Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are inarguably two of the greatest tennis players of all time. They have combined for an unprecedented 38 Grand Slam singles titles and have faced off repeatedly on the game’s biggest stages—four times at the Australian Open, six times at the French Open, four times at Wimbledon, five times at the Tour Finals and on 20 occasions in Masters 1000 events.
Yet they have never, not once, gone head-to-head on the biggest stage in all of tennis: Arthur Ashe Stadium, the showpiece arena for the US Open. Indeed, they have never met—not once—here at the US Open. It is the one void in their rivalry and a persistent lament for tennis fans worldwide.
But here they are, 15-plus years after their first career meeting, a win for Nadal at the Miami Open in 2004, as two of the leading contenders for the 2019 US Open men’s title; each with a shot at the year-end No. 1 ranking. In 2019, Federer has won Doha, Miami and Halle and is coming off a run to the Wimbledon final; Nadal this year has conquered Rome, Roland Garros and, most recently, the US Open Series event in Montreal.
They renewed their rivalry earlier this year at the French Open, with Nadal brushing aside Federer in straight sets in the semifinals before taking out Dominic Thiem in the final. The Swiss turned the tables at the same stage at Wimbledon, defeating the Spaniard in a high-quality, four-set affair before falling to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the first fifth-set tiebreak in Wimbledon men’s history.
The takeaway from these two encounters: Federer and Nadal remain two of the premier players in the game, clearly capable of deep runs at the same major. All of which begs the question: Is this finally the year we get to see Roger vs. Rafa at the US Open?
“The US Open deserves a battle between these two champions,” said tennis historian and journalist Steve Flink, who has covered the tournament since the 1970s. “They have had so many memorable battles across the years at the three other majors, and that compensates for not having at least one skirmish here in New York. But it is saddening that there have been so many instances where it seemed almost certain they would confront each other, but fate stepped in to prevent it.
“The bottom line is that they should have played at least a couple of times at the US Open and somehow it has never happened.”
Federer and Nadal are well aware of what is at stake each time they face off, and readily acknowledge the other’s singular role in their own success.
Federer said that “Rafa definitely has been very particular in my career. I think he made me a better player. … It remains for me the ultimate challenge to play against him. So it’s definitely very special,” adding on a separate occasion of his rival, “I’m his No. 1 fan; I think his game is simply tremendous. He’s an incredible competitor, and I’m happy we’ve had some epic battles in the past.”
Nadal, for his part, said the rivalry the two men share is “amazing for me, and I think for tennis, too,” adding prior to this year’s Wimbledon semifinal, “To play against Roger always is a unique situation. … [Over the years] I had a lot of defeats, I had a lot of victories. [Our] relationship never changed. Always big respect. Good friendship, relationship.”
The fact that the two champions have yet to square off in New York is a product of some bad fortune, dumb luck, close calls and untimely upsets. Or, as renowned tennis commentator and sports broadcaster Mary Carillo noted, “There’s a few things that have conspired to keep the two from meeting in New York: Length of season. Rafa's injuries through the years. Inspired first-time champions like [Juan Martin] del Potro, [Andy] Murray and [Marin] Cilic, who thrive in the atmosphere of New York. And the unassailable fact that Roger, now 38 years old, will have days when he's not at his best in the course of a two-week, three-out-of-five-set event.
“Does it leave a hole in their rivalry? I guess it does, but there's always this year. And if those two were to meet, it would feel like the old heavyweight matches at Madison Square Garden.”
“If those two were to meet, it would feel like the old heavyweight matches at Madison Square Garden.” -Mary Carillo
As it currently stands, the Rafa-Roger non-US Open rivalry is really a series of “almosts” and “not-quites.” In fact, on six occasions they have been just a single round from facing one another, only for one to win and the other to succumb. For four consecutive years, from 2008 to 2011, both men reached the semifinals, with Federer advancing and Nadal falling in 2008 and 2009, and Nadal moving on and Federer losing in 2010 and 2011.
Perhaps the most surprising near-miss came in 2013, when the two were in line for a quarterfinal clash. That year, Nadal advanced in four sets over Philipp Kohlschreiber in the Round of 16, but later that day Federer dropped a stunner to Tommy Robredo, a man he had beaten in all 10 of their previous meetings, with just three sets surrendered.
And in 2017, another encounter, this time set for the semifinals, seemed, finally, inevitable, with Federer having won that year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon and Nadal once again prevailing at the French Open. But with just one victory needed by each man to set up Fed vs. Rafa at the US Open, Federer fell, ousted by del Potro in a riveting four-setter.
All of which brings us to 2019. Unlike two years ago, when Federer and Nadal were the tournament co-favorites, defending champion Djokovic will enter as the prohibitive pick, with his rivals next in line. This year, the draw gods answered the prayers of the tennis fans who have long been hoping for the ultimate Open title tilt, as the No. 2-seeded Spaniard and No. 3-seeded Swiss were slotted on opposite sides of the draw, making Federer vs. Nadal US Open Part I a possibility in the men's final.
For all they’ve done, Federer and Nadal have never met in three consecutive majors, upping the ante on a potential 2019 US Open showdown. It would also add a capstone to perhaps the most revered rivalry in the history of men’s tennis. As it stands, Nadal maintains a 24-16 head-to-head advantage in one of the most-played men’s matchups of the Open era, trailing the 54 meetings Nadal has staged with the third member of their Slam-gobbling triumvirate, 16-time major winner Djokovic, and the 48 times Federer and Djokovic have met.
“It is great to be part of this rivalry, be in the middle of these three players that achieved that much in this sport in the same era,” Nadal said following his loss to Federer at Wimbledon. “Is something that is going to be difficult to see it again. We are not done, so ... things continue. Of course, we know that every time is less chances to play against each other in these high-quality, high-important matches.”
The US Open, over the years, has routinely staged the greatest rivalries in tennis—Chrissie vs. Martina, Graf vs. Seles, Serena vs. Venus, Borg vs. McEnroe, McEnroe vs. Connors, Sampras vs. Agassi, and so on and so on. On this ground, Federer and Djokovic have played an astounding six times, and Nadal and Djokovic have contested two classic finals.
So, is this the year the two titans of the men’s game finally meet? We’ll know in two weeks’ time, hopefully answered in the affirmative. Then, perhaps, at long last, we’ll get the US Open matchup tennis fans have long sought—with the grandest prize in tennis on the line.
