Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had quite possibly the greatest rivalry in tennis history.
The pair played each other 40 times on the ATP Tour during their respective careers, with Nadal emerging triumphant on 24 of those occasions.
In 2009, the pair met for the first time at the Madrid Open, which had been upgraded to Masters 1000 event for the first time.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
Nadal had defeated Fernando Verdasco and Novak Djokovic on his way to the final, while Federer had knocked out the likes of Andy Roddick and Juan Martin Del Potro.
Who emerged victorious from their 11th clay-court meeting?
Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal in the 2009 Madrid Open final
In the 2009 Madrid Open final, Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal on clay for only the second time in 11 attempts on the ATP Tour.
Federer proved too strong for the Spaniard on that day, defeating the 2005 champion 6-4, 6-4 in the Caja Magica.
The defeat was Nadal’s fifth on clay in 155 matches since 2005; and it ended the Spaniard’s run of 33 consecutive victories on the surface.
“I don’t think he’s going to take any damage away from this,” said Federer after the contest, as per BBC Sport. “I’m sure he’s going to be rock solid in Paris [Roland Garros] again.”
“I thought I took all the right decisions today and in the end it looked pretty comfortable so it was a perfect win for me.
Roger Federer’s notable tournament victories in 2009
- Madrid Open
- Roland Garros
- Wimbledon
- Cincinnati Open
“I’m very, very happy that I stayed positive and I got the win I needed badly because I’ve had some rather bad losses this year. It’s very satisfying.”
Federer’s victory in Madrid paved the way for future clay-court success.
Later that year, Federer completed the ‘Career Grand Slam’ after defeating Robin Soderling in the Roland Garros final.
Soderling, of Sweden, ended Rafael Nadal’s hopes of winning a fifth consecutive French Open title when he beat the Spaniard 6-2, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 in the fourth round.
Roger Federer’s first victory against Rafael Nadal on clay
Two years prior to Federer’s triumph in Madrid, the Swiss star defeated his great rival on clay for the very first time.
Nadal, as was customary throughout his career, looked to be in control on the clay when he led Federer 6-2 in the 2007 Hamburg Open final.
However, Federer roared back to take the next two sets 6-2, 6-0 and claim the title.
“It’s absolutely a breakthrough. It will be interesting to see how we both react in the French Open,” said Federer after the contest, as reported by BBC Sport.
“For me it’s just nice to be playing well again. I’m feeling very good going into the French Open.
“It’s not that I was playing so badly, but it’s my first clay-court title in a couple of years, so that’s great.”
Nadal went on to win a third consecutive French Open title later that year, beating Federer 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 in the final.
