Federer–Nadal rivalry

The tennis rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is considered one of the greatest in the history of the sport. Federer and Nadal played each other 40 times, with Nadal leading 24–16 overall, including 14–10 in finals.
Of their 40 matches, 20 were on hardcourts, 16 on clay, and 4 on grass. Nadal leads on clay (14–2), while Federer leads on grass (3–1) and hard court (11–9). A total of 14 matches were at the majors, with Nadal leading 10–4. Nadal leads 6–0 at the French Open and 3–1 at the Australian Open, while Federer leads 3–1 at Wimbledon. On several occasions, they were a match away from meeting at the US Open, but were denied each time. They are tied in five-set encounters at 3–3.
Nadal ranks second and Federer ranks third on the men's all-time list for the most major singles titles, with 22 and 20 titles respectively, and the pair hold numerous other records between them. During a stretch of 23 majors from the 2005 French Open to the 2010 US Open, the pair won all but two of these events, including eleven consecutively. They won a further six consecutive majors between the 2017 Australian Open to the 2018 French Open. They are the only pair of men to have finished six consecutive calendar years as the top two ranked players on the ATP Tour, which they did from 2005 to 2010, and for a seventh time in 2017. This includes a record 211 consecutive weeks sharing the top two rankings from July 2005 to August 2009.
As tournament seedings are based on rankings, with the top two seeds placed on opposite sides of the draw, 24 of Nadal and Federer's 40 matches were in tournament finals, including an all-time record nine major finals and 12 Masters finals. Another ten were semifinals with only three taking place before the quarterfinal stage.
From 2006 to 2008, they contested every French Open and Wimbledon final. Their 2008 Wimbledon final was lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts. Their 2017 Australian Open final was one of the most highly anticipated matches in tennis history, in part due to the relevance within popular discussions on their placement in greatest-of-all-time listings, coupled with the fact that they were both already in their 30s. Other matches considered particularly notable include the 2005 Miami Open final, 2006 Italian Open final, 2007 Wimbledon final, and 2009 Australian Open final, all of which went to five sets.
Their first match was at the 2004 Miami Open, which Nadal won in straight sets. Their last match was in the semifinals of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, which Federer won in four sets.
Federer and Nadal played their first match in March 2004 at the third round of the Miami Masters. Nadal, only 17 years old and ranked No. 34, surprised many by beating the then No. 1 in straight sets.
In 2005, Federer and Nadal played each other twice and each won one.
Their second meeting was one year later, again in Miami, but this time in the best-of-five-sets final. Federer recovered from a two-set deficit and a break down in the third set to win in five sets.
They played again two months later in the semifinals of the French Open, which was their first match on clay. Nadal defeated Federer in four sets en route to his first major title. By the end of 2005, Nadal led their head-to-head record at 2–1.
In 2006, Nadal and Federer faced each other in six matches.
Nadal won the first four, beginning with the Dubai final in February played on hard court. This was Federer's first loss of the year and ended his Open Era record of 56 consecutive wins on hard courts.
The clay season ensued, and Nadal continued his dominance on clay, defeating Federer in the finals of the Monte Carlo Masters, the Rome Masters, and the French Open, in their first major final. Federer won the first set quickly, but Nadal fought back and took the next three sets to capture his second French Open title. In the Rome final, Federer held two championship points on Nadal's serve at 5–6 in the fifth set, but failed to convert. Federer then led 5–3 in the fifth-set tiebreaker, but Nadal won the next four points to claim the title. At five hours and five minutes, this is the longest match Federer and Nadal have ever contested.
They faced off again a month later in the final of Wimbledon, which was their first meeting on grass. Federer won in four sets to capture his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title with two sets going to tiebreakers.
They did not meet again until the semifinals of the year-end Masters Cup. Federer won in straight sets, en route to his third Masters Cup title in four years. At year's end, Nadal's career head-to-head advantage had risen to 6–3.
Nadal and Federer faced each other five times in 2007, and Federer won three of their matches.
