Federer–Nadal rivalry
The Federer–Nadal rivalry is between professional tennis players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, two of the greatest tennis players of all time.
They have played each other 40 times, with Nadal leading the head to head 24–16. Of their 40 matches, 20 have been on hard court, 16 have been on clay, and 4 have been on grass. Federer leads on hard court, grass, and indoor hard court. Nadal leads on clay and outdoor hard court. Nadal leads 14–10 in finals. A total of 14 matches have been in Grand Slams with Nadal leading 10–4. Nadal leads 6–0 at the French Open and 3–1 at the Australian Open, while Federer leads 3–1 at Wimbledon. The two have yet to meet in the US Open.
Federer with 20 total major titles, and Nadal with 19, are first and second on the men's all-time list for the most majors titles, and hold numerous other records between them. Together they have won 11 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, from the 2005 French Open to the 2007 US Open, as well as 6 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments on two occasions; from the 2008 French Open to the 2009 Wimbledon Championships and from the 2017 Australian Open to the 2018 French Open. They are the only pair of men to have finished six consecutive calendar years as the top two ranked players on the ATP Tour, which they did from 2005 to 2010 and seven times overall, including 2017. This includes a record 211 consecutive weeks sharing the top two rankings from July 2005 to August 2009.
As tournament seedings are based on rankings, with the top two seeds placed on opposite sides of the draw, 25 of Nadal and Federer's 40 matches have been in tournament finals, including an all-time record nine Grand Slam finals and 12 ATP Tour Masters 1000 finals. Another ten have been semifinals, two have been quarterfinals, with only three taking place before the last-8 stage. In 33 out of 40 matches between Nadal and Federer, the winner of the first set won the match.
From 2006 to 2008, they played in every French Open and Wimbledon final. Their 2008 Wimbledon final was lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts. Their 2017 Australian Open final was one of the more highly anticipated major finals in tennis history, in part due to the relevance within popular discussions on their placement in greatest of all time listings, coupled with that fact that they were both already in their 30s, which is usually when most male players are on the decline or have already retired. Other matches considered particularly notable include the 2006 Italian Open final, 2007 Wimbledon final, and 2009 Australian Open final, with each match going to five sets.
Their most recent encounter was in the semifinal of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships
History
2004: Miami
Federer and Nadal played their first match in March 2004 at the third round of the Miami Masters. Nadal, only 17 years old and ranked No. 34 at the time, surprised many by beating the then No. 1 in straight sets.2005: Miami, French Open
Their second meeting was one year later, again in Miami, but this time in a best-of-five-set final. Federer recovered from a two-set deficit to win in five sets.They played again two months later in the semifinals of the French Open, which was their first match on clay. Nadal defeated Federer in four sets en route to his first Grand Slam title.
2006: Dubai, Monte Carlo, Rome, French Open, Wimbledon, Masters Cup
In 2006, Nadal and Federer faced each other in six matches.Nadal won the first four, beginning with the Dubai final in February played on hard court. This was Federer's first loss of the year and ended his Open Era record of 56 consecutive wins on hard courts.
The clay season ensued, and Nadal continued his dominance on clay, defeating Federer in the finals of the Monte Carlo Masters, the Rome Masters, and the French Open, in what was their first Grand Slam final. Federer won the first set quickly, but Nadal fought back and took the next three sets to capture his second French Open title. In the Rome final, Federer held two championship points on Nadal's serve at 5–6 in the fifth set, but failed to convert. Federer then led 5–3 in the fifth-set tiebreaker, but Nadal won the next four points to claim the title. At five hours and five minutes, this is the longest match Federer and Nadal have ever contested.
They faced off again a month later in the final of Wimbledon, which was their first meeting on grass. Federer won in four sets to capture his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title with two sets going to tiebreakers.
They did not meet again until the semifinals of the year-end Masters Cup. Federer won in straight sets, en route to his third Masters Cup title in four years. At year's end, Nadal's career head-to-head advantage had risen to 6–3.
2007: Monte Carlo, Hamburg, French Open, Wimbledon, Masters Cup
Nadal and Federer faced each other five times in 2007, and Federer won three of their matches.For the second straight year, Federer and Nadal played in three finals on clay. Nadal won the first meeting in straight sets, winning his third consecutive Monte Carlo title. A few weeks later they met at the Hamburg Masters, where Federer defeated Nadal for the first time on clay, ending Nadal's 81-match winning streak on clay.
Their next encounter was the French Open final, and Nadal won their much-anticipated rematch in four sets, capturing his third consecutive French Open title.
Their last two meetings in 2007 were also a repeat of 2006: the final of Wimbledon and the semifinal of the Masters Cup. Once again, Federer won both matches, though their Wimbledon final lasted five sets, in a match which was almost universally praised as the greatest Wimbledon final since Borg–McEnroe in 1980.
At the end of the year, on the other hand, their Masters Cup match was the shortest match of their rivalry, lasting less than an hour. By the end of the year Federer narrowed his head-to-head deficit, with the record standing at 6–8 in Nadal's favour.
2008: Monte Carlo, Hamburg, French Open, Wimbledon
Federer and Nadal played four times in 2008, and Nadal won all four times, extending his career advantage to 12–6.For the third straight year, they played in three finals during the clay-court. Nadal defeated Federer in Monte Carlo for the third straight year, capturing his Open-Era-record fourth consecutive title there. A few weeks later Nadal avenged his only clay-court loss to Federer by defeating him in three sets for his first Hamburg Masters title. Federer had double-break leads in the first sets of both Monte Carlo and Hamburg, but could not close out the sets.
Also for the third straight year, they played in the final of the French Open. Nadal won his fourth consecutive French Open title, by a score of 6–1, 6–3, 6–0. The scoreline puts the match among the most one-sided in Grand Slam finals history.
Nadal and Federer also met in the final of Wimbledon for the third straight year, in the most anticipated match of their rivalry. Amidst rain delays, they played the longest final in Wimbledon history, and Nadal captured the title, winning a fifth set that finished in near darkness. This match broke Federer's Open-Era-record 65-match winning streak on grass, which had spanned more than five years.
2009: Australian Open, Madrid
Federer and Nadal played each other only twice in 2009, splitting their matches.Both players began the year strong, reaching the final of the Australian Open. This was the first hard-court Grand Slam final for Nadal, but Federer was undefeated in eight hard-court finals. The final was long and competitive in the first four sets, with Nadal pulling away decisively in the fifth set to secure his first hard-court championship.
