Being a Federer fan and looking back at that time it's amazing to see how Nadal managed to neutralize Federer's biggest weapons from the beginning. He truly was his kryptonyte. At the time I couldn't stand it. I couldn't figure out why Federer, being n.1 and being the best in the world, couldn't come to grips with this player who looked to be promising and very good on clay but did not have his arsenal of shots and his class. Rafa inflicted me plenty of pain. But as the years went by he gained my respect and admiration. He's become one the best 3 guys of all time in this sport. It's like he was sent on earth to stop Federer and, being now older and more mature, I understand all the technical reasons why that happened in the first part of their rivalry. But my god, what a save from Roger here. Great match.
@TvRFReloaded of course, but being this way early in their rivalry you can tell how he was trying to play just as he was approaching all the other guys. Which was not the case obviously. That's why Rafa shook his certainties right from the very beginning in my opinion.
Same for me. Culminating in the Wimbledon 2008 loss and then the AO 2009 loss. Had to come to terms with it and say.... He's just that good and owned Federer for the most part early in their careers. Won his first encounter with Fed as No1 maybe aged 17 or something. How many players can say that? AO 2017 and rest of that season did feel good, gotta admit. Neo Backhand FTW. 😅
The simple answer:- His lefthanded forehand abused Federer’s backhand. Federer’s most successful times against Nadal was when his backhand was at its most consistent.
One of the things I miss the most about Roger is watching his movement and footwork. it's not jus that none of the today's players have his crazy level of talent - it's that the move like tanks on a battlefield. Roger was always so light and agile with his footwork. When John McEnroe would say he was like watching Baryshnikov some people took that as hyperbole. However, when you watch these old matches you can really appreciate just how great a mover Roger was. Even at age 38 - he still had great footwork and movement. If there's one thing young tennis players should be taking from bingeing Federer videos - it's his movement and footwork. Without it he couldn't have been so successful with the creativity of all his other fabulous creative attributes that everyone loves to admire.
I don´t recall who said it first, but it´s true: Federer´s talent may have been God given, but Nadal taught him how to fight. What a great match - and many more were to come.
I’d say players like Sampras and even Agassi before Nadal taught Fed how to fight. Nadal, and then Djokovic would teach Federer humility and ultimately take him to a place of self-doubt, which led to a few massive losses in matches he should’ve won. Particularly against Djokovic.
What a match! Those on-the-run, cross court backhand passing winners (2 examples in the first set) was the first shot type that got me hooked on Rafa. I remember being amazed at the power, angle, and precision he managed while being pushed so deep into his backhand corner. I mean, most players would have given up, but I remember thinking "he's gonna put this away", whenever he was forced into his backhand like that, with his opponent approaching the net (typically closing off the down-the-line backhand, that they expect from any other player). To bad he stopped using that shot somewhere around 2010... :(
It's incredible that it took 12 years for Federer to find an answer to Rafa's high shot on his backhand. In most of his matches, Roger's face looked displeased and frustrated at not being able to counteract Rafa's game. For me the best rivalry in tennis along with Nole vs Rafa
@@masters.1000 And isn't that part of what I just wrote? Dude, it doesn't matter how much tension his racket had, what strings he used or what racket he used, the point is that he couldn't find the solution to those Rafa shots. Not only me saying it, but also tennis experts and former players. greetings
@@Ajhr86 What I mean is that he couldn't do it as long as he had that racket, it wasn't something solvable. He wouldn't change it just for 1 player, although if he changed it by 2008-10 then he wouldn't have a negative H2H against him.
@@masters.1000 Unlikely since that is your personal opinion. You almost touch that blind fanaticism typical of those who worship Federer. You seek to justify the unjustifiable. Bye
This probably was rafa's only & close chance to claim Miami title as he's 2 points away from victory in 3rd set,his little bit inexperience played a part in his defeat as he run out of steam in sets 4 & 5 but those who watched this young talent from spain knew he would wreak havoc on tour in years to come including roger who predicted rafa would be the other man he's to face in many finals to come ,Tennis world didn't have to wait too long as 2005 witnessed rafa winning his first slam and many masters on clay. Both fought for the title like true champions 🐐🇨🇭🤝🇪🇸🐐
@@rub1516yes that’s right, I believe. But no one mentions it and it’s not featured here. That must have been tough on a raw 18 year old playing against the world no. 1.
This was my first full tournament i watched. I was just starting to try to play tennis myself. I knew Nadal was going to be special, i can't remember for sure, but i think he was ranked in the high to mid 30's at this point. Dude won rolland garos a few months later, knocked my man federer out in the semis, and beat puerta in the finals. I even tried to adopt nadals full Western forehand he had at the time because I had trouble producing topspin on my forehand, I hit my head on the follow through and decided against it😂😂😂.
What a Match , Unbelievable. Out of this world. Rafa is my all time favorite for No. two Position. And off course Federer has skills, stamina & determination
@@Nostalgic14-zo3pkHe did, so what ? Their rallies are still more enjoyable than Nole's. He may be 1st most succesfull player in Grand slam history, yet people dont watch or like him as much as they do in favour of this two. People like you cant respect other competitors. There simply wont be anyone like big 3. Its not about one of them. Without each other they wouldnt stand where they stand...
The WTA should be playing best of 5s since their matches are shorter. I still can't believe they get paid the same at GSs for best of 3 which usually take an hour/match while men play best of 5 which takes 2.5-5 hours. The women's longest matches are the men's shortest matches at around 2 and a half hours.
Guys…Rafa and Novak eventually learned how to deviously slow down the FedExpress via exploiting the time to serve. Because of those two utilizing those tactics on both offense and defense for years and years and years, the shot clock was eventually born. Just look at how fast Rafa served here vs later in his career. Unfortunately, Roger was on the decline after that new rule was implemented…otherwise I think we’d see Roger with 30 slams.
it just an age thing really bar those two chokes from fed at us open agasinty djoker. rafa got old and couldn't defend aswel, same for fed for attacking.
Nadal reached the finals 5 times and lost all of them. Not even a single Miami open Masters trophy. 2005 - Federer 2008 - Davydenko 2011 - Djokovic 2014 - Djokovic 2017 - Federer
Best rivalry of all time.... Djokovic (who i like too) is ahead of them both in term of palmares but the emotion that these 2 gave to us is uncomparable !!!