For the second straight year, Federer and Nadal played in three finals on clay. Nadal won the first meeting in straight sets, winning his third consecutive Monte Carlo title. A few weeks later they met at the Hamburg Masters, where Federer defeated Nadal for the first time on clay, ending Nadal's Open Era record 81-match winning streak on clay.
Their next encounter was the French Open final, and Nadal won their much-anticipated rematch in four sets, capturing his third consecutive French Open title.
Their last two meetings in 2007 were also a repeat of 2006: the final of Wimbledon and the semifinal of the Masters Cup. Once again, Federer won both matches, though their Wimbledon final lasted five sets, in a match which was almost universally praised as the greatest Wimbledon final since Borg–McEnroe in 1980.
At the end of the year, on the other hand, their Masters Cup match was the shortest match of their rivalry, lasting less than an hour. By the end of the year Federer narrowed his head-to-head deficit, with the record standing at 6–8 in Nadal's favour.
Federer and Nadal played four times in 2008, and Nadal won all four times, extending his career advantage to 12–6.
For the third straight year, they played in three finals during the clay-court season. Nadal defeated Federer in Monte Carlo for the third straight year, capturing his Open-Era-record fourth consecutive title there. A few weeks later Nadal avenged his only clay-court loss to Federer by defeating him in three sets for his first Hamburg Masters title. Federer had double-break leads in the first sets of both Monte Carlo and Hamburg, but could not close out the sets.
Also for the third straight year, they played in the final of the French Open. Nadal won his fourth consecutive French Open title, by a score of 6–1, 6–3, 6–0. The scoreline puts the match among the most one-sided in Grand Slam finals history.
Nadal and Federer also met in the final of Wimbledon for the third straight year, in the most anticipated match of their rivalry. Amidst rain delays, they played what was then the longest final in Wimbledon history (4 hours and 48 minutes), and Nadal captured the title, winning a fifth set that finished in near darkness. This match broke Federer's Open-Era-record 65-match winning streak on grass, which had spanned more than five years.
Federer and Nadal played each other only twice in 2009, splitting their matches.
Both players began the year strong, reaching the final of the Australian Open. This was the first hard-court Major final for Nadal, but Federer was undefeated in eight hard-court Major finals (five US Open, three Australian). The final was long (4 hours and 23 minutes) and competitive in the first four sets, with Nadal pulling away decisively in the fifth set to secure his first hard-court championship.
On clay, Federer rebounded against Nadal at the Madrid Masters, their first match in Spain, defeating him in the final in straight sets. This was a pivotal match because it broke Nadal's five-match winning streak against Federer. The victory by Federer also ended Nadal's 33-match winning streak on clay and foreshadowed Federer's historic victory at that year's French Open, which completed his Career Grand Slam. At year's end, their head-to-head record concluded at 13–7 in Nadal's favour.
In 2010, Federer and Nadal played twice, with Nadal winning the first and Federer winning the second match.
The two met on clay in the final of the Madrid Open, one year after their last match. This time, in a rematch of last year's Madrid Open Final, Nadal defeated Federer in straight sets.
They then met on an indoor hard court in the final of the World Tour Finals, marking their third meeting at the year-end championships and their first ever meeting in the finals. Federer continued his indoor dominance against Nadal, winning in three sets. This victory gave Federer a record-tying fifth title at the year-end tournament.
Federer and Nadal played four singles matches, with Nadal winning the first three matches and Federer winning the last match. Their lone doubles match was at Indian Wells. Federer, partnering with Stan Wawrinka, defeated Nadal and Marc López in the semifinals.
In their first singles match that year, which took place during the early hard-court season, the two met in the semifinals of the Miami Masters, where Nadal won in straight sets.
They then met on clay in the semifinals at the Madrid Open, and Nadal won in three sets. Later in the clay season, they met in the final of the French Open, their first Grand Slam tournament meeting since the 2009 Australian Open final. Although it was a competitive match, Nadal again defeated Federer in four sets to win his tenth Grand Slam title and sixth French Open crown. This denied Federer an opportunity to become the first man in the Open Era to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments twice.
