Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer; the arch rivals – Last Part
This is the eight and the final description of the Rafa-Roger rivalry highlighting the pair’s total career meetings on the ATP tour.
17. 2006 Masters Series Monte-Carlo; title battle
The Swiss superstar went unbeaten between the Dubai battle and this one in April. Rafa, on the other hand, was coming off his second round loss at Miami.
The current world number one, Rafael Nadal, however regained his form at Monte-Carlo. He took the interesting battle in three hours and forty nine minutes and overcame a deficit of 0-3 in the final tie-break. Nadal maintained his lead against Federer throughout
the match and in the end sealed win in four sets. The final match score was 6-2, 6-7, (2) 6-3, 7-6(5).
18. 2006 Dubai Tennis tournament; title battle
The 29-year-old Roger came into this match, having captured the Doha title as well as Australian Open, beating Marcos Baghdatis in the finals.
The Spaniard, on the other hand, was making a comeback on the tour after his ankle injury he suffered at the Madrid Masters Series competition in October.
This was the first meeting of the pair with the Spanish ace holding the ATP ranking of number two on the tour. He did well to emerge victorious in the end despite of taking fewer points as he won seventy one in contrast to Federer’s seventy eight. The final
match score was 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Both of them broke serve on three occasions; however Rafa won the points at crucial moments of the match. It was his tenth win in the title battles which also snapped Roger’s Open Era mark of fifty six match victories in a row on hard courts.
19. 2005 French Open; semi-final
This was the most awaited clash of the competition. Roger was already enjoying the top spot in the ATP rankings, whereas, Rafa on the other hand was ranked number five in the world at that time.
The left handed Rafa came to Roland Garros after winning crowns at the ATP Masters Series competitions in Monte Carlo and Rome. Meanwhile, the sixteen times Grand Slam Champion, Roger Federer, was fresh off his second clay court title in a row at Masters
Series in Hamburg.
After losing the opening set, Roger did well to even the score by taking the following set; however after that his form fell as his opponent managed to take charge of the game, ousting Roger in four sets in the end. The final match score was 6-3, 4-6, 6-4,
6-3.
20. 2005 NASDAQ-1OO Open, Miami; title battle
The Fed Express was looking for revenge. He once again came into the Miami competition with just a single defeat for the season and fresh off a crown in Indian Wells. Rafa was also a year older and mature, already having captured three ATP trophies.
After having an ideal start, the Spaniard lost his focus in the second set as Federer bounced back into the match and afterwards despite a good fight from the Spaniard he did not look back and sealed win in five sets in the end. The final match score was
2-6, 6-7, (4) 7-6, (5) 6-3, 6-1.
21. 2004 NASDAQ-100 Open, Miami; third round
The Swiss native came into the ATP Masters Series competition on a roll, having captured the Australian Open title, after getting the better of Marat Safin and Pacific Life Open in India Wells prior to Miami.
Rafa, the youngest player in the competition at seventeen, was just starting to come to the limelight as a force on the tour and had not yet captured a crown. The Spaniard, however, did extremely well as he stunned everyone by successfully handling the pressure
of facing Roger Federer and eventually beating him in straight sets. The final match score was 6-3, 6-3. It was a big victory for him at that time.
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