When Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer met in the Australian Open semifinals in the early hours Thursday morning, it was their first non-championship clash in a Grand Slam tournament since the 2005 French Open semis, in which Nadal prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. See how the best five of their previous encounters compared: 5. 2005 ATP Masters Series Miami final » In their second meeting ever, an 18-year-old Nadal took a 2-1 lead in sets and frustrated Federer enough that he threw down his racket. But Nadal also faded down the stretch as Federer won his 22nd consecutive match.
4. 2006 ATP Masters Series Rome final » Nadal matched Guillermo Vilas’ record of 53 straight wins on clay by coming back from 4-2 down and staving off two match points in the final set of a five-plus hour 6-7 (0), 7-6 (5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5) win.
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3. 2009 Australian Open final » In the first Aussie final to go the distance since 1988, Nadal won 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 for his first championship Down Under and his third straight major final against his Swiss rival, denying Federer a chance to tie Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles.
2. 2007 Wimbledon final » Federer won the second of consecutive meetings in the title match on grass in London and matched Bjorn Borg with his fifth straight Wimbledon championship by holding on 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2.
1. 2008 Wimbledon final » For goodness sake, Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim spun Nadal’s 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 triumph, which lasted a record 4 hours, 48 minutes, into a book of its own (“Strokes of Genius”). It was called by many the greatest final ever.
– Craig Stouffer
