Here are some other notable Federer vs Nadal matches: Each of these matches stretched to five sets. [31] 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.[32][31][33]. Nadal denied Federer a Career Grand Slam plus two potential Grand Slams (2006–07) by defeating him at the French Open every year from 2005–08. Nadal leads on clay (14–2) and outdoor hard court (8–6). Both Federer and Nadal's personal and professional relationship is good-natured and gracious. It makes for a thoroughly thrilling and fully fascinating match-ups. Federer separated himself from the field for four years. [53], 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. They did not meet again until the semifinals of the year-end Masters Cup. The Mallorcan also has a  superior head-to-head record of 14–10 in finals. With 3 victories Djokovic can therefore surpass Roger Federer and statistics in hand as the Serbian champion comes from an incredible series of successes, it seems likely that he will succeed. 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.[35]. 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 2005–07. Federer with 20 total major titles, and Nadal with 19, are first and second on the men's all-time list for the most majors titles, and hold numerous other records between them. Nadal won the encounter by a score of 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–3). The 40 matches that the pair played together, 20 were on hard court – 14 of them on outdoor hard court and 6 on an indoor hard court, 16 have been on the clay, and 4 have been on grass. 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,[86] which can often be seen in interviews. Rafael Nadal: Roger Federer: 6-7(0) 7-6(5) 6-4 2-6 7-6(5) 2006: Monte Carlo Masters: F: Clay: … 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. [59] Nadal made it back to the Miami final in 2008,[60] 2011,[61] 2014[62] and 2017 but lost each time. He is our greatest of all time" [83]. 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. [4][5][6][7] 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. Federer and Nadal played four singles matches, with Nadal winning the first three matches and Federer winning the last match. [3], Their last two meetings in 2007 were also a repeat of 2006: the final of Wimbledon and the semifinal of the Masters Cup. This denied Federer an opportunity to become the first man in the Open Era to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments twice. The 40 matches that the pair played together, 20 were on hard court – 14 of them on outdoor hard court and 6 on an indoor hard court, 16 have been on the clay, and 4 have been on grass. 1 in September (Federer in 2004 and 2006; Nadal in 2010), From 2004 to 2007, Federer won 320 of the 344 matches he played (320–24 record, 93.02% matches won). "[89] Nadal has always cherished the rivalry because he looks up to Federer as both a role model and a measuring stick for success.[90][91]. After considerable debate, we can fairly conclude that the Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal rivalry is one of the most enthralling parts of the sport. 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. [75] In July 2015, he reversed his opinion and again backed Roger Federer for the title. This broke the previous record of seven finals set by Bill Tilden and William Johnston (1919–25 U.S. Championships). In the 2017 Laver Cup Nadal and Federer played doubles together for the first time, against Sam Querrey/Jack Sock, and won in a match tiebreak.[44]. "[88] 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. Their match at the 2012 Australian Open also marked a 10th time two players had faced each other in Grand Slam men's singles matches, tying the record set by. It's about total wins at major tournaments, not an individual match-up, in my mind. Nadal though has not yet been able to win the prestigious year-end tournament. It was Federer's first victory over Nadal in over 3 and a half years, having lost the previous five meetings. 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), the US Open (2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019), and at various hard court Masters series tournaments. 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),[41] a span of an unprecedented 490 weeks. Nadal won both a set of singles against Federer 6–5(7–4) 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. width: 32px; The two players look for the tiniest of cracks in each others’ games. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will meet for the 39th time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series on Friday at Roland Garros. During the clay-court season, Nadal defeated Federer in the final of the Rome Masters in two sets.