"Still in awe of the fact this actually happened" - Tennis fans recall the iconic 'Battle of Surfaces' between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on its 15th anniversary

On 2 May 2007, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal took part in an exhibition match aptly named 'Battle of Sufaces.' Held in Palma de Mallorca, the capital city of the Spaniard's home island, the encounter featured a unique court that was half-grass and half-clay.

Federer was the top-ranked men's tennis player at the time of the event, while the 21-time Grand Slam champion was ranked World No. 2. The court cost an estimated $1.63 million to put together over 19 grueling days, and even necessitated players to switch footwear in between breaks.

Coming into the match, the Swiss was undefeated on grass for five straight years, racking up a 48-match unbeaten streak. The Mallorcan, meanwhile, had a 72-match unbeaten streak to his name on clay and was unparalleled on the surface for three years.

Rafael Nadal eventually won the clash 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(10) in three sets after a two-and-a-half-hour marathon. Today happens to be the 15th anniversary of this iconic clash, a fact that did not escape the attention of tennis fans on social media.

Several took to Twitter to reminisce about this once-in-a-lifetime match, pointing out how lucky they were to watch two of the greatest tennis players duel it out in such novel fashion.

"Today is the 15th anniversary of the Battle of the Surfaces. Still in awe of the fact this actually happened," one fan tweeted.

"One of the best Tennis court ideas ever! Prime Grass Federer vs Clay Nadal," another fan tweeted.

"A legendary moment in tennis history and a brilliant showcase of the most appealing aspect of tennis IMO - surface variety," one user posted.

"Rivals on two surfaces in 2007, teammates on one in 2022," the Laver Cup's official Twitter handle wrote, referring to the fact that the duo have been confirmed to appear at this year's edition as part of Team Europe.

Rafael Nadal leads the head-to-head 14-2 against Roger Federer on clay, but trails 1-3 on grass

Rafael Nadal has a 15-5 lead over Roger Federer on the combined clay and grass head-to-head

The 'Battle of Surfaces' was indeed an interesting idea to pit Rafael Nadal against Roger Federer, seeing that it is one of the most surface-dependent rivalries of all time. The World No. 4 leads their head-to-head 14-2 on clay, losing only at the 2007 Hamburg Masters and the 2009 Madrid Masters.

The Spaniard has never lost to Federer in a clay Grand Slam, winning all six of their clashes at Roland Garros (2005-2008, 2011 and 2019). On grass, however, the World No. 41 has the clear upper hand.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion has beaten the Mallorcan thrice at Wimbledon (2006, 2007 and 2019), and lost only one encounter at SW19 (2008) for a 3-1 lead in the head-to-head on the surface. The Swiss also leads the head-to-head on hardcourt 11-9.