Federer versus Nadal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been the world's number one and two ranked tennis players, respectively, since Nadal ascended to number two on 25 July 2005.^[1] Their rivalry has become one of the most storied in modern tennis, featuring five Grand Slam finals - the 2006, 2007, and 2008 French Open and the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finals. Nadal won all three French Open finals, and Federer won both Wimbledons. Nadal has spent more time consecutively at number two on the ATP Tour rankings than any other person (146 weeks as of May 12, 2008), while Federer holds the all-time record for consecutive weeks spent at number one (227 weeks as of June 2, 2008).^[2] Analysts have commented on how their differing personalities and playing styles have made the rivalry such a compelling one to follow.^[3]

1 Head-to-head
- 1.1 (1) Federer 6-11 Nadal (2)
  - 1.1.1 Doubles
  - 1.1.2 Exhibitions
2 Breakdown of the rivalry
3 History
- 3.1 Five-set matches
4 Notes
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Head-to-head

[edit] (1) Federer 6-11 Nadal (2)

ATP, Davis Cup, and Grand Slam main draw results:^[4]

No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Round	Winner	Score
1.	2004	Miami Masters (Key Biscayne), U.S.	Hard	32	Nadal	6–3, 6–3
2.	2005	Miami Masters (Key Biscayne), U.S.	Hard	Final	Federer	2–6, 6–7(4), 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–1
3.	2005	French Open (Paris), France	Clay	Semi-final	Nadal	6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3
4.	2006	Dubai Tennis Championships (Dubai), UAE	Hard	Final	Nadal	2–6, 6–4, 6–4
5.	2006	Monte Carlo Masters (Monte Carlo), Monaco	Clay	Final	Nadal	6–2, 6–7(2), 6–3, 7–6(5)
6.	2006	Rome Masters (Rome), Italy	Clay	Final	Nadal	6–7(0), 7–6(5), 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(5)
7.	2006	French Open (Paris), France	Clay	Final	Nadal	1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(4)
8.	2006	Wimbledon Championships (London), England	Grass	Final	Federer	6–0, 7–6(5), 6–7(2), 6–3
9.	2006	Tennis Masters Cup (Shanghai), China	Hard	Semi-final	Federer	6–4, 7–5
10.	2007	Monte Carlo Masters (Monte Carlo), Monaco	Clay	Final	Nadal	6–4, 6–4
11.	2007	Hamburg Masters (Hamburg), Germany	Clay	Final	Federer	2–6, 6–2, 6–0
12.	2007	French Open (Paris), France	Clay	Final	Nadal	6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
13.	2007	Wimbledon Championships (London), England	Grass	Final	Federer	7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2
14.	2007	Tennis Masters Cup (Shanghai), China	Hard	Semi-final	Federer	6–4, 6–1
15.	2008	Monte Carlo Masters (Monte Carlo), Monaco	Clay	Final	Nadal	7–5, 7–5
16.	2008	Hamburg Masters (Hamburg), Germany	Clay	Final	Nadal	7–5, 6–7(3), 6–3
17.	2008	French Open (Paris), France	Clay	Final	Nadal	6–1, 6–3, 6–0

[edit] Doubles

In the first round of 2007 Rome Masters, Federer and Nadal faced off in their only doubles match against each other (as of May 2008). The players partnered countrymen Stanislas Wawrinka and Carlos Moyà respectively, with the Spaniards coming out on top, 6–4, 7–6(5).

[edit] Exhibitions

Days after their first meeting in the Masters Cup event, on November 21, 2006, Federer and Nadal played an exhibition in Seoul, South Korea, with Federer winning 6–3, 3–6, 6–3.^[5]

On May 2, 2007, Federer and Nadal played a special Battle of Surfaces match on a hybrid court that was one half clay and one half grass. Nadal prevailed 7–5, 4–6, 7–6(10). The match was held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain at the Palma Arena.

