Roger Federer's last match will be a doubles match with Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup. We mark the occasion by looking back on the most iconic rivalry in tennis history.
The legendary duo won 42 Grand Slam titles between them during their careers, with Federer now finished on 20, and have treated the world to 40 battles since their first meeting way back in 2004 when a 17-year-old Nadal won in straight sets.
Many of the encounters that followed were classics, including arguably the greatest match ever in the 2008 Wimbledon final, while their last also came on Centre Court in the 2019 semi-finals as Federer beat him for the 16th time.
During the peak era of their combined dominance of the men's game, they won 21 of the 24 Grand Slams played between 2005 and 2010, featuring a run of 11 consecutive titles (2005 French Open to the 2007 US Open) that was fittingly ended by a certain Novak Djokovic when claiming his maiden crown at the 2008 Australian Open.
Here we look at the key statistics between the pair down the years, as well as some clips from some of their most famous moments.
πΎ Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal hit 149 winners between them in their epic 2008 Wimbledon final.
β Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) June 29, 2020
π And the best two happened in consecutive points of an epic fourth set tiebreak...pic.twitter.com/XLpvVMWC5A
This spectacular winner from Roger Federer in his last ever meeting with Rafael Nadal in 2019 has to be up there with one of his best.
β Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) September 15, 2022
Happy retirement to the GOAT.pic.twitter.com/ay7ANfPrGR
Their second ever meeting gave us more than a glimpse of what kind of thrillers they'd be serving up in future years as Federer came from two sets down - and 4-1 in the third - to claim the Masters title in Miami. Although Nadal had yet to get off the mark for Grand Slam titles, he'd won their first battle at this venue 12 months earlier as a 17-year-old so Federer knew full well about the Spaniard's potential and abilities. So often the front runner in his matches, Federer had to show tremendous fighting spirit when the game looked dead and buried before soaring towards the finish line. This remarkably remained the only match Nadal had lost from two sets up until his 2015 US Open defeat to Fabio Fognini.
Arguably the greatest claycourt battle between these two great rivals came in the Eternal City rather than Roland Garros, although Federer couldn't quite prevent Nadal running out winner once again. It lasted more than five hours - but it kept an enthralled crowd on the edge of their seats. Federer looked as though he had the momentum when he took control in the fourth set and then went a break up in the decider only for Nadal to keep running and never give in. At 5-6 and 15-40 down he saved two match points before claiming the resultant tie-break to claim his 53rd victory in a row on the clay. His streak would finally stop at 81.
For many tennis fans the world over, this is the greatest tennis match of all time. The quality reached an astounding peak in the fourth-set tie-break as Federer fought back from two sets down to level the match, saving two championship points in the process. Rain interrupted the decider and gave everyone a chance to catch their breath but after the players returned, Federer would finally crack in the 15th game. Nadal duly served out, clinching victory after four hours and 48 minutes of sensational tennis at 9.15pm.
Another Grand Slam final between the pair went the full distance and and challenged the epic Wimbledon clash in terms of quality, as the high-bouncing hardcourt allowed both players to show off their full array of shotmaking artistry. However, having twice fought back from a set down, Federer looked weary in the decider as Nadal took control, pushing on to add another notch to his tally of wins over Federer and saw him confirmed as the new king of the court.
Four-and-a-half years had passed since his 17th title but he defied his six-month absence from the sport by stunning his arch rival Nadal in five captivating sets after three hours and 38 minutes inside Rod Laver Arena. Nadal twice came back from a set down, and then led by a break in the fifth, but Federer drew on all his powers of brilliance - in particular being very aggressive on his backhand - to win one of the most unpredictable finals in recent memory. The feat was made more remarkable by the fact Federer took the second half of 2016 off to recover from injury.
Match-by-match results further down
One of the most iconic rivalries in world sport.
β Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 22, 2022
Reliving the best point from EVERY Federer vs Nadal ATP match π»@rogerfederer @rafaelnadal #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/YlgcTLiFwY
Think back to January 2017.#Federer had not won a Grand Slam for almost five years and had spent six months out injured.
β Andy Schooler (@SchoolerSport) September 15, 2022
How on earth did he win the Australian Open?
The final was a classic...pic.twitter.com/18Z1I1OskB
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
πRoger Federer, the gift that keeps giving for 15 years!
β Sporting Life (@SportingLife) January 28, 2018
π¬π§ 2003
π¦πΊ 2004
π¬π§ 2004
πΊπΈ 2004
π¬π§ 2005
πΊπΈ 2005
π¦πΊ 2006
π¬π§ 2006
πΊπΈ 2006
π¦πΊ 2007
π¬π§ 2007
πΊπΈ 2007
πΊπΈ 2008
π«π· 2009
π¬π§ 2009
π¦πΊ 2010
π¬π§ 2012
π¦πΊ 2017
π¬π§ 2017
π¦πΊ 2018#Federer20 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/AVauF694eO
FRENCH OPEN
Rafael Nadal π€ #FrenchOpen
β Sporting Life π―π΄πΎβ³οΈπ₯ππ π (@SportingLifeFC) June 5, 2022
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WIMBLEDON
2003 π
β Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 16, 2017
2004 π
2005 π
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2017 π
The moment @rogerfederer won #Wimbledon title No.8 pic.twitter.com/rMzNNA6M0K
US OPEN