Their final meeting of the year came in the round-robin stage of the World Tour Finals. Their match, a rematch of the previous year's final, saw Federer win a lopsided match in straight sets.
Federer and Nadal met twice in 2012, both times in the early hard-court season, splitting their matches. They first met during 2012 in the semifinal at the Australian Open. Federer was leading by a set but trailed 2–5 in the second set, before a 10-minute fireworks delay due to the celebrations of Australia Day. After the delay, Nadal came back to win in four sets, improving his hard-court record over Federer.
They next met in the semifinal at Indian Wells, where Federer won the match in straight sets en route to claiming his fourth title at that tournament.
Federer and Nadal met four times in 2013 with Nadal prevailing on every occasion.
Federer and Nadal met for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters. It was the earliest stage the pair had met at within a tournament since 2004, due to their top seedings for most of the intervening years. Nadal won in straight sets.
On 1 April, by winning the Miami Masters, Andy Murray passed Federer in the ATP rankings for second place. This marked the first time since 10 November 2003 that neither Federer nor Nadal was ranked in the ATP top 2 (Novak Djokovic had taken the number 1 spot in 2011), a span of an unprecedented 490 weeks.
During the clay-court season, Nadal defeated Federer in the final of the Rome Masters in two sets.
In the second half of the season, they met in the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Open, where Nadal unseated the five-time champion in three sets. Federer had just switched back to his old racquet after experimenting with a larger frame in his previous two tournaments. They next met in the semifinal of the World Tour Finals, with Nadal prevailing in straight sets. This was Nadal's first win over Federer on indoor hard courts. It would also be Federer's last career match played with his 90-inch racquet before upgrading to a larger frame.
Federer and Nadal had their only meeting of the 2014 season in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Nadal won in straight sets and improved his record to 3–0 against Federer at the Australian Open (9–2 overall in majors). This was the first Major that Federer played after switching to a larger racquet.
In November 2015, Federer defeated Nadal in three sets in the final of the Swiss Indoors. This was their first and only encounter on Swiss soil, as Federer captured a seventh title in his hometown of Basel. It was Federer's first victory over Nadal in over 3 and a half years, having lost the previous five meetings.
Federer and Nadal played four times in 2017, with Federer prevailing on all four occasions. This marked the first time in their rivalry that Federer went undefeated against Nadal in multiple meetings in a single season.
The rivalry was renewed in the 2017 Australian Open final, their first meeting in a major final since the 2011 French Open. Federer, returning from a six-month layoff from knee injury that saw him miss out most of the 2016 season, came into the tournament seeded 17th, and Nadal seeded 9th. Prior to the match, Nadal had won every match between the two in a major since the Wimbledon final in 2007, three of which were in the Australian Open. Federer came back from a break down in the fifth set to take the match, becoming the first man in history to win 18 Grand Slam singles titles and the first man to win at least five titles in three different Grand Slam tournaments each, and denying Nadal's third effort to win the Australian Open title again and also his second opportunity to become the first man in the Open Era to win each Grand Slam tournament in men's singles at least twice. Federer's victory also marked his first win over Nadal in a Grand Slam match outside the grass courts of Wimbledon.
They met again at Indian Wells in the round of 16, only their second-ever meeting before the quarterfinal stage in any tournament. Federer prevailed in straight sets; it was the first time he had won three matches in a row against Nadal. Their 37th meeting came in the Miami final. This was their first meeting in a final on American soil since the 2005 Miami final, and Federer won in straight sets, his 4th consecutive win over Nadal.
In the 2017 Laver Cup the two played doubles together for the first time, against Sam Querrey/Jack Sock, and won in a match tiebreak.
Federer and Nadal met at the Shanghai Masters for the first time, contesting the final. Federer won in straight sets, claiming a fifth consecutive win over Nadal. This was the first time they had contested a match as the top two ranked players in the world since the 2010 ATP Finals.
