Federer–Nadal rivalry

Federer–Nadal rivalry
Federer serves to Nadal during the 2008 Wimbledon final
Nadal and Federer at the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals final

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are professional tennis players engaged in a storied rivalry, which many consider the greatest in the game's history.[1][2][3][4][5] Their first match was in 2004.[6]

Federer and Nadal are the only pair of men to have finished six consecutive calendar years as the top two ranked players on the ATP Tour, from 2005–2010. Federer was ranked No. 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks beginning in February 2004. Nadal, who is four years and ten months younger, ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks before surpassing Federer in August 2008.[7] Federer regained the No. 1 ranking in July 2009, due in part to Nadal's injury hiatus, which also caused Nadal to briefly fall to No. 3.[8] Nadal returned to No. 2 in September but dropped two spots in February 2010, and regained the World No. 2 after winning the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open in May 2010 (against Federer in the final).[9] After winning the 2010 French Open, Nadal regained the No. 1 position again.

Nadal leads their overall head-to-head series 17–8, with 14 of those encounters having been on Nadals favoured clay court surface.[10] Because tournament seedings are based on rankings, 19 of their matches have been in tournament finals, including an all-time record 8 Grand Slam finals.[11] From 2006 to 2008 they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final, and then they met in the 2009 Australian Open final and the 2011 French Open final. Nadal won six of the eight, losing the first two Wimbledons. Three of these matches lasted five sets (2007 and 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 Australian Open), and the 2008 Wimbledon final—which Nadal won—has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts.[12][13][14][15] They have also played in a record 9 Masters Series finals, including their lone five hour match at the 2006 Rome Masters which Nadal won in a fifth-set tiebreak.

Contents

History

2004–2005

Federer and Nadal played their first match in March 2004 at the third round of the Miami Masters. During the previous nine months Federer had won his first two Grand Slam titles and earned the No. 1 ranking in February at the age of 22. Nadal, only 17 years old and ranked No. 34,[16] shocked the tennis world by defeating Federer in straight sets.

Their second meeting was one year later, again in Miami, but this time in a best-of-five-set final. Coming into the match, Federer had been a dominant No. 1 for over a year. Nadal, ranked at No. 31,[17] won the first two sets. However, Federer recovered to win the third set in a tiebreak and then won the final two sets, extending his record win streak in tournament finals to 18. Despite the blown lead, this match was considered by some tennis analysts as a breakthrough performance for Nadal.[18]

They played again two months later in the semifinals of the French Open, which was their first match on clay. Federer needed the French title to achieve a Career Grand Slam, having already won the other three Slams. But Nadal was now ranked No. 5 due to his emergence as a dominant clay-court player,[17] having won five titles on clay in 2005 at that stage and won 22 consecutive matches on the surface going into the semi final match with Federer. Nadal defeated Federer in four sets en route to his first Grand Slam title.

Though the two did not play again in 2005, they formed an effective duopoly over the men's game by winning three of the four Grand Slams and all eight Masters Series they entered. They both won 11 titles, including a single-season record four Masters Series each. Federer won his third consecutive Wimbledon and second US Open. During the second half of the year he won 35 consecutive matches and extended his record win streak in tournament finals to 24, but both streaks ended when he lost only his fourth match of the year in the Masters Cup final.[19] Nadal became No. 2 in July, won eight clay titles, and finished the year on a 36-match clay win streak.[20]

2006

Nadal serves to Federer during the 2006 Wimbledon final

In 2006, Nadal and Federer faced each other in six matches. Nadal won the first four, beginning with the Dubai final in February. This was Federer's first loss of the year and ended his Open era record of 56 consecutive wins on hard courts.[21] However, he rebounded to win his third straight Indian Wells Masters and second Miami Masters.

The spring clay season ensued, and Nadal continued his domination on clay, defeating Federer in the finals of the Monte Carlo Masters, the Rome Masters, and the French Open. The Rome final lasted five hours; Federer held a 4–1 lead in the fifth set followed by two match points, but he failed to convert and Nadal eventually triumphed in a tiebreak.[22] With his comeback victory, Nadal tied the Open era record for consecutive wins on clay. He then set the record at the French Open[20] en route to meeting Federer in their first Grand Slam final. Federer quickly won the first set, but Nadal fought back and took the next three sets, including a fourth set tiebreak, to capture his second French title. This was also his 14th consecutive win in a tournament final, which is second best in the Open era after Federer's 24.[11]

They faced off again a month later in the finals of Wimbledon, which was their first meeting on grass. Nadal's run to the final was somewhat surprising, as most tennis analysts considered him a clay-court specialist.[23][24] On the other hand, Federer had broken the Open era record for consecutive wins on grass with his first round victory. He then fulfilled expectations by capturing his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title in four sets, which also ended his five-match losing streak against Nadal.

They did not meet again until the semifinals of the year-end Masters Cup. Federer won in straight-sets en route to his third Masters Cup title in four years. Nadal's career head-to-head advantage was now 6–3.

For the second straight year they dominated the men's tour, this time winning all four Grand Slams and holding the top two rankings for the entire season. Federer had his best year, setting the all-time record for most rankings points by capturing a career-high 12 titles, including three Grand Slams, the Masters Cup, and four Masters Series. He won 92 of his 97 matches and finished the year on a 29-match win streak spanning five titles. Four of his losses were to Nadal, who finished the season undefeated on clay.

After 2006, the ATP decided to end best-of-five-set matches in Masters Series finals. This was due, in part, to both Federer and Nadal withdrawing from the Hamburg Masters tournament because it began the day after their five hour match in Rome.

