Rafael Nadal’s career ended on Tuesday at the Davis Cup Finals after Team Spain was eliminated by the Netherlands. His retirement ceremony included figures like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams paying tribute to him in a video. Federer, a friend of Nadal’s off-the-court, also wrote a touching letter to him on the morning of what turned out to be his final professional appearance.
Some consider Nadal and Federer’s rivalry the greatest in tennis history. This article ranks the Top 10 matches between the legendary duo.
The Top 10 Matches Between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
10. 2006 Dubai Tennis Championships Final
Before this match, Federer had lost matches to Nadal on clay at the Monte Carlo Masters and on a slow hard court at the Miami Open, but he was the favorite to win in the fast conditions in Dubai. He made the perfect start by winning the opening set 6-2. However, Nadal made a statement by beating Federer in conditions that suited his older rival from a set down, 2-6 6-4 6-4.
9. 2019 Wimbledon Semifinal
This was the final professional match between the pair and their first at Wimbledon since the legendary 2008 final at SW19. Unlike many of their greatest battles, Federer played the most critical points better in this contest. Nadal easily won the second set, but the eight-time Wimbledon champion produced some excellent shotmaking when he needed it to win 7-6 1-6 6-3 6-4.
8. 2012 Australian Open Semifinal
The third-set tiebreak proved decisive in this absorbing match in Melbourne. Federer had lost his previous four Grand Slam matches to Nadal, and it felt like he needed to take the lead with the score locked at 6-7 6-2 6-6. Ultimately, the Spaniard held his nerve in that tiebreak and triumphed 6-7 6-2 7-6 6-4.
7. 2017 Australian Open Final
The ranking of this five-set epic might be surprisingly low to some. Federer and Nadal had defied expectations by meeting in the final after returning from injury issues at the opening Grand Slam of the year. The Swiss won the final 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3. Although it was a memorable occasion, the quality produced was not near the best seen during their rivalry. Nadal’s reduced athleticism on hard courts in the latter stages of his career cost him in this match.
6. 2011 French Open Final
This final is probably the most underrated battle in the pair’s rivalry. Federer stunned Djokovic in the semifinal with a sublime performance, and he brought that level for most of this match. He went toe-to-toe with Nadal in the opening three sets, which were of outstanding quality. Federer could have won the final in straight sets if he had taken opportunities in the first two sets, but the 2009 winner at Roland-Garros slipped to a 5-7 6-7 7-5 1-6 loss after his level dropped in the fourth set.
5. 2005 Miami Open Final
Learning from this brutal loss may have significantly affected how mentally tough the 22-time Grand Slam champion became. The then 18-year-old led 6-2 7-6, hitting several incredible passing shots in the opening three sets. However, Federer won a close tiebreak to win a terrific third set. The teenage Nadal crumbled afterward, unable to replicate the excellent standard of the opening three sets, allowing Federer to win 2-6 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-1.
4. 2007 Wimbledon Final
Their final a year later means this superb contest has been overshadowed somewhat. Nadal would have rued this loss for the rest of his career had he not won Wimbledon twice afterward. He was the dominant player for most of the match, but two lost tiebreaks and an unexpectedly poor final set led to Federer triumphing 7-6 4-6 7-6 2-6 6-2. That was Nadal’s second consecutive Wimbledon final loss to Federer.
3. 2009 Australian Open Final
Only the fifth set prevents this final from being at the top of the list. The level in the opening four sets was even better than their 2008 Wimbledon final. Both players produced remarkable intensity in the rallies during that period, but those efforts caught up with Federer in the fifth set. Nadal took advantage and won 7-5 3-6 7-6 3-6 6-2 to secure his maiden Australian Open title.
2. 2006 Italian Open Final
This was the legendary duo’s only five-set match on clay and the last best-of-five set Masters 1000 final they played. The fact it was not played at a Grand Slam makes it easy to forget how incredible this match was. Federer produced his best performance on clay against Nadal in slow conditions that suited his rival much more. After a titanic tussle, the Swiss maestro led 4-1 in the fifth set and had two match points. Yet, the 19-year-old Nadal showed the fighting spirit that would become his trademark to win 6-7 7-6 6-4 2-6 7-6.
1. 2008 Wimbledon Final
The quality of much of this legendary encounter may have been slightly slower than at the 2009 Australian Open and 2006 Italian Open, especially in the opening two sets. However, the excellent tennis the two still produced, combined with the drama of the final, still makes it the best they played. After Nadal won the opening two sets 6-4 6-4, Federer held serve from 0-40 down in the third set before an 80-minute rain delay with the score at 5-4 to the Swiss.
Federer took the match to a decider by winning the third and fourth sets on tiebreaks. The fourth set tiebreak is one of the greatest ever played. Federer won it 10-8, including an iconic backhand passing shot down the line on match point down. After losing the final to Federer in the previous two years, Nadal held his nerve incredibly during an amazing final set, eventually triumphing 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
