Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer: How Will 2018 Conclude?
By Harry Floyd
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer fall just short at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. How will they wrap up the second half of the year?
Rafael Nadal exits the 2018 Wimbledon Championships during the semifinals. Falling in a tough five set thriller to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, Nadal misses a shot at a title in London. He should count his time at Wimbledon as a success though. Nadal has not won a title there since 2010 and, as everyone knows, his nickname is the King of Clay. Rafa dominates the clay court season and has the bulk of his Grand Slam singles titles from Roland Garros.
This year, Nadal earned his 11th career French Open singles title. He defeated rising star Dominic Thiem in the finals to confirm his greatness on clay.
Roger Federer was a bigger favorite than Nadal at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. Entering as the defending champion at the event, Federer was the top seed and player to beat. He had already notched yet another Grand Slam title on the year, winning at Melbourne Park. Taking down Croatian tennis star Marin Cilic in the finals, Federer won his sixth title at the Australian Open. It also marked his 20th career Grand Slam singles title. The Swiss superstar has remerged, even at age 36, as the greatest in the sport. While he leaves Wimbledon in the quarterfinals, falling to eventual runner-up Kevin Anderson, his time in London has also been impressive. No-one has been able to remain atop the sport in the way that both Federer and Nadal have.
Novak Djokovic wins the 2018 Wimbledon men’s singles title. His win makes it apparent that he is back and ready to challenge the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The chase for the world number one ranking in men’s singles tennis is back on. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal remain atop the rankings and there is no doubt that Djokovic will take his newfound momentum in the coming weeks. The young stars need to prove that they can knock out the veteran greats. Each of the three Grand Slams on the 2018 ATP World Tour so far have gone to some of the best to ever play the sport.