For a decade and a half, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer delivered one of the best rivalries in all of sports.
The tennis greats faced each other 40 times between 2004 and 2019, with Nadal winning 24 of those head-to-head meetings and going 14-10 against Federer in finals.
With Nadal set to retire after this week’s Davis Cup in his native Spain, Federer took time to reflect on it all.
“You challenged me in ways no one else could,” Federer wrote in a lengthy tribute to Nadal that he shared Tuesday on social media.
“On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game — even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.”
Nadal, 38, won 22 Grand Slam singles titles during his 23-year career, including the French Open a record 14 times. He won each of the Grand Slam tournaments at least twice.
His on-court excellence coincided with that of Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic, fueling a “Big Three” era of tennis in which each was ranked the world’s No. 1 player for more than 200 weeks apiece.
“I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared,” the Swiss-born Federer, 43, wrote. “Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa.
“Always cracking each other up,” he continued. “Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies.”
Federer first faced Nadal in the third round of the Miami Masters in 2004, with the latter, then only 17, winning in straight sets.
Nadal beat Federer in the French Open final in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011; in the Wimbledon final in 2008; and in the Australian Open final in 2009.
Federer beat Nadal in the Wimbledon final in 2006 and 2007 and in the Australian Open final in 2017.
In an instant-classic match, Nadal famously outlasted Federer, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, at the All England Club in 2008.
Federer’s final match came in 2022 at the Laver Cup in London with Nadal as his doubles partner.
“Rafa,” Federer wrote Tuesday, “you made me enjoy the game even more.”
