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Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz entertained fans greatly during their exhibition encounter at the 2024 Netflix Slam at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday (March 3). The Spanish World No. 2 came out on top of their meeting, winning 3-6, 6-4, [14-12] in just over two hours.
There were several exchanges between the 22-time Major winner and the reigning Wimbledon champion that made the highlights reel. While the two players had met on the ATP Tour before, they had never played a match this close to date. Moreover, considering there were little to no stakes during the exhibition match, both Spaniards could play well without putting pressure on themselves.
In the past, there have been many similar exhibition matches featuring not only Rafael Nadal but legends such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi as well.
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Let's take a look at some of the matches that had the best quality of tennis on display below:
#5 Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic, Buenos Aires, 2013
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic traveled to Buenos Aires for their friend David Nalbandian's retirement tour in November 2013. The two rivals, who had already locked horns six times on the ATP Tour that year, participated in multiple exhibition matches at the La Rural Convention Center.
The marquee exhibition encounter between Nadal and Djokovic went the Spaniard's way, as he came out victorious 6-4, 7-5. The two players also joined forces to take on Nalbandian and his countryman Juan Monaco in a one-set doubles match that they won 6-4.
The above match was full of fun moments like Djokovic acting as a doctor to Nalbandian and the then-World No. 1 betraying his partner to join the Argentines in a 3-on-1 exchange. Interestingly enough, the Spaniard and the Serb had also traded a few hits on the Perito Moreno glacier ahead of their exhibition match.
#4 Roger Federer vs Andy Roddick, New York City, 2012
Roger Federer and Andy Roddick went all out to entertain 18,000+ spectators at Madison Square Garden in New York City in March 2012. The two rivals already had the difficult task of following a riveting encounter between Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki, but they more than delivered.
Roddick broke the in-form Federer once in the opening set, taking it 7-5 in just about an hour. The American maintained his edge over the Swiss in the following set as he completed a straight-set 7-5, 7-6(7) victory.
The 2003 US Open winner relished his victory over his archrival, hilariously claiming afterwards that the Swiss maestro had "no idea how to play him" (for those unaware, Federer leads Roddick 21-3 in their head-to-head meetings on the ATP Tour).
Roddick also imitated Rafael Nadal during the first set after a fan exclaimed "Let's go Rafa", playing and winning a point in trademark Spanish bull fashion, much to Federer's amusement.
#3 Roger Federer/Pete Sampras vs Rafael Nadal/Andre Agassi, Hit for Haiti, 2010
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi joined forces for a once-in-a-lifetime doubles exhibition match at Indian Wells in March 2010, in a bid to raise money for the victims of an earthquake in Haiti.
The charity event was capped off on a high note when Federer and Sampras took on Nadal and Agassi in a one-set eight-games-to-win match. The latter team got off to a great start, breaking the Swiss-American duo for a 3-2 lead.
At 4-4, Andre Agassi had a rather awkward back-and-forth with Sampras. He suggested that the 14-time Major winner tipped poorly in restaurants, following which the latter mimicked his pigeon-toed walk.
Nonetheless, the rallies between the four players were so high in quality that the above incident didn't hurt the Hit for Haiti exhibition. Federer and Sampras eventually won the match 8-6.
#2 Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer, Match for Africa, 2010
Remember Roger Federer breaking into fits of laughter as Rafael Nadal tried to promote the inaugural edition of Match for Africa in December 2010? The exhibition encounter between two of the most popular tennis players of all time was the stuff of dreams for fans back then.
Played for the benefit of the Roger Federer Foundation, the exhibition was meant to raise money to fund schooling, transport and food for children in Africa. The first match of a two-match series took place in Zurich, where the Swiss maestro won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
The Spaniard restored parity in their final Match for Africa outing, as he won 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1 in Madrid, Spain. The two matches raked in nearly $4 million for charity and would spawn five more exhibition events involving Federer.
#1 Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer, Match for Africa, 2020
The most recent installment of the Match for Africa series took place in Cape Town, South Africa in February 2020, as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer faced off in arguably the most publicized tennis exhibition of all time. According to the Swiss maestro, his Spanish rival had taken two years to confirm his participation owing to his limited schedule.
The two GOATs were joined by pre-eminent personalities such as Bill Gates and Trevor Noah at the event. Although the latter two had limited tennis skills, they contributed their fair share to an entertaining one-set doubles match. The Federer-Gates team came out on top of the encounter, beating Nadal and Noah 6-3.
The two rivals then followed up the above match with their last-ever singles outing. Federer would beat his archrival 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, following which the Spaniard leapt across the net to hug the 20-time Major winner.
The sixth edition of March for Africa was incredibly successful. Not only did it raise $3.5 million for charity, but it also broke the record for highest attendance at a tennis match.
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