It's astounding how some individuals feel compelled to assert a perceived superiority of a third player over others instead of simply enjoying the sport. Intervening on behalf of someone who doesn't need your help or defense suggests a complex rather than a genuine appreciation for the game. It's genuinely childish.
this was less than a year after roddick destroyed nadal at the US Open, nearly taking his head off with several serves. amazing how much he improved in so short a time. of course he dominated roddick most of his career. still strange to see nadal run out of gas at the end. not sure if he was tired or gave up cuz of the score but esp. early in his career he had a well earned reputation for endless running and unconquerable fight.
It was very suspicious to see how a then skinny Nadal, after having no more physicality against Federer in this match and not being able to run any more against Hewitt in Australia two months earlier (also decapitated by Roddick 6 months before, would SUDDENLY start running like a rabbit in endless marathons in the following week in Monte Carlo and Roma against Coria and then beating Puerta physically at Roland Garros. In addition to appearing much more muscular in a matter of weeks. Definitely Uncle Toni and most likely with the complicity and orders of his sponsor Nike, the "owner" of ATP, began to give him prohibited substances. They knew that they had to do something dirty to find a rival for Federer, otherwise they would lose the tennis business. Federer was a monster, and would have won 40 Grand Slams if they hadn´t acted quickly; it would have been beautiful to watch but certainly the interest and ratings in the sport would have fallen considerably. Its all bussiness after all.
@@tennis-man22 Your champ is a coward. This picture of him covering his face in disbelief that he won his 2nd Australian Open title is so disgusting. He knows full well that had it not been for Novak's absence due to the suspicious circumstances of the vaccine, he would not have won this title. He has never beaten Novak at the Australian Open. He hasn't won a single set on hard courts against Novak since 2013. 9 straight defeats against Novak on that surface without winning a single set. Zero Masters Cup - Zero Paris. Aren't you ashamed of yourself for calling him The goat? Novak beat your player in Rome, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Roland Garros. Your player did not prevent Novak from winning all the big titles or completing the golden career masters (twice). Yes, Roger has zero titles in Rome and Monte Carlo, which is why Roger was Nadal's favorite opponent and friend. Because he could not harm him in his kingdom as Novak did more than once
@TvRFReloaded don't joke bro .. according to non Nadal fans ,rafa most records came from clay so it doesn't count but tennis stats wont separate surface to determine who is greater ..rafa has more masters and slams and positive h2h than fed ..Federer can't win more than Nadal in masters and slams even if he has 2 hardcourt slam ,1 grass slam and 6 hardcourt masters compared to 3 clay masters
@TvRFReloaded competitive? 🤣 Rafa dominates everyone in clay and defeated Federer in every tournaments..but Roger can't beat rafa in Monte Carlo Rome and Roland Garros that's the truth ..don't give irrevalant stat ..enjoy the match
He threw it very lightly and everyone was watching him like a hawk, so they knew to try to catch it. No-one would have been hurt by that even if it did hit them.
They're all extremely exceptional humans. FEDAL was so appealing because of how hard they beat each other's brains in during marathon matches and then immediately afterwards they were complete gentlemen, unlike Djoker. I have a very similar birth defect in my feet called tarsal coalition and doctors had advised me and my mother that I shouldn't be running on hard surfaces. But, I'd fallen in love with tennis already, even though pain would radiate from my feet to my hips until the adrenaline kicked in. How he's still standing blows my mind alone, its a degenerative condition that can only get worse. Especially with the incredible intensity of his play eventually puts a strain on other body parts, causing injuries while trying to pick up the slack😢. Sorry, I'll finish explaining much further soon.
if this had been best of three sets, then Nadal would have the Miami title already under his belt. He beat Federer in 2004, but that was not a final...
Not really. Yes, Nadal was robbed of the tiebreaker, maybe, but not the match. It was his responsibility to get over the setback and win. He was still two sets to one up.
When Nadal and Novak played Roger on fast courts they got beaten all the time but slow the courts down like this one was and you see it takes Roger longer to win
It was very suspicious to see how a then skinny Nadal, after having no more physicality against Federer in this match and not being able to run any more against Hewitt in Australia two months earlier (also decapitated by Roddick 6 months before) would SUDDENLY start running like a rabbit in endless marathons in the following week in Monte Carlo and Roma against Coria and then beating Puerta physically at Roland Garros. In addition to appearing much more muscular in a matter of weeks. Definitely Uncle Toni and most likely with the complicity and orders of his sponsor Nike, the "owner" of ATP, began to give him prohibited substances. (and started slowing the courts all over the world) They knew that they had to do something dirty to find a rival for Federer, otherwise they would lose the tennis business. Federer was a monster, and would have won 40 Grand Slams if they hadn´t acted quickly; it would have been beautiful to watch but certainly the interest and ratings in the sport would have fallen considerably, public would have been tired of seeing a lone player winning too much.. Its all bussiness after all.
@@rebecalinares5393 yes Rebecca I agree with what you are saying and myself playing Tennis for 45 years in very high up teams as a serve and volleyer it’s not just physically it’s skill and thinking how to beat a player and Federer would definitely have won at least 40 grand slams if they had kept on using fast courts but as you said not much of a business if one great player wins everything
@@JeffGamby-Hull Yeah the tennis bussiness survives thanks to "rivarlies" between tennis actors, well marketed individuals that will be the faces of the brand. When Nike started they asked McEnroe to wear the jeans, he deciined, so they found out this Las Vegas kid, ordered him to put them on, dye his hair blonde, long and paint his nails; also giving him illegal substances, prescribed and controlled by a trainer from LA Fitness Gil Reyes. As the hair was falling, they gave him the wig "Image is everything" declared Agassi in a Nike Commercial in 1990, wearing a phosphorescent set. With the product "Agassi" a rival to the real and natural good ones, Pete Sampras and the German FILA and Puma associated Boris Becker, the bussiness was secure for a minumim 10 years. Without the Agassi product, Sampras would have won it all, maybe an old Becker stealing some. Lendl, McEnroe and Wilander were already old figures, and Stefan Edberg, a Rolex Gentleman was too impecable to enter their mafioso world. Agassi was caught, suspended, allowed back, a closed door theatre that helped him win 8 major titles. As Agassi was getting old and near retirement, Nike needed the perfect transition, and this was "Rafael Nadal". Without the drugs, "Nadal" would have never won 14 garroses, he probably would have sailed through the top 20-30 all his carreer at best, with some upsets now and then but nothing more. His real level was seen at the 2004 Us Open, 2005 Australian, Indian Wells, Miami. The rest was an "altered" product, to keep the bussiness floating. Nice to see your a good and experienced tennis player, you know exactly what we are talking about. Have a good one.
