January of 2017 will go down as a memorable month in the history of tennis. Nadal vs Federer matches have always been the El Classico of tennis, but this match was special. Both the players were in their 30s, had not won any major titles during the last few years, and pundits had been writing them off on account of their age and declining health and ability for quite some time. For tennis fans, this was a match made in heaven. Nadal fans( myself included), I will not deny, were seeing this match as an excuse for Nadal to take his Grand Slam tally to 15. Nadal had not lost a Grand Slam match to Federer since 2007, and had a head to head of 23-11, which is why, this particular loss stung. It was hard to begrudge Federer his much deserved win, but it hurt bad. Perhaps the saving grace was that the victory was conceded to Federer, a beloved, respected, and deserving opponent. Many of us feared he might never win a tournament again, now that the opponent he could be most banked upon to beat, was no longer beatable. �e past few seasons have not been easy for fans. Every time our champ loses, it almost physically hurts. For fans, Nadal symbolizes much more than a sport or a player. He is an icon of resilience, dogged persistence, and relentless effort. He rose in the international tennis scene at a time when Federer had an iron-clad monopoly over every tournament and title. Nadal was the underdog who �nally usurped the titan. He cemented his position in the greatest of all time lists despite a career riddled with multiple injuries since adolescence. Nadal ' s 14 Grand Slams did not come by easy either. When Federer was at the peak of his dominance, the only real danger was posed by Nadal. During Nadal ' s peak, the big four were pretty much up and active, which meant difficult draws, exhausting matches, and sustained high performance and physical demand. Federer is often regarded as the greatest of all time( GOAT), but it can be argued that a player with as stellar a record against the GOAT as Nadal has, is the real GOAT. �e beauty of Nadal ' s game is that he clawed and scratched his way back into the top league every time this has happened. �is is perhaps the biggest reason why he is beloved to his fans and respected by his opponents. He lost to Federer in the 2017 Australian Open �nal, and then in the Indian Wells and Miami Open �nals as well, but ended up winning his 10th title in Barcelona and Monte Carlo in the ongoing 2 0 1 7 s e a s o n, a f e a t unmatched in the o p e n e r a o f tennis. � e c l a y s e a s o n ' s g r e a t e s t tournament, Roland Garros or the French open, is yet to come, where his 9 Grand Slams are the maximum number of times a player has ever won a single tournament in the history of the game. Pundits are lauding for a Roger victory in RG 2017, but with Nadal ' s grit, it is anyone ' s guess as to who might take the crown. Nevertheless, win or lose, the humble King of Clay has carved himself a special place in the history books and in millions of hearts, who love him for so much more than just his game of tennis.