1. Is the Rafa–Roger rivalry the best in men’s tennis history?
2. Is it the best rivalry in international sports these days?
3. Like the Evert–Navratilova matches, do Nadal-Federer matches invariably deliver sizzling drama?
4. Do Nadal-Federer matches produce more astounding shotmaking and athleticism than any other duo in tennis history?
5. How much does Nadal get into Fed’s head?
6. At crunch time, does Roger just NOT believe he can subdue Rafa?
7. Does Roger, as Brad Gilbert contended, bring out the best in Rafa like Andre Agassi did with Pete Sampras?
8. What’s more powerful, Federer’s belief he can beat Novak Djokovic; Nadal’s belief he can beat Federer; or Djokovic’s incredible hold over Nadal?
9. Is there an elite athlete this side of Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky who performs with such effortless ease; who makes it look as easy as Roger (and is this why Federer hasn’t suffered that many serious injuries)?
10. Who has the better forehand — Federer or Nadal? (Federer’s is perhaps more lethal, fast, flat and varied. Nadal’s powerful, imposing, high bouncing, lefthanded topspin shot is a heavy punch that wears opponents down and is why he does so well in long matches. With his wrist, arm and muscular body he generates such a penetrating rotation.)
11. Is it important for Fed to break late in a set so as not to give Nadal too much of an opportunity to break back?
12. What’s a greater Nadal strength — his athleticism, his defense or his fierce competitive fire and will to win?
13. Was Federer a half-step slow?
14. What happened to the timing and rhythm of Federer’s fabled forehand?
15. Was a ballboy’s astounding one-handed stab of a ball off of Federer’s racket the most athletic move during the Nadal-Federer confrontation?
16. How big a cloud is over Federer’s (greatest-of-all-time) career knowing that at the height of his powers he could not beat Nadal?
17. For his historic legacy, does Federer actually need a big win over Nadal?
18. What’s the relationship like between the two key support people in Roger and Rafa’s camps — Mirka Federer and Toni Nadal?
19. How absurd is it to have a 10-minute interruption for a fireworks display every year deep into the Aussie Open?
20. Will Nadal’s body break down and shorten his career?
21. Can anyone generate power out of nothing like Nadal does?
22. Does Nadal retrieve and turn on Federer’s shots more than any other player, even Djokovic?
23. Does Federer have too many options in his game?
24. Always praising the crowd, saying Federer has long been in front of him, giving a generous shout out to Rod Laver to the Australian crowd and often applauding his foes — is Nadal the most humble and gracious elite tennis champion in memory?
25. How appropriate was it that Federer lost the match on a forehand?
26. How many dramas within a drama should a good tennis match have?
27. Is it true, as broadcaster Chris Bowers contended, that “there are 15,000 people in this arena and all of them will have the privilege of boring their grandchildren with tales of seeing these two champions battling each other at their peak.”
28. How cool is it that this match was followed by students in Gambia, train drivers in Holland, office workers in Pakistan, lovers on the beaches of New Zeakand and millions of tennis fanatics staying up half the night in America?