On clay, Federer rebounded against Nadal at the Madrid Masters, their first match in Spain, defeating him in the final in straight sets. This was a pivotal match because it broke Nadal's five-match winning streak against Federer. The victory by Federer also ended Nadal's 33-match winning streak on clay and foreshadowed the Swiss' historic victory at the French Open, which completed his Career Grand Slam.
2010: Madrid, World Tour Finals
In 2010, Federer and Nadal played twice, with Nadal winning the first and Federer winning the second match.The two met on clay in the final of the Madrid Open, one year after their last match, and Nadal defeated Federer in straight sets.
They then met on an indoor hard court in the final of the World Tour Finals, marking their third meeting at the year-end championships and their first ever meeting in the finals. Federer continued his indoor dominance against Nadal, winning in three sets. This victory gave Federer a record-tying fifth title at the year-end tournament.
2011: Miami, Madrid, French Open, World Tour Finals
Federer and Nadal played four singles matches, with Nadal winning the first three matches and Federer winning the last match. Their lone doubles match was at Indian Wells. Federer, partnering with Stanislas Wawrinka, defeated Nadal and Marc López in the semifinals.In their first singles match that year, which took place during the early hard-court season, the two met in the semifinals of the Miami Masters, where Nadal won in straight sets.
They then met on clay in the semifinals at the Madrid Open, and Nadal won in three sets. Later in the clay season, they met in the final of the French Open, their first Grand Slam tournament meeting since the 2009 Australian Open final. Although it was a competitive match, Nadal again defeated Federer in four sets to win his tenth Grand Slam title and sixth French Open crown. This denied Federer an opportunity to become the first man in the Open Era to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments twice. This would be their last meeting at a Grand Slam final until the 2017 Australian Open final.
Their final meeting of the year came in the round-robin stage of the World Tour Finals. Their match, a rematch of the previous year's final, saw Federer win a lopsided match in straight sets.
2012: Australian Open, Indian Wells
Federer and Nadal met twice in 2012, both times in the early hard-court season, splitting their matches. They first met during 2012 in the semifinal at the Australian Open. Federer was leading by a set and a break before a 20-minute fireworks delay due to the celebrations of Australia Day. After the delay, Nadal came back to win in four sets, improving his hard-court record over Federer.They next met in the semifinal at Indian Wells, where Federer won the match in straight sets en route to claiming his fourth title at that tournament.
2013: Indian Wells, Rome, Cincinnati, World Tour Finals
Federer and Nadal met four times in 2013 with Nadal prevailing on every occasion.Federer and Nadal met for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters. It was the earliest stage the pair had met at within a tournament since 2004, due to their top seedings for most of the intervening years. Nadal won in straight sets.
On 1 April, by winning the Miami Masters, Andy Murray passed Federer in the ATP Rankings for second place. This marked the first time since 10 November 2003 that neither Federer nor Nadal was ranked in the ATP top 2, a span of an unprecedented 490 weeks.
During the clay-court season, Nadal defeated Federer in the final of the Rome Masters in two sets.
In the second half of the season, they met played in the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Open, where Nadal unseated the five-time champion in the quarterfinals in three sets. Federer had just switched back to his old racquet after experimenting with a larger frame in his previous two tournaments. They next met in the semifinal of the World Tour Finals at the O2 arena, with Nadal prevailing in straight sets. This was Nadal's first win over Federer on indoor hard courts. This would also be Federer's last career match played with his 90-inch racquet before upgrading to a larger frame.
2014: Australian Open
Federer and Nadal had their only meeting of the 2014 season in the semifinal of the Australian Open. Nadal won in straight sets and improved his record to 3–0 against Federer at the Australian Open. This was the first Grand Slam tournament that Federer played after switching to a new larger racquet.2015: Basel
In November 2015, Federer defeated Nadal in three sets in the final of the Swiss Indoors. This was their first encounter on Swiss soil, as Federer captured a seventh title in his hometown of Basel. It was Federer's first victory over Nadal in over 3 and a half years, having lost the previous five meetings.2017: Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Shanghai
Federer and Nadal played four times in 2017, with Federer prevailing on all four occasions. This marked the first time in their rivalry that Federer confronted and went undefeated against Nadal multiple times in a single tennis season.The rivalry was renewed in the 2017 Australian Open final, their first meeting in a Grand Slam final since 2011. Federer, returning from a six-month layoff from knee injury that saw him miss out most of the 2016 season, came into the tournament seeded 17th, and Nadal was seeded 9th. Prior to the match, Nadal had won every match between the two in a Grand Slam tournament since the Wimbledon final in 2007, three of which were in the Australian Open. Federer came back from a break down in the fifth set to take the match, becoming the first man in history to win 18 Grand Slam singles titles and the first man to win at least five titles in three different Grand Slam tournaments each, and denying Nadal's third effort to win the Australian Open title again and also his second opportunity to become the first man in the Open Era to win each Grand Slam tournament in men's singles at least twice. Federer's victory over Nadal in the Australian Open 2017 final also marked his first win over Nadal in a Grand Slam singles match outside the grass courts of Wimbledon.
They met again at Indian Wells in the round of 16, only their second-ever meeting before the quarterfinal stage in any tournament. Federer prevailed in straight sets; it was the first time he had won three matches in a row against Nadal. Their 37th meeting came in the Miami final. This was their first meeting in a final on American soil since the 2005 Miami final, and Federer won in straight sets, his 4th consecutive win over Nadal.
In the 2017 Laver Cup Nadal and Federer played doubles together for the first time, against Sam Querrey/Jack Sock, and won in a match tiebreak.
Federer and Nadal met at the Shanghai Masters for the first time, contesting the final. Federer won in straight sets, claiming a fifth consecutive win over Nadal. This was the first time they had contested a match as the top two ranked players in the world since the 2010 ATP Finals.
Federer's newfound success against Nadal has been ascribed to the improvement in the backhand, which he has been hitting harder and more easily returning Nadal's high bouncing forehand with the larger racquet.
2019: French Open, Wimbledon
In 2019 Federer and Nadal have met twice, with each one prevailing once. They met in the semifinal of the French Open with Nadal ending Federer's 5-match winning streak by prevailing in straight sets, before going on to win the tournament for his twelfth title there.In their first Wimbledon meeting since 2008, they met in semifinals of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, where Federer defeated Nadal in four sets. This meeting between Federer and Nadal was the oldest by the combined age of competitors in the Open Era of tennis.
