Speaking before his first match at the 2023 US Open, Andy Murray talked about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s history at the tournament. He lamented one key aspect of the duo’s storied history at Flushing Meadows, calling it a shame.
Murray mentioned how, despite a combined nine titles, the US Open never witnessed a Federer vs. Nadal match-up. The Swiss legend won five championships on the trot (2004-2008), while his Spanish counterpart has bagged four. But they never crossed paths in New York.
Andy Murray rues ‘great’ Federer-Nadal fixture never happened in US Open
Federer and Nadal have arguably the most iconic rivalry in tennis history. Sharing 42 Grand Slam titles between them, the duo dominated tennis at their peak. Before Novak Djokovic’s rise post-2010 made it the Big 3, it was Federer and Nadal who reigned supreme. They played each other 40 times, with the Spaniard leading 24-16. In Grand Slams, they faced off 14 times, with Nadal again leading 10-4. However, the US Open never saw the legendary rivals take on each other. Federer participated in 19 editions, winning five, and Nadal in 16, winning four, but they somehow never met.
2012 US Open winner Murray said it was strange that a ‘Fedal’ match never happened at the American Grand Slam. He was perplexed how the two never clashed despite winning the title so many times. The Brit termed it unfortunate, saying it would have been an amazing match and atmosphere given how it would have been a clash of playing style and personality.
“It was a shame, yeah. It’s just one of those strange things. I mean, those guys were obviously dominating the sport for a number of years, and it just, you know, never quite happened.”
“I mean, Roger won five times, Rafa won four, so yeah, pretty amazing really that they never crossed paths. It’s unfortunate because it would have been an amazing, amazing atmosphere. And those two when they played, it was like a proper, like clash of everything, like game styles, personalities and everything. And I think it would have been a great match.”
Federer never won the US Open after 2008, after which no one else has defended it, and Nadal’s four titles were spread over 10 years, from 2010-2019. They peaked at slightly different times, which deprived New York of seeing the two legends in a competitive fixture.
Revisiting Murray’s US Open triumph
Andy Murray won his only US Open title in 2012, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final. With Nadal not entering the field due to injury, the Brit had a golden opportunity to win his first-ever Grand Slam title. He had won the men’s singles Olympic gold medal in London just a few weeks ago.
Murray carried the momentum into New York, effortlessly dispatching his first two opponents. He then took out two seeded names in Feliciano Lopez and Milos Raonic. The former World No.1 defeated Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals to face Tomas Berdych in the final four. Sixth-seed Berdych had taken out Federer in the previous round but Murray got better of him.
The final between Murray and Djokovic lasted four hours and 54 minutes, a record-equaling duration for an US Open final. Murray emerged victorious after five sets to win the first of his three Grand Slam titles. He could never reach the height of the Big 3 but is often regarded as the fourth-best player of this generation. He is scheduled to face Frenchman Corentin Moutet in the 2023 US Open first round.