2007

Federer during the Monte Carlo final

Nadal and Federer faced each other five times in 2007, and Federer won three of the matches. This was the only year that he won the majority of their meetings, which narrowed Nadal's career advantage to 8–6.

Federer began the year where he left off in 2006, extending his win streak to a career-best 41 matches. He not only won his third Australian Open title, he became the first man since Björn Borg in 1980 to not lose a set in a Grand Slam.[25] He then won his career-high seventh consecutive tournament by capturing the Dubai title for the fourth time in five years.[26] But his win streak ended in March with surprising losses to Guillermo Cañas in the early rounds of both the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Masters. Nadal fared better at Indian Wells, winning the fifth hard court title of his career.

For the second straight year, Federer and Nadal played in three finals on clay. Nadal won the first meeting in straight sets for his third consecutive Monte Carlo title. A few weeks later they met at the Hamburg Masters for the first time. Nadal entered with an 81-match clay win streak spanning over two years, but Federer defeated him for the first time on clay,[20] including a 6–0 shutout in the third set. The next tournament was the French Open, and Nadal won their much-anticipated rematch in four sets, capturing his third consecutive French Open title. Federer squandered 16 of 17 break point opportunities, including 10 in the first set.[11]

Nadal during the Monte Carlo final

Their last two meetings in 2007 were also a repeat of 2006: the finals of Wimbledon and the semifinals of the Masters Cup. Once again Federer won both matches, though the Wimbledon final was much closer this time. After Federer won the first and third sets in tiebreaks, Nadal dominated the fourth set, resulting in Federer uncharacteristically losing his cool and complaining to the umpire about the Hawk-Eye line calling system. Nadal continued to apply pressure in the fifth set and earned two break point chances at 15–40 in both the third and fifth games. But Federer served well and saved all four break points. He then broke Nadal in the sixth game and swept the remaining games to earn his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title, tying Borg's Open era record.[27]

As in 2006, the pair held the top two rankings for the entire year and won all four Grand Slams. For a record third time in four years, Federer won three Grand Slams, including his Open era record fourth straight US Open title. He also won the Masters Cup for the fourth time in five years. Nadal continued his mastery on clay, winning five titles.

2008

Federer and Nadal played four times in 2008, and Nadal won each time, extending his career advantage to 12–6. He also supplanted Federer as No. 1 in August, ending Federer's record four-and-a-half year reign.[7]

During the first three months of the season, No. 3 Novak Djokovic threatened to surpass Nadal. In January Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, defeating Federer in the semifinals. This was also the first Grand Slam that neither Federer nor Nadal had won since the 2005 Australian Open, ending their combined all-time record of 11 consecutive titles. Djokovic then won the Indian Wells Masters and closed in on Nadal for the No. 2 ranking. But Nadal finished runner-up at the Miami Masters, and followed that with another dominant spring clay-court season, including wins over Djokovic at both the Hamburg Masters and French Open. Federer's performance dropped at the beginning of the year, and he later revealed that he had contracted mononucleosis in December 2007. However, despite lingering after-effects he was back in playing shape for the spring season.[28]

For the third straight year, Federer and Nadal played in three clay-court finals. Nadal beat Federer in the Monte Carlo Masters for the third straight year, capturing his Open era record fourth consecutive title there. He won in straight sets, despite Federer holding a 4–0 lead in the second.[11] A few weeks later Nadal avenged his only clay-court loss to Federer by defeating him in three sets for his first Hamburg Masters title. Also for the third straight year, they played in the finals of the French Open. This was the most lopsided of all their matches, though, as Nadal only lost four games total and became the first man since 1999 to win a 6–0 set against Federer.[11] This was Nadal's fourth consecutive French Open title, tying Björn Borg's all-time record, and he won it without dropping a set.

Nadal and Federer also met in the finals of Wimbledon for the third straight year, in the most anticipated match of their rivalry.[29][30] Nadal entered the final on a 23-match win streak, including his first career grass title at the Queen's Club Championships prior to Wimbledon. Federer was also playing well, having won his record fifth title at the Gerry Weber Open without facing a single break point and then reaching the Wimbledon final without losing a set. Unlike their previous two Wimbledon finals, though, Federer was not the prohibitive favorite, and many analysts picked Nadal to win.[30][31] Amidst rain delays, they played the longest final in Wimbledon history (4 hours and 48 minutes), and Nadal captured the title by winning the fifth set 9–7 in near-darkness. Many long-time tennis analysts promptly declared that this was the greatest match in tennis history.[12][13][14][15] By winning his first Wimbledon title, Nadal became the first man since Borg in 1980 to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season. He also ended Federer's record streaks of five Wimbledon titles and 65 wins on grass.

Nadal continued to play well after Wimbledon, extending his win streak to a career-best 32 matches. He won his second Canada Masters title and then made it to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters. However, Federer lost early in both tournaments. This course of events guaranteed Nadal the No. 1 ranking on August 18, officially ending Federer's reign of 237 weeks.[7]

Nadal then solidified his No. 1 ranking by winning the gold medal in singles at the Summer Olympics and reaching the semifinals of the US Open for the first time. Meanwhile, Federer lost in the quarterfinals of Olympic singles but won the gold medal in doubles with Stanislas Wawrinka. Federer then captured his fifth straight US Open title, becoming the first man to win two different Grand Slams five consecutive times each.[32] Both Nadal and Federer defeated No. 3 Djokovic in the semifinals in at least one of their respective title runs.

