Did you know? Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's first battle was in a doubles match

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are undoubtedly two of the greatest tennis players of all time. The duo have dazzled spectators for over 15 years with their splendid performances.

Federer and Nadal have also forged arguably the greatest rivalry in tennis history. They have played 40 times against one another with the Spaniard leading 24-16. Incredibly, 24 of those encounters have been in finals, with Nadal winning 14 and Federer emerging victorious in 10.

Unsurprisingly Nadal has dominated on clay, winning 14 out of 16 matches against the Swiss. Federer, however, has fared very well against the Spaniard on grass, winning five of their six matches on the surface.

The duo have been involved in several classic encounters, including the 2006 Rome final, and 2009 and 2017 Australian Open finals. Their pulsating five-set battle in the 2008 Wimbledon final is widely considered one of the greatest matches of all time.

Surprisingly, the first time Federer and Nadal met on a tennis court was in a doubles match.

During the Indian Wells Masters in 2003, a young Federer partnered compatriot Yves Allegro. The pair received a wildcard to the men's doubles competition and won their opening match against seventh seeds Leander Paes and David Riki in straight sets.

In the second round, Federer and Allegro squared off against a 17-year-old Nadal and Tommy Robredo. The Swiss duo took the opening set 7-5 but the Spaniards bounced back to win the next two 6-4,6-3 and qualify for the quarterfinals. They were eventually beaten by second seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi.

Federer fared a lot better in the singles category, defeating Tim Henman in the final. Nadal reached the third round by defeating 11th seed Nicolas Massu but was eliminated by Argentina's Agustin Calleri.

A few weeks after their doubles clash, Federer and Nadal would lock horns in a singles match for the very first time at the Miami Masters. Seeded 32nd in the competition, the Spaniard scripted a major upset by beating the then World No. 1 6-3, 6-3 to reach the fourth round. However, he was beaten by Fernando Gonzalez in three sets.

What does the 2022 season have in store for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?

Federer will not participate in the Australian Open this year

Roger Federer did not have a particularly good 2021, with his most notable achievement coming at Wimbledon, where he reached the quarterfinals. After undergoing surgery in August, the Swiss opted to skip the remainder of the season.

Rafael Nadal won the Barcelona Open and the Italian Open this year. However, a foot injury cut his season short. The Spaniard returned to action at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in August. He received a bye to the semifinals but was beaten by Andy Murray before losing to Denis Shapovalov in the third-place playoff.

Shortly after the tournament, Nadal announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19. The Spaniard is scheduled to appear in the Yarra Valley Classic in Melbourne and the Australian Open, but it remains to be seen if he can recover in time.

Federer will not be participating in the Australian Open next month as he recovers from his knee injury.