Roger Federer And Rafael Nadal Clear Favourites At Australian Open - UBITENNIS

Roger Federer And Rafael Nadal Clear Favourites At Australian Open

By Ubaldo Scanagatta
4 Min Read

Roger and Rafa are set to renew their rivalry in Melbourne. Their popularity is making them two of the most influential cultural icons of the past 15 years.

MELBOURNE – Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are without a doubt the most coveted stars at this year’s Australian Open, that will kick off between Sunday night and Monday morning. Despite being 31 and 36 years of age respectively, the two legends are still the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world and the most popular stars to transcend the sport of tennis in the past fifteen years. The Barilla commercial that “master” Federer shot with “chef” Davide Oldani racked up a staggering 92 million views on social media, not to mention the TV exposure in the 40 different countries where the segment is broadcasted. In the commercial, Roger learns how to prepare pasta with tomato sauce and basil: After playing with cherry tomatoes in his hand as if they were tennis balls, Roger drops a basil leaf on the pasta with the same precision as a drop volley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo87guQgl5E

The video has become so popular on YouTube that a parody called “Master Tarantella” has gone viral with Oldani and Federer speaking in Neapolitan dialect and a traditional tarantella soundtrack replacing the Greek sirtaki of the original commercial.

With 5-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray on the sidelines after undergoing hip surgery and 6-time champion Novak Djokovic coming back to the tour this week after a six-month hiatus caused by an elbow injury, Nadal and Federer are the only two members of the Fab Four that seem to have a shot at the title this year. Despite being 5 years older, the Swiss is ironically healthier and in better physical shape than his Spanish rival, who is once again troubled by chronical knee problems. Last year the two met in a thrilling final, with Roger coming back from 1-3 in the final set and capturing the title in exhilarating fashion. Roger seemed pleasantly surprised after each win during last year’s event. After all, he was only the No. 17-seed coming back from a six-month break at 36 years of age. Nobody expected him to do so well so soon, probably not even Roger himself. After capturing his first Grand Slam title since 2012, Federer went on to win back-to-back Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Miami in the spring. He then captured his eighth Wimbledon on the lawn of the All England Club in July.

Last year Federer decided to preserve his body and skip the entire clay court season, which was hunting ground for the usual suspect Rafael Nadal. Rafa achieved “la decima” at Roland Garros, after coasting to his tenth titles in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona and collecting enough ranking points that allowed him to finish the year as the world No. 1. A third US Open title was the icing on the cake for Rafa, who now has 16 Grand Slam titles to his credit – only three short of Roger’s all-time record at 19.
(Article translation provided by T&L Global – Translation & Language Solutions – www.t-lglobal.com )

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