For a record fourth consecutive year they finished as the top two players and once again combined to win three Grand Slam titles. Nadal had his best overall year, seizing the No. 1 ranking after a record 160 consecutive weeks at No. 2.[7] Federer's overall performance dropped from his previous four-year run of dominance,[33] but he still played well enough to narrowly edge Djokovic in the year-end rankings.[34]

2009

Federer hitting a backhand in the Australian Open final

Federer and Nadal played each other only twice in 2009, splitting their matches.

Both players began the year strong, reaching the finals of the Australian Open. This was the first hard court Grand Slam final for Nadal, but Federer was undefeated in 8 hard court finals (5 US Open, 3 Australian). Federer also had the extra incentive of his first opportunity to tie Pete Sampras' all-time Grand Slam title record of 14. To compound matters for Nadal, he had played a 5 hour and 14 minute semifinal two days prior, while Federer had a comparably brief straight sets semifinal victory and an extra day of rest.[35] The final was another long match (4 hours and 23 minutes), yet Nadal prevailed again in the fifth set.[5][35][36] With his sixth career Grand Slam title, Nadal became the fourth man to win Grand Slams on all three surfaces (hard, grass, and clay), but the first to do so within a 12-month period. He also consoled a tearful Federer during the awards ceremony.

Over the next three months Nadal solidified his No. 1 ranking with Masters Series titles at Indian Wells, Monte Carlo (for the fifth straight year), and Rome. Meanwhile, Federer unraveled in the deciding sets of three Masters Series semifinals, first at Indian Wells against No. 4 Andy Murray then at both Miami and Rome against No. 3 Novak Djokovic.

Nadal during the Australian Open final

However, Federer rebounded at the Madrid Masters, defeating Nadal in the final in straight sets. By securing his first Masters Series title in almost two years, Federer also ended both his five match losing streak against Nadal and Nadal's 33-match win streak on clay.[37] Furthermore, he became the second player, after Gastón Gaudio, to have ever defeated Nadal twice on clay, and both of his victories prevented Nadal from becoming the first man to capture all three clay-court Masters Series titles in a single year.

Federer continued his resurgence by capturing his first French Open. This was a landmark win for him; he not only completed his Career Grand Slam, but he also tied Pete Sampras's all-time Grand Slam titles record of 14.[38] In the final he defeated Robin Söderling, who had upset Nadal in the fourth round, which was not only Nadal's first ever loss at the French Open but also his first loss in 49 best-of-five-set matches on clay.[39]

Because of tendinitis in both his knees, Nadal pulled out of Queen's Club and Wimbledon. Therefore he didn't play a single official match on grass that year, although he lost both of his exhibition matches against Lleyton Hewitt and Stanislas Wawrinka,[40] while Federer captured his sixth Wimbledon title after an epic battle against Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6 and 16–14. With that win, Federer broke the all-time record of Sampras's 14 Grand Slam titles with winning his 15th title and recaptured his No. 1 spot from Nadal. Nadal returned from his two month break at the Rogers Cup in Canada,[41] where both players went out in the quarterfinals. Nadal's failure to defend his points (he won the event in 2008), and Andy Murray's success in the event, meant that Nadal dropped to third in the world: this was the first time in 49 months, since 2005 when Lleyton Hewitt was second in the world, that Federer and Nadal did not occupy the top two ranking spots.[8] In the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, Federer lost for the first time to a player other than Nadal in a Grand Slam final, as Juan Martín del Potro (Nadal's victor in the semifinals) won 3–6, 7–6(5), 4–6, 7–6(4), 6–2.[42]

2010

In 2010, Federer and Nadal played twice, with Nadal winning the first and Federer winning the second match. Ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively at the start of the season, Federer and Nadal entered three events where each time one of the two reached the final to face the victor of the second. At the Abu Dhabi exhibition Nadal beat Robin Söderling, who defeated Federer in the semifinals; in Doha Nadal lost to Nikolay Davydenko, who had also upset Federer in the semifinals; and at the Australian Open it was Federer who defeated Andy Murray to clinch a 16th Grand Slam title, with the Briton beating Nadal in their quarterfinal match-up.[43] Federer consolidated his No. 1 ranking with the win, while Nadal descended as low as No. 4, Novak Djokovic becoming No. 2 for the first time.[44]

Both men withdrew from the Davis Cup first round tie between Spain and Switzerland, which took place in Logroño, Spain, at the beginning of March.[45] Federer pulled out as he did not want to go from hard to clay and back to hard courts in such a short time. Ironically by the time the tie came around, Federer was out with an illness. Nadal pulled out following the injury that he sustained in the match against Murray. At the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments they were placed in opposite halves of the draw, both failed to make the final.

April saw Nadal back up to number 3 and ended his 11 month title drought with a victory at the Monte Carlo Masters, becoming the first player to win a title for 6 consecutive years. At the Rome Masters Federer and Nadal were scheduled to meet at the semi-final stage,[46] but Federer lost his first match to Ernests Gulbis. The two met in the final of the Madrid Open, for the first time in the ATP World Tour season, one year after their last match, and Nadal defeated Federer 6–4, 7–6(5). At the 2010 French Open, for the first time since his debut, Nadal was not coming in as the defending champion as Federer had won the previous year. Federer was upset in the quarter-finals by Robin Soderling (breaking a 12-match losing streak to Federer). Nadal later avenged his 2009 defeat to Soderling by defeating him 6–4, 6–2, 6–4 in the final for his fifth Roland Garros title, returning to the No. 1 ranking. After Wimbledon 2010 Federer, who lost in the quarter-finals to Tomáš Berdych, dropped to number three in the rankings, falling outside the top two for the first time in seven years,[47] for the first time during his rivalry with Nadal.

