Rafa Nadal, at the age of a high school student, beat world number 1 prime Federer, on hard court, a surface that it’s not his favourite. Absolutely incredible.

@penaldo4234

Ай бұрын

I think this is probably one of his favourite court as he himself mentioned in one of those interview "i like fast hard court"

@codegeek-il5fm

Ай бұрын

@@penaldo4234 lol this was a slow court and Nadal absolutely sucks on Fast hard courts. I love Nadal but he is more dangerous on slow courts and history has shown that.

@AlejandroGarcia-wz1qi

Ай бұрын

​​@@codegeek-il5fm Cincinnati is faster than Miami and he won it one time. However, he couldn't win in Miami after 5 finals.

@penaldo4234

Ай бұрын

@codegeek-il5fm oh my mistake about Miami state,yeah you are right he won many titles on slower court I'm just sayin that he likes fast court more,he admitted it himself

@garrettharrington6993

Ай бұрын

@@penaldo4234no he doesnt, hes a slow court player. it allows him to utilize the high bounce. hes never been a flat hitter. thats why he has won RG 14 times and Wimbledon only 2

First ever meeting and he beat Federer on a hard court, Wow..!

@markokostickox

Ай бұрын

Who?Nadal or steroids?

@huzcer

Ай бұрын

Nadal beat Federer 2 to 1 for the first 30 matches

@HeavyTopspin

Ай бұрын

It's funny, you can actually see Federer struggling with the insane topspin.

@yongli4304

Ай бұрын

@@markokostickox Nadal muscles through all his shots, alcaraz is the same; both are injury prone; I do not see artistry there.

@jeannalacubana10

21 күн бұрын

I remember!!❤

Can't believe it's been 20 years.

@anseinueseima408

Ай бұрын

cant believe we still seeing Nadal play

@asud2571

Ай бұрын

@@anseinueseima408 we only see him practice

@anseinueseima408

Ай бұрын

@@asud2571 I mean he played pretty fine in brisbane

@michelewilliams4702

Ай бұрын

@@anseinueseima408fine? That wasn’t fine, it sucked. He should retire.

@anseinueseima408

Ай бұрын

@@michelewilliams4702 oh😅

Federer became #1 for the first time here only 2 months before. Then Rafa gets him. Foreshadowing of epic matches to come. Great respect for a great rivalry. Nadal was the only player to consistently beat Federer in his prime. It made for must see tv in the 2000’s. Thanks for the memories guys!

Their level her is so far from their 2008 Wimbledon final. It is amazing how these two men manage to increase their level to summits never explored and contributed to the level of tennis that even video games developer cannot cope with today.

One of the most underrated Nadal performance in his career even

@abarakadabaras

Ай бұрын

Well rated. He is one of the all time greatest.

@TheRafaelBond

Ай бұрын

lol, he did nothing too much, Fed was whack.

@JK-fw3tb

Ай бұрын

@@abarakadabaras He is talking about this match, not Nadals career genius

@Pakos-Terimos

14 күн бұрын

@@JK-fw3tb i love you.

@JK-fw3tb

13 күн бұрын

@@Pakos-Terimos Thanks

This rivalry was one of the greatest, full of respect to each other from the beginning till the end, miss both of them😭😭

@huzcer

Ай бұрын

for the first 30 matches Nadal beat Federer 2 to 1.

@absolutelynothingtoseehere

16 күн бұрын

@@huzcer I've seen it said that Federer was handicapped by failing to upgrade to a more modern racquet, which he finally did in 2014.

@huzcer

15 күн бұрын

@@absolutelynothingtoseehere more due to the fact that Nadal wasn't as consistently effective off clay as much after the AO 2014. For example the bigger racket size made no difference against Djokovic. Federer last beat Djokovic in a slam match still aged just 30 in 2012, over 10 years before he retired.

love the intro. Rafael Nadal could very well become number 1 player in the world on day. IMMENSE PROMISE

This gave me chills, I really admire Rafa, true athlete.

wow! that prediction from the commentator about Rafa being number one someday was spot on.

You can see Nadal had a strategy because he planned this match beforehand… and Federer didn’t, because as he himself admitted, when he was younger he only planned the matches against his mail rivals or final rounds, and Nadal here was none of it.

In my opinion, the best possible camera angle and an excellent surface for having rallies that are neither too long nor too short.

