Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Nike bringing back the short-shorts era

MELBOURNE, Australia – Roger Federer was practicing in Rod Laver Arena Thursday afternoon.

And in case you didn't recognize him, he wore his initials in LARGE TYPE on his bright yellow shirt, part of a perfectly coordinated practice-court kit that matched right down to the sneakers.

Here's how it looked, as he went through his paces with longtime friend and frequent practice partner Jarkko Nieminen of Finland.

Noteworthy were the shorter, more form-fitting shorts – similar to the ones Rafael Nadal has been wearing the last little while, most recently in an exhibition here Wednesday night.

Tennis players these days have quads that defy description. Perhaps the guys have finally figured out that with all the hours they spend in the gym building them up, it was a complete waste to just hide them under Samprasian shorts.

For many tennis fans, this is a most welcome development.