There is nothing new under the sun, and that’s deeply comforting for tennis fans. As everyone from 3-year-old children to Oracle CEO/Indian Wells owner Larry Ellison wanted when the draw came out, Roger Federer will play Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday. As long as Nadal’s right knee holds up—he tweaked it during his straight sets win over Karen Khachanov—it will mark the 39th time that the two champions, with 37 majors between them, face off.
Federer vs. Nadal is men’s tennis’ never-ending story. As long as the sport of tennis exists, people will talk about what this rivalry meant.