What a performance only at 17 years of age

A classic and a beginng for what was an incredible rivalry!

@moheganson

Ай бұрын

And friendship

Al fin unos highlights extendidos de este partido, 20 años tuvieron que pasar

A classic rivalry that will ho down in History. Many more to come!❤😊

He s so good in hard court as well , good relationship between us 👍👍

And rest is history ♥️

These two guys look very promising, I guess they can win some grand slams in future😁👍

@user-nv1cg9rx9p

Ай бұрын

Was Federer no1 when this happened

@FearsomeVoid

Ай бұрын

​@@user-nv1cg9rx9p yes he was.

@bernhardherrmann7164

Ай бұрын

I guess there is another guy even better than them

@Ostanovite_zemlu_ya_soydu

Ай бұрын

​@@bernhardherrmann7164Serbian machine??))

I remember this match so well 🎾🤩 Hard to believe 20 years have passed ! Today is April 28th 2024 & it's apparent that Rafa will be retiring in the next few weeks 😢 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🥇🥇 I have no idea how many trophy's they've won between the 2 of them, but I've enjoyed them all ❤️🎾 End of an era for Roger too ❤ I understand that Djokovic came along and & surpassed both of them 👏👏👏 and also, I can't leave out Andy Murray ✅️ Djokovic is still going strong & will go down in History as the Best ❤🥇🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🥇 I Wish All of Them the Best ❤️ Loved all of the Tennis Greats before and the Newbies giving us a new generation to watch 😎 Soo many to bet on, but without injuries, my money would be on Yannick Sinner & Carlos Alcatraz ✅️

I have been waiting for this... actually literally for 20 years!😄

I am a Novak's fan but Nadal was amazing.

It's evident that in 5 years the pace of the groundstrokes increased measurably from '04‼

@user-cy6xl3vd3f

Ай бұрын

Yeah, it is really blatant how the pace became faster and more violent over the following 15 years or so

"There's quite a bit of top spin on that forehand."

“Quite an astonishing win by a young man whose progress is so fast, so rapid, that one wonders where it will all end.”

What level of tennis😮. Fantastic!! Impossible to have other two like them in my life

Great post, thanks!

And Federer won the last battle in 2019 wimbledon

Don Rafael Nadal Parera 🙌🙌🇪🇸

I was at that match! Always a Federer fan but that day Nadal shows who he was and going to be. He moved like a cat that day.

Fed said right then. This guy's gonna win a couple of French Opens

I think if these guys keep training they might be world champions one day

Uncle Toni knew exactly how to play Roger

Pure gold !!

It's funny how this match point closely resembles the 2007 Wimbledon Final match point, except the outcome (and part of the court) was the reverse.

Was Fed even playing ATP matches at 17? After seeing this, I think Rafa is the 🐐 he had tougher competition than Roger and Novak and battled lots of injuries. To be 17 and beat prime Fed on a hard court is mind blowing. His backhand (angles) and net play are also very underrated

Beating the GOAT at the beginning of his prime is outstanding. That's why he is Rafa. I am also surprised to see Federer's stats. 22 years old and already he had 14 single titles. OMG...

FEDAL ❤

this 17 yr old kid has potential

Greatest tennis rivalry of all time. The contrast of styles is what makes it so interesting. U know exactly what u are going to get from both players. There are no surprises. Just a question of who can prevail.

This is the time when Federer realized real competition was in the horizon. Fed rode that 4 year Roddick-Hewitt-Old Agassi era to his advantage before Nadal started spanking him consistently.

@prashantbokade347

3 күн бұрын

He is the hardest hitting player ever

“One wonders where it will all end.” 😢

El inicio de una era.

Two great player

Acá empezó todo Cómo los extraño

Nadal went on to pretty much own Roger, at one point holding a 24-8 head to head lead. In a strange plot twist, Federer won their last 8 meetings, Including the 2018 Aussie Open to make it respectable.

Two legends 👍

That inexperienced Nadal if played today would literally go through the entirety of ATP with ease. He had ludicrous amount of speed.

