20 YEARS AGO TODAY! The First EVER Federer vs Nadal Match at Miami 2004 ❤️

20 years since Miami 2004: where the Fedal rivalry was born!
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[@jadr3123]

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]

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]

@@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]

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

[@penaldo4234]

@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]

@@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

[@InvisibleMan95]

Can't believe it's been 20 years.

[@anseinueseima408]

cant believe we still seeing Nadal play

[@asud2571]

@@anseinueseima408 we only see him practice

[@anseinueseima408]

@@asud2571 I mean he played pretty fine in brisbane

[@michelewilliams4702]

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

[@anseinueseima408]

@@michelewilliams4702 oh😅

[@mozo199]

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

[@markokostickox]

Who?Nadal or steroids?

[@huzcer]

Nadal beat Federer 2 to 1 for the first 30 matches

[@HeavyTopspin]

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

[@yongli4304]

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

[@jeannalacubana10]

I remember!!❤

[@Ostanovite_zemlu_ya_soydu]

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

[@huzcer]

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

[@absolutelynothingtoseehere]

@@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]

@@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.

[@ertugrulkorpinar51]

One of the most underrated Nadal performance in his career even

[@abarakadabaras]

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

[@TheRafaelBond]

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

[@JK-fw3tb]

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

[@Pakos-Terimos]

@@JK-fw3tb i love you.

[@JK-fw3tb]

@@Pakos-Terimos Thanks

[@arthurlaubach2076]

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!

[@soryapum7932]

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.

[@ccox2823]

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

[@7l0r1an4]

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

[@moheganson]

And friendship

[@orenthaljames2534]

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

[@joeljoseph4518]

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

[@LafalletteH]

What a performance only at 17 years of age

[@Phi1.618]

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

[@santirf1619]

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.

[@JuanyOrue]

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

[@Ostanovite_zemlu_ya_soydu]

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

[@user-nv1cg9rx9p]

Was Federer no1 when this happened

[@FearsomeVoid]

​@@user-nv1cg9rx9p yes he was.

[@bernhardherrmann7164]

I guess there is another guy even better than them

[@Ostanovite_zemlu_ya_soydu]

​@@bernhardherrmann7164Serbian machine??))

[@Aksriv100]

And rest is history ♥️

[@matanjacoetzee5457]

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

[@mirnesnuhanovic9597]

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

[@PolnipatTemiyajatiProMann]

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

[@zoltanember6353]

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

[@davidmillar2594]

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

[@pdcdesign9632]

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]

He is the hardest hitting player ever

[@freidagreenfield6270]

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 ✅️

[@quentincrisp6933]

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

[@user-cy6xl3vd3f]

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

[@juancarlosnadermora716]

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.

[@Godse-Putuka]

And Federer won the last battle in 2019 wimbledon

[@HannaSQubti]

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

[@RD-yc6dg]

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

[@arnzfit]

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

[@abradfordajb]

Great post, thanks!

[@LizardPeep]

FEDAL ❤

[@badarauflo]

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

[@victoria_marleo]

Don Rafael Nadal Parera 🙌🙌🇪🇸

[@ozik1912]

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...

[@skarteek2000]

Pure gold !!

[@martinceballo7534]

Acá empezó todo Cómo los extraño

[@taylorpack7705]

Uncle Toni knew exactly how to play Roger

[@aidanhiggins3499]

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.

[@agar12r]

this 17 yr old kid has potential

[@raph42]

“One wonders where it will all end.” 😢

[@Ssagar304]

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]

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]

@@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]

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

[@MalekAhmed-kz3zu]

@@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]

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

[@iulianpartenie6260]

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

[@kevinzahri78]

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.

El inicio de una era.

[@MrEkin03]

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

[@moheganson]

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

[@user-sz2ut4od6s]

Rafa turned pro when he was 14????

[@AlejandroGarcia-wz1qi]

Yes, at the beginning of 2001.

[@HuhHa-pm8fc]

he turned pro when he was born 😂

[@ksc743]

That surprised me as well. 14!

[@mg4680]

Two legends 👍

[@djenkavasa2690]

This would be like Sinner today losing to Joao Fonseca

[@c3vzn]

Wow yeah. Puts it in perspective

[@taopaille-paille4992]

Indeed

[@lopadey4707]

Two great player

[@tis400]

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.

[@wanda64]

Fedal ❤

[@meilstone]

He just stunned Fed and the rest of the World 🌎

[@teodortodorov2609]

"THE REST IS A STORY"

[@mje2518]

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

[@sandeepthilakan7728]

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

[@somerset006]

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

[@smashthestateX]

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

[@bluevon5021]

Little did we know....

[@danbotez1307]

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.

[@sunset3052]

This young kid will win many FOs in coming years

[@sunset3052]

🤣🤣🤣 14 FO is a lot...

[@73edg]

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

[@sandromaghlakelidze5402]

Rest is history...

[@zoltanember6353]

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]

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

[@zoltanember6353]

@@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]

​@@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.

[@RyJ2009]

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

[@freidagreenfield6270]

😂😂😂😂🎾 Lol

[@cattlebuyer]

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]

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]

@@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.

[@thomasecallaghan1111]

13:21 Perhaps the most comical Nadal celebration I've seen - "the Prancing Elbow"

[@johnhutcheon2806]

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]

Becker and Wilander winning Majors at seventeen too.

[@kevinrombouts3027]

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

[@Arbeeaye3637]

GROAT... greatest rivalry of all time.

[@HeavyTopspin]

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]

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]

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.

[@edoardocippitelli4158]

Those bandanas looked cool

[@warriorson7979]

Nadal was then just a baby.....😏😏

[@NakedEyes-lm3bj]

So much respect for both players ❤❤❤

[@penaldo4234]

I still not born yet that year

[@DonYang73]

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

[@DonYang73]

This is what Alcaraz is doing today…….

[@thecoach1683]

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

[@absolutelynothingtoseehere]

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

[@laurentdu78]

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

[@CVSylver08]

Tennis world wasn't ready.

[@josealvim6596]

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 !!!

[@popdeco1133]

you miss us

[@varademoises]

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

[@sln7839]

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.

[@HuhHa-pm8fc]

my god, Rafa

[@mrpoopoo888]

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

[@DonYang73]

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

[@slonicsson]

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.

[@christopherklaus5762]

Nadal build,born ans prepare to win Federer

[@konetiki1]

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

[@valentynaartysyuk9129]

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

[@Alex-gt5ho]

Nice

[@AdyHh-up9ez]

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

[@hudders11]

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

[@walmartsucks1995]

nadal might be good at tennis

[@kevinzahri78]

🥹🥹 here in 2024

[@LDantinhas]

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🤷🏻‍♂️🤣…

[@AlexeiMotoRin]

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

[@TheSnoop055]

Nadal > Alcaraz

[@moheganson]

Obviously