Then, in the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals' final they met in their last match of the year for both, and Federer won it 6–3, 3–6, 6–1. With this match the Federer–Nadal rivalry is 14–8 for Nadal and Federer has won his fifth Year-End Championship, like Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl. Federer had won it in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010, losing the 2005 final.

Tournament Schedule 2011

Date Championship Place Category Surface Switzerland Roger Federer[48] Spain Rafael Nadal[49] Difference in ATP ranking
2010 result 2010 points New points Outcome 2010 result 2010 points New points Outcome
30.12.2010–01.01.2011 Mubadala World Tennis Championship Abu Dabi (UAE) Invitation tournament Hard SF – - Final (lost to Nadal) SF – - Winner (defeated Federer) Nadal leads F. by 3365 Points
03.01.2011–08.01.2011 Qatar ExxonMobil Open Doha (QAT) ATP World Tour 250 Hard SF 90 250 Winner (defeated Davydenko) F 150 90 SF (lost to Davydenko) Nadal leads by 3145 Points
17.01.2011–30.01.2011 Australian Open Melbourne (AUS) Grand Slam Hard W 2000 720 SF (lost to Djokovic) QF 360 360 QF (lost to Ferrer) Nadal leads by 4425 Points
21.02.2011–27.02.2011 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Dubai (UAE) ATP World Tour 500 Hard A – 300 Final (lost to Djokovic) – – – Not part of tour calendar Nadal leads by 4425 Points
04.03.2011–06.03.2011 Davis Cup – / Belgium Davis Cup Clay Switzerland seeded for 2nd round in Europe/Africa Group I – – – Spain defeat Belgium 4–1
07.03.2011–20.03.2011 BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells (USA) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard R32 45 360 SF (lost to Djokovic) SF 360 600 Final (lost to Djokovic) Nadal leads by 4350, Federer now 3rd
21.03.2011–03.04.2011 Sony Ericsson Open Miami (USA) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard R16 90 360 SF (lost to Nadal) SF 360 600 Final (lost to Djokovic)
09.04.2011–17.4.2011 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters Monte-Carlo (MON) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay – – 180 QF (lost to Melzer) W 1000 1000 Winner (defeated Ferrer)
18.4.2011–24.4.2011 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell Barcelona (ESP) ATP World Tour 500 Clay – – – Not part of tour calendar – – 500 Winner (defeated Ferrer)
02.05.2011–08.05.2011 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open Madrid (ESP) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay F 600 360 SF (lost to Nadal) W 1000 600 Final (lost to Djokovic) Nadal leads by 3615 Points
09.05.2011–15.05.2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome (ITA) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Clay R32 10 90 R16 (lost to Gasquet) W 1000 600 Final (lost to Djokovic)
23.05.2011–05.06.2011 French Open Paris (FRA) Grand Slam Clay QF 360 1200 Final (lost to Nadal) W 2000 2000 Winner (defeated Federer) Nadal leads by 2840 Points
06.06.2011–12.06.2011 Gerry Weber Open Halle (GER) ATP World Tour 250 Grass F 150 – withdrew due to groin injury – – – Not part of tour calendar Nadal leads F. by 2990 Points, but is only 65 ahead of Djokovic
06.06.2011–12.06.2011 AEGON Championships London (GBR) ATP World Tour 250 Grass – – – Not part of tour calendar QF 45 45 QF (lost to Tsonga)
20.06.2011–03.07.2011 Wimbledon Wimbledon (GBR) Grand Slam Grass QF 360 360 QF (lost against Tsonga) W 2000 1200 Final (lost to Djokovic) Djokovic now #1, Nadal (2) leads F. (3) by 2040 Points
08.07.2011–10.07.2011 Davis Cup Bern (SUI) / Austin (USA) Davis Cup Hard (i) – – Switzerland def. Portugal in 2nd round Europe/Africa Group I, 5–0 – – Nadal withdrew from Davis Cup quarterfinals against USA, Spain def. USA, 3–1
08.08.2011–14.08.2011 Rogers Cup Montreal (CAN) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard F 600 90 R16 (lost to Tsonga) SF 360 45 R32 (lost to Dodig)
15.08.2011–21.08.2011 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters Cincinnati (USA) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard W 1000 180 QF (lost to Berdych) QF 180 180 QF (lost to Fish)
29.08.2011–11.09.2011 US Open New York (USA) Grand Slam Hard SF 720 720 (SF lost to Djokovic) W 2000 1200 Final (lost to Djokovic) Nadal (2) leads F. (3) by 2240 Points
16.09.2011–18.09.2011 Davis Cup Sydney (AUS) / Cordoba (ESP) Davis Cup grass / clay – – Switzerland defeated Australia 3–2 in World Group Play-offs – – – Spain def. France, 4–1 in Davis Cup Semifinals
3.10.2011–10.10.2011 Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Tokyo (JAP) ATP World Tour 500 Hard – – – Not part of tour calendar W 500 300 Final (lost to Murray)
10.10.2011–16.10.2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters Shanghai (CHN) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard F 600 – Withdrew due to several minor injuries 3R 90 90 R16 (lost to F. Mayer) Murray now 3rd, Nadal (2) leads F. (4) by 2845 Points
30.10.2011–06.11.2011 Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel (SUI) ATP World Tour 500 Hard (i) W 500 500 Winner (defeated Nishikori) – – – Not part of tour calendar
07.11.2011–13.11.2011 BNP Paribas Masters Paris (FRA) ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Hard (i) SF 360 1000 Winner (defeated Tsonga) – – – Withdrew in order to better concentrate on seasons finals
20.11.2011–27.11.2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals London (GBR) ATP World Tour Finals Hard (i) W 1500 F 1000
2.12.2011–4.12.2011 Davis Cup Seville (ESP) Davis Cup Final clay (i) – – Spain facing Argentina in Davis Cup Finals