List of all head-to-head matches
ATP, Davis Cup, and Grand Slam main draw results included.Singles
Federer–Nadal: 40| No. | Year | Tournament | Series | Surface | Round | Winner | Score | Length | Sets | Federer | Nadal |
| 1. | 2004 |  Miami Open | Masters | Hard | Last 32 | Nadal | 6–3, 6–3 | 1:10 | 2/3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2. | 2005 | Miami Open | Masters | Hard | Final | Federer | 2–6, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3, 6–1 | 3:43 | 5/5 | 1 | 1 |
| 3. | 2005 |  French Open | Major | Clay | Semifinals | Nadal | 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 | 2:47 | 4/5 | 1 | 2 |
| 4. | 2006 |  Dubai Championships | 500 | Hard | Final | Nadal | 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 | 1:53 | 3/3 | 1 | 3 |
| 5. | 2006 |  Monte-Carlo Masters | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–2, 6–7, 6–3, 7–6 | 3:50 | 4/5 | 1 | 4 |
| 6. | 2006 |  Italian Open | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 2–6, 7–6 | 5:05 | 5/5 | 1 | 5 |
| 7. | 2006 | French Open | Major | Clay | Final | Nadal | 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6 | 3:02 | 4/5 | 1 | 6 |
| 8. | 2006 |  Wimbledon | Major | Grass | Final | Federer | 6–0, 7–6, 6–7, 6–3 | 2:58 | 4/5 | 2 | 6 |
| 9. | 2006 |  Tennis Masters Cup | Hard | Semifinals | Federer | 6–4, 7–5 | 1:53 | 2/3 | 3 | 6 | |
| 10. | 2007 | Monte-Carlo Masters | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–4, 6–4 | 1:35 | 2/3 | 3 | 7 |
| 11. | 2007 |  Hamburg Masters | Masters | Clay | Final | Federer | 2–6, 6–2, 6–0 | 1:55 | 3/3 | 4 | 7 |
| 12. | 2007 | French Open | Major | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 | 3:10 | 4/5 | 4 | 8 |
| 13. | 2007 | Wimbledon | Major | Grass | Final | Federer | 7–6, 4–6, 7–6, 2–6, 6–2 | 3:45 | 5/5 | 5 | 8 |
| 14. | 2007 | Tennis Masters Cup | Tour Finals | Hard | Semifinals | Federer | 6–4, 6–1 | 0:59 | 2/3 | 6 | 8 |
| 15. | 2008 | Monte-Carlo Masters | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 7–5, 7–5 | 1:43 | 2/3 | 6 | 9 |
| 16. | 2008 | Hamburg Masters | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 7–5, 6–7, 6–3 | 2:52 | 3/3 | 6 | 10 |
| 17. | 2008 | French Open | Major | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 | 1:48 | 3/5 | 6 | 11 |
| 18. | 2008 | Wimbledon | Major | Grass | Final | Nadal | 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 9–7 | 4:48 | 5/5 | 6 | 12 |
| 19. | 2009 |  Australian Open | Major | Hard | Final | Nadal | 7–5, 3–6, 7–6, 3–6, 6–2 | 4:23 | 5/5 | 6 | 13 |
| 20. | 2009 |  Madrid Open | Masters | Clay | Final | Federer | 6–4, 6–4 | 1:26 | 2/3 | 7 | 13 |
| 21. | 2010 | Madrid Open | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–4, 7–6 | 2:10 | 2/3 | 7 | 14 |
| 22. | 2010 | ATP World Tour Finals | Tour Finals | Hard | Final | Federer | 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 | 1:37 | 3/3 | 8 | 14 |
| 23. | 2011 | Miami Open | Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Nadal | 6–3, 6–2 | 1:18 | 2/3 | 8 | 15 |
| 24. | 2011 | Madrid Open | Masters | Clay | Semifinals | Nadal | 5–7, 6–1, 6–3 | 2:36 | 3/3 | 8 | 16 |
| 25. | 2011 | French Open | Major | Clay | Final | Nadal | 7–5, 7–6, 5–7, 6–1 | 3:40 | 4/5 | 8 | 17 |
| 26. | 2011 | ATP World Tour Finals | Tour Finals | Hard | Federer | 6–3, 6–0 | 1:00 | 2/3 | 9 | 17 | |
| 27. | 2012 | Australian Open | Major | Hard | Semifinals | Nadal | 6–7, 6–2, 7–6, 6–4 | 3:42 | 4/5 | 9 | 18 |
| 28. | 2012 | Indian Wells Masters | Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Federer | 6–3, 6–4 | 1:31 | 2/3 | 10 | 18 |
| 29. | 2013 | Indian Wells Masters | Masters | Hard | Quarterfinals | Nadal | 6–4, 6–2 | 1:24 | 2/3 | 10 | 19 |
| 30. | 2013 | Italian Open | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–1, 6–3 | 1:08 | 2/3 | 10 | 20 |
| 31. | 2013 | Cincinnati Masters | Masters | Hard | Quarterfinals | Nadal | 5–7, 6–4, 6–3 | 2:14 | 3/3 | 10 | 21 |
| 32. | 2013 | ATP World Tour Finals | Tour Finals | Hard | Semifinals | Nadal | 7–5, 6–3 | 1:19 | 2/3 | 10 | 22 |
| 33. | 2014 | Australian Open | Major | Hard | Semifinals | Nadal | 7–6, 6–3, 6–3 | 2:24 | 3/5 | 10 | 23 |
| 34. | 2015 |  Swiss Indoors | 500 | Hard | Final | Federer | 6–3, 5–7, 6–3 | 2:03 | 3/3 | 11 | 23 |
| 35. | 2017 | Australian Open | Major | Hard | Final | Federer | 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3 | 3:37 | 5/5 | 12 | 23 |
| 36. | 2017 | Indian Wells Masters | Masters | Hard | Last 16 | Federer | 6–2, 6–3 | 1:08 | 2/3 | 13 | 23 |
| 37. | 2017 | Miami Open | Masters | Hard | Final | Federer | 6–3, 6–4 | 1:34 | 2/3 | 14 | 23 |
| 38. | 2017 | Shanghai Masters | Masters | Hard | Final | Federer | 6–4, 6–3 | 1:12 | 2/3 | 15 | 23 |
| — | 2019 | Indian Wells Masters | Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Walkover | N/A | N/A | 15 | 23 | |
| 39. | 2019 | French Open | Major | Clay | Semifinals | Nadal | 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 | 2:25 | 3/5 | 15 | 24 |
| 40. | 2019 | Wimbledon | Major | Grass | Semifinals | Federer | 7–6, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 | 3:02 | 4/5 | 16 | 24 |
Doubles
Federer—Nadal| No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Round | Winner | Score | Opponents | Federer | Nadal |
| 1. | 2004 | Indian Wells Masters | Hard | Last 16 | Nadal/Robredo | 5–7, 6–4, 6–3 | Federer/Allegro | 0 | 1 |
| 2. | 2007 | Italian Open | Clay | Last 32 | Nadal/Moyá | 6–4, 7–6 | Federer/Wawrinka | 0 | 2 |
| 3. | 2011 | Indian Wells Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Federer/Wawrinka | 7–5, 6–3 | Nadal/M. López | 1 | 2 |
As a pair
| No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Round | Winner | Score | Opponents | Wins | Losses |
| 1. | 2017 |  Laver Cup | Hard | Day 2 | Federer/Nadal | 6–4, 1–6, | Querrey/Sock | 1 | 0 |
Exhibitions
Federer—NadalOn 21 November 2006 they played an exhibition match on a hard court in Seoul, South Korea. Federer won 6–3, 3–6, 6–3.
