Roger Federer is known as the ‘King of Grass’ and was exceptional on hard surfaces too, which makes many believe that he remains the greatest player of all-time. However, Federer remains underrated in one aspect, his relatively fewer achievements on clay courts. Although, in the first half of his career especially, the Swiss maestro was actually a force to reckon with on the red dirt, as he even reached the Monte Carlo Masters finals 4 times.
With a 76% win record, Roger Federer had his moments on clay which he and his fans will always remember. Here’s a look at Federer’s 5 greatest matches on the red dirt till date –
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal, 2007 Hamburg Open final
The Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal rivalry was at its peak in 2007 and both the players clashed once again in a tournament final. The Hamburg event was played on clay at the time and Federer was not expected to challenge Nadal as such.
However, the 20-time Grand Slam champion flipped the script completely after losing the first set, 2-6. Rafael Nadal had no answers and looked out of sorts against a rampaging Roger Federer who won the next two sets, 6-2, 6-0. It was a rare instance of Nadal getting bageled in a match, that too on clay and in a final.
The match is also crucial in shaping their rivalry since it was the first time Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal on clay. Later on, Federer could only manage to beat Nadal on one other instance on the Spaniard’s favorite surface, the final of the Madrid Masters 2009.
Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic, 2011 French Open semi-final
Although Roger Federer won only one French Open title in his career, he came very close to winning a few others; the last of which was in 2011. Although he didn’t win in the final against a juggernaut Rafael Nadal, he reached there after a famous win against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
Federer won the first set 7-6 (7-5) in a tiebreak and took the early lead. He won the next set too by 6-3, but was stopped on the tracks in the 3rd set by Djokovic, who won it by 6-3. The fourth set was vital for the outcome of the match and it was another tiebreak, which Federer won 7-6 (7-5) to close out the match.
The Federer vs Djokovic 2011 French Open semifinal was epic also because the Swiss maestro snapped the World No.1’s outstanding 43-match winning streak across all tournaments.
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal, 2009 Madrid Masters final
2009 turned out to be a great year for Roger Federer, especially on clay. He won his only French Open title that year, but also defeated Rafael Nadal to win the Madrid Masters before that. In a rare scenario, Federer gave no chance to Nadal to make a comeback, pulling off a straight sets win, 6-4, 6-4.
Federer vs Haas, 2009 French Open Round of 16
Winning the French Open 2009 was one of the toughest tasks for Roger Federer in his entire career. He had to overcome Germany’s Tommy Haas in the fourth round, who was a tricky opponent for the best in the business in his prime.
With nothing to lose, Haas came out with a freestyle brand of tennis to win the first two sets 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, and looked like he was gone beat Federer in the third too. However, Federer broke Haas’ serve just in the nick of time to bag the third set 6-4. In the last two sets, Roger Federer seemed to have activated his beast mode and clinched them with remarkable ease, 6-0, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Federer vs Berdych, 2012 Madrid Masters final
Roger Federer won the Madrid Masters 5 times in his career, which remains the highest number of titles he has won in a clay court tournament. The last time he won was in 2012 when Federer was up against Czech player Tomas Berdych in the final.
Federer did not start the match well, as he lost the first set 3-6. But as champion players often do, he bounced back to win the next two sets 7-5, 7-5. It remains one of Roger Federer’s best-ever performances on any surface.
