

Click through the gallery for the best snaps of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's rivalry in Grand Slam finals

“That’s why he is rushing so much. That’s part of his tactics and I think it’s working.

“The last few times, Nadal was making too many mistakes trying to keep up with the pace of Roger Federer and I don’t think he can do that.

“Nadal has to say ‘if you can beat me, beat me but I am not going to beat myself by trying to hit winners’. That’s the only chance he has.

“He has a good chance if he does that and starts playing a little more like he used to, he has really good chance of wearing Roger Federer down mentally and physically.”


Federer shows no sign of his ability abating even at the age of 36, but he is starting to reduce his workload.

The Swiss has admitted to working only “half days”, skipped the 2017 clay-court season and played just 12 tournaments last year.

And Wilander believes Nadal should use his age against him, wearing Federer down over the course of a match.

“Nadal needs to have patience because when Federer is playing well like he did last year, I don’t know if anyone in the world is able to beat him,” Wilander added.

“[But] it’s not going to last forever.

Rafael Nadal in trainingGETTY

Rafael Nadal has not beaten Roger Federer in four years
“I also think that Nadal has to be careful that he doesn’t fall into the trap where Federer tries to play such quick points and so quick in-between points that I think Nadal gets caught up in the tactics of not wanting Federer to control everything. Therefore, Nadal plays more aggressive. The more aggressive Nadal plays, the shorter the points, the better that is for Federer.

“I think Nadal has to take a step back and say to himself: ‘I am playing against the greatest player of all-time. I have to have enough respect and discipline to admit that Federer at his best is better than me and I just have to somehow make the points last longer so that I can make him tired. I cannot afford to make mistakes.’”

- To był niesamowity finał i niesamowity moment mojego życia. Piąty set był prawdopodobnie najlepszym, jaki kiedykolwiek rozegrałem - mówił Roger Federer, wspominając finał Australian Open 2017. W tym roku Szwajcar będzie bronił tytułu w Melbourne.

Do ubiegłorocznej edycji Australian Open Roger Federer przystępował niepewny swojej dyspozycji, po półrocznej przerwie spowodowanej kontuzją kolana. - Przed startem turnieju myślałem, że odpadnę najpóźniej na etapie ćwierćfinału, ewentualnie 1/2 finału, bo trafię na kogoś będącego w gazie, jak Novak, Andy czy Rafa albo ktoś inny mnie wyeliminuje. Na tamten moment moja gra nie była na wystarczająco wysokim poziomie. Nie miałem żadnych oczekiwań, po prostu cieszyłem się, że jestem w Australii. Powiedziałem wtedy, że każdy wynik będzie dla mnie dobry, jeśli nie będę wyjeżdżał stąd z kontuzją. Ale wygrałem kilka wspaniałych pięciosetowych meczów, na końcu finał z Rafą i wszystko złożyło się na bajkowy scenariusz - wspominał w rozmowie z ausopen.com.


John McEnroe: Nie widzę nikogo, kto mógłby zagrozić Federerowi w Australian Open
Szwajcar jednak nie znalazł pogromcy. Zdobył tytuł, w finale pokonując 6:4, 3:6, 6:1, 3:6, 6:3 Rafaela Nadala. - To był niesamowity finał i niesamowity moment mojego życia - przyznał. - Piąty set był prawdopodobnie najlepszym, jaki kiedykolwiek rozegrałem. Była to dla mnie ogromna niespodzianka. Zwłaszcza że wracałem po sześciomiesięcznej przerwie.

Występem w Australian Open 2018 36-latek z Bazylei zainauguruje 21. sezon w zawodowej karierze. - Od zawsze miałem nadzieję, że moja kariera będzie trwać długo. Nigdy jednak nie przypuszczałem, że będę grał w tenisa, będąc ojcem czwórki dzieci. To wykraczało poza moje marzenia. Moim marzeniem było podniesienie jakiegoś trofeum - w mojej rodzinnej Bazylei czy w Wimbledonie bądź pierwsze miejsce w rankingu - mówił.