On 2 May 2007 they played in the "Battle of Surfaces" on a hybrid court that was half clay and half grass. This match was held at the Palma Arena in Palma, the capital city of Nadal's native Mallorca. Nadal won 7–5, 4–6, 7–6.
On 21 December 2010 they played in Zürich, Switzerland on a hard court a charity tennis match for the Roger Federer Foundation. Federer won 4–6, 6–3, 6–3. They played another exhibition match on 22 December 2010 in Madrid, Spain. Nadal won 7–6, 4–6, 6–1. This was a charity tennis match for the Fundación Rafa Nadal.
On 1 January 2011 they played in the final of the knockout exhibition tournament; the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on a hard court. Federer had beaten Söderling in the previous round and Nadal had beaten Berdych in the previous round. Nadal won the encounter by a score of 7–6, 7–6.
On 8 March 2011 the two played a set at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Nadal won the charity exhibition 7–5.
On 31 December 2011 they played again at Mubadala 2011 Mubadala World Tennis Championship on a hard court, this time for third place. Nadal won again 6–1, 7–5.
On 12 December 2015 they played two matches in New Delhi, India at 2015 International Premier Tennis League season on a hard court. Nadal won both a set of singles against Federer 6–5 and, paired with Rohan Bopanna, a doubles set against Roger Federer and Marin Cilic 6–4 to lead the Indian Aces to a 30–19 victory over the UAE Royals.
On 7 February 2020 they played in Cape Town, South Africa to raise money for the Roger Federer Foundation. Federer won 6–4, 3–6, 6–3.
Analysis
Significant aspects
The rivalry between Federer and Nadal has been a huge part of both men's careers. Their Grand Slam tournament histories are of particular interest, especially their all-time record of nine finals encounters. This includes playing French Open and Wimbledon finals for three consecutive years, culminating in what many consider the greatest match in tennis history at Wimbledon 2008. Nadal, who had to defeat Federer during each of his first six Grand Slam title runs, possesses a 6–3 advantage in their Grand Slam finals encounters as well as a 4–1 edge in semifinals.Nadal denied Federer a Career Grand Slam plus two potential Grand Slams by defeating him at the French Open every year from 2005–08. Federer would complete a Career Grand Slam by winning the French title in 2009 after Nadal was upset in the fourth round. Meanwhile, Federer twice denied Nadal from becoming the first man since Björn Borg in 1980 to win the "Channel Slam" by defeating him in their first two Wimbledon finals, but Nadal succeeded the following year by defeating Federer in the final. This was the first of three combined Channel Slams with Federer accomplishing it in 2009 followed by Nadal's second in 2010. Federer has also prevented Nadal from winning the Year-End Championships by defeating him in the 2010 finals and eliminating Nadal from the tournament in the 2006 and 2007 semifinals preventing Nadal from becoming only the second man after Andre Agassi to win a Career Grand Slam, a gold singles Olympic medal, and the Year End Championships, a distinction dubbed as a "Career Super Slam" by Sports Illustrated. At the 2017 Australian Open final, Federer denied Nadal's second opportunity to become the first man in the Open Era to have won each of the Grand Slam tournaments twice in men's singles.
Their record six consecutive calendar years atop the rankings from 2005–10 was due to their unprecedented combined performance in the Grand Slam and Masters Series tournaments. During this span, they captured a combined record 21 of the 24 Grand Slam tournament titles, including a record 11 consecutive titles from 2005–07. They also dominated the Masters Series, combining for 31 of the 54 titles, including 8 of 9 in 2005. Additionally, Federer won 4 of 6 year-end tournaments.
Finally, both men not only possess Open-Era records for consecutive wins on a single surface—Federer on both grass and hard courts, Nadal on clay courts —but each of these streaks was broken by the other player. Their respective dominance on grass and clay was the impetus for the "Battle of Surfaces", an exhibition match on a half-grass, half-clay court, which Nadal won with a 12–10 in the deciding tiebreak in May 2007 when both the grass and clay streaks were still active.
Of their 40 matches, 20 have been on hard court, 16 have been on clay, and 4 have been on grass. Federer has an edge on his best surface, grass, and on hard court while Nadal dominates Federer on his best surface, clay. Nadal leads 10–4 in all Grand Slam tournament matches, 6–0 on clay, 3–1 on hard courts and trails 1–3 on the grass in major tournaments.
The contrast in playing style has been a source of debate for commentators and analysts. The heavy topspin created by Nadal's groundstrokes combined with his strategy of directing the majority of his serves and groundstrokes to Federer's single-handed backhand keeps Federer on the defensive and makes it harder for Federer to use his aggressive groundstrokes to dominate baseline rallies as he typically does against other opponents. Federer says he is a "different player due to Nadal's presence" citing Nadal's game as a major reason for improvements in areas of his own game.
From 2004 to 2007, the rivalry stood at 8–6 in Nadal's favour, though Federer led on both grass and hardcourt, Nadal led 6–1 on clay. However, from 2008 to 2014 Australian Open, Nadal compiled a lopsided 15–4 record, leading on each surface, grass, hard and clay. Since then, after they played only one match in the next three years, Federer has dominated the rivalry with a 6–1 record. Federer has stated that early defeats to Nadal on clay courts had a long lasting mental effect on him in his matches against Nadal on other surfaces, and that the lopsided loss at 2008 French open affected him in his first two sets at 2008 Wimbledon final. After his win over Nadal at 2017 Shanghai masters final, Federer credited his 2017 success against Nadal to a bigger racquet frame and avoiding claycourt meetings against him since 2013.
