For a few years, Roger Federer seemingly looked unbeatable on the tennis court, but then came a player who ended up beating him more times than the inverse, and it was Rafael Nadal.
The last time the two legends played in a competitive match was back in 2019 in the Wimbledon Championship semi-final. Federer won that match and went to the final, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic in an incredible sequence of events that saw him not convert two consecutive match points.
Federer won the semi-final match against the Spaniard, but overall, the rivalry ended up better for Nadal, who actually won their first meeting ever, which happened in Miami in 2004. They totaled 40 matches over the many years they played each other, but the first one went to Nadal.
It's actually a special match for the Swiss player, who talked about it recently in a campaign for Louis Vuitton, admitting that it was nice seeing young players coming up and actually beating him.
"I mean, that was cool, you know, to see the young players come up. The Murrays, the Djokovics, and having a chance to play them the very first time. That first match (against Nadal) will always be very meaningful, even though I lost it."
He also touched upon their rivalry, which was very meaningful to him. Federer considers Nadal his greatest rival, and the same applies to the Spanish player, so it's just a very respectable relationship that actually turned into a friendship after so many years.
"And it’s been a great rivalry with so many other players, but Rafa, of course, with his playing style and his sort of attitude on court at a young, young age, was not like everybody else."
"You could feel that there was something special, for sure. I don’t miss those days, but I miss them because it was obviously a big moment when we played each other."
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