All set for battle royale

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It’s the most popular tennis event in the calendar and their’s is the most keenly followed rivalry. Long before Wimbledon began, fans of tennis players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had drawn daggers claiming their hero would prevail in London, and the argument has since overshadowed all other discussions concerning seeds, ranking and title at tennis’ marquee event.

It all began when Nadal emerged from being almost a set-down against Federer in the French Open finals, to winning it handsomely. Fedex’s fans retaliated on Twitter and Facebook, claiming he would avenge himself at Wimbledon.
Aditya Sudarshan, an author, has been rooting for a Fedex redemption since his idol went down at Roland Garros. And despite the fact that momentum lies on Rafa’s side, he believes Fedex is too good on grasscourt. “Federer has the self-belief to win, especially on grass and he played well in Paris too.” Seconds Prashant Teki, a PR executive, “I’m rooting for Federer and he will win it, not just because it’s on grass court, but also because he will be raring to avenge his last loss.”
Acknowledging Rafa’s dominance on clay, Surendra Negi, media professional, says, “Rafa may be the king of clay but when it comes to grass there is no one better than Fedex to bet your money on.”
But Kundan Shekhar, an engineering student at Amity and a die-hard Rafa fan, smirks when asked if Nadal will be able to hold onto his winning streak, for he believes Federer is “losing his touch”. “Rafa is more human, he shows more grit in the face of adversity. You can almost feel the intensity while he fights when the chips are down. Federer cries when he loses, and even when he wins,” says Kundan and adds, “By beating Roger in successive grand slams Nadal will put an end to all those who say that he is only good on clay.”
And even as the Facebook wall of Sankalp Rohatgi, a management executive, reads, “FedEx is COMING TO RECLAIM HIS CROWN at Wimbledon 2011...BEWARE Nadal!!!,” pro-actively predicting Rafa’s loss on Twitter is Gunjan Piplani, a journalist who admits to having supported both the players in the past. An unbiased supporter of both the tennis greats, she says the scales are tilted against Nadal. “Undoubtedly Federer holds the upper hand on the grass court. Nadal has only succeeded in defeating Federer once at Wimbledon, while Roger has come trumps twice and I don’t think Rafa will be able to equalise the head-to-head count that rests 2-1 in Federer’s favour.”