[42]. To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended. The matches comprise 13 tournament finals and 3 semifinals. The rivalry between Federer and Nadal has been a huge part of both men's careers. As a result, some analysts and players, such as Pat Cash and Conchita Martínez, consider Nadal the greatest clay-court player ever. This was the first of three combined Channel Slams with Federer accomplishing it in 2009 followed by Nadal's second in 2010. Their 2008 Wimbledon final was lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts. * Federer & Nadal's 10 Best Quotes About Each Other In 2010, Federer and Nadal played twice, with Nadal winning the first and Federer winning the second match. Federer continued his indoor dominance against Nadal, winning in three sets. A total of 14 matches have been in Grand Slams with Nadal leading 10–4. The Federer–Nadal rivalry is between professional tennis players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, two of the greatest tennis players of all time. Federer was leading by a set and a break before a 20-minute fireworks delay due to the celebrations of Australia Day. That's what I like to see. 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. In November 2015, Federer defeated Nadal in three sets in the final of the Swiss Indoors. 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. Federer and Nadal had their only meeting of the 2014 season in the semifinal of the Australian Open. Federer prevailed in a thrilling 5-setter; he came back from a break down in the final set to take the match. Nadal also won the Gold Medal in Singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. [5][92] The match was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which was the first time in years that tennis had made its cover. He made me change my game´", https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/tennis/88817154/roger-federer-says-crushing-claycourt-losses-to-rafael-nadal-shaped-lopsided-rivalry, "Roger Federer reveals exactly how he’s turned Rafael Nadal rivalry on its head after Shanghai win", "Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer in Italian Open final", "ATP Heritage: A Great Rome Final, A Great Rivalry", "Unbeaten Novak Djokovic beats Rafa Nadal in Miami final", "Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win Sony Open in Miami", "Official Site of Men's Professional Tennis – ATP World Tour – Tennis", "Nadal & Federer: 89 Hours And Counting...", "Rafael Nadal Roger Federer – Shanghai 2017", "Australian Open semifinal to speak volumes on Federer-Nadal rivalry", "Is Rafael Nadal the best clay-court player ever? From 2006 to 2008, they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final. 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. 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). Federer and Nadal played each other only twice in 2009, splitting their matches. Federer won 6–4, 3–6, 6–3. Federer and Nadal have never faced each other in the Davis Cup or at the Olympics. Such was the dominance of Federer and Nadal that from 2006 to 2008, they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final. The documentary also includes footage of a skinny 12 year old Nadal before the development of his famously muscular physique and a number of clips of a surprisingly bad tempered Federer who admits in the film that he had to change his behaviour in order to progress his career. Federer and Nadal met at the Shanghai Masters for the first time, contesting the final. Additionally, Federer won 4 of 6 year-end tournaments. 2006: Dubai, Monte Carlo, Rome, French Open, Wimbledon, Masters Cup, 2007: Monte Carlo, Hamburg, French Open, Wimbledon, Masters Cup, 2008: Monte Carlo, Hamburg, French Open, Wimbledon, 2011: Miami, Madrid, French Open, World Tour Finals, 2013: Indian Wells, Rome, Cincinnati, World Tour Finals, 2017: Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Shanghai, Comparison of Grand Slam tournament titles, Combined singles performance timeline (best result), 2011 Mubadala World Tennis Championship (December), 2015 International Premier Tennis League season, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Tennis performance timeline comparison (men), List of career achievements by Roger Federer, List of career achievements by Rafael Nadal, List of Grand Slam men's singles champions, "Federer vs Nadal hidden numbers of an infinity story", "Wimbledon 2008: John McEnroe hails Rafael Nadal victory as greatest final ever", "Fedal final the 'most important ever,' says Wilander", "Australian Open: Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal tipped as 'biggest' final ever", "Far more on the line than an Aussie Open trophy for Federer, Nadal", "Australian Open 2017: Roddick says Nadal-Federer final