Comparison of Grand Slam tournament titles
As of September 2019 Roger Federer holds the all-time record for the most Grand Slam men's tournament titles with 20. Federer's Grand Slam tournament titles include 11 on hard courts, 8 on grass, and 1 on clay. Nadal is second on the all-time list for the most Grand Slam titles with 19 in total: 12 on clay, 5 on hard courts, and 2 on grass. Nadal and Mats Wilander are the only players in the Open Era to have won at least 2 Grand Slam titles on each of the 3 surfaces.Nadal is the youngest male in the Open Era to win the Career Grand Slam. Both players have won the Career Grand Slam.
| Tournament | Federer | Nadal |
| Australian Open | 6 | 1 |
| French Open | 1 | 12 |
| Wimbledon | 8 | 2 |
| US Open | 5 | 4 |
| Total Count | 20 | 19 |
- Bold indicates outright record holder
Comparison of Masters 1000 titles
Nadal prevented Federer from winning Monte Carlo three times from 2006 to 2008. He also beat Federer twice in the Rome finals, in 2006 and 2013. The 2006 Rome final, which was won by Nadal in a fifth-set tiebreak, lasted for over five hours and is considered by some to be one of the greatest and most memorable matches ever contested on clay.
In 2005, Federer prevented Nadal from winning Miami in a five-set final. Nadal won the first and second sets, was up a break in the third set, and was two points away from victory before Federer came back from two sets down to win. Nadal made it back to the Miami final in 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2017 but lost each time. In 2017, Federer again beat Nadal in the Miami final. He also prevented Nadal from winning in Shanghai, defeating the Spaniard in the final.
| Tournament | Federer | Nadal |
| Indian Wells Masters | 5 | 3 |
| Miami Open | 4 | 0 |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | 0 | 11 |
| Madrid Open/German Open | 6 | 5 |
| Italian Open | 0 | 9 |
| Canadian Open | 2 | 5 |
| Cincinnati Masters | 7 | 1 |
| Shanghai Masters/Madrid Open | 3 | 1 |
| Paris Masters | 1 | 0 |
| Total Count | 28 | 35 |
- Bold indicates outright record holder
Comparison of year-end championships
| Tournament | Federer | Nadal |
| Year-End Championship | 6 | 0 |
Comparison of national representation
Federer and Nadal have never faced each other in the Davis Cup or at the Olympics. Both Federer and Nadal have won the Gold Medal at the Olympics in Doubles. Nadal also won the Gold Medal in Singles at the 2008 Bejing Olympics. Federer won the Silver at the 2012 London Olympics.| Tournament | Federer | Nadal |
| Olympics | ||
| Davis Cup | 1 | 5 |
| ATP Cup | 0 | 0 |
Head-to-head tallies
- All matches: Nadal, 24–16
- All finals: Nadal, 14–10
- All matches by court type:
- * Clay courts: Nadal, 14–2
- * Grass courts: Federer, 3–1
- * Hard courts: Federer, 11–9
- ** Outdoor: Nadal, 8–6
- ** Indoor: Federer, 5–1
- All finals by court type:
- * Clay courts: Nadal, 11–2
- * Grass courts: Federer, 2–1
- * Hard courts: Federer, 6–2
- ** Outdoor: Federer, 4–2
- ** Indoor: Federer, 2–0
- Grand Slam matches: Nadal, 10–4
- * Australian Open: Nadal, 3–1
- * French Open: Nadal, 6–0
- * Wimbledon: Federer, 3–1
- Grand Slam finals: Nadal, 6–3
- * Australian Open: Tied, 1–1
- * French Open: Nadal, 4–0
- * Wimbledon: Federer, 2–1
- Tennis Masters Cup/ATP Finals matches: Federer, 4–1
- Tennis Masters Cup/ATP Finals finals: Federer, 1–0
- ATP Masters Series/ATP Tour Masters 1000 matches: Nadal, 12–7
- ATP Masters Series/ATP Tour Masters 1000 finals: Nadal, 7–5
- * Clay courts: Nadal, 7–2
- * Hard courts: Federer, 3–0
- Best of five set matches: Nadal, 12–5
- * Five-set matches: Tied, 3–3
- Best of three set matches: Nadal, 12–11
Set tallies
| Federer | Set score | Nadal |
| 0 | 9–7 | 1 |
| 11 | 7–6 | 11 |
| 4 | 7–5 | 7 |
| 10 | 6–4 | 16 |
| 13 | 6–3 | 20 |
| 5 | 6–2 | 9 |
| 5 | 6–1 | 5 |
| 3 | 6–0 | 1 |
| 50 | Total sets | 70 |
| 569 | Total games | 615 |
| 3675 | Total points | 3772 |
Tournament overview
Grand Slam Matches timeline
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Australian Open | N | N | N | F | ||||||||||||
| French Open | N | N | N | N | N | N | ||||||||||
| Wimbledon | F | F | N | F | ||||||||||||
| US Open |
Hard / Grass timeline
Clay timeline
Notes- In bold: Matches that happened in the finals.
Hard
Clay
Nadal and Federer have played 16 of their 40 matches on clay, with Nadal holding a 14–2 advantage over Federer. The matches comprise 13 tournament finals and 3 semifinals. The Spaniard has won all of their seven meetings in best of five set matches on clay and all six at Roland Garros. Their last match on clay was played at the 2019 French Open.From 2005 to 2008, Nadal won every French Open, defeating Federer in each of those tournaments, as well as in the 2011 final. From 2005–2010, Nadal won at least 2 of the 3 clay Masters events each year, defeating Federer in 6 of those. Statistically, Nadal has the highest win percentage on clay of any player in ATP history, and is second only to Anthony Wilding all-time. As a result, some analysts and players, such as Pat Cash and Conchita Martínez, consider Nadal the greatest clay-court player ever.
