The waiting is the hardest part (apologies to Tom Petty). And it's hard to believe that until Sunday, it had been a year since the greatest show in sports had last been on display.

Though it may not seem like a long time, 52 weeks in tennis can feel like an eternity. And exactly 12 months had passed since the great Roger Federer and his friend, foil and foe Rafael Nadal had last met on a tennis court. After four years of opposing each other on a seemingly constant basis and in the biggest matches, the dynamic duo - and tennis fans - had suffered through the longest drought in their already legendary rivalry.

Thankfully, that all changed Sunday. The two faced off in the final of the Madrid Masters in Nadal's native country in the last tuneup for the French Open, which starts Sunday.

For a brief time during Saturday's semifinals, it appeared as though the match everyone wanted would not come to pass, as both Federer and Nadal squeezed out tight victories.

Though Federer beat Nadal in the high altitude of Madrid in the final last year - Nadal has never liked the conditions in the mountains, where the ball flies through the court, rendering it far more difficult to unfurl his ridiculous spin - he was no match for the Swashbuckling Sultan of Spin as Nadal won 6-4, 7-6.

Indubitably playing at 100 percent with no visible hangover from the ailments that are a byproduct of his punishing, physical style, Nadal turned back the clock to recent history - meaning two years ago - as he beat Federer in relatively comfortable fashion.

Yes, there was some spotty play from Nadal, such as a couple of easy put-away volleys that he missed. But that is not unusual when these two battle. There is such an undercurrent of a different, almost sibling-like tension - their stress tangible in ways mental, physical and emotional - that a fluctuating level of play is to be expected.

For the most part, Nadal utilized the same strategy on clay that has flustered and bedeviled Federer these last five years - that is, relentlessly assault Federer's backhand with high balls and force Federer to try for too much when he senses a small opening. Never a powerful server, Nadal also threw in some impressive and surprising hard deliveries to the Federer forehand.

And though he lost the match, reaching the final was a big deal for Federer. It's hard to argue that there is any sense of urgency for the greatest player of his generation, and this is a man, after all, who won his 16th Grand Slam title in Australia just months ago. As he reaches tennis late middle age, Federer is wise enough not to wallow in down periods as he truly seeks to peak only for the Slams.

But by his standards, Federer's play has been utterly abysmal since Australia. He has lost early in every event the last three months. And he has done so in unusual fashion - choking away leads, making unforced errors on his forehand and seeming indecisive at times.

This was never so much in evidence as in Federer's loss to Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in Rome, where Federer seemed overpowered and confused as he labored with erratic play. The fact that Federer defeated Gulbis last week in Madrid before reaching the final has to give Federer confidence as he heads into the French Open, attempting to repeat as champion. I believe in Federer's mind he has done what he set out to do.

And this last year has certainly been a struggle for Nadal, who has suffered through nagging and recurring injuries and has been unable to recover the form expected from this unique champion. But some time spent on the red dirt of Europe was the elixir Nadal needed. The Spaniard is clearly rejuvenated on his favorite terrain, and he is now, without question, playing his best tennis since he beat Federer in their thrilling five-set final at the 2009 Australian Open.

To be sure, this wasn't a Slam final, and any follower of the sport would gladly have traded this finals appearance for the chance for the two to meet for the French championship (and Wimbledon and the U.S. Open). And that will now be a definite possibility, as Nadal has reclaimed the No. 2 spot in the rankings. If he had remained third, there would have been a 50/50 chance that he and Federer would have been on the same side of the draw in Paris.

It's not as if every match the two contest is an epic, like their 2008 Wimbledon encounter. But just seeing Nadal and Federer on the court raises the excitement level. In a quick glance back at recent sports history, it's mighty hard to find a rivalry worthy of comparison in terms of the quality of athleticism combined with the utterly classy devotion to their sport that these two integrity-filled champions possess.

Sport at its best is elevated to the level of art. And just as cinephiles once anxiously awaited the yearly offering from Hitchock, Altman or Lynch, or music fans a new album by the Beatles, Stones or Dylan, or painting aficionados the latest masterpiece from Picasso, Hopper or Pollack - so it is with tennis fans in regard to Nadal and Federer.

It's that important. They are the masters, the vanguard and the gods. And whenever they play, it's compulsory viewing.