Recently in an interview with Movistar, Rafael Nadal made a shocking yet candid admission that the only person he keeps in touch from time to time on the ATP Tour is his former on-court archrival, Roger Federer. This made many fans miss the ‘Fedal’ times which ended at the Laver Cup 2022 with the Swiss legend’s retirement when the duo played doubles together. But there was a time when this was not at all the case as Nadal and Federer’s rivalry was reaching its peak.
The Swiss maestro’s supporters have got extremely nostalgic after a video emerged on social media of a spectacular point played between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. It is a tribute to the 20-time Grand Slam champion from the 2005 French Open semi-final. Federer’s red t-shirt is fetched in the memory of many, that he wore at Roland Garros. He played one shot that made him emotional and even made his opponent’s coach, Toni Nadal react in amazement.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s first-ever Grand Slam meeting was in 2005
The Paris crowd at the time was clearly supporting the more elegant and successful Roger Federer. The match had got into an interesting phase as Rafael Nadal had won the first set, 6-4. But Roger Federer bounced back to win the second, 6-3. Nadal was serving at 0-30 in the first game of the third set and dominated the point right from the beginning in a terrific power-hitting, baseline-centric rally.
But Roger Federer managed to remarkably keep up with Rafael Nadal’s typical relentlessness and power in the rally. That made him produce a magic shot as he saw Nadal aggressively run forward, who assumed that he could finish off the point with a volley targeting Federer’s backhand. Federer duly responded with a powerful pass shot that rocketed past a stunned Nadal and produced a huge cheer from the crowd.
More than that, uncharacteristically, Roger Federer screamed in joy as the ball went past Rafael Nadal. In the crowd, Uncle Toni was impressed and perhaps that was the first instance, he considered Federer as not only Nadal’s biggest rival but also ingredients that would make him the greatest player of all-time. Recently, Toni Nadal did mention in an interview that Roger Federer has had a transcendental-like impact on the game, so players such as Novak Djokovic or even his nephew, Rafael Nadal cannot be compared to him.
However, Rafael Nadal went on to beat Roger Federer in 4 sets in a match interrupted by rain. But the left-hander then advanced to win the first of his 22 Grand Slam titles. It marked the beginning of an iconic rivalry. Federer could never beat Nadal at Roland Garros despite taking most of their matches to 4 sets. The Spaniard’s superior record on clay made him mostly get the better of the 20-time Grand Slam champion from 2005-2017. On overall head-to-head, Rafael Nadal leads Roger Federer by 24-16 in 40 matches.
Who is better – Nadal or Federer?
This question has polarized tennis lovers like none other, with both players getting big support. Rafael Nadal played in 24 tournament finals against Roger Federer, leading 14-10 and in Grand Slams, the Spaniard leads 10-4.
Rafael Nadal was largely dominant on clay as expected, having a huge 14-2 record. However, Roger Federer held his own on hard courts against his biggest rival, with a 11-9 record and being ahead 3-1 on grass courts. While Nadal became the second man after Federer to win 20 Grand Slams and later on went past him too, he might never break Federer’s total number of ATP match wins. That number is an incredible 1251. The Spaniard will look to add more to his tally of 1068.
Interestingly, both the players are tied when it comes to being year-end World No.1s on the ATP Tour (5 times each). When it comes to Masters 1000 titles, Rafael Nadal is way ahead at 36 wins as compared to Roger Federer’s 28.
In terms of marketability, Roger Federer was miles ahead than any other player until his retirement last year while he also remains the most popular till date. Only in 2023, Rafael Nadal was considered above Roger Federer when it comes to being amongst the richest tennis players in the world as per Forbes, as the Spaniard is on No.5 on their list.
