Just passing through the gates of Hamburg’s Rothenbaum club provokes a sense of tennis history, and should today mark the last time truly top-flight tennis is contested on this famed red clay, then those who hold the venue dear could not ask for a more grandiose finale. Once again, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will write another chapter in their rivalry, but the signs are that this could be the most notable of all their encounters.

Like so many good thrillers, there will be a bit of legal background to add spice. Both players have been vocal in their disgust at the plans to downgrade this long-standing tournament from its place in the nine-event Masters Series, and it is integral to the player unrest that is seeking to unseat ATP president Etienne de Villiers and his board for formulating such a proposal.

While the pair have been on an enticing collision course to their 16th meeting, lawyers on behalf of the ATP and the tournament have been mediating in Boston, trying to avoid the court case scheduled for Wilmington, Delaware in July, which many observers fear could both split men’s tennis and possibly bankrupt the sport. Unquestionably, a visit to the Rothenbaum this week would have told the confrontational parties what riches are truly at stake.

Federer, the man who knows his place among the true legends of tennis will be determined by his ability to win the French Open, has played himself into probably the finest clay-court form of his career. His 6-3 6-1 win against Italy’s Andreas Seppi was almost effortless, but his touch – playing drop-shot returns off his opponent’s first serves – was sublime. Gone are the question-marks from earlier in the year and he seems a player yearning to face his most exacting test. Perhaps that will come at Roland Garros three weeks today, but this afternoon’s battle with Nadal could not be more demanding.

The King of Clay is an easy title to bestow on the 21-year-old from Majorca, so great has been his dominance on the surface over the last four years. Yet if anybody doubts just how majestic Nadal has been, evidence was in abundance throughout a three-hour semi-final against Novak Djokovic that was one of the finest matches of this century.

Nadal’s place as the world’s second-ranked player behind Federer – a position he has held with great pride for 147 weeks since July, 2005 – was at stake with Djokovic, the winner of January’s Australian Open and last week’s Masters Series event in Rome, snapping at his heels. What ensued was the brand of sport of which legends are made.

Nadal, who views his inability to hitherto win the Hamburg title as one of the glaring inadequacies of his career, finally prevailed 7-5 2-6 6-2, but that scoreline does not do the magnitude of the match any justice. Tennis is truly blessed to have two young men so intent and equipped to challenge somebody as imperious as Federer and, left alone without any litigious threats, this sport could reach impressive peaks.

Djokovic started out playing inspired attacking tennis. He was breathtaking as he immediately broke Nadal’s serve and won 75% of the first 20 points. Such play against the man viewed by many as impregnable on this surface could have been called impudent, but the Serb is not that kind of person.

Back came Nadal with all his power, pace and spirit to wrestle back the upper hand. Even the intervention of English umpire Gerry Armstrong, who issued a time violation warning at a particularly crucial moment as the Spaniard was serving for the set, only briefly unsettled the flow.

Many an opponent would have buckled after such initial promise turned into disappointment, but not Djokovic and though Nadal’s quality barely waned in the second set, the Serb was so aggressive and assured that he was able to level the match with ease. Nadal had plenty in reserve, but the standard of play only increased as the match progressed until a spellbinding last game that was indicative of the whole match. Djokovic heroically saved four match points and established a further four opportunities to break serve before things finally ended with a speculative drop shot falling into the net.

The physicality and potency of the tennis in Hamburg was totally in contrast to events in Rome, where Maria Sharapova was unable to contest her Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-final against Jelena Jankovic because of a strained calf suffered in her Friday evening win over Patty Schnyder.

Sharapova maintained being fit in time for the French Open takes precedence. “It was smart and the best decision at this point, especially with a big tournament coming up,” said the player who will tomorrow ascend to top spot on the WTA Tour rankings following the retirement of Justine Henin on Wednesday.

Defending champion Jankovic will now face 19-year-old French qualifier Alize Cornet, who benefited from Serena Williams’ inability to play the quarter-final because of a back strain and then beat Anna Chakvetadze 3-6 6-4 6-3 to earn a place in her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour final.

TV: Hamburg ATP Masters final
Today, 2pm, Sky Sports Xtra