Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s rivalry remains one of the most enduring in tennis history, with the two tennis greats helping to define an era of the men’s game.
The Miami Open proved to be a key event for the development and legacy of the ‘Fedal’ rivalry, with the two meeting on four separate occasions at the tournament.
With this year’s Miami Open in full swing, we look back at Federer and Nadal’s four iconic meetings at the tournament.
2004 – Round of 32
This season marks 21 years since Federer and Nadal for the first of their historic 40 meetings, their debut clash coming at this very tournament.
At the time, Federer was approaching the peak of his powers, having risen to world No 1 off the back of Wimbledon and Australian Open victories in the previous months.
The Swiss came into Miami having triumphed in Dubai and Indian Wells since his rise to the top of the ATP Rankings, though he was nearly beaten by a young Nikolay Davydenko in his round two match.
That set up a first meeting against Nadal, then a 17-year-old already ranked high enough to be seeded, and widely recognised as one of the hottest prospects in the men’s game.
With Federer perhaps a little fatigued after an astonishing start to the year, Nadal took full advantage, with the 32nd seed not facing a break point on his way to a 6-3, 6-3 victory in the third round.
“I’m very happy because I played one of the best matches in my life. Obviously, he didn’t play his best tennis and that’s the reason why I could win,” said Nadal afterwards.
“I mean, if he had played his best tennis, I would have had no chance, but that’s what happens in tennis. If a player like me plays at a very, very good level and a top player like Roger doesn’t play his best tennis, I can win.”
Nadal’s campaign ended in the next round with a defeat to 21st seed Fernando Gonzalez, but his win was a sign of his potential – and how much of an issue he would become for Federer.
The Spaniard went on to win six of their first seven matches – though Federer’s one victory was significant.
2005 – Final
Twelve months later and, having not faced off since, Federer and Nadal met for the second time at the Miami Open – this time in the final.
While 29th seed Nadal had remained steady in the ATP Rankings, Federer had continued his dominance towards the top of the men’s game, winning four of the last seven Grand Slam tournaments.
The Swiss came into the tournament having again triumphed in Indian Wells and rounded into form nicely in Miami, beating Tim Henman in the quarter-finals and Andre Agassi in the last four.
Federer, though, was quickly under the cosh against a rampant Nadal – the 18-year-old competing in his first Masters 1000 final.
The Spaniard raced to a two-set lead and looked primed to take home what would have been a fourth career title, but, perhaps thrown by a string of contentious line calls, ever so slightly lost his way.
That allowed Federer back into the contest, and ultimately it was the world No 1 who captured his first Miami Open title, battling back to seal a 2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1 triumph.
It was his first win over Nadal and a rare early success against his Spanish rival, whom he would lose to five times in a row before victory in the 2006 Wimbledon final.
Meanwhile, spurred on by his loss, Nadal would win 14 straight finals before that SW19 defeat – including a rampant 2005 clay season run that culminated in the first of 14 titles at Roland Garros.
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2011 – Semi-final
Six years after the final, the pair met again in the last four of the tournament in 2011.
This meeting came at a significant time for Federer, who, for the first time since 2003, was not the reigning champion at at least one Grand Slam, having not won a major since the 2010 Australian Open.
A dominant Nadal had won the remaining three Grand Slam titles in 2010 and was ranked as the world No 1 coming into this clash, though it was Novak Djokovic who had dominated the start to 2011.
The Serbian had won his second major at the Australian Open in January and was yet to taste defeat that season, having downed Nadal in the Indian Wells final.
With Djokovic awaiting in the final for the winner of this contest, Nadal faced little trouble in dispatching the Swiss in a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 victory over world No 3.
It was a match emblematic of the issues Federer faced against both his main rivals in the early 2010s, with the Swiss not winning another Slam title until Wimbledon in 2012.
Nadal, after defeats in the 2005 and 2008 final – the latter to Davydenko – again missed out on the Miami Open title, falling 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) to Djokovic.
The Spaniard went on to beat Federer and claim a sixth French Open title, though he lost both the Wimbledon and US Open titles – and the No 1 ranking – to Djokovic that summer.
2017 – Final
Thirteen years on from their first Miami match, Federer and Nadal met for the fourth and final time at the tournament – once again facing off in the championship match.
Both men had stunned the world with resurgent Australian Open campaigns months before, culminating in the Swiss winning a thrilling five-setter to claim his 17th Grand Slam title – a first since 2012.
The two met again in Indian Wells with Federer breezing to a straight-sets victory and, after years of Nadal dominating large parts of their rivalry, was riding a three-match win streak against the Spaniard.
With a newfound aggressive mindset that seemed to trouble his rival, Federer again triumphed to win his third Miami Open title, beating Nadal 6-3, 6-4 to complete the Sunshine Double.
It extended his run over Nadal to four consecutive wins, and he would make it five in a row with victory in the Shanghai Masters final later that season.
The Swiss ultimately won six of their last seven clashes to close the head-to-head to 24-16 in Nadal’s favour, their last meeting being a four-set win for Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon semi-finals.
Defeat for Nadal in the 2017 final was his fifth and last loss in a Miami Open final, making it one of the biggest titles he never lifted.
However, while Federer won Wimbledon, he would win both Roland Garros and the US Open that season to cap off his resurgence, finishing the year as world No 1.
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