"Feels like just yesterday" - Roger Federer fondly recalls his first-ever ATP final meeting against Rafael Nadal at Miami Open 2005 

Roger Federer recently expressed nostalgia after stumbling across a highlight reel of his 2005 Miami Open final against Rafael Nadal, who was just 18 years old back then.

Federer and Nadal together accounted for tennis' most popular rivalry over the last two decades. The two players faced off 40 times on the ATP tour, with some high-quality championship matches at the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon defining their epic rivalry.

Although the Swiss maestro lost to the Spaniard in 24 of their encounters, he became increasingly fond of the 22-time Major winner as the years passed by. It all started with their second career meeting in the championship match of the 2005 Miami Open, where the then-World No. 1 was taken to five sets by a teen Nadal.

Roger Federer went down memory lane on Sunday (March 24), reposting TennisTV's video documenting his famed Miami title clash with Rafael Nadal on Instagram. He captioned the post:

"Feels like just yesterday 🤪 @rafaelnadal"

Roger Federer's Instagram story

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Rafael Nadal led Roger Federer by two sets to love before the Swiss launched a thrilling comeback in Miami Open 2005 final

Rafael Nadal hits a forehand during Miami Open 2005 final

At 1-3 in the first set of the 2005 Miami Open final, the Swiss maestro served big and hit accurate groundstrokes before coming to the net at deuce, but the Spaniard's relentless defense allowed him to hit a down-the-line forehand passing shot winner to earn break point.

During another point in the second set, Roger Federer had to come up with some aggressive play to win a long rally against the 18-year-old, who was ranked 31st at the time. The second set was decided in a tiebreaker, in which Rafael Nadal got ahead at 3-2 with some dextrous shot selection.

The Spaniard won the tiebreaker convincingly and led 4-1 in the third set before the top seed got the break back. He would come up with some gutsy backhand passing shots and volleys to win the third set in a tiebreaker.

The then-four-time Major winner eventually wore Nadal down with his deep forehand, taking the next two sets comfortably to register a 2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1 win. During their embrace at the net, the two players shared good camaraderie, a sign of things to come.

The duo met in the semifinals of the 2005 French Open a few months later. However, this time around, Rafael Nadal had risen to a then-career-high ranking of No. 4 and would beat his older opponent in four sets en route to his maiden Major title.