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A recap of every match Nadal and Federer have played...

The rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal has been arguably the most enthralling in the history of tennis and well over a decade after it began, it is still going strong.

The pair will face off again for the first time since 2017 on Friday in the Roland Garros semi-finals. Federer and Nadal had set up a semi-final showdown earlier this season at the BNP Paribas Open, but the Spaniard withdrew ahead of the match with right knee pain.

“We’ve had so many epic battles and I know every match we have now could be our last. Was this our chance for the last one? I really hope not,” said Federer at the time. “I believe at the level he’s playing and that I’m still going at, there’s going to be more.”

While Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 23-15, it looks a lot better for the Swiss than it did in early 2014, when Nadal led 23-10 after winning the Australian Open final. Since then, Federer has won five matches in a row for the first time in the rivalry, including three title victories over the Spaniard in 2017.

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Here is a history of their 38 career meetings:

2017 Shanghai Rolex Masters F, hard, Federer d. Nadal 6-4, 6-3
However hard it is to believe, Federer is still doing new things.

For the first time in the rivalry, the 36 year old defeated Nadal for the fifth time in a row, earning his tour-leading third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of the season in Shanghai. Not only did he halt the momentum of the Spaniard's 16-match winning streak, but maintained his hopes of finishing at No. 1 in the year-end Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since 2009. Nadal could have gained a nearly insurmountable 2,760-point lead over his rival, but Federer instead closed the gap to 1,960 points as the season nears an exciting finale.

Despite World No. 1 Nadal arguably entering the match as the favourite after earning back-to-back titles at the US Open and the China Open and eliminating two Top 10 players in Grigor Dimitrov and Marin Cilic in Shanghai, it was Federer who came out of the gate firing, breaking in the first game of the match. The now two-time Shanghai champion broke twice more in the second set, and never faced a break point in the match to claim his third title-match victory over Nadal in 2017.

Perhaps Federer summed it up best.

"We didn't think maybe we were going to have the year we did. I definitely didn't," Federer said. "Hopefully there's more to come."

Read Match Report & Watch Highlights


2017 Miami Open presented by Itau F, hard, Federer d. Nadal 6-3, 6-4
Federer might have said it best before he and Nadal faced off for the 37th time during the Miami final on 2 April: “Feels like old times.”

Few would have predicted that Federer and Nadal would have fought over one 'Big Title' in 2017, let alone a second. But both players steamrolled into the Miami title match, where Federer picked up where he left off the last time they met, during the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

The Swiss right-hander, who also won the 2017 Australian Open final against Nadal, dominated on his serve in Miami, saving all four break points faced and winning 87 per cent of his first-serve points (34/39). During their first two FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings in 2017, Federer's flat and much-improved backhand was the story.

In Miami, Federer's forehand stole the spotlight. The fourth seed slapped 19 forehand winners, compared to 13 for Nadal. Federer left Miami with his third South Florida title, his third Sunshine Double and a tantalising question for fans to ponder: How long can one of the greatest of all-time keep up this stellar second act?

Read Match Report & Watch Highlights | How The Match Was Won

2017 BNP Paribas Open fourth round, Indian Wells, hard, Federer d. Nadal 6-2, 6-3
Channeling the same game plan that reaped the ultimate reward in the Australian Open final in January, Federer has put on a stunning display of aggression to defeat Nadal in the fourth round. Federer’s victory marked the first time he had defeated Nadal three times in a row in 36 FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, following his five-set triumph in Melbourne in January and a three-set win in the 2015 Basel final. It was the first time the pair had squared off before the quarter-finals since their first meeting in the 2004 Miami third round.

Federer came out of the blocks in a hurry against Nadal. The Swiss secured the opener 6-2, consistently finding his mark coming over the backhand to keep Nadal on the back foot. His fifth backhand winner of the first set was followed by an explosive wrong-footing forehand winner to bring up a break point on the Spaniard’s serve at 3-1. He secured the double break off a spectacular backhand return winner for 4-1 after 23 minutes. He would close out the opening set in style as he threaded back-to-back forehand winners to bring up two set points and sealed it on his first with a serve-volley winner after 34 minutes.