W rozpoczynającym się w poniedziałek turnieju w Melbourne Federer zagra jako drugi najwyżej rozstawiony. "Jedynką" będzie zmagający się w ostatnim czasie z kontuzją kolana Nadal. - Może to dziwne, ale sądzę, że Rafa jest w świetnej formie - ocenił Helwet.

Pierwszym rywalem Szwajcara będzie Słoweniec Aljaz Bedene. - To normalne, że w tym roku wobec mnie są większe oczekiwania. Wszyscy myślą, że będę w stanie powtórzyć to, co zrobiłem w ubiegłym sezonie. Najtrudniej jest bronić tytułu po raz pierwszy. Jeśli ci się nie uda, jest to dramat. Ale później musisz starać się brać to, co daje życie. Próbować być jak najlepszy. I jeśli ci się uda, to świetnie. A jeśli nie, to po prostu nie.

Mimo zaawansowanego wieku, Federer wciąż czuje satysfakcję z uprawiania sportu. - Wygrywanie daje radość - wyjawił swoją dewizę.

Boris Becker stwierdził, że kluczem do ostatnich sukcesów Rogera Federera i Rafaela Nadala jest pasja, jaką mają do tenisa. Niemiec mówił też o Novaku Djokoviciu, Andym Murrayu i Nicku Kyrgiosie.

Boris Becker wygrał w karierze sześć turniejów wielkoszlemowych. Po ostatni tytuł tej rangi sięgnął w 1996 roku, triumfując w Australian Open. - Podczas Australian Open jest zwykle bardzo gorąco, dlatego kluczem jest jak najlepsze zaadaptowanie się do warunków. To turniej rozgrywany na początku roku, więc ważne jest też, gdzie się przygotowujesz. Im szybciej dotrzesz do Australii, tym lepiej - mówił w rozmowie z dziennikiem "Marca

Podczas tegorocznego turnieju w Melbourne Niemiec będzie pełnił rolę eksperta i komentatora. - W turnieju kobiet nie widzę wyraźnej faworytki. U mężczyzn jest nim Federer, który broni tytułu i ma za sobą niesamowity rok - ocenił.
- Myślę, że nie doceniamy zarówno Federera, jak i Nadala - kontynuował. - Rok temu fakt, że zajmują dwa najwyższe miejsca w rankingu, uznawalibyśmy za niespodziankę. Ale nie doceniliśmy ich jakości jako tenisistów oraz miłości, jaką mają do tej gry. Mimo wszystkich zdobytych pieniędzy i tytułów, wciąż grają z pasją.

W Australian Open po półrocznej przerwie spowodowanej kontuzją do gry wróci były podopieczny Beckera, Novak Djoković. - Novak jest 29-latkiem i wciąż ma wystarczająco wielu czasu, by wrócić na szczyt. Ale kontuzja łokcia, jaką odniósł, była bardzo poważna i musimy zobaczyć, jak będzie wyglądał po powrocie. Wciąż jesteśmy przyjaciółmi. Mam nadzieję, że zagra w Australian Open. Radziłbym mu, aby spróbował.

ITWA's annual Ambassador of the Year title goes to No. 1 and No. 2 in the ATP Rankings
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have been honoured by the International Tennis Writers' Association's as Ambassadors of the Year.

The awards are usually given to one man and one woman, but the ITWA's 120 members voted overwhelmingly in favour of making the men's award a joint presentation to Federer and Nadal in Melbourne. The winner of the women's award will be announced next week.

The ITWA represents the world's leading tennis journalists. Its awards recognise a combination of achievements on the court, conduct that shows tennis in the best possible light and co-operation with the media.

Both Nadalvand Federer have won Ambassador of the Year honours in the past as individuals, but this is the first time they have been given the award jointly.

The Spaniard and the Swiss each enjoyed a plethora of success in 2017, sharing the year's four Grand Slam titles and ending the season as the No. 1 (Nadal) and No. 2 (Federer) players in the ATP Rankings.

Paul Newman, the ITWA's co-President, said: "Besides their achievements in terms of trophies, both Roger and Rafa were once again great ambassadors for their sport in the way that they conducted themselves on and off the court.

"They both understand that a good relationship with the media helps everyone and we are always grateful for the time they give to their media commitments."

The players were presented with their awards before play begins at the season's first Grand Slam on Monday.