The great rivalries that defined Nadal’s career

  • Posted: Nov 20, 2024

To celebrate the end of Rafael Nadal’s historic career at this week’s Davis Cup Final 8, ATPTour.com is publishing a series of articles paying tribute to the Spaniard. View our #RafaSiempre series.

So much can happen during the lifetime of an elite. After a career spanning over 20 years, Rafael Nadal has decided to bring his time as a professional tennis player to an end. In doing so, he closes the door on the great rivalries that have shaped his life on the ATP Tour.

To mark the retirement of the Spanish superstar, ATPTour.com takes a look back at some of his biggest rivalries.

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Nadal vs. Roger Federer: 24-16 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series
Not only is it one of the biggest rivalries in the history of tennis, Nadal against Federer is one of the biggest rivalries in the history of sport; two foes who pushed each other to achieve the seemingly impossible.

Their diametrically contrasting styles generated a series of encounters that elevated tennis to previously unseen heights. The Spaniard and the Swiss won the hearts of fans in every corner of the planet every time they took court for another clash.

It all started in 2004, when a baby-faced 17-year-old Nadal upset Federer, the then-No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, with a resounding 6-3, 6-3 victory to reach the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami. The Swiss, who had already won two Grand Slam titles, was caught off-guard by what he faced on the other side of the net: a fearless, energetic, and powerful opponent who barely batted an eyelid as he brushed him aside.

Federer earned his revenge a year later on the same stage by beating Nadal in the 2005 Miami final, in an intense five-set clash (coming back from two sets down in what was the first classic encounter between the two legends). However, the Spaniard struck back by winning five matches on the trot to earn himself a 6-1 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

That run included a Roland Garros semi-final and final (across 2005 and 2006), and three finals in Dubai, Monte Carlo and Rome, respectively, all of which went to the Spaniard. The latter, at the Foro Itálico, was one of the most thrilling battles between the pair: after more than five hours on court, Nadal celebrated victory having saved two match points. Federer was powerless as he watched the trophy slip from his grasp.

The Swiss would slow his rival’s momentum with a win in their first Wimbledon final (2006), and once again that year in the semis of the Nitto ATP Finals, eating into Nadal’s lead (3-6) and making a mental recovery from the pain inflicted on him during his five straight defeats to the Spaniard. It would be a close-run thing in 2007 (two wins to Nadal, three for Federer, including his first on clay in the Hamburg final), before the lefty from Mallorca took a clean sweep in a historic 2008 season.

That year, Nadal and Federer crossed paths four times. All four ended with the Spaniard lifting his arms to the sky in celebration. Nadal also won Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back. The latter was an assault on Federer’s favourite stomping ground, which he had, to that point, defended so vehemently from the Mallorcan (2-0, winner of the 2006 and 2007 finals).

That match, the 2008 Wimbledon final, is considered by many as one of the best in the history of tennis. Nadal took the first two sets before Federer levelled a tie that would be decided in a nail-biting 9-7 fifth set, with barely any light left at the All England Tennis Club, just when it looked like they would be unable to finish until the next day.

<img alt=”Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/07/11/13/51/federer-nadal-wimbledon-2008-trophy.jpg” />

Photo Credit: Getty Images

The fact that Nadal kick-started 2009 by beating the Swiss at the Australian Open surely had something to do with what had happened at Wimbledon six months earlier. After Melbourne, where the Spaniard claimed an electrifying final that also went to a fifth set, the Lexus ATP Head2Head tally between the pair stood at 13-6 to the Balearic Islander.

Nadal would string together another five victories between 2013 and 2014 before Federer claimed six of his own (2015 to 2019), coinciding with the period when the Spaniard was returning from a significant right-knee injury.

These would prove to be the last encounters in a rivalry whose final two matches came in 2019, both at Grand Slams: Nadal beat Federer in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, and the Swiss returned the favour in the same round at Wimbledon.

Of the 40 matches between the two players, 20 were on hard courts (11-9 to Federer) 16 on clay (14-2 to Nadal), and four on grass (3-1 to the Swiss). In Grand Slams, the Spaniard led the Swiss 10-4.

Apart from the numbers, which provide context for the rivalry, they have left something more intangible in their wake; the special aura of two players who defined an era as they went head-to-head on the biggest stages on the planet.

Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic: 29-31 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series
No two players have faced each other on more occasions than Nadal and Djokovic (who played 60 tour-level matches in total), a fact that tells all you need to know about the significance of the rivalry between the Spaniard and the Serb. Two of the best players of all time, they kept up their personal tussle for almost two decades.

The pair first squared off in 2006, in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros, where Nadal took the spoils after the retirement of the Serbian in the third set. Although their first final together came just one year later (2007 Indian Wells), with victory going to the Spaniard, it was some time until their first meeting in a Grand Slam decider: in 2010, at the US Open. Nadal emerged victorious in their first clash for a major title.

During those years, Nadal notched a significant lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series (15-7), although Djokovic did win three consecutive matches in 2009 (in Cincinnati, Paris, and at the Nitto ATP Finals, respectively). As he gained experience, the Serbian improved at an astonishing rate and his tug-of-war with Nadal appeared to help him push towards his best tennis.

After losing that 2010 US Open final to the Spaniard and also their group-stage clash at the Nitto ATP Finals, Djokovic suddenly upped his game in a way that none could have predicted. The Serbian beat the Manacor native in seven straight finals across 2011 and 2012: Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, Wimbledon, US Open, and the Australian Open, defeating him on hard court, clay, and grass.

