Li’s victory is a watershed moment in women’s tennis. Inspired by her win, millions of young Asian girls, particularly from China, are going to take to tennis. What that means is anyone’s guess. In a decade from now, it will not be a surprise to see a lot more Asians playing tennis competitively in the international circuit and potentially winning some of the titles. China started taking tennis seriously only after the reintroduction of the sport in the 1988 Olympics in South Korea and two decades later it has already produced a world champion. This win is now all set to further change the demography of this exciting sport.
Nadal’s record-equaling win has meanwhile placed him in the pantheons of the great. This is his sixth win in seven years and there is no reason why he will not better his record in the coming years. All of 25, not only is age on his side, he simply looks invincible on clay. He seems capable of demolishing opponents even while playing at half his ability on the red surface. In the process, he continues to stand as an obstacle between Federer and the title of the “greatest” player in history. The Majorcan has defeated the Swiss surgeon on all their meetings at Roland Garros. The only time that the Swiss has lifted the French Open is when Nadal was uncharacteristically defeated by Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009. Prior to that, the debate was whether or not Federer could ever win the French Open. Following that win, the debate has shifted to if Federer can ever defeat Nadal in Roland Garros. That was not to be this year.
The debate on who is the greatest player in history will continue even if Federer is able to beat Nadal in the French Open. So let us leave that here and look at their on-court rivalry from a different perspective: That both of them are great players and it is their rivalry that has made contemporary tennis so much more richer and fun to watch. Imagine a Federer-era without Nadal or a Nadal-era without Federer. It is the game that gets better when there are such fantastic and fierce competitors and it is the viewers and the fans of the game who benefit the most from it. Cheers to both of them!
Related story
Federer enjoying 'outsider' tag on Roland Garros return
