Two tennis superstars and longtime on-court rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer engage ina conversation during last year's Laver Cup. (Getty Images)
The beginning of the Nadal-Federer rivalry dates back to 2004 – do you know who won the first point in a Major clash between the two?
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer faced each other in a Grand Slam at the 2005 French Open semi-final. Nadal won the first point with a sublime return on Federer’s serve. The Spaniard went on to win the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The Nadal – Federer rivalry is considered one of the greatest-ever tennis rivalries, second only to the Djokovic–Nadal rivalry. Federer and Nadal have played each other 40 times, with Nadal leading 24–16 overall, including 14–10 in finals. Of their 40 matches, 20 have been on hard court, 16 on clay, and 4 on grass. Nadal leads on clay (14–2) and outdoor hard court (8–6), while Federer leads on grass (3–1) and indoor hard court (5–1).
A total of 14 matches have been in majors with Nadal leading 10–4. Nadal leads 6–0 at the French Open and 3–1 at the Australian Open, while Federer leads 3–1 at Wimbledon. The two have yet to meet in the US Open.
Their first match was at the 2004 Miami Open where Nadal won in straight sets and their most recent encounter was in the semifinals of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships where Federer won in four sets.
The throwback clip has made fans nostalgic for obvious reasons. Let us take a look at some of the most interesting reactions.
“Pretty reply! Two great sportsmen competing at the highest level with no outside agenda. Pure sport”, a fan summed it up beautifully.
“What an incredible gift they have both been to us fans. It’s been a privilege to watch them, and I feel lucky to have been alive in this unique, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime era of tennis”, wrote another fan, completely echoing our thoughts.
Another fan tweeted – “I think this was the best Federer match on french open with Nadal.”
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