Two of the greatest tennis players of all-time, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be meeting for a 36th time in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters. Both players have played really well in the tournament and have not dropped a single set so far.
Their fourth meeting will be their 17th meeting at a Masters 1000 tournament with Nadal leading the head to head by a convincing margin of 12-4. The two have had a number of exciting encounters at the Masters 1000 tournaments and their match at the Indian Wells Masters will be expected to be as exciting as the Australian Open final a few months ago which Federer won.
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With only hours to spare before Federer and Nadal lock horns, let’s take a look at five of the most epic battles between the two at Masters 1000 tournaments.
#5 2013 Cincinnati Masters quarter-finals
After a disappointing Wimbledon campaign, both Federer and Nadal survived third round scares to reach the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters. While Federer came back from a set down to defeat Tommy Haas, Nadal got the better of Grigor Dimitrov, also in three sets, after the latter staged a comeback in the second set.
The match was expected to be very exciting and it turned out to be quite a contest. In a very tight first set, Federer edged out Nadal 7-5 to take the lead in the match. However, the Spaniard was in no mood to throw in the towel and he came back to take the second set 6-4 which gave him a lot of confidence and eventually resulted in him winning the final set and the match.
Nadal subsequently went on to win the tournament by beating Tomas Berdych in the semi-final and John Isner in the final.
#4 2011 Madrid Masters semi-finals
Both Federer and Nadal were pretty dominant during the 2011 Madrid Masters with the Swiss dropping just one set and Rafa none until they locked horns in the semi-finals. Both players won their quarter-finals in straight sets to set up their third straight clash at the Madrid Masters, having played one another in the final of the 2009 and 2010 tournaments.
It was Federer who drew first blood by taking the first set 7-5. However, Nadal could never be written off as he was playing on his favourite turf and he roared back into the match by taking the second set 6-1.
The final set was a little less one-sided but Nadal once again outplayed the Swiss to take the set and the match, thereby reaching his third consecutive final at the Madrid Masters. However, he went on to lose the final to Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
#3 2008 Hamburg Masters final
In 2008, Rafael Nadal was making an attempt to bridge the gap between him and the World No.1 and was having a pretty good tournament at the Hamburg Masters. The southpaw overcame a tough three-set semi-final against Novak Djokovic to set up a rematch of the previous year’s final between himself and Federer.
Federer, on the other hand, hadn’t dropped a single set throughout the competition mainly because he had failed to play a single seeded player up until the final. The final, which was the last final of the Hamburg Masters as a Masters 1000 event, turned out to be one of the most exciting Masters 1000 finals of all-time.
After a pretty intense first set, Nadal somehow managed to edge out Federer to win it 7-5. However, the Swiss, who was suffering from a bout of mononucleosis during the time, came back to win the second set 7-6.
The third set turned out to be a relatively one-sided affair as Nadal outplayed Federer to take the set 6-3 and win his maiden Hamburg Masters title.
#2 2006 Monte Carlo Masters final
Both Federer and Nadal were in terrific form in 2006 and were coming in to the Monte Carlo Masters as the favourites to win the title, Nadal being the defending champion. Federer had a bit of a shaky start against qualifier Novak Djokovic but had three easy wins to enter the semi-finals whereas the Spaniard was yet to drop a set in the tournament.
In the semis, Federer and Nadal defeated Fernando Gonzalez and Gaston Gaudio, respectively to set up a meeting in the final which would be their fifth overall. Nadal began the match brilliantly and took the first set 6-2 but the Swiss fought back and took the second set in a tiebreak to level the match. The Spaniard, though, won the third set 6-3.
The fourth set was a very exciting one with neither player willing to back down as the set again went into a tiebreak. However, it was the southpaw’s resilience that eventually prevailed as he won the tiebreak to win the match and defend his title.
#1 2006 Rome Masters final
Undoubtedly the greatest non-Grand Slam final between Federer and Nadal. Both were heavy favourites to win the Rome Masters and both reached the final, albeit in contrasting ways. While Nadal had a comfortable straight set victory over Gael Monfils in the semi-finals, the Swiss was pushed to three sets by David Nalbandian.
The first set of the final went into a tiebreak which Federer comfortable claimed 7-0. The second set was another dramatic affair as it went to another tiebreak. However, this time, it was Nadal who held his nerve and took the tiebreak 7-5 to level the match.
The third set saw the southpaw take control as he produced a crucial break before taking the set 6-4 to go ahead in the match. However, Federer was not done. He came back strongly in the fourth set and levelled the match by taking the set 6-2.
In the final set, it seemed that the Swiss maestro would capture the title as he raced to a 4-1 lead. However, the Spaniard bounced back brilliantly by saving a match point and taking the set to a tiebreak, where Federer led 5-3 before the Spaniard held his nerve and won four straight points to defend his title at Rome.
The match lasted for five hours and five minutes and is the longest match between Nadal and Federer till date.
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