RAFAEL NADAL can win his sixth grand slam title tonight. At the same age, Roger Federer had one.
So for all the proclamations of Federer's greatness as he attempts to match Pete Sampras's benchmark for the most major triumphs, Nadal's charge through the history books suggests that Federer and/or Sampras could end up as only temporary custodians of the record, making way to a Spanish bull more willing to lose blood than a final.
Nadal has five majors to his credit at the age of 22. Federer didn't win his first until the same age. Sampras had three at the same stage. So tonight, when we sit back during the Australian Open decider and marvel at the all-time great, to which end of the court do we look?
For now, of course, Federer's. It's not just what he does. It's the way he does it. Making such a helter-skelter and reflex-driven sport appear so breathtakingly easy is a demonstration of what Sampras used to call "The Gift". Federer and Nadal are about to write the next chapter in a tennis rivalry fast swamping Borg-McEnroe and Sampras-Agassi as the best ever.