would be greatest ever", "Rafael Nadal to play Roger Federer in Australian Open final", "We Hereby Declare Roger Federer the Greatest Ever After Epic Australian Open Win", "Federer Leaves Australia as Best Ever, Showing Tennis What It Sorely Lacks", "The Federer-Nadal Australian Open final has finally settled the greatest-of-all-time debate", http://www.foxsports.com/tennis/story/roger-federer-australian-open-win-rafael-nadal-18th-grand-slam-best-ever-greatest-goat-match-012917, "Fantastic finish in Rome: Nadal edges Federer in five-hour thriller", "Only Nadal in way of Federer's record run", "Federer Wins His Fifth Wimbledon Title in a Row", "The 10 Most Lopsided Grand Slam Finals in Men's Tennis", "Federer, Nadal set for Wimbledon showdown", "Nadal enters Wimbledon final with clear mental edge", "Nadal outlasts Federer in epic final to halt streak at five – Tennis – ESPN", "Nadal defeats Federer to win Australian Open title", "First title of year gives boost to Federer", "Nadal Tops Federer To Set Djokovic Final", "Nadal Holds Off Federer For Final Berth", "Nadal Denies Federer To Win Sixth Roland Garros Crown", "Federer vs. Nadal: A Magnificent Past and a Murky Future", "Nadal Makes Quick Work of Ailing Federer", http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/03/13/Shark-Bites-Miami-Final-Murray.aspx, "Roger Federer switching back to old racket through the U.S. Open", "FEDAL REIGN SUPREME ON THE DOUBLES COURT", "Roger Federer has turned his weakest shot into a weapon", "French Open 2019: Rafael Nadal dismantles Roger Federer to enter record 12th final at Roland Garros", "Federer avenges 2008 Wimbledon final loss to Nadal and sets up Djokovic showdown", "Federer downs Nadal in Seoul exhibition", "Nadal wins Battle of Surfaces exhibition", "Tennis: Nadal to meet Federer in an exhibition", "Newsweek: We should mourn the decline of grass court tennis", "Rethinking Federer-Nadal: Roger's Backhand Puts Him at a Major Disadvantage – Tennis Now", "Roger Federer: ´Rivalry with Rafa has been the most intense of my life. This includes a record 211 consecutive weeks sharing the top two rankings from July 2005 to August 2009. However, from 2008 to 2014 Australian Open, Nadal compiled a lopsided 15–4 record, leading on each surface, grass (1–0), hard (7–3) and clay (7–1). Federer won in straight sets, claiming a fifth consecutive win over Nadal. Men's tennis has been dominated by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer since the early 2000s. Since then, after they played only one match in the next three years, Federer has dominated the rivalry with a 6–1 record. 1 in straight sets. While Nadal has not won a year-end championship, he has made the finals twice, in 2010 and 2013. The documentary features contributions from former players such as John McEnroe, Björn Borg, Pete Sampras, Tim Henman and Carlos Moya – Nadal's current coach – and family members including Federer's mother and father. The Federer-Nadal rivalry renewed at the Australian Open 2017 final – their first meeting in a Slam final since 2011. 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. Nadal, who had to defeat Federer during each of his first six Grand Slam title runs, possesses a 6–3 advantage in th… 2 pair to win 11 consecutive Grand Slam singles tournaments between them (from the 2005 French Open to the 2007 US Open). Nadal had to deal with Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray in the golden age of tennis." 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). .tourney-details.action-buttons a[href*="watch-live"] { [4][5][6][7] This match broke Federer's Open-Era-record 65-match winning streak on grass, which had spanned more than five years.[30]. They are just 2 of 3 players (the other being Björn Borg) to win more than, First pair in tennis history to win the 2 first major tournaments of the season. Doubles Preview: Will Krawietz/Mies Retain Their Roland Garros Title? [6][93] The high-profile status of the rivalry saw Sky Sports comparing it to another modern day rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.[94]. Federer then led 5–3 in the fifth-set tiebreaker, but Nadal won the next four points to claim the title. The 33-year-old has dominated the Swiss ace 6–0 at the French Open and 3–1 at the Australian Open, while Federer leads 3–1 at the Wimbledon Championships. This would also be Federer's last career match played with his 90-inch racquet before upgrading to a larger frame. Nadal won again 6–1, 7–5. REPORTS: Absence of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic Takes a Toll on TV Ratings, Alexander Zverev Responds To Being Called the Third Best Player Besides Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem, Dominic Thiem Contradicts Rafael Nadal, Says ‘Conditions Are Comfortable’ at French Open 2020, Dominic Thiem Details About Relationship With Roger Federer, Roger Federer Reveals How He Beat Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon Championships 2019. 