Tennis with its high speed aces, long rallies, winners, and of course, glamour is a game that attracts a lot of fans. What makes it even better is a strong rivalry between two players owing to close, long and frequent matches. Talking about one such rivalry, we have Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, both extremely well known, successful and ardent players with loads of Grand Slam titles to their names. Their rivalry is certainly considered among the best in tennis and dates back to 2004. Both of them have played each other a total of 34 times with Nadal leading 23-11.
The two met for the first time in the Miami Masters third round, with top-seeded Federer, two-time Grand Slam champion, facing Nadal seeded No. 32 who was trying to find his game. Federer lost 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 and thus started one of the most intense rivalries in the game’s history. Their first Grand Slam encounter was the 2005 French Open where they met in the semi-finals round and Nadal beat Federer en route to his first Grand Slam title.
From 2006 to 2008 they played each other in every final of Wimbledon and French Open. While Nadal dominated on clay, Federer on grass and hard courts. Both played every match with equal intensity and hardly any match seemed one sided.
They dominated the ATP rankings for 4 years straight from 2005 to 2009. Nadal held the number 2 position for a record 160 weeks when he surpassed Federer for number 1 position in August 2008.
At one point Federer-Nadal became such a prominent thing in tennis that any final without these two was considerer irrelevant. Their rivalry has been a very significant part of their careers.
Moreover, the audience were always equally divided between the two. While some liked Nadal’s aggression, others were in awe of Federer’s class and playing style. There was certainly a never give up attitude in both of them that defined their successes.
Statistics indicate Nadal had the upper hand over Federer. But stating this wouldn’t be entirely justified to the rivalry. Ultimately with these two men giving their blood and sweat to the game, the magnificent game of tennis won.
Despite their intense battles on court, they shared a good bond outside the game. Frequently seen together outside the court, both show immense respect for each other, often applauding each other’s game.
And now, after almost 6 years since meeting in a Grand Slam final, Federer and Nadal will look to continue their legacy, when they face off in the final of the Australian Open 2017. With both players battling past their opponents thrilling five settlers, most notably Nadal, who came from the brink to dismiss a raging Dimitrov, the final as usual, will be a cracker of a match, with every tennis fans dream being fulfilled. So to gear up for some action, and brace yourself up for their upcoming encounter, we take a look at some of the finest matches these two living legends have ever played.
1) Certainly among the 34 matches they played over a gap of ten years, the best has to be the Wimbledon final of 2008. With five consecutive Wimbledon wins, there was just no stopping Federer. But this changed in 2008. After 4 hours and 48 minutes, Nadal defeated Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 9–7 in a match that is regarded amongst the best in the world. Nadal won the first two sets easily with Federer taking over in the third. Federer then showed his nerves of steel by defending two championship points in the tie breaker. The final set had Federer just two points away from his sixth championship but Nadal was way too good for him that day which culminated in Nadal winning 9-7.
Final Score: Nadal Wins 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7
2) This rank belongs to another Wimbledon, the final of 2007. The two had met previously in 2006 with Federer easily defeating Nadal. The first set had Federer getting the early break and having a 3-0 lead. Nadal fought back by breaking Federer’s serve to have a score of 3-2. It finally led to a tie breaker with Federer winning by 9-7. The second set had Nadal winning 6-4 by breaking Federer on 5-4. With 1-1 tied in the sets, the third set again lead to a tie breaker with Federer proving too strong for his opponent. Nadal shined in the fourth set, breaking Federer twice to win by 6-2. Wimbledon was all set for another of its 5 setter thriller. The fifth set began but Federer showed his experience this time winning it easily by 6-2 which was also his 5th consecutive title.
Final Score: Federer wins 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-
3) Another Grand Slam final and this time the 2009 Australian Open. Federer was now 13-time Grand Slam champion and Nadal was seeking his first hard court title. The first set had both of them breaking each other’s serve to have a score of 5-5. The Spaniard eventually broke his opponent to win the set 7-5. Federer won the second set by 6-3. Both men fought really hard and got the third set into tie breaker without a single break.
Nadal was 6-3 leading on tie breaker where a rare double fault by Federer gave him the set. Fourth set came and Roger arrived back to his game. He broke the Spaniard early to have a 2-0 lead and ultimately won the set easily by 6-3. The fifth set saw Nadal determined to prove himself on the hard court. His intensity became too much for his opponent, with Nadal winning the set easily by 6-2 and thus grabbing his first hard court title. The tough match and its ending ultimately left Federer quite emotional.
Final Score: Nadal wins 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2
4) The fourth position goes to the Miami Open finals, 2005: In what was their second meeting, Nadal was only an 18 year old boy and Federer a multiple Grand Slam champion who had been defeated by him in 2004. Nadal won the first two sets and lead the third set 4-1 until Federer pumped up to win the third set and that too with much struggle having been 5-3 behind at tiebreaker initially. After the third set, it was all Federer who won the last two sets 6-3, 6-1.
Final Score: Federer wins 2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1
5) The fifth spot goes to 2006 ATP Masters Rome Finals. The match is considered as one of their best clay court matches. Federer was still the number one player and Rafael Nadal had become world no.2. His dominance on clay was very well known and hence he was supposed to prove his supremacy here also. The first set was an even battle going into tiebreaker with Federer not dropping even a single point and winning 7-0.
The second set saw another tiebreaker but this time it wasn’t one sided and Nadal won 7-5 after Federer netted a backhand at 6-5.Tthe third set had Nadal taking a break point at 2-2 and ultimately won 6-4. Federer showed his class in the next set, breaking Nadal twice and winning easily by 6-2. In the fifth set, Nadal broke Federer’s serve from 4-2 behind to reach 5-6. He then saved two match points to throw the game into the tiebreaker again. Federer took the lead 3-1 and Nadal later came from behind to lead 5-6. Ultimately he took the championship point and thus won one of the finest clay court matches between the two.
Final Score: Nadal wins 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5)