@@rebecalinares5393Or maybe nadal was on the same level or better than federer?💀its a shame a player like him have fans like you,djokovic fans as well are like that.Just enjoy the rivalry that it was and stop with the bs,u just sound like a kid trying to justify his hero losing,kinda pathetic
never injured. It was just a farse to avoid Federer or Djokovic when he knew he couldnt beat them. Nadal was never "injured" during clay season, the more pysical demanding on the body of them all. He was mostly "injured" during indoor tournaments, where his entire career was a failure. Only 1 tournament won. Also hard and grass where he was never THE BIG favourite. If Nadal would have really been really injured as he made the world believe so much that he wa, she could not have played anymore after 2009. It was all a farse. Now "injured again" every tournamente he has been showing up and defaulting? No. Its just because the sponsors need him there to promote the event and then he decides not to play because he knows his level is not good anymore. Its all bussiness strategies.
Joker doesn't even belong in the top 10. These guys recreated the game. I wish it involved more serve and volley, but their creativity is the best ever!
Same opinion 👍 I believe he would've won 27 slams at least and won many finals on clay against rafa including probably a FO final had he chosen the 2 handed BH.
@@matz1974 I don’t think he figured out much in 2017. Nadal was playing very short with his forehand which allowed Fed to step in more. If Fed had played like that from 2006 til 2014 he would have just kept losing because taking a one handed backhand on the rise is a very high risk shot. Meanwhile Nadal’s forehand to Fed’s backhand is as low risk as it gets. It has lots of spin, lots of net clearance and is aimed crosscourt.
Nadal was his only real problem early on. His game worked on everyone else, and at the time I think he was too stubborn to change it against Nadal. Ljubicic coach him and he finally starts taking nadals forehand to his backhand early. Also , during the early years before Nadal improved he should've been attacking nadals backhand. Nadal struggled mightily to end points with it early on, and it typically landed short. But Nadal improved in every facet through the years. His serve improved, his forehand is more semi Western, his backhand is traditional now, and his net game is night and day, he didn't know how to approach or volley back then, now he's very good.
@@Chris-xc4rv Like I said in above comment, I don't agree that Ljubicic somehow helped Fed figure out Nadal. The reason he was able to take Nadal's forehand early was because Nadal's forehand was landing short between 2015 and 2018. Fed was never going to lead the H2H against Nadal because a one handed backhand is literally a death sentence against a lefty. If Rafa plays 100%, Fed has to play 110% to keep it even. The advantage a lefty has against a OHBH is simply that large.
Back when masters 1000 where 5 seters imagine these new generation doing that.. no wonder rafa got so badly injured.. every fkn turnoment was too 5 sets 😅
Being a lefty, Rafa always had an advantage against Fed. Add to that Rafa’s unique loopy high topspin shots and it became a nightmare for Fed. Rafa was less successful against Novak with this tactic. Fed was always far more skilful as a player and always at a disadvantage with a single handed backhand which really was from a previous era. 2017 was the year Fed became aggressive again with the neo backhand helped with the slightly larger racquet. These three will never be replaced.
Novak is THE best CLUTCH player, ever. GS has nothing to do with goat-ness. Take the legend Lee Chong Wei as example. Mentality is just a property. Novak is better in that. Tennis literally grew because of Federer and Nadal!
You have the 1st and 2nd most liked players playing each other and both are Gentlemen on and off the court and then there is Novak who may have more slams but is not liked much on the tour and has a nasty temper
Fue muy sospechoso ver cómo un entonces flaco Nadal, después de no tener más físico contra Federer en este partido y no poder correr más contra Hewitt en Australia dos meses antes (también decapitado por Roddick 6 meses antes), de repente empezaba a correr como un conejo en interminables maratones la semana siguiente en Montecarlo y Roma contra Coria y luego batiendo físicamente a Puerta en Roland Garros, además de lucir mucho más musculoso en cuestión de semanas. Definitivamente el tío Toni y muy probablemente con la complicidad y órdenes de su patrocinador Nike, el “dueño” de la ATP, empezó a darle sustancias prohibidas. (y comenzó a ralentizar las canchas en todo el mundo) Sabían que tenían que hacer algo sucio para encontrar un rival para Federer, de lo contrario perderían el negocio del tenis. Federer era un monstruo y habría ganado 40 Grand Slams si no hubieran actuado con rapidez; habría sido lindo verlo, pero ciertamente el interés y los ratings en el tenis habrían caído considerablemente. Todo es un sucio negocio.
imo he should've stayed this size. he got too big later in his career and not only did it slow him down, it probably also caused his chronic foot injuries cuz of how hard he ran all the time carrying that extra weight.
It was very suspicious to see how a then skinny Nadal, after having no more physicality against Federer in this match and not being able to run any more against Hewitt in Australia two months earlier (also decapitated by Roddick 6 months before, would SUDDENLY start running like a rabbit in endless marathons in the following week in Monte Carlo and Roma against Coria and then beating Puerta physically at Roland Garros. In addition to appearing much more muscular in a matter of weeks. Definitely Uncle Toni and most likely with the complicity and orders of his sponsor Nike, the "owner" of ATP, began to give him prohibited substances. (and started slowing the courts all over the world) They knew that they had to do something dirty to find a rival for Federer, otherwise they would lose the tennis business. Federer was a monster, and would have won 40 Grand Slams if they hadn´t acted quickly; it would have been beautiful to watch but certainly the interest and ratings in the sport would have fallen considerably. Its all bussiness after all.
