In arguably the greatest era of professional tennis, Rafael Nadal stood out as one of the best players to ever grace the game.
His intensity, fighting spirit and will to win are some of the many traits that enabled the Spaniard to win 92 ATP Tour titles, 22 of which are Grand Slams.
Nadal’s relentless topspin ball striking from the baseline and incredible court coverage made him one of tennis’ most feared and dangerous players, especially when he stepped on a clay court.
But one thing that helped to elevate Rafael Nadal into tennis superstardom was his iconic rivalry with 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer.
They produced some of the tennis’ most iconic matches on the biggest stages, and with Nadal set to retire from the sport, The Tennis Gazette will take a trip down memory lane and revisit five of the best.
What are Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s five greatest tennis matches?
2008 Wimbledon final – Nadal defeated Federer 6-4 6-4 6-7(5) 6-7(8) 9-7
In 2008 Nadal and Federer met in the Wimbledon final for the third successive year.
After losing in five sets in 2007, Nadal was more determined than ever to finally claim the title at SW19 for the first time and end Federer’s five-year winning streak.
Nadal surged into a two-set lead, but Federer hit back and saved a championship point in the fourth set tiebreak to send the final into a decider.
In a dramatic match that featured two rain delays and plenty of momentum shifts, it came right down to the wire to decide who would win tennis’ most prestigious title.
Nadal clinched a crucial break of serve at 7-7 in set five and in near darkness, successfully served for his first Wimbledon title to win a match many regard as the greatest in history.
Miami 2005 final – Federer defeated Nadal 2-6 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 6-3 6-1
The first of Federer and Nadal’s 24 finals came at the Miami Open in 2005. Nadal, who was trying to win the tournament for the first time, stormed into a two-set lead and looked to be cruising to victory.
Seeded 29th at the time, Nadal was two points away from victory before Federer showed his quality to rise from the ashes and claim the third set tiebreak.
This broke the spirit of Nadal, which is unusual to say abut him, but he had not yet developed the reputation for being the ultimate fighter at 18.
He won just four more games for the rest of the match as Federer claimed the title to add to his Indian Wells crown, which meant he completed what is known as the ‘Sunshine Double’. He achieved this again in 2006 and 2017.
Australian Open 2009 final – Nadal defeated Federer 7-5 3-6 7-6(3) 3-6 6-2
Nadal made history when he became the first Spanish player to win the Australian Open in 2009.
Following a gruelling five-set win over Fernando Verdasco in the semi-finals, the performance Nadal put forth against Federer in the final was just remarkable.
In their first major final outside of the French Open or Wimbledon, Nadal withstood the onslaught from Federer, who at the time was aiming for his fourth title at Melbourne Park.
In another five-set classic that featured some epic rallies, it was Nadal who won more of the points that mattered most.
Despite Federer taking set four to level proceedings, Nadal took control of set five and served out the match to claim glory Down Under.
His next Australian Open triumph did not take place until 2022, which is the longest span between Grand Slam wins in the same tournament in history.
Australian Open 2017 final – Federer defeated Nadal 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3
Tennis fans were delighted when Nadal and Federer set up a Grand Slam meeting for the first time since the 2011 French Open.
Now both in their thirties and recently returned from injuries, the pair exceeded expectations at the 2017 Australian Open.
They treated viewers to a compelling final, and this time it was Federer who took charge by winning the opening set and then went up two sets to one.
The Swiss Maestro adopted a different strategy against his old rival, as he began to hit more aggressively off the backhand, decided to keep the rallies short, and it paid dividends.
Though Nadal took set four and opened up a 3-1 lead in the deciding set, Federer continued to play aggressively and proceeded to win five straight games to lift his first major since 2012 and claim his first win over Nadal at a Grand Slam since 2007.
Rome 2006 final – Nadal defeated Federer 6-7(0) 7-6(5) 6-4 2-6 7-6(5)
In 2006 Federer lost just five matches and four of them came against Nadal.
Arguably the most crushing of those defeats came in the Italian Open final, in which Federer held two championship points.
He also held a 1-4 lead in the final set, but Nadal’s trademark fighting spirit shone through as he prevailed in the final set tiebreak to win his 53rd successive match on clay after over five hours of pulsating tennis.
This is the closest Federer would get to winning the Rome title. He reached another final in 2013, but once again it was Nadal across the net and he delivered a ruthless performance, claiming a 6-1, 6-3 victory.
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