Indian Aces vs UAE Royals Preview: Delhi set to be mesmerized by Federer-Nadal clash

The pair faced off at the finals of the Swiss Indoor tournament in Basel, Federer taking top prize

It is finally time for the tie which all of India has been waiting for with bated breath. Two legends of the sport – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – will stage their celebrated rivalry on Indian soil for the first time as the Indian Aces and the UAE Royals clash at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

Excitement has reached fever pitch ever since it was announced that a ‘Fedal’ set would be part of the second season of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). Tickets had been flying off the shelves as Indian fans grabbed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a date with the two tennis icons.

On paper, the Nadal-led Aces look to be in a slightly more advantageous position. The home team is a much more compact, solid squad and the form of the individual players too has been impressive. Having said that, when Roger Federer is on a side, anything can happen – and the Royals would definitely look to bank on the Swiss to derail the Aces.

(For tickets to the Indian Aces matches, click here).

Here’s how the five sets are likely to pan out:

Women’s singles: Agnieszka Radwanska vs Kristina Mladenovic (probable)

With UAE Royals’ leading singles player Ana Ivanovic having already finished her 2015 IPTL commitment, the onus is now on World No. 29 Kristina Mladenovic to give them the coveted victory. The Frenchwoman had so far participated in only mixed doubles and she has notched four wins out of six sets in tandem with Daniel Nestor.

For Mladenovic, her most recent performance must have sounded a warning bell as it left a lot to be desired. She and Nestor went down 2-6 to the Japan Warriors and the Frenchwoman looked absolutely listless as she struggled for accuracy.

She would need to uplift her game a lot to have any chance against the WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska. The Pole has looked a bit out-of-sorts at times but she has been able to quickly bounce back, taking victory against her Japan Warriors counterparts Kurumi Nara and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

With her huge experience, the World No. 5 certainly has the upper hand in this contest.

Legends’ singles: Fabrice Santoro vs Goran Ivanisevic (probable)

Aces’ Fabrice Santoro and Royals’ Goran Ivanisevic will be reprising the set they played just a few days ago in the Manila leg. It was a 6-3 triumph for the Frenchman then as the former Wimbledon winner Ivanisevic lacked the rhythm on his serve.

Winning just 39% of his first serves, the Croat put up a miserable show while Santoro was his usual self, lighting up the court with his guile and finesse. It doesn’t look likely to be a different outcome in Delhi if the former World No. 2 cannot fire his ruthless serves.

Ivanisevic has looked a pale shadow of himself in most of his sets at the IPTL2, and Santoro would like to continue with his magic tricks to keep the Croat in check.

Men’s doubles: Nadal/Bopanna vs Federer/Nestor (probable)

Before witnessing the Federer vs Nadal singles set, how about having a ‘Fedal’ clash in doubles? It would definitely be more than welcome; after all, seeing them on opposite sides of the net is always a gratifying experience, be it singles or doubles!

Both of them can play their part well in doubles. Nadal has already shown that in abundance as he has teamed up with both Ivan Dodig and Rohan Bopanna in the three doubles sets that he appeared in for the Aces. Both partnerships turned out to be very successful, and Nadal is now unbeaten in doubles.

Bopanna would probably be given preference over Dodig in this tie as the Indian star’s deadly serve would come in handy against a returner as good as Federer.

The Swiss too would be looking to make in-roads into the Aces’ game, and having somebody as accomplished as Nestor as his partner would help him immensely. From the Canadian’s point of view too, this match-up is a bonus as Federer can aid him with his smart reflexes and deft touches at the net much more than his previous partner, Tomas Berdych did.

This set promises to be highly entertaining and would be the perfect prelude for the evening’s marquee clash. It would be logical to envisage the Aces pair coming through narrowly by virtue of having played more matches.

Mixed doubles: Mirza/Bopanna vs Mladenovic/Nestor (probable)

Daniel Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic would undoubtedly be under pressure to deliver in this set. They have lost two sets so far – one in their last match against the Japan Warriors and the other against this very pair of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza.

Unfortunately for the French-Canadian duo, it would be an uphill task for them as the Indian duo will have the support of the entire IGI Stadium. Bopanna and Mirza have been imperious and have tasted defeat only once at the IPTL2. The co-ordination between them has been superb and they would surely like to continue in the same vein.

Despite being two-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champions, Nestor and Mladenovic have flattered to deceive. Their usual sharpness has been missing which does not bode well against such a relentless team.

Men’s singles: Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer (probable)

This is the pinnacle of the Aces vs Royals showdown and should be the last set of the day. It would be a historic moment for the countless tennis lovers of the country waiting to see Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal wield their magic in front of their eyes.

It is probably impossible to describe in words what this means to India. For years, Indians have cherished watching the 17-time Grand Slam champion and the 14-time Major winner on the television as they have dominated the tennis circuit. And now to actually see Nadal’s whipping lefty forehands and Federer’s wondrous volleys on the court from a stone’s throw distance, would surely be a dream come true for many.

Nadal holds a 23-11 edge in this rivalry but it was Federer who beat his nemesis in the final at Basel in October – this was the Swiss’ first victory over Nadal since 2012. The Spanish ace’s 2015 season hasn’t lived up to the expectations even though he did show signs of resurgence towards the end.

On the other hand, the Swiss maestro reached two Slam finals this year and won six titles, which itself signals that he has a lot more confidence than his 29-year-old rival.

For Indian tennis aficionados, it doesn’t matter who wins this contest. That they have been blessed enough to witness a live Fedal encounter at home in their lifetime would be a story to tell their grandchildren.

One thing is for sure – the IGI Stadium on Saturday will reverberate with vociferous shouts of ‘Allez’ and ‘Vamos’!

Note: The singles and doubles match-ups are as per our assumptions for the most obvious player combinations. They are subject to change if one or more of the players are unavailable from either team, or if the team managements decide to change the combinations based on current form.