Rivalries Of 2015: Nadal vs. Fognini

Continuing our Season In Review Series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2015. Today we feature Rafael Nadal vs. Fabio Fognini:

Rafael Nadal isn’t one to shy away from a rivalry. His confrontations with peers Novak Djokovic (46 matches), Roger Federer (34 matches) and Andy Murray (22 matches) are the stuff of tennis legend.

But there’s a new antagonist on the scene these days: Italy’s Fabio Fognini.

Nadal and Fognini faced each other just four times prior to 2015, Nadal emerging victorious on each and every occasion. But the foes would meet five times this year alone, Fognini reversing his fortunes with three victories, including a stunning come-from-behind 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 third-round shocker at the US Open, one in which he erased a seemingly irreversible two-sets-to-love deficit. The Italian’s first-ever win over Nadal came on clay in the Rio semi-finals, where the 28-year-old scored a 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 upset. Fognini had the Spaniard’s number again on Nadal’s home clay in Barcelona, where he registered a 6-4, 7-6(6) Round of 16 victory.

“With Rafa, you have to risk. You have to attack him when you have the chance,” observed Fognini. “He’s one of the best players in the world. So I know that I have to take risks with him.”

Nadal, 29, managed to stem the tide by dispatching Fognini in a tense Hamburg final, 7-5, 7-5, again on clay.

“He’s a player with a great talent, with huge shots,” said Nadal.  “He’s a tough opponent for everybody when he’s playing well, not only for me.”

Following his third-round loss in Flushing Meadows, the first time he had ever lost a Grand Slam match after winning the first two sets, Nadal upped his Fed Ex ATP Head2Head advantage over Fognini to 6-3 with a 7-5, 6-3 win in the Beijing semi-finals.

Nadal vs. Fognini: 2015 Meetings

Nadal vs. Fognini FedEx ATP Head2Head