10 years ago, on 20th March 2004, a scrappy17-year-old kid from Majorca sporting a sleeveless T-shirt and a bandana took on a ponytailed genius who was beginning to show signs of ruling the tennis world in the years to come.Yes, it has been 10 years since Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal squared off for the first time ever, at the Miami Masters in 2004. And whata memorable decade of Fedal rivalry it has been!Tennis has been made richer than ever before with these two players layingit all out on the courtin their battle for supremacy. There have been innumerable instances when the world went dumbstruck with awe at the genius of the two men.To celebrate 10 years of Fedal awesomeness,we take a look at 10 of the most memorable moments from the rivalry.
#1 1st match ever - Miami Masters 2004, Round of 16
This was supposed to be a routine match for Federer. He was the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open champion. He arrived in Miami as the World No. 1 and was set to take on a Spaniard ranked 36 in the world and known mainly for his clay court prowess.
Instead, it became the setting for the birthplace of tennis' most celebrated rivalry. Rafael Nadal stunned everyone in the world and probably himself too, as he pulled off a 6-3, 6-3 win. A one-off loss for the World No.1, it was felt at that time; notthing to really read much into. How wrong we were all proved in the years to come!
#2 Miami Masters 2005, Final
Nadal had beaten Federer in straight sets at the same tournament at the round of 16 stage in 2004 and looked set to take the title in 2005 when he raced to a 2 sets to love lead (Masters finals were played in best-of-five sets format at that time). When Federer went down a break in the third set, it looked all over.
But like great champions always do, Federer found a way to weather the storm. He came back to take the third set in a tie-breaker, and there was no stopping him from there on as he went on to win the match 2-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-1. A great rivalry seemed to be in the making at this stage.
#3 Rome Masters 2006, Final
It had been two years since their first match against each other. The established order at the time was that Rafael Nadal was unstoppable on clay and Roger Federer invincible pretty much everywhere else.
Federer though was no mug on the clay courts and he made a statement of intent by blanking Nadal 7-0 in the first set tie-break of the 2006 Rome final. The match ebbed and flowed with both players playing some fantastic clay court tennis without willing to give an inch to each other.
Nadal saved two match points in the fifth set, before eventually prevailing in the deciding tie-break. The rivalry was firmly in place.
#4 Wimbledon 2008, Final
Nadal, long termed a clay court specialist, had made the wimbledon finals in 2006 and 2007 only to be denied both times by Federer. This was Nadal's third shot at the title after having come incredibly close the previous year.
The two went at it for nearly five hours. The rain disruption added more drama to the already edge-of-the-seat action on court. In near darkness, Federer netted a forehand into the net to give Nadal his first Wimbledon triumph.
It's a match that will be talked about for ages to come. And it was a match worthy of being called 'The Greatest Ever'. The rivalry had touched its peak, a dizzying height that had perhaps never been reached in tennis before.
#5 Australian Open 2009, Final
Nadal had beaten Federer in a Slam final on clay and grass but was yet to do it at a hard court Slam. The 2009 Australian Open gave him an opportunity to do just that.
Nadal had played a marathon 5-setter in the semifinal against Fernando Verdasco and was coming into his first ever Melbourne final against a player who had already won the title three times before. The two of them played out another classic which Nadal won in the fifth.
The emotion of it all was too much to handle for Federer, who broke down at the presentation ceremony.
#6 Friendship off the court
Unlike the rivals in eras that preceded theirs, Federer and Nadal seem to share a genuine off-court friendship.
The two speak of each other with great respect and even shared this hilarious bout of laughter while shooting for a promotional video for one of their charity matches.
#7 Record 8 Grand Slam finals against each other
Federer and Nadal have played an Open era record of eight finals against each other. The US Open is the only place where they have not played against each other in the final. Even the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry falls short of that number! (Nadal and Djokovic have played in 6 finals against each other).
#8 Top 2 in the rankings for 6 years
Between 2005 and 2010, Federer and Nadal finished each year ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the world. During this span they captured a combined record 21 of the 24 Grand Slam titles (12 for Federer, 9 for Nadal), including a record 11 consecutive titles from 2005–07. That's some duopoly!
#9 Biggest hurdle in each other\'s path
Federer and Nadal have been the biggest obstacle for each other with respect to a number of personal achievements. Nadal thwarted Federer's attempt at winning the calendar Grand Slam on two different occasions (2006 and 2007), while Federer has repeatedly prevented Nadal from adding a year-end championship title to his resume.
But perhaps the most interesting stat in this regard is the way each player has ended the other's winning streaks. Federer possesses the Open era record for most consecutive wins on both grass (65) and hard courts (56), and both those streaks were broken by Nadal. Meanwhile, Nadal holds the record for most consecutive wins on clay (81), and that streak was broken by - guess who - Federer!
#10 Battle of the surfaces
Nadal and Federer have played on a unique court with a clay surface on one side of the net and grass on the other. The match, dubbed 'Battle Of the Surfaces', was played in 2007.
At the time, Federer had won 48 straight matches on grass courts and had gone five straight years undefeated on grass, while Nadal had 72 straight wins on clay and been unbeaten on clay for three years. Nadal won this match 7–5, 4–6, 7–6.
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