And perhaps the high point of the Federer-Nadal rivalry (renewed for the 29th installment on Thursday evening) was their 2008 Wimbledon final, which took four hours and 48 minutes.
It's a rivalry defined by strength (Nadal's left-handed forehand) versus relative weakness (Federer's one-handed backhand), and Federer knows there's little point in hanging back and rallying with Nadal for hours.