It is necessary to make it a reason: a page is about to be turned in the history of tennis. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been illuminating the courts with all their talent for almost twenty years. Together, the two champions wrote true symphonies, winning 40 Grand Slam tournaments and signing epic and unforgettable duels on all surfaces, in all tournaments. So different but so complementary, they seemed inseparable and immortal. But time, alas !, does not stop its flight, even for the greatest icons. Today, at 40, Federer is about to return to the pool table for a new knee operation. As for Nadal, 35, he has been collecting sores for several months and has not played in any tournament since his defeat at Roland Garros. Both are an integral part of the tennis landscape. Like Borg and McEnroe, they marked several generations. True, secretly they still hope to lift big trophies. It’s in their DNA. But, objectively, we are now entitled to wonder if the Swiss and the Spaniard will one day meet in the final of a Grand Slam tournament. We can appreciate the game of Novak Djokovic, the charisma of Stefanos Tsitsipas, the striking force of Alexander Zverev or the paws of Andrei Medvedev, “RodGER” and “Rafa” will be sorely missed. The twilight of the gods is a bad time to spend …
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