From the very first match Nadal made him uncomfortable on the court. Only player to be able to do that to Federer in his prime

@MalekAhmed-kz3zu

Ай бұрын

Novak too, he beat Federer in 3 straight sets at 2008 Australian Open semi-finals. He was The first one to stop federer on hard courts at grand slams, even before Nadal who dominated federer then just at Roland Garros

@codegeek-il5fm

Ай бұрын

@@MalekAhmed-kz3zu To be fair, yes Novak beat federer in AO 2008 but until 2013-2014ish, Federer was ahead of him in head to head and only after 2014 onwards, Djoker started beating Federer more often than not. Federer true nemesis was always Nadal especially because Nadal beat him in his Prime many times.

@initialize21

Ай бұрын

@@MalekAhmed-kz3zubeginning of 2008 was mono-Fed. If Federer wasn't sick, he would have dominated Bathroombreakovic in that match

@MalekAhmed-kz3zu

Ай бұрын

@@codegeek-il5fm I don't disagree with you. Nadal was actually the biggest threat to Federer in the first half of his career. But from 2012 to 2020, Djokovic became the biggest obstacle in Federer’s path in his beloved tournaments. At Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open, Sunshine Double and ATP finals. Since 2017, Nadal has no longer posed any problem to Federer outside of clay courts, as evidenced by the fact that he beat Nadal with relative ease at 2019 Wimbledon semi-final, while he was unable to beat Novak in the final, even though Roger was at his best and even though Novak was not on his day and was not playing at his best level.

@masters.1000

Ай бұрын

Federer had the flu this match, barely beat Davydenko before this. Nadal said so.

"THE REST IS A STORY"

Rafa turned pro when he was 14????

@AlejandroGarcia-wz1qi

Ай бұрын

Yes, at the beginning of 2001.

@HuhHa-pm8fc

Ай бұрын

he turned pro when he was born 😂

@ksc743

Ай бұрын

That surprised me as well. 14!

This would be like Sinner today losing to Joao Fonseca

@c3vzn

Ай бұрын

Wow yeah. Puts it in perspective

@taopaille-paille4992

18 күн бұрын

Indeed

The next round he lost to F. Gonzales and the title was won by Andy Roddick.

First ever Nadal vs. Fed meeting was Dubai 2004, not Miami 2004, when Nadal won in straights. In Miami Fed tied their H2H record: 1-1. It was also the last time Fed tied their H2H record, as Nadal stayed way ahead up to their final H2H record: 24-15.

Little did we know....

That Nadal kid looks like he might be pretty good some day

He just stunned Fed and the rest of the World 🌎

Fedal ❤

Fed: I better prepare for the next game against this youngster!!!

It's very interesting how RF couln't read Rafa's game at that point and how a 17 year-old kid could keep that tennis monster under control. At this point, Roger already had all the big scalps under his belt. Not only that, but he humiliated Agassi only a half year and Hewitt a couple of weeks earlier both times on home soils. And here you can see some kind of puzzledom and a bit of fear especially after those huge lefty forehands. This rivalry is a treasure not only for the tennis but for the world heritage.:D

@masters.1000

Ай бұрын

Federer was sick, nothing to do with Nadal. He would have lost to anyone.

@zoltanember6353

Ай бұрын

@@masters.1000 yeah, just like against Marat 05, Nalbandian 05, even against Canas in 07 two times in a row...etc. And of course, all the time against Rafa or the Joker. You FedFans are unbeleivable.🤣

@miroslavjanecek9993

Ай бұрын

​@@zoltanember6353 It's actually true that he was sick during this tournament but I believe he would have lost anyway, because he didn't know Nadal and had no idea what kind of a monster was coming at him. Nadal's game was extremely unpleasant to him and he wouldn't be able to find solutions in their first match even if he was 100% healthy. That's what I think as a Federer fan.

This young kid will win many FOs in coming years

@sunset3052

10 күн бұрын

🤣🤣🤣 14 FO is a lot...

i saw this live, wow i was only 15, time flies and father time takes no prisoners. the spice must flow

Rest is history...

Nadal obviously added a lot to his game, but all the ingredients were there and he was pretty consistent. Compared to Alcaraz, he wasn't quite as fast around the court but he could direct the ball anywhere he wanted with heavy topspin. You can tell he had good hands from the drop shot he put in-no wonder he started coming to the net.

@Skiiiiiifreeeeeee

26 күн бұрын

Eh I'm not sure al alcaraz is faster around the court than a young nadal. I don't think I've ever seen anyone as hard to put away than nadal when he was younger

@cattlebuyer

25 күн бұрын

@@Skiiiiiifreeeeeee It's definitely a close call! Nadal could definitely put more work on the ball when he got to a difficult shot to get those extreme passing banana shots that somehow land in.