Federer's newfound success against Nadal was ascribed to improvement in his backhand, with which he hit harder and more easily returned Nadal's high bouncing forehand with a larger racquet.
In 2019 Federer and Nadal met twice, with each prevailing once. They would have met in the semifinal of the Indian Wells Masters, but Nadal withdrew from the match due to a right hip injury, giving Federer a walkover victory to the final. They met for the first time in this year in the semifinal of the French Open with Nadal ending Federer's run of five consecutive wins over him by prevailing in straight sets, before going on to win the tournament for his twelfth title there.
The pair met in the semifinals of Wimbledon in their first Wimbledon encounter since 2008. This is the only match between the two in Wimbledon which is not a final. Federer defeated Nadal in four sets. This match was the oldest by the combined age of competitors (71 years, 0 months) in the Open Era of tennis.
With Federer's retirement in 2022, their 2019 Wimbledon semifinals encounter stands as the last competitive tour match of the Federer-Nadal rivalry, concluding their head-to-head record on the professional tour at 24–16 in Nadal's favour.
ATP, Davis Cup, and Grand Slam main draw results included.
Federer 16 – Nadal 24
Federer—Nadal (1–2)
As a pair (1–1)
Federer—Nadal (3–7)
On 21 November 2006 they played an exhibition match on a hard court in Seoul, South Korea. Federer won 6–3, 3–6, 6–3.
On 2 May 2007 they played in the "Battle of Surfaces" on a hybrid court that was half clay and half grass. This match was held at the Palma Arena in Palma, the capital city of Nadal's native Mallorca. Nadal won 7–5, 4–6, 7–6.
On 21 December 2010 they played in Zürich, Switzerland on a hard court a charity tennis match for the Roger Federer Foundation. Federer won 4–6, 6–3, 6–3. They played another exhibition match on 22 December 2010 in Madrid, Spain. Nadal won 7–6, 4–6, 6–1. This was a charity tennis match for the Fundación Rafa Nadal (Rafael Nadal Foundation).
On 1 January 2011 they played in the final of the knockout exhibition tournament; the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on a hard court. Federer had beaten Söderling in the previous round and Nadal had beaten Berdych in the previous round. Nadal won the encounter by a score of 7–6, 7–6.
On 8 March 2011 the two played a set at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Nadal won the charity exhibition 7–5.
On 31 December 2011 they played again at Mubadala 2011 Mubadala World Tennis Championship (December) on a hard court, this time for third place. Nadal won again 6–1, 7–5.
On 12 December 2015 they played two matches in New Delhi, India at 2015 International Premier Tennis League season on a hard court. Nadal won both a set of singles against Federer 6–5 and, paired with Rohan Bopanna, a doubles set against Roger Federer and Marin Cilic 6–4 to lead the Indian Aces to a 30–19 victory over the UAE Royals.
On 7 February 2020 they played in Cape Town, South Africa to raise money for the Roger Federer Foundation. Federer won 6–4, 3–6, 6–3.
The rivalry between Federer and Nadal has been a huge part of both men's careers. Their Grand Slam tournament histories are of particular interest, especially their all-time record of nine finals encounters. This includes playing French Open and Wimbledon finals for three consecutive years (2006–08), culminating in what many consider the greatest match in tennis history at Wimbledon 2008. Nadal, who had to defeat Federer during each of his first six Grand Slam title runs, possesses a 6–3 advantage in their Grand Slam finals encounters as well as a 4–1 edge in semifinals.
