By Randy Walker
Many are speculating – and hoping – that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will renew their epic rivalry soon.
The two titans have not clashed in a year – since the final of Madrid last May, won by Federer 6-4, 6-4. The stretch equals the two player’s longest period without playing – matching the one year period between their first and second meetings at the 2004 and 2005 Sony Ericson Opens.
The rivalry began on March 28, 2004 when Nadal, then an aspiring 17-year-old, took down the world No. 1 Federer 6-3, 6-3 in the third round of Key Biscayne – then labeled as the NASDAQ-100 Open. As outlined in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, www.TennisHistoryBook.com), Nadal was the youngest man in the tournament field and said following the match, “I played almost perfect tennis.” Federer’s loss was only his second in 25 matches in the 2004 season and predicted great things for the young Spaniard. “He hit some really incredible shots, and that’s what youngsters do. I’ve heard a lot about him and saw some of his matches, so this is not a big surprise.”
The two tennis giants go on to play 19 more matches over the next six years. Their current head-to-head sits at 13-7 in favor of Nadal.
Rene Stauffer, the author of the book THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95 New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) discusses Federer’s first match with Nadal – and that period in his career, in his book excerpt below.
The 2004 season was turning into a triumphal march for Federer. He was celebrated wherever he appeared. His results continued to be worthy of a world No. 1. His first defeat of the year—and in manner of three months—came in mid-February, when he lost to Tim Henman in the quarterfinals of Rotterdam. He quickly regained form and successfully defended his title in Dubai, defeating the Spainard Feliciano Lopez in the final. At the Tennis Masters Series event in Indian Wells, Federer avenged his loss to Henman in the championship match and realized his first “countable” victory against another of his early nemeses. The win over Henman was only his second in eight matches, with Federer’s only previous win over the Brit in Key Biscayne in 2002 being decided when Henman was forced to quit after one set due to a stiff neck. His victory, therefore, was especially satisfying. “Now I believe that no opponent has a psychological advantage over me,” he said.
An opponent that would bring Federer to his knees, however, appeared shortly after Indian Wells—illness. Immediately after the final, Federer began to run a fever and suffer from nausea and muscle pains. Despite his illness, he did not cancel his pre-arranged trip to Portland, Ore., the home of his clothing sponsor “Nike,” for a promotional visit, but en route to Miami for the next tournament, Federer was forced to stop and check into an airport hotel in Los Angeles to rest and try to recover. As he and Mirka finally arrived in Florida, he considered withdrawing from the tournament, but when rain gave him an extra day of rest, he decided to give it a go.
After he was able to muster up enough strength to negotiate a three-set win in his first match against No. 54-ranked Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, Federer next drew the highly-regarded Spaniard Rafael Nadal. The 17-year-old left-hander from Mallorca played what he described at the time as the best match of his life and dominated the listless Federer 6-3, 6-3. The loss was the most decisive defeat Federer experienced in a year. Nadal also became the youngest player to defeat the Wimbledon champion. Federer was not surprised that he lost since he was not yet recovered from his illness. Nonetheless, he suspected that Nadal would be a dangerous rival coming of age. “He will become the most powerful left-hander in tennis in the coming years,” Federer prophesized.