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). [1][2] Nadal leads 6–0 at the French Open and 3–1 at the Australian Open, while Federer leads 3–1 at Wimbledon. An illuminating film, it was well received by audiences, scoring 9.2 on IMDB's user rating database. This was their first encounter on Swiss soil, as Federer captured a seventh title in his hometown of Basel. 1 in the ATP Rankings — nearly 10 years! The two have made slight criticisms of one another in the past, nevertheless. 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.[24][25]. 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. * Roger & Rafa: Every Match Ever Played, Federer & Nadal's Five FedEx ATP Head2Head Meetings At Roland Garros. Nadal won the title winning the final set in near darkness. a[href*="/australian-open/580/draws?matchType=qualifierSingles"]{display:none !important}. Their lone doubles match was at Indian Wells. During the Open Era, only two pairs of players have played each other in the final of the same Grand Slam singles tournament three consecutive years: Federer and Nadal are the only pair to win at least four consecutive finals at three different Majors during the same period (2005–08 and 2010–14 French Open for Nadal, 2003–07 Wimbledon and 2004–08 US Open for Federer). 2 pair in the Open Era to contest the French Open and Wimbledon men's finals back to back in a calendar year. Did You Know? The winner of Friday’s match will be No. [85] 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. Their last match on clay was played at the 2019 French Open. This was the first time they had contested a match as the top two ranked players in the world since the 2010 ATP Finals. Their 37th meeting came in the Miami final. This was a charity tennis match for the Fundación Rafa Nadal (Rafael Nadal Foundation). Federer's birthday is 8 August 1981, while Nadal's is 3 June 1986. ATPTour.com looks at some of the stats you need to know ahead of Federer and Nadal's encounter: More On Roger vs Rafa, XXXIX Thus, Nadal's topspin is less effective on such faster courts, but is most effective on slower courts such as clay. Nadal and Federer have played 16 of their 40 matches on clay, with Nadal holding a 14–2 advantage over Federer. In both the 2006 and 2007 Roland Garros finals, Nadal snapped Federer’s 27-match Grand Slam win … Nadal defeated Federer in Monte Carlo for the third straight year, capturing his Open-Era-record fourth consecutive title there. They are also the only pair in the history of tennis to contest both of these finals back to back for three consecutive years (2006–08). Federer leads 2–1 on hard, Nadal leads 1–0 on clay and they are tied at 1–1 on grass, () = active record (updated 31 August 2020), This page was last edited on 20 September 2020, at 13:12. 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 was seeded 9th. In 2005, Federer prevented Nadal from winning Miami in a five-set final. Federer and Nadal met four times in 2013 with Nadal prevailing on every occasion. After the delay, Nadal came back to win in four sets, improving his hard-court record over Federer. Federer had just switched back to his old racquet after experimenting with a larger frame in his previous two tournaments. He also prevented Nadal from winning in Shanghai, defeating the Spaniard in the final. This was the first Grand Slam tournament that Federer played after switching to a new larger racquet. The scoreline puts the match among the most one-sided in Grand Slam finals history. In the 14 Grand Slam matches between them, Nadal leads 10–4. The rivalry was renewed in the 2017 Australian Open final, their first meeting in a Grand Slam final since 2011. [54] 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.[55]. It’s been a decade and a half since the two goliaths of the sport – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal unfolded their rivalry for the first time which is still going strong. Federer and Nadal met for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters. Both players began the year strong, reaching the final of the Australian Open. This was Nadal's first win over Federer on indoor hard courts. At five hours and five minutes, this is the longest match Federer and Nadal have ever contested. [76] 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. 34 at the time,[18] surprised many by beating the then No. He also beat Federer twice in the Rome finals, in 2006 and 2013. 