Federer & Nadal Set To Resume Rivalry In Toronto
Posted August 2, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Leafs and the Habs.
The Argos and the Ti-Cats.
The Jays and the Yankees. And the Red Sox. And, well, just about the whole league.
And then there’s Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
OK, so it’s not exactly the Hatfields and the McCoys, but when it comes to facing each other on the tennis court, neither is willing to give an inch.
And both will be back at it again next week, when the Rogers Cup tournament hits York University.
Fans of the dueling dynamos are already anticipating their next match-up. “It was the big buzz around the international community, that rivalry,” confirms tournament director Grant Connell. “Ticket sales are up 15 percent from those two alone.”
Canada’s Daniel Nestor won’t mind watching this contest from the sidelines.
“It’s an intriguing match because you don’t really know who’s going to win,” he points out. “Sampras used to dominate Agassi although Agassi had his moments. I think each guy specializes on one surface and now we’ll see who the best is on the hard court.”
Organizers hope Agassi will still have some gas left in the tank. The 36-year-old says the U.S. Open in September will be his last tourney ever, so Toronto is the final chance to see the three-time Rogers Cup champ in action.
“It’s hard not to sort of be a bit outside yourself at times when you least expect it,” Agassi explains. “It’s weird because you almost feel like in some respects you’ve played your last match but you haven’t had your last curtain call, so to speak.”
The Rogers Cup serves up Toronto’s tennis fix for the year from August 5-13th. For more information, click here.