@@badmanskill1112 stats aline may define career success, but Roger was the most complete player to grace the game. You enjoy your questionable choice, if you like🤭
@@pawshands9706 I love the fact that Grand Slam totals were all that mattered for GOAT when Federer was ascending to the throne and then captured it. But now you want to play the game of 'his grace, elegance, his popularity'. #3 is still decent. 🤭
Yeah 3 competitive sets in Swiss indoor(fed fav surface) 2017 totally dominated nadal Other than this what did Federer achieve Meanwhile nadal ran riot 23-10 at one(at ur peak from 2004-2014) That's called real trashing and domination
@@rafamessi386716 of those matches being on clay probably had to do with that. Anyway it doesn't matter as Federer is older and Nadal hasn't won anything since the ATP instituted the biological passport in September 2014. Funny how Nadal's decline coincided with that.
@@thesoccergod Djokovic is 37 mate. Fed in his mid-twenties at the peak of his powers was getting schooled by a fetus clay court specialist on hardcourt LOL. 2011 Djokovic would have lost less than ten games against this version of Nadal.
I will call the show and ask for time, if I have time to explain myself I will win the debate. I have developed a program to end atheism with several steps. There is not point in debating if reality is eternal when it has not been understood reality exists. Let's start from the beginning and the easiest. One day at a time. Let's go step by step. The first step or debate is "is the most emblematic remark of atheism "who created god?" rational or irrational?". The first step is the most important, atheists start to walk searching for the truth, the first step is to decide to start a quest to find out if atheism is the truth. The second step or debate is "does something exists now?" or "does reality exists?". The third step is "can something be created from nothing?". The fourth step is "is reality eternal?. The fourth step is a breakthrough, a milestone, once we get get there I think we could have a break to rest and enjoy ourselves because in life not everything is work, we have also to rest and play to work well. The fifth step is hard, a steep upwards slope, more like climbing the mount Everest, "can the universe be eternal?" or "can what has a beginning of existence be eternal?". We rest again and prepare for the next step. Understanding the universe can not be eternal means an eternal reality that created the universe exists, it means something uncreated that created what has a beginning of existence exists. The sixth and final step is "is intelligent what created the universe?". Your new life begins after you completed the journey to discover the truth. The truth is atheism is a logical fallacy that assumes God is the religious idea of the creator of the creation to conclude wrongly no creator exists because a particular idea of God doesn’t exist. I hope to hear from you. Thank you.
One of the all-time best rivalries in tennis. I forgot how aggressive Federer played always trying to come to the net. Great match.
Being a Federer fan and looking back at that time it's amazing to see how Nadal managed to neutralize Federer's biggest weapons from the beginning. He truly was his kryptonyte. At the time I couldn't stand it. I couldn't figure out why Federer, being n.1 and being the best in the world, couldn't come to grips with this player who looked to be promising and very good on clay but did not have his arsenal of shots and his class. Rafa inflicted me plenty of pain. But as the years went by he gained my respect and admiration. He's become one the best 3 guys of all time in this sport. It's like he was sent on earth to stop Federer and, being now older and more mature, I understand all the technical reasons why that happened in the first part of their rivalry. But my god, what a save from Roger here. Great match.
@TvRFReloaded of course, but being this way early in their rivalry you can tell how he was trying to play just as he was approaching all the other guys. Which was not the case obviously. That's why Rafa shook his certainties right from the very beginning in my opinion.
Rafa was the kryptonite of most tennis players of his era.
Same for me. Culminating in the Wimbledon 2008 loss and then the AO 2009 loss. Had to come to terms with it and say.... He's just that good and owned Federer for the most part early in their careers. Won his first encounter with Fed as No1 maybe aged 17 or something. How many players can say that? AO 2017 and rest of that season did feel good, gotta admit. Neo Backhand FTW. 😅
@TvRFReloaded federer didnt win australian open 2005, check your facts
The simple answer:- His lefthanded forehand abused Federer’s backhand. Federer’s most successful times against Nadal was when his backhand was at its most consistent.
One of the things I miss the most about Roger is watching his movement and footwork. it's not jus that none of the today's players have his crazy level of talent - it's that the move like tanks on a battlefield. Roger was always so light and agile with his footwork. When John McEnroe would say he was like watching Baryshnikov some people took that as hyperbole. However, when you watch these old matches you can really appreciate just how great a mover Roger was. Even at age 38 - he still had great footwork and movement. If there's one thing young tennis players should be taking from bingeing Federer videos - it's his movement and footwork. Without it he couldn't have been so successful with the creativity of all his other fabulous creative attributes that everyone loves to admire.
I don´t recall who said it first, but it´s true: Federer´s talent may have been God given, but Nadal taught him how to fight. What a great match - and many more were to come.
I’d say players like Sampras and even Agassi before Nadal taught Fed how to fight. Nadal, and then Djokovic would teach Federer humility and ultimately take him to a place of self-doubt, which led to a few massive losses in matches he should’ve won. Particularly against Djokovic.
The end of an ERA, we will never see it again!!
Nadal's defensive skills when he was that young were just ridiculous.
What a match!
All time greats of the game!
Miss this rivalry so much!
This was almost 20 yrs ago and it feels like yesterday! Oh my how time flies!
Thank you for broadcasting this legendary match.🎾🔥👊
Alcarazs footwork and forehand really looks roger esque. No wonder he said he based his game on him
What a match!
Those on-the-run, cross court backhand passing winners (2 examples in the first set) was the first shot type that got me hooked on Rafa. I remember being amazed at the power, angle, and precision he managed while being pushed so deep into his backhand corner. I mean, most players would have given up, but I remember thinking "he's gonna put this away", whenever he was forced into his backhand like that, with his opponent approaching the net (typically closing off the down-the-line backhand, that they expect from any other player). To bad he stopped using that shot somewhere around 2010... :(
It's incredible that it took 12 years for Federer to find an answer to Rafa's high shot on his backhand. In most of his matches, Roger's face looked displeased and frustrated at not being able to counteract Rafa's game. For me the best rivalry in tennis along with Nole vs Rafa
It wasn't about finding anything. He was playing with a 90' frame, it's impossible to regularly manage high and heavy top spin shots with ease.