Those bandanas looked cool

So how is it that they talk of Alcaraz like there has never been any young players with amazing potential in the past? Nadal, Borg, Federer, Agassi, McEnroe, Murray ....!!!

@martydav9475

Ай бұрын

Becker and Wilander winning Majors at seventeen too.

This match reminds me of Tsitsipas vs Alcaraz. Just that Federer improved so much and completely turned it around in 2017.

GROAT... greatest rivalry of all time.

@HeavyTopspin

Ай бұрын

Third-best. They only played 40 times and Rafa held an 8-win advantage. Meanwhile, Nole-Fed played 50 times with a 4-win advantage, and Nole-Rafa played 59(!!!) times with a 1-win difference.

@huzcer

Ай бұрын

Nadal beat Federer 2 to 1 for the first 30 matches. it was a bit of a one way street for a long time. The odd thing about Djokovic and Nadal is that even with more than double the Slams + Big Title Events on hardcourt compare to clay that they have played more matches on clay than hardcourt. More than double over-representation compared to the tour.

@martydav9475

Ай бұрын

There have been lots of great rivalries: Laver/Rosewall, Laver/Gonzales, Borg/Connors, Borg/McEnroe, McEnroe/Connors, Lendl/McEnroe, Lendl/Becker, Becker/Edberg, Sampras/Agassi etc.

You know it's old when the guy commentating sounds like he's from the 18th century, old chap.

@freidagreenfield6270

18 күн бұрын

😂😂😂😂🎾 Lol

Brilliant performance and he was only 17. We can clearly see why Federer had so much trouble against him throughout his career.

So much respect for both players ❤❤❤

Rafa going hard at Fed's backhand right from the beginning

Tennis world wasn't ready.

I still not born yet that year

If you want proof why Federer is not the best at the net, here it is.

you miss us

Fed knew immediately this was the man who was gonna give him a run for his money the next 20 years

Federer must be thinking: This guy didn't play like Sampras, or Agassi or anyone!! How to play against him?? And, he still didn't know that the worst still coming, the Serbian !!!

This is what Alcaraz is doing today…….

1st H2H game, hard court, Nadal won in straight sets.

Nadal took this so easily, it was like ripping the unpolished Fed apart. Thereafter Fed knew that the ponytail had to go.

Fed realized my backhand gonna be abused badly for next decade before I reinvent it again🤣

a lot of potential for these two youngsters. Wishing them best of luck in the years to come b

At 17 yo, Rafaël Nadal was already too good for Federer ! 😎 And Novak Djokovic passed them both and became the Greatest of All Time

Le début d'une grande saga "Rafael je suis ton père"

Federer wouldn’t have expected Nadal to play this well before the match and after the match, he’d have thought he’s going to be a longtime rival.

It's almost like they've grown up together.

Nice

my god, Rafa

Nadal was then just a baby.....😏😏

5:37 like these clapping from federer , so rare.. i guess he knew that Nadal will become a great player!

They look so young in this video, and by the end of this year (2024), they will be gone from professional tennis! End of the GOAT era.

No grunting from Nadal here, thats an odd thing to see. Cool to see how exciting he was when younger and faster. Time waits for no one

The Backhand for Federer always was the weak point of Federer!!

🥹🥹 here in 2024

Nadal build,born ans prepare to win Federer

2004 Miami is irrelevant, we all know what happened next, Roger Federer won 11 titles in 2004: 3 grand slams, 3 ATP Masters titles and the Tennis Master Cup. He was the first player to win 3 grand slams in the same season since Mats Wilander in 1988! I rest my case🤷🏻‍♂️🤣…

42 gs on the same court

We just watch the match and realized it went to five sets .. wow 😮in the Miami heat NOW! These guys are playing 2 outta 3 thought it was only the grand slams goes to five sets .FEDAL is the real deal 😊

@sportysport5835

Ай бұрын

You're thinking about Miami 2005. This is Miami 2004. In those days, the Masters Final was BO5 but all other rounds was BO3. Their 2004 meeting wasn't a final

@auntieangelthekingsdaughterrum

Ай бұрын

Thank you

first meet,Nadal beats Federer. Last dance,Federer beats Nadal.