Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal: Who Wore It Best?

On quarterfinals day at Roland Garros, I headed over to the Tennis Channel website and watched this interview with Rafael Nadal. Fashionista that I am, I couldn’t help noticing that Rafa’s red Nike polo looked very, very familiar. (And yes, as J.D. astutely pointed out, that is not a flower logo but a circle of Nike swooshes. So clever.)

Then I remembered why the polo looked familiar. Back in Week 1, I had seen it during another interview:

So who wore it best?

Fashion fans have to agree that with their dark hair and tanned skin, the red suits them both. The tailored cut fits Roger’s broad shoulders better, but the stripe in the sleeve highlights the width of Rafa’s biceps. No problems there.

So what about the ensemble?

Rafa has paired his polo with some casual khaki shorts, high-end black sport watch, and tennis shoes. Looks like he’s going sockless to highlight the length of his finely toned legs. He’s adopted the “Suave Spaniard” pose and the whole vibe is very relaxed, youthful, and sporty casual. Loving the look, though image-conscious folks might recommend a bit of self-tanner or suggest Rafa go sans headband occasionally to even out those forehead tan lines.

Not to be outdone by his rival, Roger is showing even more shapely leg with his aggressively masculine pose and gray shorts from the David Ferrer Hot Pants Collection. The Swiss Maestro kept his feet hidden during the interview, but we think we spy a bit of black socks peeking out. The darker color palette to balance the vibrant shirt, added to the shiny luxury watch, gives the handsome Slam champion a more mature, streamlined look. Bonus points for arranging the famous Fed curls to hide his own headband tan line.

So what do you think, Fed, Nadal, and Fedal fans? Who wore it best?

(I am guessing Fedal fans right now are wondering if Roger and Rafa each have their own shirt, or if they shared, like Bob Bryan and Mahesh Bhupathi.)

P.S. J.D. wants everyone to know that he has no opinion on this whatsoever.

PHOTOS: Screencaps of Tennis Channel Roland Garros 2012 interviews by Bill Macatee with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.