Analysis

Significant aspects

The rivalry has been a huge part of both men's careers. Federer had the most dominant four-year run in tennis history from 2004 through 2007.[33] His overall match record was 315–24, but this included a mere 6–8 against Nadal, who was the only man to have a winning record against him. Moreover, Nadal denied Federer a Career Grand Slam and two Calendar Year Grand Slams (in 2006 and 2007) by defeating him at the French Open every year from 2005 to 2008, but Federer succeeded in 2009 after Nadal was beaten in the fourth round. Federer also prevented Nadal from winning the ATP World Tour Finals, beating him in the 2010 finals.

Both men not only possess Open era records for consecutive wins on a single surface — Federer on both grass (65) and hard courts (56), Nadal on clay (81), but each of these streaks was broken by the other man. Their respective dominance on grass and clay was the impetus for the "Battle of Surfaces", an exhibition match on a half-grass, half-clay court in May 2007.[50]

Their Grand Slam histories are of particular interest, especially their all-time record eight finals encounters[11] and the fact that all but two (Federer-Del Potro, 2009 US Open and Nadal-Djokovic, 2011 Wimbledon) of their losses in Grand Slam finals are to each other; Federer is 2–6 against Nadal, who has had to defeat Federer during each of his first six title runs — five times in the final and once in a semifinal. Also, their 2008 Wimbledon final is widely considered the greatest match in tennis history.[12][13][14][15]

Their record six consecutive calendar years atop the rankings is due in large part to their unprecedented combined performance in Grand Slams, as they have captured 22 of the last 25 titles (12 for Federer, 10 for Nadal) from the 2005 French Open through the 2011 French Open. This includes an all-time record 11 consecutive titles from the 2005 French Open through the 2007 US Open. Furthermore, Federer won three titles in 2004, increasing the total to 25 of 30, and Wimbledon 2003 resulting in 26 of the last 32. The only other players to have won in this era (2003 Wimbledon–2011 French Open) are Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open, Gastón Gaudio at the 2004 French Open, Marat Safin at the 2005 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic at the 2008 Australian Open and 2011 Australian Open and Juan Martín del Potro at the 2009 US Open.

They have also dominated in other tournaments, such as combining for 31 of the 54 Masters Series titles from 2005 through 2010 (13 for Federer (17 total) and all-time record 18 for Nadal), including 8 of 9 in 2005 (4 each).

Head-to-head tallies

The following is a breakdown of their head-to-head results:[10]

Nadal reacts in the finals against Federer at Roland Garros 2007.

Results on each court surface

Clay

Nadal and Federer have played 14 of their 25 matches on clay due to the fact that they have consistently been the best two clay court players since 2005.[51] Nadal has generally dominated on the surface. From 2005–2008, he won every French Open, defeating Federer each time (2005 semi-final and 2006–2008 finals), and won at least 2 of the 3 clay Masters events each year from 2005–2010, defeating Federer in 6 of those. As a result, some analysts and players, such as Pat Cash and Conchita Martínez, already consider Nadal the greatest clay-court player ever.[52] Nadal has won all of their seven meetings in best of five set matches on clay.

Hard

Federer and Nadal have each won 4 of their 8 matches on hard courts. Federer has been the best hard court player since 2004, winning 9 of the 15 hard court Grand Slams and 5 of the 8 Masters Cups, plus a record at Cincinnati. Nadal has always had solid results on hard courts, winning 9 tournaments since 2005, including five Masters Series. But he has improved considerably over the years, reaching the semifinals of both Grand Slams for the first time in 2008, winning the 2008 Olympics Singles tournament, defeating Federer in the Australian Open final in early 2009, and winning the US Open for the first time in 2010.

Despite Nadal's success on hard courts, some analysts have criticized his lack of consistency in reaching tournament finals for skewing the overall head-to-head results. They contend that more hard court encounters, especially in the early years of the rivalry, would likely have resulted in a better winning percentage for Federer. Some disagree with this argument, however, for two reasons. The first being that Nadal is five years younger than Federer, and thus only started to reach hard court finals more consistently, once he reached his peak, similar to Federer reaching clay masters finals at about the same stage in his career. Secondly, out of their first four matches three were on hard courts, with Nadal winning two of these, and also the one on clay.[53] [14][54]

Federer has been more successful than Nadal on hard courts because he hits a flatter forehand and has a faster serve. Hard courts are a fast surface, so Federer's flatter shots result in a lower bouncing, faster moving trajectory. Thus, Nadal's topspin is least effective on hard courts, because it doesn't bounce up as high to Federer's backhand, enabling Federer to return it better. Nadal has improved his serving speed and placement over the years, but Federer still serves faster on average and earns more aces and service winners.[55]