Determined to make a statement he would not go quietly, Nadal started the second set with authority, holding to love with a forehand winner and an ace out wide for 1-0. Federer’s aggression continued to gnaw at Nadal, however. His confidence surged further when he broke early for 2-1 and now redlining, the pressure from the 36-year-old Swiss was relentless. He held to love for 4-2 off an ace out wide and drew the error from a looping backhand.

Read Match Report & Watch Highlights


2017 Australian Open final, Melbourne, hard, Federer d. Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
For years, many tennis observers thought they'd never see this again: Federer and Nadal meeting in a Grand Slam final. The fans and analysts weren't being pessimistic, either. It had been three years since Nadal had won 2014 Roland Garros and almost five years since Federer hoisted the Wimbledon trophy in 2012. But here the all-time greats and friends were, proving the doubters wrong once more.

Federer had surprised even himself by reaching the Melbourne final. He was playing in his first tour-level event in more than six months after taking the second half of 2016 off because of a lingering knee injury. Nadal, too, had missed the last five weeks of the 2016 season to rest his left wrist. But it was like old times again in Melbourne, with the level of tennis high from the start of their final.

During the first four sets, the players peaked at different times, with Federer starting hot but Nadal answering. In the fifth set, though, both legends were near their apex, and it looked like Nadal would take this 35th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting as he broke to start the decider. The 35-year-old Federer, though, would make his comeback even more special.

The Swiss fell behind 1-3 in the fifth set but reeled off the next five games, including two service breaks, to beat Nadal and claim his fifth Australian Open title and 18th Grand Slam crown in three hours and 38 minutes. The right-hander did it with his serve, 20 aces, and his backhand, which had been solid all tournament long and stood up to Nadal's topspin forehand as best as it ever had. Federer flattened out his one-hander and delivered several cross-court winners against Nadal, which forced the Spaniard to stay home and limited his ability to run around his backhand.

The two have now won a combined 32 Grand Slam titles. At 35 years and 174 days, Federer became the oldest Grand Slam champion since Ken Rosewall, who won three major titles in 1970 and ’71 after celebrating his 35th birthday.

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2015 Swiss Indoors Basel final, Basel, hard, Federer d. Nadal 63 57 63
The long wait for one of the greatest rivalries of all time to be renewed finally ended, with Federer and Nadal drawn to clash for the ATP World Tour 500 series title in Basel. It had been 21 months since they last faced off on the hard courts of the Australian Open and both competitors were eager to notch another victory in the clash of titans. After more than two hours on court, it was Federer who claimed his sixth title of the season, seventh in his hometown and 88th of his career, clawing past his rival in a high-octane affair.

Predicated on an attacking mentality, both players looked to open the court and keep rallies short throughout. After splitting the first two sets, a Nadal double fault in the third game of the decider would give Federer a break chance to claim a potentially decisive break, but the Spaniard dispelled any such notion. He would win the battle, but the Swiss would win the war, grabbing the decisive break for 5-3 and serving it out a game later after two hours and three minutes on court. The former Basel ballboy out-aced Nadal 12-0 and struck 44 total winners. He converted on three of seven break points.

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2014 Australian Open semi-final, Melbourne, hard, Nadal d. Federer 76(4) 63 63
Nadal and Federer had met on the same court exactly two years ago, when Nadal prevailed in four sets before losing out to Novak Djokovic in a near-six-hour finale. As they returned to Rod Laver Arena, it was with renewed hope for Federer that he might get his first Grand Slam win over Nadal since the 2007 Wimbledon final.

With Stefan Edberg in his corner and a larger racquet head paying dividends, Federer came into the semi-finals feeling confident on the back of impressive victories over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray. With Nadal also struggling with a troublesome blister on his left palm, would this be Federer’s chance to reach his 25th major final?