@@masters.1000 And isn't that part of what I just wrote? Dude, it doesn't matter how much tension his racket had, what strings he used or what racket he used, the point is that he couldn't find the solution to those Rafa shots. Not only me saying it, but also tennis experts and former players. greetings
@@Ajhr86 What I mean is that he couldn't do it as long as he had that racket, it wasn't something solvable.
He wouldn't change it just for 1 player, although if he changed it by 2008-10 then he wouldn't have a negative H2H against him.
@@masters.1000So what you're saying is he found a better racquet?
@@masters.1000 Unlikely since that is your personal opinion. You almost touch that blind fanaticism typical of those who worship Federer. You seek to justify the unjustifiable. Bye
This probably was rafa's only & close chance to claim Miami title as he's 2 points away from victory in 3rd set,his little bit inexperience played a part in his defeat as he run out of steam in sets 4 & 5 but those who watched this young talent from spain knew he would wreak havoc on tour in years to come including roger who predicted rafa would be the other man he's to face in many finals to come ,Tennis world didn't have to wait too long as 2005 witnessed rafa winning his first slam and many masters on clay.
Both fought for the title like true champions 🐐🇨🇭🤝🇪🇸🐐
Nadal was 2 points away from the title in Miami 2011 as well
There was a bad call in tiebreak
@@rub1516yes that’s right, I believe. But no one mentions it and it’s not featured here. That must have been tough on a raw 18 year old playing against the world no. 1.
@@balajay8921what bad call?
The beginning of an epic rivalry that gave us 40 meetings.
Nope, '04 Miami was the beginning
They had already met the year before, where Rafa beat him in the quarters or semis i think.
14:06 I cannot believe the defence of Nadal here…
What a phenomen he was
This was my first full tournament i watched. I was just starting to try to play tennis myself. I knew Nadal was going to be special, i can't remember for sure, but i think he was ranked in the high to mid 30's at this point. Dude won rolland garos a few months later, knocked my man federer out in the semis, and beat puerta in the finals. I even tried to adopt nadals full Western forehand he had at the time because I had trouble producing topspin on my forehand, I hit my head on the follow through and decided against it😂😂😂.
What a Match , Unbelievable. Out of this world. Rafa is my all time favorite for No. two Position. And off course Federer has skills, stamina & determination
Look at the quality of those rallies.That is the reason why they are the 2nd and 3rd most successful players in Grandslam history.
Very well said I know what u did there😂😂😂
Lol Federer the goat cry about it
@@michael7243Nole fans never cry. 24 gs , most 1000 masters , most world no.1 spot , most golden slam. FEDFANS ALWAYS CRY. USE LOGIC😂
@@Nostalgic14-zo3pkHe did, so what ? Their rallies are still more enjoyable than Nole's. He may be 1st most succesfull player in Grand slam history, yet people dont watch or like him as much as they do in favour of this two. People like you cant respect other competitors. There simply wont be anyone like big 3. Its not about one of them. Without each other they wouldnt stand where they stand...
Always these clowns who go in a fedal video
The best era of tennis was beginning :)
Make masters 1000 best of five again!!!!
Takes too long
Only the final
@@matz1974I like that. Only the final.
You want them to play best of 5's every day? Masters are played over a week while GSs are played over 2 weeks.
The WTA should be playing best of 5s since their matches are shorter. I still can't believe they get paid the same at GSs for best of 3 which usually take an hour/match while men play best of 5 which takes 2.5-5 hours. The women's longest matches are the men's shortest matches at around 2 and a half hours.
An absolutely beautiful match, marred a little by the drop in Rafa's level towards the end.
Guys…Rafa and Novak eventually learned how to deviously slow down the FedExpress via exploiting the time to serve. Because of those two utilizing those tactics on both offense and defense for years and years and years, the shot clock was eventually born. Just look at how fast Rafa served here vs later in his career. Unfortunately, Roger was on the decline after that new rule was implemented…otherwise I think we’d see Roger with 30 slams.
it just an age thing really bar those two chokes from fed at us open agasinty djoker. rafa got old and couldn't defend aswel, same for fed for attacking.
Nadal reached the finals 5 times and lost all of them. Not even a single Miami open Masters trophy.
2005 - Federer
2008 - Davydenko
2011 - Djokovic
2014 - Djokovic
2017 - Federer
Every 3 years 😊
We will never see these players again
Federer the GOAT
les veo cualidades a esos muchachos, creo que llegarán lejos !!
これが伝説の始まりか！！
20:30 the guy that picked the racket was lucky on that day
Este chaval de naranja tiene futuro
Best rivalry of all time.... Djokovic (who i like too) is ahead of them both in term of palmares but the emotion that these 2 gave to us is uncomparable !!!
5 setter in masters.❤
Rafa is so fast that tournament very good playing from him
It's astounding how some individuals feel compelled to assert a perceived superiority of a third player over others instead of simply enjoying the sport. Intervening on behalf of someone who doesn't need your help or defense suggests a complex rather than a genuine appreciation for the game. It's genuinely childish.
Just one word: haters
Yes. Novak fans are terribly insecure and childish. Makes it difficult to be a tennis fan. It used to be much more respectful
Any and all Federer footage should be remastered, stat!
Roger to Rafa: I won't let you winning Miami.
Rafa to Roger: i won't let you winning Rome.
Un torneo maldito para Rafa perdio muchas finales hasta q no quiso jugarlo más.
this was less than a year after roddick destroyed nadal at the US Open, nearly taking his head off with several serves. amazing how much he improved in so short a time. of course he dominated roddick most of his career. still strange to see nadal run out of gas at the end. not sure if he was tired or gave up cuz of the score but esp. early in his career he had a well earned reputation for endless running and unconquerable fight.
Same thing happened in Australia Vs hewitt
It was very suspicious to see how a then skinny Nadal, after having no more physicality against Federer in this match and not being able to run any more against Hewitt in Australia two months earlier (also decapitated by Roddick 6 months before, would SUDDENLY start running like a rabbit in endless marathons in the following week in Monte Carlo and Roma against Coria and then beating Puerta physically at Roland Garros. In addition to appearing much more muscular in a matter of weeks.