Grass

As with clay, Federer and Nadal have been the two best players on grass for the last 5 years.[citation needed]Federer has been the preeminent grass player since 2003, winning 5 consecutive Wimbledons from 2003 to 2007. Nadal has steadily improved on grass, playing Federer in three consecutive Wimbledon finals from 2006–2008, with better results each time. From 2003 to 2010, Federer and Nadal have swept the Wimbledon title, Federer in 2003–07, 2009 and Nadal in 2008 and 2010. One of the reasons for Nadal's success is that in recent years Wimbledon management has firmed up their courts to make them more durable. Some say this has created the side-effect that the new courts play slower.[56][57] Still, however, grass is considered the fastest surface. While Nadal is supposedly weaker on faster surfaces, the lack of a true bounce on both clay and grass may be the true secret to why Nadal is better on grass and clay than on hard court. Nadal has won on the very surface at the Olympics (identical to the US Open surface) and he has won the Australian Open (thought to be a slower hard court surface, but still much faster than clay) the US Open (the faster hard courts) and he has won several Masters Series in both the Spring and Summer.

The fact that they have played three matches on grass is remarkable considering that the Wimbledon final has been their only opportunity to do so in recent years. The grass season is brief, with only two weeks between the end of the French Open and the beginning of Wimbledon every year. This means that both men play just one other grass tournament, but they have always entered different events. Additionally, from 2006 onwards, both men have entered the Wimbledon draw as the top 2 seeds, meaning that they can only meet in the final each time.

Relationship and competitive dynamic

Both Federer and Nadal's personal and professional relationship is good-natured and gracious.[58] Though they are both highly competitive, they maintain a healthy regard for each other and have had virtually no source of personal animosity. The lone issue, albeit minor, was Federer's complaint about Nadal's slow, deliberate style of play on the eve of the 2008 Wimbledon final.[59]

Despite their cordial relationship, both men have a somewhat different attitude towards their rivalry. When Federer was securely atop the tennis world he was ambivalent towards the notion of a rivalry with an opponent five years younger than himself.[60][61] But after their memorable 2008 Wimbledon final he had no choice but to acknowledge its significance, even admitting "it definitely becomes more and more special the more times we play against each other."[61] A few weeks later, after Nadal had officially surpassed him in the rankings, Federer offered this compliment: "Look at what he had to achieve to get it. That's what I like to see."[62] Nadal has always cherished the rivalry because he looks up to Federer as both a role model and a measuring stick for success.[63][64]

When interest in their rivalry increased, however, both Federer and Nadal collaborated to arrange occasional charity exhibition matches to benefit their charities' philanthropic interests. The most recent was the Match for Africa, played on 21 December 2010 in Zurich, Switzerland (Federer won 4–6, 6–3, 6–3) and a follow-up match played in Madrid on the following day, titled "Joining Forces for the Benefit of Children" (Nadal won 7–6 (7–3), 4–6, 6–3).

Cultural impact

The rivalry has also increased overall interest in tennis. The highly-anticipated 2008 Wimbledon final drew strong television ratings for tennis in both the U.S. and across Europe.[13][65] The match was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which was the first time in years that tennis made the cover.[14][66]

Skill comparisons

“ I am more than happy with my titles, and I think talk about if I am better or worse than Roger is stupid because the titles say he's much better than me, so that's the truth at that moment. I think that will be true all my life.[67] ”

Federer is considered by many to be the greatest tennis player of all time.[68] Some, however, argue that despite Federer's record 16 Grand Slam titles, he should not be considered the greatest ever with an 8–17 record against Nadal. Others analyze the head-to-head matches by surface and conclude that Nadal's edge comes from his 12–2 record against Federer on clay. Federer has achieved the majority of his success on grass (6 Wimbledon titles) and hardcourts (5 US Open titles and 4 Australian Open titles), whereas Nadal has achieved his greatest success on clay (6 French Open titles). It is argued that the fact that the majority of their matches have been on Nadal's most successful surface and Federer's least successful demonstrates that Federer has long been the second best clay court player in the world to Nadal. Nadal is regarded by many as the greatest clay court player of all time. He also has been a member of multiple Spanish Davis Cup teams, which Federer has never accomplished. Both men have an Olympic gold medal – Nadal in singles and Federer in doubles.

During interviews, people like fellow player Andy Murray and former player and coach Paul Annacone have called Nadal one of the best tennis players ever.[69] In November 2010, Bjorn Borg said that Federer is the greatest player, but "Rafa has the chance to be the greatest player" if he stays healthy. John McEnroe said, "there is an argument to be made that Rafael Nadal may be the greatest player eventually, even possibly now."[70] In response to a question posed by a journalist at the 2010 French Open regarding whether Nadal is better than Federer, Nadal replied, "I think this person don't know nothing about tennis." The journalist asked why, and Nadal told the journalist, "so you don't know nothing about tennis. You see the titles of him and you see the titles of me? It's no comparison. So that's the answer. Is difficult to compare Roger with me now, because he has 16 Grand Slams; I have 6. Masters 1000, yeah, I have more than him. But for the rest of the things the records of Roger is very, very almost impossible to improve."[71][72] At the press conference following his semi-final win in the 2010 U.S. Open Nadal was asked whether his head-to-head advantage over Federer means he is better. Nadal replied, "Head to head is not an element for me. Is a part of the statistics, but is not the decisive element."[73]