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. The other pairs being. The 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts. Then, when my career is over, then we'll count." This was the first hard-court Grand Slam final for Nadal, but Federer was undefeated in eight hard-court finals (five US Open, three Australian). Federer won the Silver at the 2012 London Olympics. Federer and Nadal have combined to win 8 consecutive Wimbledon (2003–10) and 10 consecutive French Open (2005–14). 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). Statistically, Nadal has the highest win percentage on clay of any player in ATP history, and is second only to Anthony Wilding all-time. Federer defeated Nadal in the 2010 finals and leads their head-to-head for the event 4–1. 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. Looking at titles, he is the greatest at the moment. The pair met each other for the first time at the Miami Open 2004 when Nadal was just 17-year-old and managed to stun the then World No.1 Federer and had the world at his disposal. ", "Pete Sampras Reiterates That Roger Federer Is The 'Greatest' Player That Tennis Has Ever Seen", "Roger Federer annoyed with Rafael Nadal's slow play on court", "Australian Open: Roger Federer 'cool' with Rafael Nadal criticism", "Matches with Nadal are special for Federer", "Match of a Generation: 2008 Wimbledon Final", "Federer-Nadal continue historic rivalry", "Federer v Nadal 2008: Wimbledon's greatest final a decade on", "Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer's 2008 final - what made it so special? The two met on clay in the final of the Madrid Open, one year after their last match, and Nadal defeated Federer in straight sets. In 2006, Nadal and Federer faced each other in six matches. The loser will be No. Nadal and Djokovic later did this in 2019. [3] 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. Nadal leads 14–10 in finals. While Swiss star Federer has eight wins on grass at Wimbledon from his collection of 20 slams. From the 2004 Wimbledon Championships to the 2011 French Open, at least one of them appeared in 25 of 28 Major finals, winning all of them except the 2005 Australian Open, the 2008 Australian Open, the 2011 Australian Open, and the 2009 US Open. The victory by Federer also ended Nadal's 33-match winning streak on clay and foreshadowed the Swiss' historic victory at the French Open, which completed his Career Grand Slam. Federer won 6–3, 3–6, 6–3. Nadal was the only player to have a positive record against Federer (with more than 2 matches played) in that time span (8–6), Neither of them won their bronze medal matches at the Olympic Games (Federer in 2000; Nadal in 2016), Each of them won golden medal in men's doubles at the Olympic Games (Federer in 2008; Nadal in 2016), Each player won three 5-set matches against the other player: 2 in Grand Slam (1 in Australian Open and 1 at Wimbledon) and 1 in Masters Series (all in finals); Federer won 2005 Miami Masters, 2007 Wimbledon and 2017 Australian Open, while Nadal won 2006 Rome Masters, 2008 Wimbledon and 2009 Australian Open. From 2005–2010, Nadal won at least 2 of the 3 clay Masters events each year, defeating Federer in 6 of those. From Nadal's first Grand Slam tournament victory at the 2005 French Open until the 2011 French Open, Federer and Nadal had won 22 of 25 Major titles (12 for Federer, 10 for Nadal). The exceptions were the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, won by Novak Djokovic, and the 2009 US Open, won by. Nadal is the youngest male in the Open Era to win the Career Grand Slam. Nadal won 7–6(7–3), 4–6, 6–1. As of September 2019 Roger Federer holds the all-time record for the most Grand Slam men's tournament titles with 20. Federer won the first set quickly, but Nadal fought back and took the next three sets to capture his second French Open title. Nadal won the charity exhibition 7–5. Both Federer and Nadal are at the culmination of their career. Their match, a rematch of the previous year's final, saw Federer win a lopsided match in straight sets.[38]. This marked the first time in their rivalry that Federer confronted and went undefeated against Nadal multiple times in a single tennis season. In the history of tennis, Federer and Nadal are the only pair to face each other in nine Grand Slam singles finals (2006–08, 2011 French Open, 2006–08 Wimbledon, 2009, 2017 Australian Open). Nadal is second on the all-time list for the most Grand Slam titles with 19 in total: 12 on clay, 5 on hard courts, and 2 on grass. People talk about their head-to-head being the determining factor, but I can’t comprehend a single match-up being the deciding factor. They faced off again a month later in the final of Wimbledon, which was their first meeting on grass. 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.[68][69][70]. 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.