Definitely Uncle Toni and most likely with the complicity and orders of his sponsor Nike, the "owner" of ATP, began to give him prohibited substances.
They knew that they had to do something dirty to find a rival for Federer, otherwise they would lose the tennis business.
Federer was a monster, and would have won 40 Grand Slams if they hadn´t acted quickly; it would have been beautiful to watch but certainly the interest and ratings in the sport would have fallen considerably.
Its all bussiness after all.
Nadal GOAT
Why does what you called Goat have Zero Titles in Miami? 😂😂
@@MalekAhmed-kz3zudjokovic forever 0 olympics lmao
Federer, Djokovic and Nadal all GOATs
@@MalekAhmed-kz3zu bcs Fed has 0 Rome and Djoko has 0 golds
@@tennis-man22 Your champ is a coward. This picture of him covering his face in disbelief that he won his 2nd Australian Open title is so disgusting. He knows full well that had it not been for Novak's absence due to the suspicious circumstances of the vaccine, he would not have won this title. He has never beaten Novak at the Australian Open. He hasn't won a single set on hard courts against Novak since 2013. 9 straight defeats against Novak on that surface without winning a single set. Zero Masters Cup - Zero Paris. Aren't you ashamed of yourself for calling him The goat? Novak beat your player in Rome, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Roland Garros. Your player did not prevent Novak from winning all the big titles or completing the golden career masters (twice). Yes, Roger has zero titles in Rome and Monte Carlo, which is why Roger was Nadal's favorite opponent and friend. Because he could not harm him in his kingdom as Novak did more than once
Federer is superhuman !
The greatest and Federer! What a match ❤
*the greatest on clay and the GOAT you mean 😊
@@initialize21 well I didn't want to gloat buy yes, he is absolutely the greatest on clay and best overall. You're right :)
@TvRFReloadedyour iq is low 😂
Prime Nadal has owned Prime federer everywhere, DURING BOTH PRIMES. You know it too
@TvRFReloaded don't joke bro .. according to non Nadal fans ,rafa most records came from clay so it doesn't count but tennis stats wont separate surface to determine who is greater ..rafa has more masters and slams and positive h2h than fed ..Federer can't win more than Nadal in masters and slams even if he has 2 hardcourt slam ,1 grass slam and 6 hardcourt masters compared to 3 clay masters
@TvRFReloaded competitive? 🤣 Rafa dominates everyone in clay and defeated Federer in every tournaments..but Roger can't beat rafa in Monte Carlo Rome and Roland Garros that's the truth ..don't give irrevalant stat ..enjoy the match
Roger had the prettiest game... he was unique.
they used to play 5 sets in mimi?
Until 2007, M1000 finals were played as a best of 5 sets
thanks @@AlejandroGarcia-wz1qi
Prime Federer Vs Prime Nadal. Match 1.
20:30 he throws the blunt object into a crowd of innocent people. So what if someone gets injured?
He threw it very lightly and everyone was watching him like a hawk, so they knew to try to catch it. No-one would have been hurt by that even if it did hit them.
They're all extremely exceptional humans. FEDAL was so appealing because of how hard they beat each other's brains in during marathon matches and then immediately afterwards they were complete gentlemen, unlike Djoker. I have a very similar birth defect in my feet called tarsal coalition and doctors had advised me and my mother that I shouldn't be running on hard surfaces. But, I'd fallen in love with tennis already, even though pain would radiate from my feet to my hips until the adrenaline kicked in. How he's still standing blows my mind alone, its a degenerative condition that can only get worse. Especially with the incredible intensity of his play eventually puts a strain on other body parts, causing injuries while trying to pick up the slack😢. Sorry, I'll finish explaining much further soon.
if this had been best of three sets, then Nadal would have the Miami title already under his belt. He beat Federer in 2004, but that was not a final...
This is why Nadal replaced Federer later.
Umpire ruined the result smh. Nadal is an honorary Miami champion
Not really. Yes, Nadal was robbed of the tiebreaker, maybe, but not the match. It was his responsibility to get over the setback and win. He was still two sets to one up.
@@Ben6164 That's a really bad logic. I rightfully won the set and I have to do it again?
Nice match
When Nadal and Novak played Roger on fast courts they got beaten all the time but slow the courts down like this one was and you see it takes Roger longer to win
It was very suspicious to see how a then skinny Nadal, after having no more physicality against Federer in this match and not being able to run any more against Hewitt in Australia two months earlier (also decapitated by Roddick 6 months before) would SUDDENLY start running like a rabbit in endless marathons in the following week in Monte Carlo and Roma against Coria and then beating Puerta physically at Roland Garros. In addition to appearing much more muscular in a matter of weeks.
Definitely Uncle Toni and most likely with the complicity and orders of his sponsor Nike, the "owner" of ATP, began to give him prohibited substances. (and started slowing the courts all over the world)
They knew that they had to do something dirty to find a rival for Federer, otherwise they would lose the tennis business.
Federer was a monster, and would have won 40 Grand Slams if they hadn´t acted quickly; it would have been beautiful to watch but certainly the interest and ratings in the sport would have fallen considerably, public would have been tired of seeing a lone player winning too much..
Its all bussiness after all.
@@rebecalinares5393 yes Rebecca I agree with what you are saying and myself playing Tennis for 45 years in very high up teams as a serve and volleyer it’s not just physically it’s skill and thinking how to beat a player and Federer would definitely have won at least 40 grand slams if they had kept on using fast courts but as you said not much of a business if one great player wins everything
@@JeffGamby-Hull Yeah the tennis bussiness survives thanks to "rivarlies" between tennis actors, well marketed individuals that will be the faces of the brand. When Nike started they asked McEnroe to wear the jeans, he deciined, so they found out this Las Vegas kid, ordered him to put them on, dye his hair blonde, long and paint his nails; also giving him illegal substances, prescribed and controlled by a trainer from LA Fitness Gil Reyes. As the hair was falling, they gave him the wig "Image is everything" declared Agassi in a Nike Commercial in 1990, wearing a phosphorescent set.
With the product "Agassi" a rival to the real and natural good ones, Pete Sampras and the German FILA and Puma associated Boris Becker, the bussiness was secure for a minumim 10 years.