Nadal denied Federer three Career Grand Slams by defeating him at the French Open every year from 2005 to 2008. Federer would complete a Career Grand Slam by winning the French title in 2009 after Nadal was upset in the fourth round. Meanwhile, Federer twice denied Nadal from becoming the first man since Björn Borg in 1980 to win the "Channel Slam" (both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year) by defeating him in their first two Wimbledon finals, but Nadal succeeded the following year by defeating Federer in the final. This was the first of three combined Channel Slams with Federer accomplishing it in 2009 followed by Nadal's second in 2010. Federer has also prevented Nadal from winning the Year-end championships by defeating him in the 2010 finals and eliminating Nadal from the tournament in the 2006 and 2007 semifinals preventing Nadal from becoming only the second man after Andre Agassi to win a Career Grand Slam, a gold singles Olympic medal, and the Year End Championships, a distinction dubbed as a "Career Super Slam" by Sports Illustrated. At the 2017 Australian Open final, Federer denied Nadal's second opportunity (the 2014 Australian Open final was the first) to become the first man in the Open Era to have won each of the Grand Slam tournaments twice in men's singles. Nadal completed his Double Career Grand Slam in 2022 when he won the Australian Open for the second time, in this occasion against Daniil Medvedev.
Their record six consecutive calendar years atop the rankings from 2005 to 2010 was due to their unprecedented combined performance in the Grand Slam and Masters Series tournaments. During this span, they captured a combined record 21 of the 24 Grand Slam tournament titles (12 for Federer, 9 for Nadal), including a record 11 consecutive titles from 2005 to 2007. They also dominated the Masters Series, combining for 31 of the 54 titles (18 for Nadal, 13 for Federer), including 8 of 9 in 2005 (4 each). Additionally, Federer won 4 of 6 year-end tournaments.
Finally, both men not only possess Open-Era records for consecutive wins on a single surface—Federer on both grass (65) and hard courts (56), Nadal on clay courts (81)—but each of these streaks was broken by the other player. Their respective dominance on grass and clay was the impetus for the "Battle of Surfaces", an exhibition match on a half-grass, half-clay court, which Nadal won with a 12–10 in the deciding tiebreak in May 2007 when both the grass and clay streaks were still active.
Of their 40 matches, 20 have been on hard court, 16 have been on clay, and 4 have been on grass. Federer has an edge on his best surface, grass (3–1), and on hard court (11–9) while Nadal dominates Federer on his best surface, clay (14–2). Nadal leads 10–4 in all Grand Slam tournament matches, 6–0 on clay, 3–1 on hard courts and trails 1–3 on the grass in major tournaments.
The contrast in playing style has been a source of debate for commentators and analysts. The heavy topspin created by Nadal's groundstrokes combined with his strategy of directing the majority of his serves and groundstrokes to Federer's single-handed backhand keeps Federer on the defensive and makes it harder for Federer to use his aggressive groundstrokes to dominate baseline rallies as he typically does against other opponents. Federer says he is a "different player due to Nadal's presence" citing Nadal's game as a major reason for improvements in areas of his own game.
From 2004 to 2007, the rivalry stood at 8–6 in Nadal's favour, though Federer led on both grass (2–0) and hardcourt (3–2), Nadal led 6–1 on clay. However, from 2008 to 2014, Nadal compiled a lopsided 15–4 record, leading on each surface, grass (1–0), hard (7–3) and clay (7–1). Since then, Federer has dominated the rivalry with a 6–1 record (5–0 hard, 1–0 grass, 0–1 clay). Federer has stated that early defeats to Nadal on clay courts had a long-lasting mental effect on him in his matches against Nadal on other surfaces, and that the lopsided loss at 2008 French open affected him in his first two sets at 2008 Wimbledon final. After his win over Nadal at 2017 Shanghai masters final, Federer credited his 2017 success against Nadal to a bigger racquet frame and avoiding claycourt meetings against him since 2013.
As of 2023, Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam titles, ahead of Federer's 20. Federer's Grand Slam tournament titles include 11 on hard courts, 8 on grass, and 1 on clay, while Nadal's Grand Slam titles include 14 on clay, 6 on hard courts, and 2 on grass.