In short, no. Nadal produced an awesome display, punctuated with remarkable passing shots, to which Federer had no answer. While Nadal excelled, he needed to, to combat the high level of aggression from Federer. The Swiss did not relent in coming to the net, despite often being thwarted by Nadal's passing shots, and stepped in to hit over his backhand returns, instead of slicing them all.

But with Nadal looking to chase down Federer’s tally of 17 major titles, the Spaniard afforded Federer no mercy as he claimed the victory in two hours and 23 minutes, setting a final clash with Stanislas Wawrinka.

2013 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals semi-final, London, indoor hard, Nadal d. Federer 75 63
Federer had won all four of their previous encounters at the season finale, most recently in the 2010 title match at The O2, but Nadal defeated the six-time champion in straight sets to reach his 14th final of a remarkable year.

After three straight service breaks, Nadal closed out a hold to love with his eighth forehand winner to end the 43-minute first set. Federer, who needed to be aggressive, struck 11 winners and committed 15 unforced errors in a high-quality opener. In the second set, Federer committed a forehand error in the fifth game to give Nadal the break. Nadal tightened up his game and at 5-3, created one match point opportunity at 30/40. Federer serve and volleyed, but Nadal’s backhand return was low enough to get Federer into trouble. He hit a backhand volley long to end the 80-minute encounter.


2013 Western & Southern Open quarter-final, Cincinnati, hard, Nadal d. Federer 57 64 63
In arguably their most riveting encounter since their 2012 Australian Open semi-final, Nadal outlasted Federer after three sets of high quality tennis. The Spaniard needed five match points to close out the 32-year-old Swiss, extending his winning streak on hard courts in 2013 to 13-0 and moving one step closer to a 37th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final.

Federer executed a highly aggressive game plan early on, which included topping many backhand returns and attacking the net with authority. He would capture the first set on a late break at 5-5 30/40, but Nadal would refuse to succumb to his rival, turning the tables late in the second set. As Federer’s unforced error count rose to 44, Nadal continued to apply pressure on his serve with deep angled returns with significant pace. The World No. 3 took an immediate lead in the third set, breaking for 2-0 and holding serve from there to the finish line. In a dramatic final game, Federer rallied from 0/40 and eventually saved four match points before Nadal rifled a forehand down the line to close it out.

Nadal improved to an overall record of 21-10 against Federer with the win, ending the five-time Cincinnati champ’s bid to repeat.

