At the end, Federer has to congratulate Nadal on his victory.image: screenshot atp
Unforgettable
March 28, 2004: In Key Biscayne, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal face each other for the first time on the ATP tour. The Swiss surprisingly loses – and will have to bite his teeth against his long-term Spanish rival several times.
28.03.2024, 00:0127.03.2024, 15:22
stefan wyss / Keystone-sda
The sun had long since set over the center court of the tennis facility on Key Biscayne, this long island off Miami in south Florida. A few hundred fans held out, waiting for the last match of this Sunday. That means: Most of them were waiting for Roger Federer, world number 1 for almost two months, to appear. Only a few absolute tennis nerds were also waiting for Rafael Nadal. But only number 34 in the ranking was a big promise for the Spaniard. He should be strong running, with a hard left forehand.
The evening didn’t go as planned for Federer.Image: AP
Despite the praise with which the 17-year-old Nadal traveled to Florida, Federer was expected to win. Another win on the way to the next title. He had already triumphed at the Australian Open, in Dubai and in Indian Wells this year.
But things turned out differently: Federer had no chance in this third round game against Nadal. It was 3:6, 3:6 after 69 minutes. How poorly Federer played was shown in a game in the second set. In this he led 40:0 and still gave up the service; because he made a double fault and two slight mistakes with his forehand.
Roger Federer was already a fair athlete back then, at the age of 22. He praised Nadal’s performance to the media (“He was simply better today”). He only mentioned to a small group that his health was poor.
Federer looks back on the first duel:
«I was pretty impressed during the game. I knew it would be complicated. I had just won at Indian Wells and had become slightly ill before Miami. I was still able to cheat my way through against Dawidenko, but I couldn’t find a way against Rafa. He played incredibly, especially his defensive tennis was brilliant. I knew that he would win Roland Garros at least once – but of course he wouldn’t be able to do it that often.”
A week earlier, Federer had won in Indian Wells. It had been an exhausting tournament. Federer suffered sunstroke in the final. He traveled from California to Florida with a high fever. He hardly trained in Key Biscayne. In his first game against the Russian Nikolai Dawydenko he was on the verge of elimination.
Nadal flexes his muscles in Key Biscayne.Image: AP
While Federer was packing his belongings, the tennis world was trying to get to know this Rafael Nadal. There were a few exciting entries in his biography. He had a famous uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, who played for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. And he didn’t come from the mainland, not from Madrid or Barcelona, but from the holiday island of Mallorca. No big athletes usually come from there. Rafael Nadal’s uncle was an exception; the future MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo, like Nadal, was only at the beginning of his career in 2004.
The duel of opposites
Such research on Rafael Nadal is almost impossible to imagine today. And what you couldn’t have known back on March 28, 2004: Federer vs. Nadal was the first duel between two players who would later shape tennis for more than a decade and a half. Federer vs. Nadal became possibly the greatest duel in the history of this sport and one of the outstanding in sports history.
Federer’s departure after the defeat against Nadal.Image: EPA
The duel was so fascinating because Federer and Nadal like each other, but they are so different as athletes. Here Federer with his elegance and sophistication, there Nadal with his fight and willingness to run. Here Federer with his right hand, there Nadal with his left. Here Federer with his art, there Nadal with his bite. Federer was almost unbeatable on grass for years, as was Nadal on clay.
Federer and Nadal have met 40 times on the ATP tour. A few times outside of the official tournaments. At exhibitions, for example in the “Matches for Africa”. Or in 2007 in Palma de Mallorca in the “Battle of Surfaces”. One side of the square was covered with grass, the other with sand. One half for the grass specialist Federer, one half for the sand specialist Nadal.
The eternal duel – all games between Federer and Nadal
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The eternal duel – all games between Federer and Nadal
Wimbledon 2019, semi-finals: FEDERER – Nadal 7:6, 1:6, 6:3, 6:4 – Stand: 16:24.
source: ap pool afp / adrian dennis
By the way, Nadal won this duel on different surfaces. In any case, he is ahead in direct encounters. The balance is 24:16 victories for the Spaniard. That is clear. Almost as clear as the outcome of the first duel between the eternal rivals on March 28, 2004 in Florida. There will be no further duels after Federer’s resignation in September 2022. His last appearance was in London at the Laver Cup, when he played another doubles match – together with Rafael Nadal.
All world numbers 1 in men’s tennis
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All world numbers 1 in men’s tennis
So far, 26 players have been able to call themselves world number 1 in tennis. Here they are, in ascending order based on weeks on the throne. (As of: February 25, 2022)
those: epa / str
Boy wants to know where Roger got the nickname “The GOAT”.
Video: watson
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2024-03-27 23:01:00
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