[edit] Breakdown of the rivalry

Hard courts: Federer 3-2

Clay courts: Nadal 9-1

Grass courts: Federer 2-0

Grand Slam Finals: Nadal 3-2

Grand Slam Matches (all): Nadal 4-2

All Tennis Masters Series events: Nadal 5-4

Tennis Masters Cup: Federer 2-0

All Finals: Nadal 9-4

All Matches: Nadal 11-6

Nadal holds the edge over Federer in head-to-head matches largely because most of their matches have been played on clay, which is Nadal's favoured surface. Indeed, Nadal is so proficient on the surface that as of 5/5/08 he had won 102 of 103 clay court matches and 20 of 21 clay court tournaments entered since early 2005.^[6] Federer's sole win on clay broke Nadal's all-time record of 81 consecutive clay court wins.

Meanwhile, as Federer routinely dominates the ATP Tour's hardcourt and grasscourt seasons, Nadal does not feature as prominently in the finals of hard court events, and the limited grass court season (four tournaments, including Wimbledon) makes meetings between the pair less frequent. Given that Federer and Nadal always have the top two seedings (since July 25, 2005), they are always on opposite sides of the draw and therefore rarely meet before the final. Thus Federer, who has accumulated 7 hard court and 5 grass court Grand Slams since July 2003, does not have as many opportunities to exert his dominance over Nadal on non-clay surfaces.

As of June 2008, Nadal and Federer look set to continue their hegemony over the men's game for in the short-term future at least. Novak Djokovic is viewed as the most significant threat to either of their positions in the ranking.^[7] ^[8]

[edit] History

The rivalry between Nadal and Federer is unique in many ways. Both players, from the years 2005-2007, underwent periods of unprecedented success, with Federer (as of 5/5/08), holding the record number of consecutive weeks at world number 1. Federer was also the only player to win three Grand Slam tournaments in a season more than once, achieving the feat three times (2004, 2006, 2007; prior to the advent of Federer's domination, it had only been done twice in the open era). (See also: Records held by Roger Federer) Nadal achieved similar levels of success on clay courts; he holds the longest single surface winning streak, with 81 wins on clay. Nadal also had the record of being the longest occupant of the number two spot in the game's history. Off court, the players enjoy a good-spirited relationship.^[9]

The rivalry has also been compared to past rivalries in men's tennis, including the one between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the 1990s.^[10]

Federer's period of dominance in the men's game began initially in 2004, when he attained the world number 1 ranking, won three Grand Slam tournaments, and amassed a total win-loss record of 74-6 (93%).^[11] One of Federer's losses came at the Miami Masters when Nadal, then only 17 and nicknamed "The Prodigy", produced a shock 6–3, 6–3 victory.^[12] By April 2005, Nadal had won three International Series events on clay surfaces, and had also assisted the Spain Davis Cup team to victory in the final of the 2004 Davis Cup, defeating that year's Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick.^[13] The players met again in Miami, under different circumstances; this time in the final. Although Nadal lost the match, because of his youth and the fact that he was not expected to emulate his clay court form on hard, his five-set loss (2–6, 6–7(4), 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–1) was considered by many critics to be a breakthrough.^[14] Nadal was also tipped to perform well at the French Open, and proved many analysts right, winning his first Grand Slam and defeating Federer on the way to the final in their first meeting at a Grand Slam tournament. Whilst Nadal was almost infallible on clay, Federer continued to reign on every other surface, compiling a year win-loss record of 81-4. Together, both players cemented a virtual duopoly over the men's game, with Federer and Nadal winning 3 of the 4 Grand Slam titles, and eight elite Masters Series titles (out of nine, and both players failed to attend the 2005 Paris Masters). The honours were evenly split in terms of Masters Series titles, and it was the first season in the history that any player had won four.

