Nadal to reach 1,000 match mark in Miami

If it seems like Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal has been around forever, Sunday’s match against Philipp Kohlschreiber at the Miami Open will mark his 1,000th ATP match (he boasts a 820-177 career record).

Quadruple digits means he inches closer to "Little Beast" David Ferrer (1,034), who's in first place with the most matches and circumnavigates the globe like a modern Magellan searching for trophies. Nadal also officially joins fellow legend Roger Federer (1,343) as one of the grandfathers on tour.

Thirteen years ago, Nadal’s debut against Federer saw him topple the newly minted world No. 1 in Miami’s third round.

They returned to face off in the 2005 Miami final, with Federer securing the crown. Both players sported shaggy hair and thick Nike headbands that could have doubled as dish towels, playing with the boundless energy that launched them towards their fabled rivalry.

The Nike headbands are still around. They’ve aged well, even if Federer’s more conservative haircut is nothing like the samurai ponytail from the old scrapbook from 2004. Nadal’s hair has thinned a bit, but his competitive eyes flash as fierce as ever, and his fist pump is just as enthusiastic.

Who knew they would each reach 1,000-plus matches, navigate injuries and beat back increasing global competition to land on the shores of a 2017 Melbourne classic final this past January?

Federer fans might recall when their hero played his 1,000th match with an impressive straight sets quarterfinal victory over Juan Martin del Potro at the 2012 Australian Open. Of course, they would rather forget his very next match: a four-set loss to Nadal.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Nadal to match Federer would be another five years of acclaimed tennis.