Nadal is the youngest male in the Open Era to win the Career Grand Slam. Federer has won a Career Grand Slam (winning all four majors at least once), while Nadal was the second person to achieve Double Career Grand Slam (winning all four majors at least twice) in the Open Era after Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal has won 36 Masters 1000 titles, with 26 on clay and 10 on hard courts. Roger Federer has won 28 (third all time), with 22 coming on hard courts and 6 on clay. Federer is missing two Masters 1000 titles, both of which are played on clay (Monte Carlo and Rome) while Nadal is also missing two, both of which are played on hard courts (Miami and Paris).
Federer has made the final of Monte Carlo and Rome 4 times each, losing to Nadal in Monte Carlo three times (2006 to 2008) and Rome twice (2006 and 2013). The 2006 Rome final was won by Nadal in a fifth-set tiebreak, lasted for over five hours and is considered by some to be one of the greatest and most memorable matches ever contested on clay.
Nadal has made the final of Miami 5 times (2005, 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2017) but lost each time, including twice to Federer (2005 and 2017). The 2005 final was their second ever meeting and a memorable five-set final. Nadal won the first and second sets, was up a break in the third set, and was two points away from victory before Federer came back from two sets down to win. Nadal has made the final of Paris once (2007).
Held as Hamburg Masters (clay) until 2008, Madrid Masters (clay) since 2009. Held as Stuttgart Masters (indoor hardcourt) in 2001, Madrid Masters (indoor hardcourt) from 2002 to 2008, Shanghai Masters (outdoor hardcourt) since 2009.
While Nadal has not won a year-end championship, he has made the finals twice, in 2010 and 2013. Federer defeated Nadal in the 2010 finals and leads their head-to-head for the event 4–1.
Federer and Nadal have never faced each other in the Davis Cup or at the Olympics or in any other ITF/ATP team events. Both Federer and Nadal have won the gold medal at the Olympics in Doubles. Nadal also won the gold medal in Singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Federer won the Silver at the 2012 London Olympics.
Nadal and Federer have played half of their 40 matches (20) on hard courts, with the head-to-head on this surface at 11–9 in Federer's favour. An important distinction is the relative success of the two players on indoor and outdoor hard courts. In the former, Federer leads Nadal with a 5–1 record, while on outdoor hard courts, Nadal leads 8–6. The quicker conditions and low bounce of the indoor hard courts fit Federer's style, while the slower and high bouncing conditions of most outdoor ones favor Nadal. Federer has defeated Nadal in four out of five encounters they have had at the Year End Championships, including the 2010 final, which are played on indoor hardcourts. This is the only surface on which they have exchanged the lead in their head-to-head, which has happened several times. In reference to their match at the 2012 Australian Open, Nadal has said that Federer is typically the "favourite" on "these kinds of surfaces".
Nadal and Federer have played 16 of their 40 matches on clay, with Nadal holding a 14–2 advantage over Federer. The matches comprise 13 tournament finals and 3 semifinals. The Spaniard has won all of their seven meetings in best of five set matches on clay and all six at Roland Garros. Their last match on clay was played at the 2019 French Open.
From 2005 to 2008, Nadal won every French Open, defeating Federer in each of those tournaments (in the 2005 semifinal and the 2006, 2007, 2008 finals), as well as in the 2011 final. From 2005 to 2010, Nadal won at least 2 of the 3 clay Masters events each year, defeating Federer in 6 of those. Statistically, Nadal has the highest win percentage on clay of any player in ATP history, and is second only to Anthony Wilding all-time. As a result, some analysts and players, such as Pat Cash and Conchita Martínez, consider Nadal the greatest clay-court player ever.
Federer and Nadal have met four times on grass, specifically the Wimbledon finals from 2006 to 2008, and the semifinal of 2019. Federer has a 3–1 advantage over Nadal on this surface, winning the first two finals and the semifinal, while Nadal won the third final. Federer has won the Wimbledon Championships eight times, and Nadal has won the championships twice. Five of Federer's titles were consecutive titles (from 2003 to 2007), and the sixth, seventh and eighth titles were won in 2009, 2012 and 2017. The 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts.
