Comparing Rafael Nadal's 2022 season so far with Roger Federer's 2017 start

Rafael Nadal's start to the 2022 season is similar to Roger Federer's start to the 2017 season in more than a few ways.

The Spaniard's 20-match winning streak came to an end at the hands of Taylor Fritz in the final of the Indian Wells Masters.

Rafael Nadal still has a very impressive record of 20-1 in 2022 which is identical to Roger Federer's in 2017. Both were aged 35 in their respective seasons and returned to action after a six-month injury layoff. Both Federer and Nadal also won 3 out of their first 4 tournaments, including the Australian Open

In 2017, Federer was seeded 17th at the Australian Open and reached the fourth round after straight-set victories over Noah Rubin and 10th seed Tomas Berdych. He then fought off Kei Nishikori in five sets to book his place in the quarterfinals.

Federer beat Mischa Zverev before surviving a scare against compatriot and fourth seed Stan Wawrinka to set up a final clash against Nadal. The Swiss beat his rival in five sets to win his fifth Australian Open crown.

He then competed at the Dubai Tennis Championships but lost to qualifier Evgeny Donskoy in the second round.

Federer then entered the Indian Wells Masters as the ninth seed and won the competition without dropping a single set. He beat Nadal in the fourth round, got a walkover against Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals and beat Jack Sock in the semifinals before overcoming Wawrinka in the final.

The Swiss was seeded fourth at the Miami Masters and reached the semifinals after straight-set victories over Frances Tiafoe, Juan Martin Del Potro and Roberto Bautista Agut. He beat Tomas Berdych in three sets in the quarterfinals. Federer then beat Kyrgios in a thrilling semifinal to set up his second final of the year against Nadal. He defeated the Spaniard 6-3, 6-4 to win the Miami Masters and complete the Sunshine Double for the third time in his career.

Nadal did not compete in the same tournaments Federer did in 2017. He started 2022 by winning the Melbourne Summer Set 1 without dropping a single set. The King of Clay followed this up by triumphing at the Australian Open after beating Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling final that went on for over five hours.

The Spaniard then won the Mexican Open in Acapulco without dropping a single set before his run to the final of the Indian Wells Masters. Due to his performances this year, he has managed to return to the top 3 of the ATP rankings.

Rafael Nadal will not compete in the Miami Masters

Rafael Nadal will not compete in the Miami Masters

Rafael Nadal recently confirmed that he will not participate in the Miami Masters in order to get some rest before the claycourt season. The Spaniard will look to make the most out of the short break and recover well ahead of his favorite time of the year.

Nadal is on the entry list for the Monte-Carlo Masters and will be a heavy favorite to win the competition, having won the tournament a record 11 times.