Grass
Federer and Nadal have met four times on grass, specifically the Wimbledon finals from 2006 to 2008, and the semifinal of 2019. Federer has a 3–1 advantage over Nadal on this surface, winning the first two finals and the semifinal, while Nadal won the third final. Federer has won the Wimbledon Championships eight times, and Nadal has won the championships twice. Five of Federer's titles were consecutive titles, and the sixth, seventh and eighth titles were won in 2009, 2012 and 2017. The 2008 Wimbledon final has been lauded as the greatest match ever by many long-time tennis analysts.Skill comparisons
Federer has been more successful than Nadal on fast courts because he hits a flatter forehand and has a faster serve. Grass and indoor hard courts are faster surfaces, so Federer's flatter shots there result in a lower bouncing, faster moving trajectory. Thus, Nadal's topspin is less effective on such faster courts, but is most effective on slower courts such as clay. Nadal has improved his serving speed and placement over the years, but Federer still serves faster on average and earns more aces and service winners, while Nadal has an overall stronger ground stroke game.While Nadal is statistically weaker than Federer on both hard and grass courts, he has nonetheless achieved considerable success on both surfaces, including notable wins at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the US Open, and at various hard court Masters series tournaments. Nadal is one of only 2 men to have won at least 2 Grand Slam titles on each surface.
Similarly, Federer too has achieved considerable success on clay, winning the French Open and reaching the finals on four other occasions and winning the Madrid/Hamburg Masters six times.
Media and player commentary
During interviews, many fellow and former players have regarded both Federer and Nadal as among the best tennis players of all time. In November 2010, former player Björn Borg stated that he believed Federer to be the greatest player of all time, but "Rafa has the chance to be the greatest player" if he stays healthy.Former player and commentator John McEnroe was of a similar opinion, noting in 2010 that "there is an argument to be made that Rafael Nadal may be the greatest player eventually, even possibly now." He has subsequently adjusted his opinion on several occasions, in 2013 noting that he thought Nadal was "the greatest player that ever lived" but later in 2014 bunched Federer, Nadal, Laver and Sampras together as the greatest ever. In July 2015, he reversed his opinion and again backed Roger Federer for the title. In January 2017, after Federer, then 35 years of age and returning to competitive play after a 6-month layoff due to injury, triumphed over Nadal in 5 sets to win the record-breaking 18th major at the 2017 Australian Open, McEnroe remarked that Federer had cemented his status as being the best tennis player of all time, but also left open the possibility that Nadal can be in the running again should he win additional men's singles majors to narrow the gap.
In October 2013, Rod Laver, the only tennis player to achieve the Grand Slam twice, said "When I look at Federer, with what he's accomplished, against the competition that he's accomplished it with, I'd have to say I would think that Roger is the greatest player,"
At the press conference following his 9th record French Open win in 2014 and a total of 14 Slams, three shy of Federer's 17, Nadal said that he really does not care much about records, "I'll follow my own path. Then, when my career is over, then we'll count."
In May 2014, eight-time Grand Slam tournament champion Andre Agassi told Singapore's Straits Times newspaper, via aljazeera.com: "I'd put Nadal number one and Federer number two. Federer separated himself from the field for four years. He separated himself from Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt. Nadal had to deal with Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray in the golden age of tennis."
In November 2014, former world number 1 player Andy Roddick, in noting his support for Federer, explained why he believes that head-to-head results are not a valid factor in determining the greatest of all time, "For me Roger Federer is still ahead in the greatest-ever debate, with Rafael Nadal second. People talk about their head-to-head being the determining factor, but I can’t comprehend a single match-up being the deciding factor. It's about total wins at major tournaments, not an individual match-up, in my mind."
In December 2014, Rafael Nadal's uncle and coach, Toni Nadal, indicated to Spanish radio station Cadena COPE that he believed Federer to be the greatest of all time based on overall statistics and achievements, noting "I think he is, the numbers say so." A day before the 2017 Australian Open men's singles finals, Toni Nadal further reemphasized his regard on Federer, saying that "When will call it a career, the greatest player in the tennis history won't be there anymore. Looking at titles, he is the greatest at the moment."
In March 2015, former player Pete Sampras made similar arguments about Federer, "You look at the numbers of what he's been able to do, you have to say he's the greatest we’ve seen" These comments were echoed by Boris Becker in July 2015, "Great respect for Roger Federer! He is our greatest of all time"
Relationship and competitive dynamic
Both Federer and Nadal's personal and professional relationship is good-natured and gracious. Though they are both highly competitive, they maintain a healthy regard for each other and have had virtually no source of personal animosity. The two have made slight criticisms of one another in the past, nevertheless. For example, Federer complained of Nadal's slow, deliberate style of play on the eve of the 2008 Wimbledon final. Nadal criticized Federer before the 2012 Australian Open for his failure to be more vocal about players' grievances on issues such as scheduling and prize money. He subsequently apologized for making his views public, however, and both players maintained that they still enjoyed a good relationship and had high respect for each other, which can often be seen in interviews. Nadal was also once seen watching Federer play a match in his box, and their family members would congratulate each other on match wins.Despite their cordial relationship, both men had a somewhat different attitude towards their rivalry in its initial years. When Federer was securely atop the tennis world he was ambivalent towards the notion of a rivalry with an opponent five years younger than himself. But after their memorable 2008 Wimbledon final he had no choice but to acknowledge its significance, even admitting "it definitely becomes more and more special the more times we play against each other." A few weeks later, after Nadal had officially surpassed him in the rankings, Federer offered this compliment: "Look at what he had to achieve to get it. That's what I like to see." Nadal has always cherished the rivalry because he looks up to Federer as both a role model and a measuring stick for success.
When interest in their rivalry increased, both Federer and Nadal collaborated to arrange occasional charity exhibition matches to benefit their charities' philanthropic interests. The most recent was the Match for Africa, played on 21 December 2010 in Zurich, Switzerland, which Federer won, and a follow-up match played in Madrid on the following day, titled "Joining Forces for the Benefit of Children", which Nadal won.
Cultural impact
The rivalry has also increased overall interest in tennis. The highly anticipated 2008 Wimbledon final drew strong television ratings for tennis in both the U.S. and across Europe. The match was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which was the first time in years that tennis had made its cover. The high-profile status of the rivalry saw Sky Sports comparing it to another modern day rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.The pair's rivalry – and indeed mutual respect and friendship – was the subject of the 2009 book 'Strokes of Genius' by L Jon Wertheim, which explored their career progression and early lives through the prism of the 2008 Wimbledon final. The book consequently inspired a 2018 film of the same name directed by Andrew Douglas, which updated the story to include their comebacks and recent domination of the slams. The documentary also includes footage of a skinny 12 year old Nadal before the development of his famously muscular physique and a number of clips of a surprisingly bad tempered Federer who admits in the film that he had to change his behaviour in order to progress his career.