Federer has been more successful than Nadal on fast courts because he hits a flatter forehand and has a faster serve. Grass and indoor hard courts are faster surfaces, so Federer's flatter shots there result in a lower bouncing, faster moving trajectory. Thus, Nadal's topspin is less effective on such faster courts, but is most effective on slower courts such as clay. Nadal has improved his serving speed and placement over the years, but Federer still serves faster on average and earns more aces and service winners, while Nadal has an overall stronger ground stroke game.
While Nadal is statistically weaker than Federer on both hard and grass courts, he has nonetheless achieved considerable success on both surfaces, including notable wins at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wimbledon (2008 and 2010), the Australian Open (2009, 2022), the US Open (2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019), and at various hard court Masters series tournaments.
Similarly, Federer too has achieved considerable success on clay, winning the French Open (2009) and reaching the finals on four other occasions (2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011) and winning the Madrid/Hamburg Masters six times (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2012).
During interviews, many fellow and former players have regarded both Federer and Nadal as among the best tennis players of all time. In November 2010, former player Björn Borg stated that he believed Federer to be the greatest player of all time, but "Rafa has the chance to be the greatest player" if he stays healthy.
Former player and commentator John McEnroe was of a similar opinion, noting in 2010 that "there is an argument to be made that Rafael Nadal may be the greatest player eventually, even possibly now." He has subsequently adjusted his opinion on several occasions, in 2013 noting that he thought Nadal was "the greatest player that ever lived" but later in 2014 bunched Federer, Nadal, Laver and Sampras together as the greatest ever. In July 2015, he reversed his opinion and again backed Roger Federer for the title. In January 2017, after Federer, then 35 years of age and returning to competitive play after a 6-month layoff due to injury, triumphed over Nadal in 5 sets to win the record-breaking 18th major at the 2017 Australian Open, McEnroe remarked that Federer had cemented his status as being the best tennis player of all time, but also left open the possibility that Nadal can be in the running again should he win additional men's singles majors to narrow the gap.
In October 2013, Rod Laver, the only tennis player to achieve the Grand Slam twice, said "When I look at Federer, with what he's accomplished, against the competition that he's accomplished it with, I'd have to say I would think that Roger is the greatest player."
At the press conference following his 9th record French Open win in 2014 and a total of 14 Slams, three shy of Federer's 17, Nadal said that he really does not care much about records, "I'll follow my own path. Then, when my career is over, then we'll count."
In May 2014, eight-time Grand Slam tournament champion Andre Agassi told Singapore's The Straits Times newspaper, via Al Jazeera: "I'd put Nadal number one and Federer number two. Federer separated himself from the field for four years. He separated himself from Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt. Nadal had to deal with Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray in the golden age of tennis."
In November 2014, former world number 1 player Andy Roddick, in noting his support for Federer, explained why he believes that head-to-head results are not a valid factor in determining the greatest of all time, "For me Roger Federer is still ahead in the greatest-ever debate, with Rafael Nadal second. People talk about their head-to-head being the determining factor, but I can't comprehend a single match-up being the deciding factor. It's about total wins at major tournaments, not an individual match-up, in my mind."
In December 2014, Rafael Nadal's uncle and coach, Toni Nadal, indicated to Spanish radio station Cadena COPE that he believed Federer to be the greatest of all time based on overall statistics and achievements, noting "I think he is (the best of all-time), the numbers say so." A day before the 2017 Australian Open men's singles finals, Toni Nadal further reemphasized his regard on Federer, saying that "When Federer will call it a career, the greatest player in the tennis history won't be there anymore. Looking at titles, he is the greatest at the moment."
In March 2015, former player Pete Sampras made similar arguments about Federer, "You look at the numbers of what he's been able to do, you have to say he's the greatest we've seen". These comments were echoed by Boris Becker in July 2015, "Great respect for Roger Federer! He is our greatest of all time".
