For tennis fans everywhere it will forever be sad that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal don’t compete with each other anymore. Don’t cry because it’s over, smile that it happened – or so they say.
The pair dominated tennis for many years and with 42 Grand Slam titles between them, it’s pretty conclusive that the Nadal-Federer rivalry will go down as the greatest ever in any sport.
The respect between the two players was there for all to see in 2024. Federer sent Nadal a touching message when the curtain finally came down on the Spaniard’s career at the Davis Cup.
Federer and Nadal once played an exhibition in front of over 50,000 people and the matches between the two juggernauts of the game were always a sight for sore eyes.
Although supremely competitive, the pair were hellbent on beating each other in a competitive fashion and Federer once famously admitted that Nadal had left him shocked at something.
What shocked Federer about Nadal after 2006 Wimbledon final
When it comes to Wimbledon, Federer was always the king. Indeed, his eight men’s singles titles remain the total to beat with Novak Djokovic in hot pursuit on seven at the moment.
Federer’s rivalry at Wimbledon started with Nadal in 2006 when the Swiss performer won during the final in four sets.
The man who has so often prevailed at SW19 won 6-0, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 to lift another Wimbledon prize and afterwards he admitted that Nadal had left him stunned to a certain extent.
| Event | Federer | Nadal |
| Australian Open | 1 | 3 |
| French Open | 0 | 6 |
| Wimbledon | 3 | 1 |
| US Open | – | – |
He said during a press conference: “No, no, it wasn’t easy. But, yeah, I was sort of surprised how hard he started to hit the ball in the end. He started to really go flat-out, sort of end of the third. And then in the fourth set, you know, he sort of decided to, you know, stop with the spin balls and more just swing his backhand especially more freely.
“Makes it more difficult, too, because all of a sudden he’s more dangerous, too.
But, look, I had to — I could have maybe won in three, but I also could have been down two sets to one at the same time.
“So very, very pleased, actually, the way I played today because I thought I made it hard for him to really get a rhythm from the baseline. I served well. Those were important things I really wanted to do before the match.”
Federer vs Nadal head to head in Grand Slam events
The 2006 final was the first time the pair have met at that stage of a Grand Slam, with the only other meeting prior to that coming when Nadal beat Federer in the semis at Roland Garros in 2005.
Intriguingly the pair never met in the final of the US Open but played each other in nine other Grand Slam finals over the course of the two careers.
| Event | Federer | Nadal |
| Australian Open | 1 | 1 |
| French Open | 0 | 4 |
| Wimbledon | 2 | 1 |
| US Open | – | – |
The pair did meet at other stages of the major events and whenever the two came up against each other, the matches lived long in the memory.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it was about the two that made for some classic matches but it’s fair to say that Federer and Nadal never played a bad match together.
With both of the players now sailing off into the sunset, it’s nice to look back at the great contests between the two.
Tennis fans across the globe would easily be able to pick a favourite out of Federer and Nadal but it’s important to simply remember the greatness of both and offer respect for their achievements.
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