Pairing Federer and Nadal

Significant achievements

  • From 2003 Wimbledon – 2011 French Open, Federer and Nadal have won an unprecedented 26 out of 32 Grand Slam titles. In this time, both men have also completed the Career Grand Slam (Nadal has also completed the Career Golden Slam by winning the 2008 Beijing Olympics).
  • Since Nadal's first Grand Slam victory at the 2005 French Open, Federer and Nadal have won 22 of 25 Grand Slam titles (12 for Federer, 10 for Nadal). The exceptions were the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, won by Novak Djokovic, and the 2009 US Open, won by Juan Martin del Potro.
  • Federer and Nadal are the only No. 1 and 2 pair in the open era to contest the French Open and Wimbledon men's finals back to back in a calendar year. They are also the only pair in the history of tennis to contest both of these finals back to back for three consecutive years (2006–08).
  • In the history of tennis, Federer and Nadal are the only pair to face each other in eight Grand Slam singles finals (2006–08 Wimbledon, 2006–08, 2011 French Open, 2009 Australian Open) in the span of 6 years. This broke the previous record of seven, by Bill Tilden and William Johnston (1919–25 U.S. Championships)
  • Federer and Nadal are the only No. 1 and 2 pair to win 11 consecutive Grand Slam singles tournaments between them (2005 French Open – 2007 US Open). In this period, Federer won 3 consecutive titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open and 2 consecutive titles at the Australian Open, while Nadal won 3 consecutive French Open titles.
  • During the open era, only two pairs of players have played each other in the final of the same Grand Slam singles tournament three consecutive years: Becker–Edberg (Wimbledon 1988–90) and Federer-Nadal (2006–08 French Open and 2006–08 Wimbledon).
  • Federer and Nadal are the only pair to win at least four consecutive finals at three different Grand Slams during the same period (2005–08 French Open for Nadal, 2003–07 Wimbledon and 2004–08 US Open for Federer).
  • From 2004 Wimbledon to 2011 French Open, the pair appeared in 25 of 28 Grand Slams finals, winning all of them except the 2005 Australian Open, 2008 and 2011 Australian Open and 2009 US Open.
  • Federer and Nadal have won 8 consecutive Wimbledon (2003–10) and 7 consecutive French Open (2005–11).
  • Federer and Nadal won the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open trio for 4 consecutive years (2005–08).
  • During the open era, only 3 pairs of players have met each other in the final of 3 different Grand Slams. Lendl-Wilander (1983 Australian Open, 1985 French Open and 1987 US Open), Agassi–Sampras (1990 US Open, 1995 Australian Open and 1999 Wimbledon) and Federer-Nadal (2006 French Open, 2006 Wimbledon & 2009 Australian Open).
  • Nadal and Federer had never been beaten by a third player in Grand Slam finals until the 2009 US Open Final, when Juan Martin del Potro defeated Federer to claim the title.

List of all matches

ATP, Davis Cup, and Grand Slam main draw results included.[10]

Legend (2004–2008)
Grand Slam
Tennis Masters Cup
ATP Masters Series
ATP International Series Gold
ATP International Series
Davis Cup
Legend (2009–present)
Grand Slam
ATP World Tour Finals
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
ATP World Tour 500 Series
ATP World Tour 250 Series
Davis Cup

Singles

No. Year Tournament Surface Round Winner Score Length (H:MM) Sets Federer Nadal
1. 2004 Miami Hard R32 Nadal 6–3, 6–3 1:10 2/3 0 1
2. 2005 Miami Hard Final Federer 2–6, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–3, 6–1 3:43 5/5 1 1
3. 2005 French Open Clay Semi-final Nadal 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 2:47 4/5 1 2
4. 2006 Dubai Hard Final Nadal 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 1:53 3/3 1 3
5. 2006 Monte Carlo Clay Final Nadal 6–2, 6–7(2–7), 6–3, 7–6(7–5) 3:50 4/5 1 4
6. 2006 Rome Clay Final Nadal 6–7(0–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(7–5) 5:05 5/5 1 5
7. 2006 French Open Clay Final Nadal 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) 3:02 4/5 1 6
8. 2006 Wimbledon Grass Final Federer 6–0, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–3 2:58 4/5 2 6
9. 2006 Shanghai Hard (i) Semi-final Federer 6–4, 7–5 1:53 2/3 3 6
10. 2007 Monte Carlo Clay Final Nadal 6–4, 6–4 1:35 2/3 3 7
11. 2007 Hamburg Clay Final Federer 2–6, 6–2, 6–0 1:55 3/3 4 7
12. 2007 French Open Clay Final Nadal 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 3:10 4/5 4 8
13. 2007 Wimbledon Grass Final Federer 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 7–6(7–3), 2–6, 6–2 3:45 5/5 5 8
14. 2007 Shanghai Hard (i) Semi-final Federer 6–4, 6–1 0:59 2/3 6 8
15. 2008 Monte Carlo Clay Final Nadal 7–5, 7–5 1:43 2/3 6 9
16. 2008 Hamburg Clay Final Nadal 7–5, 6–7(3–7), 6–3 2:52 3/3 6 10
17. 2008 French Open Clay Final Nadal 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 1:48 3/5 6 11
18. 2008 Wimbledon Grass Final Nadal 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10), 9–7 4:48 5/5 6 12
19. 2009 Australian Open Hard Final Nadal 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–2 4:23 5/5 6 13
20. 2009 Madrid Clay Final Federer 6–4, 6–4 1:26 2/3 7 13
21. 2010 Madrid Clay Final Nadal 6–4, 7–6(7–5) 2:10 2/3 7 14
22. 2010 London Hard (i) Final Federer 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 1:37 3/3 8 14
23. 2011 Miami Hard Semi-final Nadal 6–3, 6–2 1:18 2/3 8 15
24. 2011 Madrid Clay Semi-final Nadal 5–7, 6–1, 6–3 2:36 3/3 8 16
25. 2011 French Open Clay Final Nadal 7–5, 7–6(7–5), 5–7, 6–1 3:40 4/5 8 17
26. 2011 London Hard (i) RR

