When it comes to rivalries in sports few have captured the imagination quite like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal did in tennis.
The pair amassed a staggering 41 Grand Slam titles between them and the battles were often memorable.
Federer burst onto the scene a little bit before Nadal and whilst the Swiss performer dominated at Wimbledon, Nadal was the master of Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic has recently picked his favourite out of the two legends and that discussion is one that divides opinion even now with both players retired.
Given the brilliance of both players, Carlos Alcaraz is now looking to emulate both Nadal and Federer with their legacy living on across the sport.
How Roger Federer responded when asked if he was scared of Rafael Nadal in 2004
It’s coming up to the anniversary of the very first time that Nadal and Federer’s paths crossed on the ATP Tour.
The Nasdaq-100 Open rarely lived long in the memory but on that occasion back in 2004, it was the moment when Federer first came face-to-face with Nadal – and he was handed a glimpse of what was to come.
Nadal stunned the tennis world with the baby-faced Spaniard making a mockery of the three Grand Slam titles Federer had won by destroying him 6-3, 6-3 in Miami.
After the game, Federer was asked if he was frightened of Nadal and he delivered a response that suggested he wasn’t.
He said in his press conference: “Well, what can I do? I think he’s put a lot of hard work into his game. We all know that you know, the youngsters from today – because we feel young, but there’s always younger players that you, and, you know, we all remember when we were 17, we already felt we were great players.
“Then suddenly, you’re around for a few years and you feel like, ‘well, now I’ve proven it to everybody I’m a good player.’
“It’s totally a totally different view of the game, especially as I think interesting are the first three years. So I think he’s enjoying his tennis. That’s exactly what he should do. We’ll see how strong he will be in two years, but I mean, the start to his career so far has been incredible.”
Federer was right with Nadal claim after first meeting
The Swiss sensation was right to suggest that it would be fascinating to see what he could achieve in the next two years.
Although he missed two of the last three Grand Slams after the Miami Open back in 2004, he finally ticked a first major off at Roland Garros in 2005.
He would then suffer early exits at Wimbledon and the US Open but 2006 was the year when people really stood up and took notice about Nadal.
During that year he won a second French Open, reached the last eight of the Australian Open and also reached the final of Wimbledon – losing to Federer!
Federer and Nadal had brilliant Grand Slam battles
Books have been written, documentaries made and conversations aplenty had about the famous Grand Slam battles between Nadal and Federer.
It’s been a sensation rivalry over the years and it’s hard to imagine the rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz capturing the imagination the same in the modern era.
| Grand Slam | Federer Wins | Nadal Wins |
| Australian Open | 1 | 3 |
| French Open | 0 | 6 |
| Wimbledon | 3 | 1 |
| US Open | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 10 |
Federer had the edge when it came to Wimbledon, whilst Nadal has eclipsed everyone who has ever played the game and then some when it comes to the French Open.
Both players had the utmost respect for each other during their time as competitive rivals and the fact it’s still discussed in present times suggests how much Federer and Nadal did for the game of tennis.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
