Beginning of the End?

Our very own tangerine wonders if we're witnessing the death of the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal era.

I'd say there is no Federer-Nadal era.

But if there is one then I suppose we are. Raja isn't going to win 18 Slams, as many folks predicted a year ago. He may not even tie Pete Sampras at 14, despite being a mere title away.

You can see it in the way he walks.

Rafa is tired. Will he be a dominant No. 1? I doubt it, but he's only 22, so...

He could also take the road Andy Roddick took post Wimbledon 2004. And since Rafa played break points today like Andy does, converting a mere 5 of 22, it's not out of the question.

But I doubt it.

You can't win Wimbledon and Roland Garros back-to-back and not be tired. He'll play Paris and Shanghai, finish the year at the top of the charts and hope his body and mind recover in time to make a strong showing in Melbourne. For the foreseeable future, it's going to be difficult to defeat him in best-of-five. He needs a breakthrough (read: a championship) Down Under.

If Melbourne 2009 fails him...

Having thought about it while writing this, I think the Federer-Nadal era, if there was one, ended on July 6, 2008.