Federer vs Nadal:
Matches 21-30 | Matches 11-20 | Matches 1-10

ATPTour.com remembers one of the greatest matches of all-time
The original headline, "Nadal Sets Sights on No. 1 After Epic Wimbledon Battle", may not have gone far enough, but then again, tennis fans have learned over the years that words cannot describe the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. They don't suffice in summing up the 2008 Wimbledon final, either, the match that spawned a book and a documentary and is largely considered the greatest in tennis history.
The final, their third consecutive at SW19, had everything to give it the drama of a James Patterson novel: suspense (rain delays), plot twists (Nadal led by two sets to zero before Federer came back) and a surprising ending (the Spaniard upset Federer at Wimbledon for the first time).
Before the two return to Centre Court for their Friday semi-final, the 40th contest of their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry, relive the 2008 classic below.
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World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has the World No. 1 ranking firmly in his sights after becoming the first man since Sweden’s Bjorn Borg in 1980 to clinch the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double on Sunday. He also emulated the achievement of Spanish compatriot Manuel Santana, who captured the 1966 Wimbledon title.
Nadal made it third time lucky against ATP World No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland in The Championships final, after beating the five-time defending champion 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 on Centre Court. The final, which finished at 9:15pm BST, was twice interrupted by rain.
"[I'm] just very happy because I played with very positive attitude all the time," said Nadal. [To] win here is unbelievable for me."
At four hours and 48 minutes in duration, it was the longest final in Wimbledon history (since 1877), and the 9-7 deciding set was the longest in a championship since 2001 when Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia defeated Australian Pat Rafter 9-7 in the fifth set.
Nadal has closed the gap to 545 points in the South African Airways ATP Rankings behind Federer. Federer has 6,600 points to Nadal's 6,055. Nadal came into Wimbledon 1,145 points behind Federer.
Nadal's fifth career Grand Slam title (5-2) gives him the most among Spaniards, surpassing Santana (4). Nadal is the second player - after Federer in 2004, ‘06-07 - to win two of the first three Grand Slam titles in a season since Pete Sampras won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 1997.
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The 22-year-old held two of four championship points in the fourth set tie-break at 7-6 and 8-7, but Federer fought back to within sight of winning a sixth successive Wimbledon singles crown. The Swiss shares the record of five straight triumphs with Englishman Laurie Doherty (1902-06) and Borg (1976-1980).
"Federer is a great champion," said Nadal. "His attitude always is positive when he loses or when he wins. I always have a lot of respect for him. I admire him a lot. We have a very good relationship."
Federer had been trying to become the first player since 1927 to come back from a two-set deficit in the Wimbledon final and win. That year Henri Cochet defeated French compatriot Jean Borotra 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. Federer was attempting to come back from a two-set deficit and win for the fourth time in his career.
“[It is] probably my hardest loss, by far,” said Federer. “I thought I played well. [But I] missed too many chances obviously in the first couple of sets. Rafa played well. I'm happy we lived up to the expectations. I'm happy the way I fought. That's all I could really do.”
The last male to have saved match points and won a Wimbledon singles final was American Bob Falkenburg, who saved two match points against John Bromwich of Australia in 1948.
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Nadal now holds a 12-6 career lead (9-1 on clay, 2-3 on hard, 1-2 on grass) against Federer. It was their 14th overall meeting in a final (Nadal leads 10-4). This was the sixth career meeting in a Grand Slam final between the two superstars (Nadal leads 4-2), which is the most in the Open Era.
Nadal improved his match winning streak to 24 in a row since his last loss to compatriot and former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the opening round at Masters Series Rome on May 7. It is also Nadal's fourth straight title (Masters Series Hamburg, Roland Garros, Queen's, Wimbledon) and an ATP-best sixth title of the year.
Federer's all-time record 65-match winning streak on grass, including 40 in a row at Wimbledon, comes to an end (since his last loss to Croatian Mario Ancic in the first round at Wimbledon six years ago). Federer's unbeaten streak in 10 career grass court finals also ends.
Since Roland Garros in 2005 when Nadal captured his first Grand Slam crown, 13 of the last 14 Grand Slam titles have been won by Federer (8) or Nadal (5). The lone exception came at the Australian Open in January when Novak Djokovic broke through to win his first Slam title.
The 2008 Wimbledon final was the third time in the Open Era that the same two players had met in the championship of a Grand Slam tournament for three consecutive years. The others were Federer and Nadal at Roland Garros (2006-08) and from 1988-90 at Wimbledon where Sweden’s Stefan Edberg defeated Boris Becker of Germany in two of the three years.
In the mixed doubles final, which did not start until 8:32pm BST, American Bob Bryan and Samantha Stosur of Australia upset top seeds Mike Bryan and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 7-5, 6-4 in 61 minutes on Court One.

