For the first time in 14 years, neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal will be among the worlds top eight men playing at the ATP Finals. The poignant reality is injuries have dogged them so much this year that both were forced to call it a season within six weeks of each other.The last time they were anywhere near a tennis court together was in street clothes. Federer flew in for the opening of Nadals new tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain, in mid-October, another sign that the end of their tour-dominating days is upon us.Nobody likes Federers and Nadals absences, or these force-fed glimpses of how the tour will looks a little less lustrous when their departure is permanent, especially if some of the #nextgen hopefuls the ATP has been promoting dont get on with dominating already. (Yes, Nick Kyrgios, were especially looking at you and your latest questionable move. )Federer and Nadal may yet rise up here or there and grab another Grand Slam title. Or two. But all the wishful thinking in the world wont bring their heydays back. And Federer and Nadal both know it.The two are good friends, and they smiled a little wistfully at each other at the ribbon-cutting for Nadals academy last month. They publicly commiserated about their season-ending injuries and beat back retirement questions. They seemed like two aging lions hoping to stay in the title hunt as long as they can. Even the gift that Nadal presented Federer as thanks for coming -- a poster with photographs from all 34 matches theyve played, many of them epics -- underscored how much time is under the bridge. Nadal was ranked a pedestrian eighth in this weeks world rankings, and Federer has slid to No. 16 because of his inactivity.And yet, while the 30-year-old Nadal is five years younger than Federer, its Federer who seems to have more jump in his step and big hopes in mind. The Swiss star had never had an injury that required surgery until he hurt his meniscus in January at the Australian Open and had his knee repaired. This is new territory for him, and he told Nadal hes taken heart during his rehab work from Nadals many injury comebacks before his left wrist gave out this year.Youve done it a million times, Federer said, so I can be inspired by the way you made it look so easy when you came back. You came back to the worlds top 10, top five, even world No 1. Thats something that Im going to be thinking about when I come back to the tour in January.Nadal hasnt been as specific as Federer about how much longer he wants to play: I am enjoying what I am doing, especially when I am healthy; when Im not healthy, for sure I dont enjoy it, Nadal allowed. But when asked if he knew in his own mind when he might retire, Nadal dismissed the suggestion he knows his end is very near.I cant give an answer to questions that I cannot answer to myself, Nadal said. If you start to think about when youre going to retire, then your work is not 100 percent focused on what you want to do. So I cant say and I cant think about it now. Im not worried about it at all. When it happens, it happens. When that day arrives I am sure I will know it.Its not a day for which I have to prepare.He has a point. Theres an old saying in boxing that the truth will find you inside the ring. The same is true in tennis. Theres nowhere to hide on the court and no teammates to carry you. Though Federer still reliably pops up in tournament semifinals, even at the Slams, he hasnt won a major since Wimbledon in 2012 and hasnt won a title of any sort since October of 2014.That kind of drought can -- and has -- driven off a lot of less relentlessly optimistic and well-balanced champions into quitting. Many wouldve said forget it a long time ago. Not Federer. In a video interview posted on the ATP website after he pulled out of the US Open, he actually called these tougher times something he finds super interesting, and almost, in some ways, something fun. His reasoning? He said hes never had a five-month gap like this to repair his body and work on his game since turning pro.Nadals future is cloudier. Hes looked like a man with too many hard miles on the odometer for a while now. He did win two titles early this year, but he didnt get past the third round of any major in 2016 and hasnt won a Grand Slam title since the 2014 French Open. Yet true to his full-tilt personality, it took Nadal a while to give into the reality he, too, needed to call it a year. Its probably telling for all his greatness that hes never won the year-end finals. The best he could do was a second-place finish, twice.Nadal now concedes he was still in pain when he played singles and doubles in the Rio Olympics, and again all through