The documentary features contributions from former players such as John McEnroe, Björn Borg, Pete Sampras, Tim Henman and Carlos Moya – Nadal's current coach – and family members including Federer's mother and father. An illuminating film, it was well received by audiences, scoring 9.2 on IMDB's user rating database.
Pairing Federer and Nadal
Significant achievements
- From the 2003 Wimbledon Championships to the 2011 French Open, Federer and Nadal won an unprecedented 26 out of 32 Major titles. In this time, both men have also completed the Career Grand Slam.
- From Nadal's first Grand Slam tournament victory at the 2005 French Open until the 2011 French Open, Federer and Nadal had won 22 of 25 Major titles. The exceptions were the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, won by Novak Djokovic, and the 2009 US Open, won by Juan Martín del Potro.
- Federer and Nadal are the only No. 1 and No. 2 pair in the Open Era to contest the French Open and Wimbledon men's finals back to back in a calendar year. They are also the only pair in the history of tennis to contest both of these finals back to back for three consecutive years.
- In the history of tennis, Federer and Nadal are the only pair to face each other in nine Grand Slam singles finals. This broke the previous record of seven finals set by Bill Tilden and William Johnston. Their match at the 2012 Australian Open also marked a 10th time two players had faced each other in Grand Slam men's singles matches, tying the record set by John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. This record has now been surpassed by Federer-Djokovic when they met for the 13th time in a Major at the 2012 Wimbledon semifinals.
- Federer and Nadal are the only No. 1 and No. 2 pair to win 11 consecutive Grand Slam singles tournaments between them. In this period, Federer won 3 consecutive titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open and 2 consecutive titles at the Australian Open, while Nadal won 3 consecutive French Open titles. While both were in their thirties, they won 6 consecutive titles from the Australian Open 2017 to the French Open 2018.
- During the Open Era, only two pairs of players have played each other in the final of the same Grand Slam singles tournament three consecutive years: Becker–Edberg and Federer-Nadal.
- Federer and Nadal are the only pair to win at least four consecutive finals at three different Majors during the same period.
- From the 2004 Wimbledon Championships to the 2011 French Open, at least one of them appeared in 25 of 28 Major finals, winning all of them except the 2005 Australian Open, the 2008 Australian Open, the 2011 Australian Open, and the 2009 US Open.
- Federer and Nadal have combined to win 8 consecutive Wimbledon and 10 consecutive French Open.
- Federer and Nadal won the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open triple for 4 consecutive years.
- One of only three pairs to have faced each other in a Major, having both already completed the career Grand Slam. They did this six times. The other pairs being Roy Emerson-Rod Laver and Nadal-Djokovic.
- Federer and Nadal have played four five-set Grand Slam finals. This is the largest number of five-set Grand Slam finals contested by any pair of players in the Open Era.
Records
- Only two male players in tennis history to win more than 17 Grand Slam singles titles each
- Only two male players in tennis history to reach more than 26 Grand Slam singles finals each
- Only two male players in tennis history to win more than 68 matches at French Open each
- Most Grand Slam finals played against each other in tennis history – 9
- Most French Open finals played against each other in tennis history – 4
- Only two players in tennis history to have met in both French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same season for 3 consecutive years
- Rafael Nadal holds the all-time record for most finals reached at French Open while Federer holds the record at Wimbledon
- Federer won the highest number of matches at both Australian Open and Wimbledon, while Nadal at French Open in tennis history
- Federer won the highest number of matches in Grand Slam tournaments on hard, while Nadal on clay – both all time records
- Only two players in tennis history to reach more than 4 Grand Slam finals without losing a single set in tournament – 7 times for Nadal, 6 times for Federer
- Nadal is the only player in tennis history to win at least 1 Grand Slam title a season for 10 consecutive years, while Federer is the only player in tennis history to win 3 Grand Slam titles a season for 2 consecutive years and the only to win 2 Grand Slam titles a season for 4 consecutive years.
- They are just 2 of 3 players to win more than 4 consecutive titles at single major tournament
- First pair in tennis history to win the 2 first major tournaments of the season 6 times between them
- Second pair in tennis history to win 2 Grand Slam titles each in a single calendar year. Nadal and Djokovic later did this in 2019.
- Only two players in men's Open Era history to win more than 58 titles on a particular surface
- They are just 2 of 3 players to win more than one Grand Slam tournament in men's Open Era without losing a single set
- They are just 2 of 3 players to win more than 30 consecutive matches at a Grand Slam event in men's Open Era
- Nadal holds the record for most Grand Slam titles on clay while Federer holds records for most titles on both grass and hard although Federer is tied with Djokovic for the latter
- Only two players in men's Open Era history to each win a Grand Slam title without losing a single set in the same calendar year
- Only two players in men's Open Era history to win more than 65 outdoor tennis tournaments
- Nadal won the most clay tournaments in men's Open Era history on clay with 59 titles, while Federer won the most tournaments on grass and on hard
- Nadal has the longest streak on clay in men's Open Era history with 81 consecutive matches won from 2005 to 2007, while Federer won the most consecutive matches on grass, 65, from 2003 to 2008 and on hard, 56, from 2005 to 2006. They broke each other's streaks – Nadal beat Federer 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 in 2006 Dubai final on hard and 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7
- Only two players in men's Open Era history to reach more than 10 finals at a single tournament – Federer reached 15 finals in Basel, 13 in Halle, and 12 at Wimbledon, while Nadal reached 12 finals at both Roland Garros and Monte-Carlo, and 11 at both Rome and Barcelona.