Learn more about the Federer-Nadal rivalry before their semi-final battle at Wimbledon
After storming through the draw with flawless all-court play, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal contest the 40th match in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry on Friday for a spot in the Wimbledon final. This will be their fourth meeting in London and the first since Nadal prevailed in their classic 2008 championship clash.
Nadal improved to 24-15 in the series after defeating Federer last month in the Roland Garros semi-finals; The win snapped a five-match losing streak against the Swiss which dated back to the 2014 Australian Open semi-finals.
ATPTour.com looks at some of the stats you need to know ahead of Federer and Nadal's encounter:
Nadal and Federer’s 39 prior meetings are the third-most in the Open Era (Nadal/Djokovic 54, Federer/Djokovic 47).
Nadal has won more Grand Slam matches (10) against Federer than any other player.
Federer and Nadal have both won four Grand Slam titles since turning 30.
At 14 matches, Federer and Nadal have the third-most prolific Grand Slam rivalry of the Open Era, trailing only Djokovic-Federer and Djokovic-Nadal (both 15).
Nadal has won 20 more sets than Federer in their rivalry (Nadal leads 70-50).
Nadal and Federer have met three times on grass and always at Wimbledon (Federer leads 2-1).
Federer and Nadal have never faced off at The Championships before the final.
Federer is 15-24 against Nadal and 112-13 against all other left-handed players.
Nadal has won 10 of his 13 Grand Slam matches against Federer.
Nadal is 11-10 against Federer in tie-breaks.
Nadal and Federer have met in 10 tour-level semi-finals (Nadal leads 7-3).
Federer has nearly double the number of wins that Nadal does at The All England Club (100 to 53).
Federer scored the first 6-0 set of their rivalry in the 2006 Wimbledon final. Federer has three 6-0 sets in his career against the Spaniard.
Nadal is bidding to reach his 27th Grand Slam semi-final, Federer his 31st.
At 37 years and 340 days, Federer will become the third-oldest man to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open Era if he wins on Friday.
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Federer & Nadal's Three FedEx ATP Head2Head Meetings At Wimbledon
Year Round Winner Score
2008 F Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7
2007 F Roger Federer 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2
2006 F Roger Federer 6-0, 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-3
Did You Know?
While Novak Djokovic is currently in the top spot, Federer (310) and Nadal (196) have combined for 506 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings — nearly 10 years!

Test your knowledge ahead of the Wimbledon semi-finals
Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and two-time winner Rafael Nadal's semi-final blockbuster is 11 years in the making. Not since the final of The Championships in 2008 have they stood across the net from one another at the All England Club.
Both players have shown tremendous form to reach the semi-finals on the hallowed London grass. Before they battle on Centre Court, test your knowledge of their rivalry at Wimbledon.
Need a little assistance? Check out these resource pages:
FedEx ATP Head2Head | Every Match Ever Played
Click here to stay informed all year with tennis news from the ATP Tour.