Doubles

No. Year Tournament Surface Round Winner Score Opponents Federer Nadal
1. 2007 Rome Clay R32 Nadal/Moya 6–4, 7–6(7–5) Federer/Wawrinka 0 1
2. 2011 Indian Wells Hard SF Federer/Wawrinka 7–5, 6–3 Nadal/M. Lopez 1 1

Exhibitions

On 21 November 2006 they played an exhibition match on a hard court in Seoul, South Korea. Federer won 6–3, 3–6, 6–3.[74]

On 2 May 2007 they played in the "Battle of Surfaces" on a hybrid court that was half clay and half grass. This match was held at the Palma Arena in Palma, the capital city of Nadal's native Mallorca. Nadal won 7–5, 4–6, 7–6(12–10).[75]

On 21 December 2010 they played in Zürich, Switzerland on a hard court a charity tennis match for the Roger Federer Foundation. Federer won 4–6, 6–3, 6–3. They played another exhibition match on December 22, 2010 in Madrid, Spain. Nadal won 7–6(7–3), 4–6, 6–1. This was a charity tennis match for the Fundación Rafa Nadal (Rafael Nadal Foundation).

On 1 January 2011 they played in the final of the knockout exhibition tournament; the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on a hard court. Federer had beaten Söderling in the previous round and Nadal had beaten Berdych in the previous round. Nadal won the encounter by a score of 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–3).

On March 8 2011 the two played a set at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Nadal won the charity exhibition 7–5.

Performance timeline comparison (Grand Slams)

Main article: Tennis performance timeline comparison (men)
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A P Z# PO SF-B F NMS

Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-Off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series).

  • Bold = beat/lost to in final.
  • Italics = beat/lost to in an earlier round.

1999–2004

Player 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA
Switzerland Roger Federer LQ 1R 1R LQ 3R 4R 1R 3R 3R QF QF 4R 4R 1R 1R 4R 4R 1R W 4R W 3R W W
Spain Rafael Nadal A A 3R 2R 3R A A 3R

2005–2010

Player 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA
Switzerland Roger Federer SF SF W W W F W W W F W W SF F F W F W W F W QF QF SF
Spain Rafael Nadal 4R W 2R 3R A W F QF QF W F 4R SF W W SF W 4R A SF QF W W W

2011

Player 2011
AUS FRA WIM USA
Switzerland Roger Federer SF F QF SF
Spain Rafael Nadal QF W F F

Career evolution

Federer and Nadal were born about five years apart. Federer's birthday is August 8, 1981, while Nadal's is June 3, 1986. A different viewpoint of their career evolution is offered by taking the season they entered with an age of 17 as starting point. For instance in 2004, Federer started the season being 22 years old; at the end of that season, he accumulated a career record of four Grand Slam titles, a total of 22 singles titles and his final ranking was No. 1 at 23 years old.

  • () = active record (updated Monday Nov 14, 2011)
Age (end of season) 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Switzerland Federer's season 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Spain Nadal's season 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Grand Slam titles Federer 0 0 0 0 1 4 6 9 12 13 15 16 16
Nadal 0 1 2 3 5 6 9 10
Grand Slam match wins Federer 0 7 20 26 39 61 85 112 138 162 188 208 228
Nadal 6 19 36 56 80 95 120 143
Total titles Federer 0 0 1 4 11 22 33 45 53 57 61 66 (69)
Nadal 1 12 17 23 31 36 43 (46)
Total match wins Federer 15 51 100 158 236 310 391 483 551 617 678 743 (802)
Nadal 45 124 183 253 335 401 472 (538)
Ranking Federer 64 29 13 6 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 (4)
Nadal 51 2 2 2 1 2 1 2
Weeks at number 1 Federer 0 0 0 0 0 48 100 152 204 237 262 285 285
Nadal 0 0 0 0 19 46 76 102

Federer–Nadal Grandslam Era

Year Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open
2003 United States Andre Agassi Spain Juan Carlos Ferrero Switzerland Roger Federer United States Andy Roddick
2004 Switzerland Roger Federer Argentina Gastón Gaudio Switzerland Roger Federer Switzerland Roger Federer
2005 Russia Marat Safin Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer Switzerland Roger Federer
2006 Switzerland Roger Federer Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer Switzerland Roger Federer
2007 Switzerland Roger Federer Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer Switzerland Roger Federer
2008 Serbia Novak Djokovic Spain Rafael Nadal Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer
2009 Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer Switzerland Roger Federer Argentina Juan Martín del Potro
2010 Switzerland Roger Federer Spain Rafael Nadal Spain Rafael Nadal Spain Rafael Nadal
2011 Serbia Novak Djokovic Spain Rafael Nadal Serbia Novak Djokovic Serbia Novak Djokovic

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External links

v · d · eRoger Federer
Entourage
Mirka Federer (wife) • Paul Annacone (coach) • Severin Luthi (coach)
Career
Achievements • Statistics  • Federer–Nadal rivalry
Seasons
Juniors • Early career • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011
v · d · eRafael Nadal
Entourage
Miguel Ángel Nadal (uncle) • Toni Nadal (uncle and coach)
Career
Achievements • Statistics  • Federer–Nadal rivalry  • Djokovic–Nadal rivalry
Seasons
2010 • 2011

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