Nadal to Return at Rogers Cup; Federer to Skip?

SI.com is reporting that Rafael Nadal will return to the ATP circuit in two weeks to defend his hard-court championship at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, which runs from August 10th to the 16th.  Nadal has been inactive since losing on May 31st to Roger Soderling at the French Open, a tournament that Nadal had won five times in a row prior to the loss.  In addition, Nadal has indicated he will play in Cincinnati after the Rogers Cup, as part of his tune up to the U.S Open, the only Grand Slam event he has yet to win.

Top ranked* Roger Federer is still a maybe for the Rogers Cup, after his wife gave birth to twin girls last month.

If I were a betting man, Federer will not participate in Montreal, as it might set him up to play Nadal, the only player on the Tour who seems to have his number.  While Federer recently defeated Nadal on clay, it’s clear that Nadal was far from healthy and still may not be due to knee tendinitis in both legs.

Federer has taken advantage of Nadal’s injury, winning the French Open and Wimbledon to move past Pete Sampras with 15 career Grand Slam titles.  Many tennis fans know that he most likely would not have achieved that mark if Nadal were healthy for both events.

By winning the last two Grand Slams, Federer reclaimed the #1* ranking from Nadal, who took over the spot after being stuck at #2 for longer than any other player in history.

While Federer may not want to see Nadal back on the court, tennis fans are hungry for the resumption of this classic rivalry.