Relive the three Wimbledon finals the all-time greats have contested
Fans have waited 11 years for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to meet again at Wimbledon, where the two legends seared their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry into memories with the 2008 final, one of the greatest matches ever played.
Nadal, leading by two sets to zero, held on to knock Federer off his SW19 throne and celebrate his first Wimbledon title. But, to date, Federer has had the last chuckle on the rye grass: he entered his 21st Wimbledon with a record eight titles. The Swiss, however, hasn't faced Nadal at SW19 since their 2008 epic.
Ahead of their Friday semi-final, ATPTour.com remembers their three FedEx ATP Head2Head Wimbledon matchups.
2006 Final, Federer d. Nadal 60 76(5) 67(2) 63
The question – Could Roger Federer be beaten on grass? – was not a rhetorical one in 2006, two years after the surging Nadal introduced himself as a potential challenger to the Swiss. Heading into their 2006 final, Federer, the top seed and three-time defending champion, was riding a 47-match grass-court winning streak.
But while Nadal had proved a worthy fighter on clay and hard – the Spaniard had won 17 tour-level titles, including two Roland Garros crowns, all basically before his 20th birthday – he had yet to carry that success over to the grass. The 20-year-old was playing in his first Wimbledon final and his previous best finish was the third round.
The duo had split the season's two first Grand Slams – Federer winning the Australian Open (d. Baghdatis) and Nadal Roland Garros (d. Federer). But during their second meeting in a Grand Slam final, it was Federer who began in hot form and maintained his level.
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The Swiss eased through the opener and broke Nadal when the Spaniard served at 5-4 to close out the second set. Nadal rebounded in the third, but Federer took early control in the fourth, breaking Nadal at 2-1 and 4-1 and eventually winning the Championships when serving at 5-3.
Federer, who captured his 39th career title and eighth Grand Slam crown, became the sixth man to secure four straight Wimbledon titles. He'd go onto have one of his best seasons ever, winning three Grand Slam titles and becoming the first man to reach all four Slam title matches since Rod Laver in 1969. Federer finished 2006 with 12 tour-level crowns.
2007 Final, Federer d. Nadal 76(7) 46 76(3) 26 62
Nadal had again beaten Federer in the Roland Garros final, the Spaniard's third consecutive Paris title. And, during their second Wimbledon final, he showed he would be a formidable foe for Federer on quick surfaces for years to come by producing the best grass-court performance of his career despite having endured a draining fortnight.
Nadal, playing for the seventh consecutive day after rain wreaked havoc on the tournament schedule, showed his mental and physical toughness by pushing the four-time defending champion Federer to five sets for the first time in his 34-match win streak at the All England Club.
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Federer, who had never lost a match at Wimbledon after winning the first set, claimed the first set tie-break despite Nadal's gallant effort to save three consecutive set points at 3/6.
An attacking Federer made many forays to the net but Nadal had his blistering passes dialed in. The Spaniard saved a break point in the first game of the third set and then didn't face another break point until Federer claimed the decisive break in the sixth game of the fifth set.
Having seen Nadal save 16 of 17 break points against him to win Roland Garros, Federer twice rallied from 15/40 in the fifth set to avoid going down an early break.
Federer, who clubbed 65 winners – including 24 aces and a plethora of crosscourt backhand winners – equaled Bjorn Borg's record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles. Nadal was attempting to become the first player since Borg in 1980 to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, a feat he wouldn't have to wait much longer to accomplish.
2008 Final, Nadal d. Federer 64 64 67(5) 67(8) 97
For the third year in a row, here they were, defending champion Federer and reigning Roland Garros champion Nadal. The two were owning the European clay and grass swings, making it six straight Roland Garros-Wimbledon finals between the two of them.
In one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of their 18-match rivalry, Nadal won the first set but fell Federer looked to have things under control in the second with a 3-0 lead.
The World No. 2 Nadal, however, fought back to silence the Centre Court crowd and take a two sets to zero lead. The third set was interrupted by rain, with Federer leading 5-4. The duo returned after a 71-minute delay and, despite windy conditions, held on for a tie-break. Federer forged ahead 5/2 and eventually clinched the set on his third set point.
The fourth set moved into an inevitable tie-break, which kept the thousands of spectators on Centre Court on the edges of their seats. Two unforced errors from Federer on the forehand wing gave Nadal his first championship point at 7/6. One shot and the Swiss' reign would have ended right there, but again his serve rescued him.
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Nadal, though, struck a forehand winner with Federer approaching the net for his second championship point at 8/7. Serving for the match, Nadal was drawn to the net by Federer who passed the 22-year-old with a backhand winner down the line. With Nadal’s confidence dented, Federer seized control of the tie-break and took the final to a decisive set.
More rain interrupted the match at 2-2 in the fifth set. After a 30-minute delay, the final resumed and as darkness set in, Nadal finally converted his fourth break point opportunity for an 8-7 lead after Federer hit a forehand long.
Another championship point went begging, but at the fourth time of asking Nadal clinched the 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 victory in four hours and 48 minutes. It was the longest final in Wimbledon history (since 1877). The battle for the No. 1 ATP Ranking had just intensified, and the greatest match ever played had just finished.
In the years since, the match has become commonly known as one of the greatest ever. Sports Illustrated tennis writer Jon Wertheim later wrote a book – which spawned a documentary – about the match, titled, “Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played”.