“Roger Federer is my biggest rival”

Asked who his biggest rival on the Tour was, Rafael Nadal chose Roger Federer, the one against whom he had to play throughout his career! Federer and Nadal have forged one of the most exciting rivalries in tennis, since they first met in Miami in 2004.

The young Rafa had then beaten the No. 1 newly crowned world and in two sets. From 2005 onwards, Roger and Rafa were the dominant figures in the Tour, fighting for the Major and Masters 1000 titles and leaving all their rivals behind.

We’ve seen nine major finals where Federer and Nadal had to struggle to grab the trophy, and they played some of the most memorable encounters of all time including Rome 2006, Wimbledon 2008 and many more.

Nadal won four consecutive victories over Federer at Roland Garros between 2005 and 2008, while Roger had the upper hand in the Wimbledon back-to-back finals in 2006 and 2007, extending his incredible turf streak that started in 2003.

Making significant progress on the fastest surface, Nadal would reach two Wimbledon finals in the years mentioned, challenging Roger harder and harder and preparing for another assault in 2008 after his fourth consecutive title at Roland Garros.

Nadal and Federer were All England Club favorites, passing six hurdles to reach their third consecutive final. Since 2003, Roger has won 40 successive “temple of tennis” victories, and Nadal broke that incredible streak with a memorable 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 victory in four hours and 48 minutes!

The Spaniard had a clear advantage over the Swiss before 2015.

Rafael Nadal chose Roger Federer as his biggest rival

Federer turned the tide at Basel that year (2015), winning six of his last seven clashes (a single meeting on clay) against his nemesis and, thus, reducing the deficit to 16-24.

In their most recent duels, Nadal and Federer have shared major semifinal victories in just a few weeks, at Roland Garros and Wimbledon 2019. In Paris, the clay king scored a 6-3 triumph, 6-4, 6-2 after six breaks and solid serve.

At the All England Club, Roger took a 7-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory, reclaiming Rafa’s serve once in sets three and four to lose only the second set and stay on the course of the title.

For the first time, Nadal and Federer are tied with 20 major trophies after Rafa’s victorious campaign at Roland Garros in October 2020. The tennis world expects another clash between the two champions in 2021, if and only if Federer is coming back to his best after two knee surgeries.