his lackluster fall campaign in which he lost a five-set shocker to Lucas Pouille in the fourth round of the US Open and then dismissed by Grigor Dimitrov in Beijing. A week later, Nadal suffered a first-round loss against Viktor Troicki in Shanghai, another opponent he used to trounce.So Federer and Nadal were wise to quit punishing themselves and put off their returns until the new year, even if the ATP Finals will miss them. Federer, who won the title six times and finished the runner-up four other years, has been posting photos on Facebook and Instagram about how hes been spending his time in Switzerland hiking the Alps, while getting in a light hit on a modest-looking clay court and doing agility drills in a low-ceiling gym.On Monday, Nadal tweeted a photo of himself at a mountain lookout point at Sainte-Agnes on the Cote dZur of France, along with the message: Just resting these days.Both spots look beautiful. But its different than seeing Nadal and Federer walk on-court at an ATP Finals, unzip their racket covers and then hunker down across the net from each other knowing a three- or four-hour epic might be just ahead.Those days were great.Those days increasingly feel gone. Off White Vapormax Nederland . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Nike Vapormax Korting . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. http://www.vapormaxnederland.com/ . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Nike Vapormax Sale . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Nike Vapormax Aanbieding . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. The winter meetings are over, but there is still plenty of the offseason left. Catch up on all of the big moves that have already been made below.Key links? Bowden: Projected dollars and best fits for top free agents ??? Law: Top 50 free agents??? Szymborski: How much top free agents are worth??? Crasnick: Hot-stove survey??Winter meetings coverageFree agency reaction??Will Ivan Nova burn as brightly in Pirates return???Saxon: To St. Louis, Dexter Fowler is more than a baseball player??Dexter Fowler will answer almost every Cardinals need? Law: Signing Fowler was the move St. Louis needed to make??? Dodgers going bold for Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner? Szymborski: Jansen and Turner are back, but are Dodgers any better? ??? Yankees will regret Aroldis Chapmans contract??After surprising signing, how will Rockies use Ian Desmond???Law: Rays make smart roll of the dice with Wilson Ramos ?? Matz: After pen implodes, Giants spend big for relief in Melancon? Crasnick: Astros continue to set offseason pace with Carlos Beltran signing? Rubin: Re-signing Cespedes a move the Mets had to make? Crasnick: Brewers bet Eric Thames success in Korea will translate to MLB? Kahrl: Do Blue Jays moves mean Encarnacion, Bautista are gone?? Crasnick: Dickey, Colon give the Braves a bridge to the futureTrade reaction??Lauber: Red Sox gain nothing in Clay Buchholz salary dump??Law: Rotation overstock bumps Buchholz out of Boston????Schoenfield: Wait a minute -- did the Nats really get robbed? Maybe not? Law: Did the Nationals overpay for Adam Eaton?????Law: Davis-Soler deal?works for Cubs and Royals????Stark: Feearless Dombrowski proves again hes one of baseballs boldest??Lauber: Red Sox go all-in for 2017 with Chris Sale stunner??Law: White Sox strike prospect gold in Chris Sale trade?? Law: Braves seize opportunity to get Jaime Garcia from Cardinals ?? Schoenfield: Mariners continue to wheel and deal this offseason? Law: Mariners get what they can for fading prospect Jackson ?? Schoenfield: Mariners, D-backs make fascinating trade? Marchand: In trading McCann, Yankees buy two more lottery ticketsLaw: Buyers Guides?? Outfielders: Gonzalez, Braun lead strong list of trade candidates?? Infielders: Napoli, Arenado among trade possibilities?? Starting pitchers: Sale, Greinke headline big-name trade options?? Relievers: Would the Royals move Wade Davis??One big question: Division previews? AL East? AL Central? AL West? NL East? NL Central? NL WestThe trade market? Law: Trade market overview?? Schoenfield: Why the Pirates should trade McCutchen? Schoenfield: If Rockies want to win, trading Gonzalez doesnt add upNew Collective Bargaining Agreement? Stark: MLB owners, players union agree to 5-year labor contract? Schoenfield: What key CBA changes mean for baseball? Olney: Forecasting the fallout from the new CBA?? Olney -- Agent: New CBA deal increases the likelihood of a work stoppage in five years?? Schoenfield: Could teams actually pay a 92 percent luxury tax under the new CBA? Yes .dddddddddddd.. and no.? Schoenfield: Midsummer bummer? The All-Star Game now means nothing ' ' '