Two of a Kind

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's 2017 seasons on the ATP World Tour have more than cemented their legacies as the two greatest male professional tennis players of all-time.

With World No. 1 Rafael Nadal capturing his third United States Open Men's Singles title, and sixteenth overall Grand Slam title on Sunday, both he and World No. 2 Roger Federer have firmly cemented themselves as the two greatest men's professional tennis players of all-time. Prior to the start of 2017, there were serious question marks for the two greats. Federer had missed the last six months of the 2016 season due to a recurring knee injury that occurred during the 2016 Australian Open, and Nadal hadn't won a major title since the 2014 French Open and had also struggled with injuries and his confidence level on court. Well, as the 2017 season reaches its last stretch, we have certainly learned a great deal about these two men. Both Federer and Nadal have an unrivaled passion for their craft, as they have shown their desire and hunger to win by coming back in their most impressive fashions this year. After all of these two have accomplished over such a long period of time on tour, their desire and inability to settle for mediocrity has seen them return to the top of the game after many critics questioned whether they'd ever lift another major trophy again. While their two greatest rivals, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, have had an incredibly tough 2017 by their standards, riddled with injuries and low confidence, Federer and Nadal have shined above everyone else in a similar fashion to a decade or so ago. Only this time, it's much more impressive. Federer turned 36 in August and Nadal turned 31 in June, which previously had been ages associated with entering the twilight of a player's career. This has not proven to be the case with these two legends who have cleaned up the four Grand Slam tournaments this season, in addition to a handful of other big Masters 1000 titles. Federer began 2017 by surprising everyone in his run to the Australian Open crown, defeating Nadal in a five-set marathon in the final. Nadal followed up Federer's early hard court dominance (Federer also captured the prestigious Indian Wells and Miami trophies) by controlling the clay court season and winning his whopping tenth French Open championship without dropping a set. Federer then returned to his favorite court and surface, and mowed through the field in a similar fashion to Nadal at the French Open to capture his eighth Wimbledon crown. There were some question marks for both heading into the year's final major, as they had struggled with some slight injuries and form prior to the U.S. Open. Federer struggled at the U.S. Open and ultimately fell to in-form 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, which yet again ruined another potential Federer-Nadal matchup in Flushing Meadows. Nadal was aided by Federer's defeat and a less-than-stellar field in New York, and scrapped and fought his way to a third U.S. Open title. Seeing what these two have done on court during 2017 is almost beyond belief and we should appreciate what is happening right now. Federer and Nadal are not only the two greatest players ever in their respective sport, but are two of the greatest athletes of all-time.  Let's appreciate them while they are still healthy and able to compete and play at this incredible level, because there will be a massive void in the sport once they are both retired.