datta. dayadhvam. damyata.

an interesting aspect of rafole to me is they participated in a lot of the same photoshoots, promos, etc. in the first decade or so, in large part because they shared an agent, benito perez-barbadillo; this is what brunskill said about this photoshoot

novak would go on to lose to ferrer in the monte carlo masters, while rafa beat roger in the final.

but now, here we are: we are in rome.

(they're so tiny. they're so small.)

the match was on clay, and rafa on clay was still too much of a force of nature for novak to beat at this point in his career; he won the match 6-2 6-3 and continued on to win the tournament.

novak's insane self-belief, which had been visible after their first match at roland garros, was back on display, but this time he had a lot more to back it up with.

they would go on to play again in the semifinals of the french open and wimbledon. rafa won the first of those in straight sets (though you wouldn't know it from any photos of the net exchange)

before doing what he generally does at the french open.

while novak retired partway through the third set in their wimbledon encounter after they were at 1 set apiece.

retirement with various physical issues was something that would continue to plague his matches for a few more years.

he got his rematch in canada on the hardcourt, though, and here he won in two

before defeating roger in the final to win the upside down ice cream tophy.

it was a bit of an omen: he would then make his best ever run in a grand slam, reaching the final of the us open.

during that run, he also impersonated rafa for the first time in public

and while he lost in the end to roger, in a reversal of their montreal match, with this he cemented himself as a major player in tennis.

near the end of that season, this is what he and rafa had to say about each other:

they're a little awkward about it, as you can see, and even though it's been noted before this point that they get along pretty well, their friendship picks up a lot more over the next couple of years.

at the end of 2007, both are among the top players in the world, and they play the tour finals ― for novak, it's the first time. they have one match, which rafa wins

but more importantly this year is the start of their rivalry being a real fixture at the top of the sport, and not just a novelty.

they are among the best. they are still rising.