That memorable match in Melbourne, which lasted five hours and 53 minutes, is the longest final in Grand Slam history. Although Djokovic took the title, in some way, Nadal had managed to change the dynamic in their rivalry, forcing the Serbian to play his absolute best to come through the encounter with the trophy in his hands.

<img alt=”Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal, Australian Open 2012″ style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/longform/djokovic21/desktop/djokovic-australian-open-2012.jpg” />

Photo Credit: PAUL CROCK/AFP via Getty Images

Nadal almost immediately reaped the rewards for his performance Down Under. The Spaniard won his next three ties with Djokovic (Monte Carlo, Rome, Roland Garros), ending his nemesis’ confidence-boosting seven-win streak.

In the years that followed, their rivalry would be more matched, with both players claiming their fair share of wins (Nadal beat Djokovic in the 2013 US Open final and the 2014 Roland Garros final, while the Serbian came out on top in Beijing and at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2013, as well as in Miami and Rome in 2014).

Djokovic again exerted a period of dominance over Nadal by winning another seven consecutive matches across 2015 and 2016 in Monte Carlo, Rome, Roland Garros (his first win over Nadal at the clay-court major), Beijing, the Nitto ATP Finals, Doha, Indian Wells and Rome, before Nadal finally brought the run to an end in 2017 in Madrid with a superb semi-final victory.

In 2018, the pair put on a tremendous show in their Wimbledon semi-final clash, which was delayed due to poor light on Friday and continued on Saturday, when Djokovic sealed a 10-8 fifth-set win. Both players produced some jaw-dropping tennis, much to the delight of the fans.

Between 2019 and 2021, the two legends only crossed paths in finals, with Djokovic winning at the Australian Open (2019) and the ATP Cup (2020). Nadal took the bragging rights in Rome (2019), at Roland Garros (2020), and again in Rome (2021).

Fate would have it that the last three encounters of their rivalry came at Roland Garros: Djokovic won in the 2021 semi-finals, Nadal prevailed in the 2022 quarter-finals and the Serbian ended their long history with a second-round victory at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Nadal vs. Andy Murray: 17-7 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series
To his enormous credit, Murray managed to make room for himself next to the so-called Big Three of tennis (Djokovic, Nadal and Federer). The Briton gave Nadal plenty to think about over their 24 Lexus ATP Head2Head encounters.

Nadal dominated their earliest clashes, winning the first five matches (from the 2007 Australian Open to the 2008 semi-final in Canada). In a clear demonstration of his authority, the Spaniard raced away from the Briton, laying the foundations for their rivalry with victories on hard court, clay, and grass.

Murray finally got his first win in the semi-finals of the 2008 US Open. It was a triumph that helped him win again in the 2009 final in Rotterdam, where Nadal could see that Murray had learned from his previous defeats and was now ready to respond. Nadal would have to work much harder in the future to defeat his rival.

<img alt=”Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/07/17/19/17/nadal-murray-retire-2024.jpg” />

Photo Credit: Hamish Blair/Getty Images

Although they never crossed paths in a Grand Slam final, Nadal and Murray played again at the Australian Open (2010 quarter-finals, win to Murray), Roland Garros (2011 and 2014 semi-finals, wins for Nadal), Wimbledon (2010 and 2011 semi-finals, Nadal), and the US Open (2011 semi-finals, Nadal).

Curiously, Murray managed to see off Nadal twice in the Spaniard’s homeland, in the 2015 final and the 2016 semi-final in Madrid. The latter was the last time they would find each other on opposite sides of the net.

The 24 matches they contested break down as follows: 4-4 on hard courts, with Nadal leading on clay (7-2) and on grass (3-0). Nadal finished with a 7-2 lead against Murray in Grand Slam encounters.

Nadal vs. Others
Besides Federer, Djokovic, and Murray, undoubtedly the most important opponents of Nadal’s dazzling career, there are plenty of other players the Spaniard had frequent clashes with, creating more great rivalries during his two decades on the Tour.

David Ferrer (26-6 to Nadal)
Nadal and Ferrer contested eight finals (all won by Nadal), including the Roland Garros title match in 2014. These were some of the standout moments in an all-Spanish rivalry in which Ferrer took first blood (in Stuttgart 2004), and where the Alicante native also sunk Nadal at the US Open (2007) and at the Nitto ATP Finals (2007).

Stan Wawrinka (19-3 to Nadal)
Nadal flew out of the blocks in his series of encounters with Wawrinka, winning his first 12 clashes against the Swiss. However, Wawrinka would have his revenge, defeating Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open final, although the Spaniard was playing after hurting his back in the warm up. They met again in another major final, with Nadal prevailing at Roland Garros in 2017.

Juan Martin del Potro (11-6 to Nadal)
Four early triumphs for Nadal were followed by three for Del Potro, laying the foundations for a spectacular rivalry between two passionate players who loved to entertain the fans. The Spaniard won the only final they contested (2013 Indian Wells), while the Argentine claimed some huge victories of his own: in the semi-finals of the 2009 US Open, the semi-finals of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, and the semi-finals of the 2018 US Open.

Dominic Thiem (10-6 to Nadal)
Two Roland Garros finals claimed by Nadal marked the pinnacle his rivalry with Thiem, which took on particular significance on clay courts. However, it also provided some spectacular episodes elsewhere, such as in the quarter-finals of the 2018 US Open (where Nadal won in a fifth-set tie-break) and the quarter-finals of the 2020 Australian Open, won by Thiem.

Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

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