In 2006, Federer recorded what was probably his greatest season thus far, holding the same win percentage (95%) as the previous year, but winning the Australian Open in addition to defences of the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open crowns, another four Masters Series shields, and a total of 12 tournaments out of 16 finals.^[15] Nadal continued to be imperious on the clay surface, finishing the year unbeaten. In terms of direct competition between the pair, Nadal dominated the first half of the year, defeating Federer in the finals of Dubai, Monte Carlo, Rome, and the French Open, taking a 6-1 lead against the world number 1. However, Federer won their next two matches, in the Wimbledon final, and the semi-final of the Tennis Masters Cup. Nadal's ability to play well on the grass courts of Wimbledon added another dimension to the players' rivalry, as Nadal was not expected to convert his clay form to grass.^[16] Critics considered the Wimbledon final to be a close match, and the final of Rome lasted over five hours, with Federer unable to take advantage of two match points.^[17]

2007 witnessed a further five meetings between Federer and Nadal, with Federer recording a winning record over him for the season (3-2) for the first time. Federer, though not as dominant as in previous years, continued his mastery of the men's game, winning three Grand Slam titles; and Nadal was again the victor at the French Open, beating Federer for the third year in a row. However, his domination on clay was somewhat diminished when Federer ended his unsurpassed 81-match winning streak on clay (the longest period of domination on any single surface) at the Hamburg Masters, and in doing so claimed his first win over Nadal on the surface.^[18] Although critics said this was a point of optimism for Federer going in to the next tournament, the French Open, Nadal was able to see off Federer in four sets. The 2007 Wimbledon Championships final produced one of their most memorable matches so far, with Federer prevailing 7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2 to win a record tying fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. Federer joked afterwards that he was happy to win the title, "before Rafa takes them all".^[19] He dispatched Nadal with greater ease later in the year, at the Tennis Masters Cup, winning 6–4, 6–1.

On May 2, 2007, the players also engaged in a special exhibition match, titled the Battle of the Surfaces. It saw the two players confront each other on a special hybrid court that was one half grass and one half clay. It was held at Nadal's home island of Palma de Mallorca at the Palma Arena, and the court cost $1.63m to constuct. The match was designed to generate interest due to the fact that both players were the dominant players on their favoured surface; going in to the match, Federer had 48 consecutive victories on grass courts, whilst Nadal had 72 consecutive victories on clay. Nadal emerged the victor, 7–5, 4–6, 7–6(10) and the players expressed a desire to play each other in the same format again.^[20]

[edit] Five-set matches

Over the course of their meetings, Federer and Nadal have fought three five-set epics. The first came in the 2005 final of the ATP Masters Series event in Miami. The young Nadal, who had yet to break into the world's top ten, took the first two sets off the world champion Federer, who had to fight for a third set tiebreak before winning the final two sets and the match. Their second epic came a year later in Rome as Federer tried to overcome Nadal's clay court mastery over him. Federer held several match points in the thrilling final set, but Nadal would not back down and eventually won out after 5 hours of tennis^[21].

But perhaps their greatest match yet came on the stage of the Wimbledon Final in front of a packed house featuring, amongst various well-known personalities, none other than tennis legend Björn Borg. Both Federer and Nadal were trying to emulate the Swedish master - Nadal by emulating Borg's feat of winning both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year (something Borg did on three separate occasions ^[22]), and Federer by emulating Borg's feat of winning Wimbledon five years running.

For much of the match it was the less-favoured Nadal who held the upper hand, refusing to yield his serve until mid-way through the fifth set. Instead it was Federer who had to battle, winning the first and third sets in tiebreakers but losing the second and fourth sets 4-6 and 2-6 respectively. So pressured was Federer by the situation that the normally unflappable champion lost his cool with the Hawk-Eye line-call system in the fourth set. At 1-1 and 2-2 in the final set, Federer faced break points at 15-40. Summoning every last ounce of resolve, he managed to hold and then Nadal seemed sapped. Federer would break twice to claim the final set 6-2 and a record-equalling fifth consecutive Championship.