Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer enjoyed a legendary tennis rivalry with one another and maintain a friendship to this day.
Disrupting Federer’s dominance on the ATP Tour during the early 2000s, Nadal broke through to join him at the top of the men’s game.
The pair largely locked out the Grand Slam tournaments for quite some time, winning 17 of the 19 available titles between the 2005 French Open and 2009 US Open.
Their rivalry, whilst intense, was played in good spirits, as they respected one another throughout, something that was more than evident during Federer’s retirement.
Both players were in tears as they partnered up in doubles for Federer’s final match at the 2022 Laver Cup, a moment that won’t soon be forgotten.
Federer was also in attendance for Nadal’s goodbye to tennis, as the Swiss star made the trip to Paris for the celebration of the 14-time champion at Roland Garros earlier this year.
Meeting again, this time in Spain, Nadal has posted a social media message to Federer after they spent the morning together at his academy.
Rafael Nadal says he ‘really enjoyed’ spending his morning with Roger Federer
Taking to Instagram, Nadal shared his thoughts on spending his morning with the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
“Really enjoyed our morning together at the Rafael Nadal Academy,” he said.
The two tennis legends can be seen laughing together in Mallorca and posing on one of the practice courts.
Nadal has put more of his focus towards the academy since retiring from tennis, as the institution continues to yield results.
Several notable academy alumni play a major role on the ATP and WTA Tours today.
There will no doubt be more success stories to come, as Nadal looks to provide support for the next generation of tennis stars.
Perhaps some of the players training at his academy will forge rivalries during their careers that can ‘rival’ his and Federer’s, although that will take some going…
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s rivalry
Nadal and Federer played one another 40 times in total, as the Spaniard won their head-to-head 24-16.
They met in nine Grand Slam finals, many of which are considered to be the greatest matches of all time.
2006 French Open F – Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer
2006 Wimbledon F – Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal
2007 French Open F – Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer
2007 Wimbledon F – Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal
2008 French Open F – Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer
2008 Wimbledon F – Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer
2009 Australian Open F – Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer
2011 French Open F – Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer
2017 Australian Open F – Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal
One of their most iconic clashes came in the 2008 Wimbledon final, where the pair battled it out in a five-set thriller on Centre Court.
After four hours and 48 minutes of brutal action, it was Nadal who secured the win, lifting the Wimbledon title for the first time in his career.
They played one final match against one another at Wimbledon 11 years later, where Federer got his revenge, taking down his rival in four sets in the semis.
After 15 years, Federer and Nadal’s rivalry had reached its conclusion, leaving behind plenty of memories for fans to look back upon.