- Only two players in men's Open Era history to win one tournament more than 8 times
- Nadal has the highest record on clay in men's Open Era history with 92.0%, while Federer has the best record on grass 87.1%
- Only two tennis players to have won more than 355 matches in Masters 1000 tournaments
- Most finals played against each other on clay in Masters 1000 tournaments
- Nadal won 13 consecutive clay tournaments and reached 18 consecutive clay tournaments finals, while Federer won 10 consecutive grass tournaments and reached 13 consecutive grass tournaments finals – all men's Open Era records
- Only players in men's Open Era to win more than 12 titles at ATP 500 tournaments – Federer won 24 titles, Nadal 20
- Only players in men's Open Era to reach more than 19 finals at ATP 500 tournaments – Federer reached 31 finals, Nadal 26
- One of two pairs to have played in 12 finals against each other in Masters 1000 tournaments
- Only players in men's Open Era to win more than 817 outdoor matches each
- Most rivalries won vs Top 10 players – Federer is 1st with 61 rivalries won, while Nadal is 2nd with 52 won
- Federer has the highest number of titles won at Cincinnati Masters, Indian Wells Masters and Hamburg Masters, while Nadal won the most titles at Monte Carlo Masters, Rome Masters and Madrid Masters
- They are the only two players in the 21st century to win titles on 3 surfaces across consecutive events played
- Nadal won the most consecutive sets on clay, while Federer won the most consecutive sets on grass
- For 6 consecutive seasons they ended the calendar season as the top 2 players in the world, a men's Open Era record
- As of Monday 27 January 2020 they are the only players in men's Open Era to spend more than 419 weeks in ATP Top 2
- Only two players to finish season in Top 2 more than 9 times each
- Only two players to finish season as No. 2 more than 4 times each
- Only two players to finish season in Top 2 more than 6 consecutive times each
- Only two players to pass 9 years gap between their first and last week as world number 1
- They are two of three players to clinch ATP year-end world No. 1 in September
Miscellaneous
- Their 2008 Wimbledon men's singles final match is widely regarded as one of the greatest matches in tennis history.
- From 2004 to 2007, Federer won 320 of the 344 matches he played. Nadal was the only player to have a positive record against Federer in that time span
- In his, Federer won 92 of 97 matches he played. Nadal was the only player to hold a positive record against him, winning 4 matches and losing 2. Federer's only other loss of the year came from Andy Murray at the Cincinnati Masters
- Neither of them won their bronze medal matches at the Olympic Games
- Each of them won golden medal in men's doubles at the Olympic Games
- Each player won three 5-set matches against the other player: 2 in Grand Slam and 1 in Masters Series ; Federer won 2005 Miami Masters, 2007 Wimbledon and 2017 Australian Open, while Nadal won 2006 Rome Masters, 2008 Wimbledon and 2009 Australian Open. Federer leads 2–1 on hard, Nadal leads 1–0 on clay and they are tied at 1–1 on grass
Performance timeline comparison
Grand Slam tournaments
- Bold = players met during the tournament
1999–2004
2005–2010
2011–2016
2017–present
By age (end of season)
17–21
22–26
27–31
32–36
37–41
ATP Rankings
Year-End ranking timeline
| Player | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Roger Federer | 301 | 64 | 29 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Rafael Nadal | 811 | 200 | 49 | 51 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
ATP Year-End ranking timeline by age
| Year End Ranking | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Roger Federer | 301 | 64 | 29 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Rafael Nadal | 811 | 200 | 49 | 51 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Career evolution
Federer and Nadal were born just under four years and 10 months apart. Federer's birthday is 8 August 1981, while Nadal's is 3 June 1986. A different viewpoint of their career evolution is offered by taking the season they ended with an age of 16 as starting point, and comparing their accomplishments at the same age. For instance in 2006, Federer finished the season being 25 years old having accumulated a career record of nine Major titles, and ranked No.1. By comparison, Nadal finished the 2011 season also aged 25, having accumulated ten Major titles in total, and being ranked No.2.-
= active record Titles by tournaments played comparison
Federer–Nadal Grand Slam era (2003–2019)
| Year | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open |
| 2003 | Andre Agassi | Juan Carlos Ferrero | Roger Federer | Andy Roddick |
| 2004 | Roger Federer | Gastón Gaudio | Roger Federer | Roger Federer |
| 2005 | Marat Safin | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Roger Federer |
| 2006 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Roger Federer |
| 2007 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Roger Federer |
| 2008 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer |
| 2009 | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Roger Federer | Juan Martín del Potro |
| 2010 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Rafael Nadal | Rafael Nadal |
| 2011 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | Novak Djokovic |
| 2012 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Andy Murray |
| 2013 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Andy Murray | Rafael Nadal |
| 2014 | Stan Wawrinka | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | Marin Čilić |
| 2015 | Novak Djokovic | Stan Wawrinka | Novak Djokovic | Novak Djokovic |
| 2016 | Novak Djokovic | Novak Djokovic | Andy Murray | Stan Wawrinka |
| 2017 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal |
| 2018 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | Novak Djokovic |
| 2019 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal |
| 2020 | Novak Djokovic |
Combined singles performance timeline (best result)
1 Held as Hamburg Masters until 2008, Madrid Masters 2009 – present.2 Held as Stuttgart Masters until 2001, Madrid Masters from 2002–08, and Shanghai Masters 2009 – present
Federer–Nadal ATP world No. 1 era
| Player | Start date | End date | Weeks | Total |
| | 2 2 2004 | 17 8 2008 | 237 | 237 |
| | 18 8 2008 | 5 07 2009 | 46 | 46 |
| Roger Federer | 6 07 2009 | 6 06 2010 | 48 | 285 |
| Rafael Nadal | 7 06 2010 | 3 07 2011 | 56 | 102 |
 Novak Djokovic | 4 07 2011 | 8 07 2012 | 53 | 53 |
| Roger Federer | 9 07 2012 | 4 11 2012 | 17 | 302 |
| Novak Djokovic | 5 11 2012 | 6 10 2013 | 48 | 101 |
| Rafael Nadal | 7 10 2013 | 6 7 2014 | 39 | 141 |
| Novak Djokovic | 7 7 2014 | 6 11 2016 | 122 | 223 |
 Andy Murray | 7 11 2016 | 20 8 2017 | 41 | 41 |
| Rafael Nadal | 21 8 2017 | 18 2 2018 | 26 | 167 |
| Roger Federer | 19 02 2018 | 1 4 2018 | 6 | 308 |
| Rafael Nadal | 2 04 2018 | 13 05 2018 | 6 | 173 |
| Roger Federer | 14 05 2018 | 20 05 2018 | 1 | 309 |
| Rafael Nadal | 21 05 2018 | 17 06 2018 | 4 | 177 |
| Roger Federer | 18 06 2018 | 24 06 2018 | 1 | 310 |
| Rafael Nadal | 25 06 2018 | 4 11 2018 | 19 | 196 |
| Novak Djokovic | 5 11 2018 | 3 11 2019 | 52 | 275 |
| Rafael Nadal | 4 11 2019 | 02 02 2020 | 13 | 209 |
| Novak Djokovic | 03 02 2020 | Present | 1 | 276 |