Without the Agassi product, Sampras would have won it all, maybe an old Becker stealing some.
Lendl, McEnroe and Wilander were already old figures, and Stefan Edberg, a Rolex Gentleman was too impecable to enter their mafioso world.
Agassi was caught, suspended, allowed back, a closed door theatre that helped him win 8 major titles. As Agassi was getting old and near retirement, Nike needed the perfect transition, and this was "Rafael Nadal".
Without the drugs, "Nadal" would have never won 14 garroses, he probably would have sailed through the top 20-30 all his carreer at best, with some upsets now and then but nothing more. His real level was seen at the 2004 Us Open, 2005 Australian, Indian Wells, Miami.
The rest was an "altered" product, to keep the bussiness floating.
Nice to see your a good and experienced tennis player, you know exactly what we are talking about.
Have a good one.
@@rebecalinares5393Or maybe nadal was on the same level or better than federer?💀its a shame a player like him have fans like you,djokovic fans as well are like that.Just enjoy the rivalry that it was and stop with the bs,u just sound like a kid trying to justify his hero losing,kinda pathetic
@@JeffGamby-HullWhatever helps u sleep at night, but the reality of things is far from what u are saying
Jawohl Krawietz und Pütz 😊👍🇩🇪🇩🇪
Jawohl Machac 😊👍
How come Federer has glowed up over years yet Nadal looks much worse than his younger self
Like a GS final..
Second and third the best in history!!! Amazing players!!!❤😎
and u are the first in illiteracy 😎
Federer has more talent in his pinky finger than Bathroombreakovic's whole body 😂
@@initialize21no, but Nole fans are irritating. Federer is without debate the 3rd best ever!
Lol Even an honest Fedfan says Fed is 3rd. Initialize is gone.😂😂
@@prempititantipool30752nd Greatest
First! Nice classic
CAN IMAGINE HOW NADAL INJURED HIS KNEES AND HIP AFTER PLAYING FOR 2 DECADES .
never injured. It was just a farse to avoid Federer or Djokovic when he knew he couldnt beat them. Nadal was never "injured" during clay season, the more pysical demanding on the body of them all. He was mostly "injured" during indoor tournaments, where his entire career was a failure. Only 1 tournament won.
Also hard and grass where he was never THE BIG favourite.
If Nadal would have really been really injured as he made the world believe so much that he wa, she could not have played anymore after 2009. It was all a farse.
Now "injured again" every tournamente he has been showing up and defaulting?
No. Its just because the sponsors need him there to promote the event and then he decides not to play because he knows his level is not good anymore.
Its all bussiness strategies.
@@rebecalinares5393 Nadal is literally born with Muller foot which is classified as a disability.
Miami open was best of 5 I thought only Majors were best of five
Masters Series finals used to be best-of-five but all the other matches were best-of-three.
I THOUGHT MIAMI IS 3 SETTER
Joker doesn't even belong in the top 10. These guys recreated the game. I wish it involved more serve and volley, but their creativity is the best ever!
This is Miami open. Djokovic has won it 6 times. How many times has Nadal won ? ZERO
Whatever helps you sleep at night.
I genuinely think that Fed would have been the goat had he chosen a 2 handed backhand
Same opinion 👍
I believe he would've won 27 slams at least and won many finals on clay against rafa including probably a FO final had he chosen the 2 handed BH.
Would have been the GOAT if he figured out his BH before 2017
@@matz1974 I don’t think he figured out much in 2017. Nadal was playing very short with his forehand which allowed Fed to step in more. If Fed had played like that from 2006 til 2014 he would have just kept losing because taking a one handed backhand on the rise is a very high risk shot. Meanwhile Nadal’s forehand to Fed’s backhand is as low risk as it gets. It has lots of spin, lots of net clearance and is aimed crosscourt.
Nadal was his only real problem early on. His game worked on everyone else, and at the time I think he was too stubborn to change it against Nadal. Ljubicic coach him and he finally starts taking nadals forehand to his backhand early. Also , during the early years before Nadal improved he should've been attacking nadals backhand. Nadal struggled mightily to end points with it early on, and it typically landed short. But Nadal improved in every facet through the years. His serve improved, his forehand is more semi Western, his backhand is traditional now, and his net game is night and day, he didn't know how to approach or volley back then, now he's very good.
@@Chris-xc4rv Like I said in above comment, I don't agree that Ljubicic somehow helped Fed figure out Nadal. The reason he was able to take Nadal's forehand early was because Nadal's forehand was landing short between 2015 and 2018.
Fed was never going to lead the H2H against Nadal because a one handed backhand is literally a death sentence against a lefty. If Rafa plays 100%, Fed has to play 110% to keep it even. The advantage a lefty has against a OHBH is simply that large.
Tennis tv bro
Bring back 3 Set Master 1000 Finals! You chickens, lol
But he didn't manage.. he lost.. didn't u watch the end of the match?
slow surface. no wonder Nadal could manage long rallies against Roger
🤣🤣
Back when masters 1000 where 5 seters imagine these new generation doing that.. no wonder rafa got so badly injured.. every fkn turnoment was too 5 sets 😅
Federer and his wife have been looking the same in the last 20 years!!😮😅
Being a lefty, Rafa always had an advantage against Fed. Add to that Rafa’s unique loopy high topspin shots and it became a nightmare for Fed. Rafa was less successful against Novak with this tactic. Fed was always far more skilful as a player and always at a disadvantage with a single handed backhand which really was from a previous era. 2017 was the year Fed became aggressive again with the neo backhand helped with the slightly larger racquet. These three will never be replaced.
It is his own fault to not have adapted sooner.
Novak is THE best CLUTCH player, ever. GS has nothing to do with goat-ness. Take the legend Lee Chong Wei as example. Mentality is just a property. Novak is better in that. Tennis literally grew because of Federer and Nadal!
You have the 1st and 2nd most liked players playing each other and both are Gentlemen on and off the court and then there is Novak who may have more slams but is not liked much on the tour and has a nasty temper
Que lindo verlo perder a Nadal
Entonces supongo que has tenido días muy tristes, porque este hombre ha ganado casi siempre.
