When Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played each other on the ATP Tour, it was very rare that one player dominated the matchup.
However, this did occur at the 2011 ATP Finals, when Federer demolished Nadal 6-3, 6-0 in the round robin.
The result brought back memories of Nadal’s victory against Federer in the 2008 French Open final.
That day, Nadal dismantled Federer in a fashion that had not been witnessed before on the ATP Tour, winning the contest 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
However, in 2011, it was Nadal on the receiving end.
Rafael Nadal admitted Federer ‘played too good for me’
During his post-match press conference, one journalist referenced Nadal’s 2008 French Open final victory against Federer, while noting the severity of Nadal’s loss to Federer in London.
They said: “How do you feel? I was sorry when you beat Federer 6‑1, 6‑3, 6‑0 in Roland Garros in 2008. I feel sorry tonight for you.
“I would like to know if there is some comparison, similar stories, or they have nothing to do one with the other? The score is too severe to be true in a way.”
Nadal replied: “The score is true. And today he played too good for me, and that’s what happened. Just accept that.
“Just accept that today when you play against Federer and he’s playing like this, the only way to stay in the match is have free points with the serve, because for the rest his level was too high in this surface. And I didn’t had these free points as usual.
“So finally the score was 6‑3, 6‑0. Accept that, congratulate him because he played really well. You know, is not the moment to say good‑bye. Is not the moment to go down. Is the moment to keep fighting.
“I still in the tournament. I still having the chance to be in the semifinals because if I win the next match I will be in semifinals.
“So is moment to keep fighting with positive attitude and is the moment to accept when he play like this he is better than me, and that’s it.
“When I beat him in the final of Roland Garros, the similar thing was the result; the different thing was the final of a Grand Slam and here is round-robin match.
“That is the only difference. The rest I think he didn’t had nothing to do in that match. I didn’t had nothing to do today. That’s all.”
Nadal bounced back quickly in 2012, reaching the Australian Open final and winning a record-breaking seventh French Open title. He also won the Monte Carlo Masters that year.
Federer, meanwhile, won the Madrid Open and a seventh Wimbledon title.
Federer was a ‘little bit’ stunned after the result
During Federer’s post-match press conference, a journalist asked: “I think we’re all probably a little stunned by that. Do you get stunned when you play quite as well as that?”
Federer replied: “A little bit, I do, yes. Very happy. Of course, it was a great match for me basically from start to finish.
“I was able to do what I was hoping to do: dominate from the baseline, play close to the baseline, serve well, take his time away. I was able to do that tonight. Hasn’t always worked.
“I also felt the power of Rafa in the past, so this is a great match for me, a nice win, clearly.”
Federer went on to qualify for the knockout stages, while Nadal exited the tournament after finishing third in his round-robin group.
The Swiss legend went on to win the tournament, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.
The title win marked his fifth triumph at the ATP Finals. However, he never won the title again after 2011.
As for Nadal, he never won the ATP Tour Finals. The tournament was one of the four Masters-level events Nadal could not capture, alongside the Shanghai Masters, Paris Masters and Miami Open.
In fact, Nadal is the only player to have lost multiple Shanghai Masters finals.
Nadal reached the final of the ATP Finals twice during his career. In 2010, he lost to Federer, and in 2013, he lost to Novak Djokovic.
He made his last appearance in 2022, where he exited at the round-robin stage after losing two of his three matches.
Federer made his last appearance in 2019 – he lost to eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals.