Both Federer and Nadal's personal and professional relationship is good-natured and gracious. Though they are both highly competitive, they maintain a healthy regard for each other and have had virtually no source of personal animosity. The two have made slight criticisms of one another in the past, nevertheless. For example, Federer complained of Nadal's slow, deliberate style of play on the eve of the 2008 Wimbledon final. Nadal criticized Federer before the 2012 Australian Open for his failure to be more vocal about players' grievances on issues such as scheduling and prize money. He subsequently apologized for making his views public, however, and both players maintained that they still enjoyed a good relationship and had high respect for each other, which can often be seen in interviews. Nadal was also once seen watching Federer play a match in his box, and their family members would congratulate each other on match wins.
Despite their cordial relationship, both men had a somewhat different attitude towards their rivalry in its initial years. When Federer was securely atop the tennis world he was ambivalent towards the notion of a rivalry with an opponent five years younger than himself. But after their memorable 2008 Wimbledon final he had no choice but to acknowledge its significance, even admitting "it definitely becomes more and more special the more times we play against each other". A few weeks later, after Nadal had officially surpassed him in the rankings, Federer offered this compliment: "Look at what he had to achieve to get it. That's what I like to see." Nadal has always cherished the rivalry because he looks up to Federer as both a role model and a measuring stick for success.
When interest in their rivalry increased, both Federer and Nadal collaborated to arrange occasional charity exhibition matches to benefit their charities' philanthropic interests. The most recent was the Match for Africa, played on 21 December 2010 in Zurich, Switzerland, which Federer won, and a follow-up match played in Madrid on the following day, titled "Joining Forces for the Benefit of Children", which Nadal won.
The rivalry has also increased overall interest in tennis. The highly anticipated 2008 Wimbledon final drew strong television ratings for tennis in both the U.S. and across Europe. The match was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which was the first time in years that tennis had made its cover. The high-profile status of the rivalry saw Sky Sports comparing it to another modern day rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The pair's rivalry – and indeed mutual respect and friendship – was the subject of the 2009 book Strokes of Genius by L. Jon Wertheim, which explored their career progression and early lives through the prism of the 2008 Wimbledon final. The book consequently inspired a 2018 film of the same name directed by Andrew Douglas, which updated the story to include their comebacks and recent domination of the slams. The documentary includes footage of a 12-year-old Nadal and a number of clips of Federer losing his temper, who admits in the film that he had to change his behaviour in order to progress his career. The documentary also features contributions from former players such as John McEnroe, Björn Borg, Pete Sampras, Tim Henman and Carlos Moyá – Nadal's current coach – and family members including Federer's mother and father.
Held as Hamburg Masters (outdoor clay) until 2008, Madrid Masters (outdoor clay) 2009 – present. Held as Stuttgart Masters (indoor hard) until 2001, Madrid Masters (indoor hard) from 2002 to 2008, and Shanghai Masters (outdoor hard) 2009 – present
* Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the Wimbledon Championships was cancelled.
Federer and Nadal were born just under four years and 10 months apart. Federer's birthday is 8 August 1981, while Nadal's is 3 June 1986. A different viewpoint of their career evolution is offered by taking the season they ended with an age of 16 as starting point, and comparing their accomplishments at the same age. For instance in 2006, Federer finished the season being 25 years old having accumulated a career record of nine Major titles, and ranked No. 1. By comparison, Nadal finished the 2011 season also aged 25, having accumulated ten Major titles in total, and being ranked No. 2. Federer played his last singles match in 2021.
Another way to view their respective careers and evolution is to look at the progression of titles won by the number of tournaments played to win each of their titles at each level of competition including Grand Slam tournaments, ATP Tour Masters 1000 (formerly ATP Masters Series), ATP Finals (formerly Tennis Masters Cup), Olympic Games, ATP Tour 500 Series (formerly ATP International Series Gold), and ATP Tour 250 Series (formerly ATP International Series). For example, Federer won his 20th Grand Slam title at his 72nd Grand Slam tournament, while Nadal won his 20th at his 60th Grand Slam tournament.