@@AlejandroGarcia-wz1qi simplemente no me gusta el deportista soberbio y fanfarrón, nada que ver con Federer que siempre tuvo perfil bajo
Fue muy sospechoso ver cómo un entonces flaco Nadal, después de no tener más físico contra Federer en este partido y no poder correr más contra Hewitt en Australia dos meses antes (también decapitado por Roddick 6 meses antes), de repente empezaba a correr como un conejo en interminables maratones la semana siguiente en Montecarlo y Roma contra Coria y luego batiendo físicamente a Puerta en Roland Garros, además de lucir mucho más musculoso en cuestión de semanas.
Definitivamente el tío Toni y muy probablemente con la complicidad y órdenes de su patrocinador Nike, el “dueño” de la ATP, empezó a darle sustancias prohibidas. (y comenzó a ralentizar las canchas en todo el mundo)
Sabían que tenían que hacer algo sucio para encontrar un rival para Federer, de lo contrario perderían el negocio del tenis.
Federer era un monstruo y habría ganado 40 Grand Slams si no hubieran actuado con rapidez; habría sido lindo verlo, pero ciertamente el interés y los ratings en el tenis habrían caído considerablemente.
Todo es un sucio negocio.
Boos
Nadal biceps were smaller back then! So less top spin vs few years later?
Probably because he's only 18 and his body hasn't finished developing yet
imo he should've stayed this size. he got too big later in his career and not only did it slow him down, it probably also caused his chronic foot injuries cuz of how hard he ran all the time carrying that extra weight.
It was very suspicious to see how a then skinny Nadal, after having no more physicality against Federer in this match and not being able to run any more against Hewitt in Australia two months earlier (also decapitated by Roddick 6 months before, would SUDDENLY start running like a rabbit in endless marathons in the following week in Monte Carlo and Roma against Coria and then beating Puerta physically at Roland Garros. In addition to appearing much more muscular in a matter of weeks.
Definitely Uncle Toni and most likely with the complicity and orders of his sponsor Nike, the "owner" of ATP, began to give him prohibited substances. (and started slowing the courts all over the world)
They knew that they had to do something dirty to find a rival for Federer, otherwise they would lose the tennis business.
Federer was a monster, and would have won 40 Grand Slams if they hadn´t acted quickly; it would have been beautiful to watch but certainly the interest and ratings in the sport would have fallen considerably.
Its all bussiness after all.
Before all of Nadal's PED use was rampant.
PED ?
Cope harder
quality so bad, use some ai upscaling man , learn chat gpt hire a video editor jesus man
This court is slower than dirt. What a joke
Miami is faster than Indian Wells.
It's only fitting that the epic rivalry began with the greatest ever facing his greatest rival ever. ❤🎉🎉🎉
Greatest ever? The stats don't say that but he can be the GOAT of your heart if you like.
@@badmanskill1112 stats aline may define career success, but Roger was the most complete player to grace the game. You enjoy your questionable choice, if you like🤭
How could stats possibly determine who is the greatest ever?@@badmanskill1112
@@pawshands9706 I love the fact that Grand Slam totals were all that mattered for GOAT when Federer was ascending to the throne and then captured it. But now you want to play the game of 'his grace, elegance, his popularity'.
#3 is still decent. 🤭
@@badmanskill1112 Good thing you only speak for yourself. You are creative at least.
It's insane how geezer Federer completely demolished Nadal from 2014 onwards. The freaking GOAT right there!
Yeah 3 competitive sets in Swiss indoor(fed fav surface)
2017 totally dominated nadal
Other than this what did Federer achieve
Meanwhile nadal ran riot
23-10 at one(at ur peak from 2004-2014)
That's called real trashing and domination
@@rafamessi386716 of those matches being on clay probably had to do with that. Anyway it doesn't matter as Federer is older and Nadal hasn't won anything since the ATP instituted the biological passport in September 2014. Funny how Nadal's decline coincided with that.
@@initialize21 uh... do you just like spewing lies or what? i'm no nadal fanboy but even a cursory google shows nadal won 8 slams after 2014.
Djokovic fraud
Brutalized tenis!!!😮😮😮
Classic example how Nadal ruined his body with that mad effort!!!
This is why he need to play on supstances...
The robbed nadal
Peak Federer struggling with fetus Rafa on a hardcourt LOL. Look how bad Fed’s backhand is pahaha.
Defending champion Vulturovic beaten by "foetus" Alcaraz at Wimby23. Despite winning the first set 6-1. 😂😂😂
@@thesoccergod Djokovic is 37 mate. Fed in his mid-twenties at the peak of his powers was getting schooled by a fetus clay court specialist on hardcourt LOL. 2011 Djokovic would have lost less than ten games against this version of Nadal.
@@thesoccergod 18 year old Nadal vs 20 year old Alcaraz. Does saying these actually help with coping for Thirderer fans?
I will call the show and ask for time, if I have time to explain myself I will win the debate. I have developed a program to end atheism with several steps. There is not point in debating if reality is eternal when it has not been understood reality exists. Let's start from the beginning and the easiest. One day at a time. Let's go step by step. The first step or debate is "is the most emblematic remark of atheism "who created god?" rational or irrational?". The first step is the most important, atheists start to walk searching for the truth, the first step is to decide to start a quest to find out if atheism is the truth. The second step or debate is "does something exists now?" or "does reality exists?". The third step is "can something be created from nothing?". The fourth step is "is reality eternal?. The fourth step is a breakthrough, a milestone, once we get get there I think we could have a break to rest and enjoy ourselves because in life not everything is work, we have also to rest and play to work well. The fifth step is hard, a steep upwards slope, more like climbing the mount Everest, "can the universe be eternal?" or "can what has a beginning of existence be eternal?". We rest again and prepare for the next step. Understanding the universe can not be eternal means an eternal reality that created the universe exists, it means something uncreated that created what has a beginning of existence exists. The sixth and final step is "is intelligent what created the universe?". Your new life begins after you completed the journey to discover the truth. The truth is atheism is a logical fallacy that assumes God is the religious idea of the creator of the creation to conclude wrongly no creator exists because a particular idea of God doesn’t exist. I hope to hear from you. Thank you.
Shitty highlights, 90% of the points shown are wins by Federer.