I still honestly think this is the best first 4 sets of a match these 2 have ever played (vs each other). The shot making and angles were absolutely insane!
@@alias4607 hmm yea fed had Jst given up after that intense battle till 4 sets and he cldnt keep with nadals relentless in the 5th which is why he lost it 6-2 .was hardly there in the last set
Controversial opinion. The court surfaces played too similarly to each other through this era. Every slam was a slug and counterpunch marathon - captivating because these fellas were both great at it (Nadal slightly better), but we never got to see a fuller exploration of these superstars' games.
24:01 point in the final and the banana shot against Verdasco in the semifinal was the greatest and unforgettable points ever won by Nadal in his career.
Big 3 best games: Nadal vs Federer Wimbledon 2008 Djokovic vs Nadal Australian Open 2012 Nadal vs Federer Australian Open 2009 Djokovic vs Nadal Roland Garros 2013 Djokovic vs Nadal Wimbledon 2018 There were good and dramatic games like Djokovic vs Federer at Wimbledon finals 2014 and 2019,but the quality of those games were nowhere near above mentioned matches.
Sollvi H It may not have bothered him here though. He did get injured at the end of 2008 and then in Dubai in 2009. He went on a roll after that though.
Back during this time, ONLY Nadal would cause Fed to move up and down, and left to right on the court. Federer looked very, very relaxed playing against everyone else.
this match is imo, the greatest match of tennis ever played in terms of quality, very few unforced errors from both guys ( if you can call them unforced) and the shot making and defense in this match is just absurd. Every rally was breathtaking and the level was just exceptional, i've watched more than 1000 tennis matches in my life in this is still my favorite in terms of quality
It really was the start of the biggest crack in the Federer myth and proved that Nadal's highest level was better than Federer's on all surfaces. It's pretty clear nowadays that Federer is the third best of his own era.
We talked a lot about Thiem and the fact he's had only a day before the final. One must not forget the gruesome semifinal Nadal had to go through against Verdasco, only to play an other 5setter vs Federer. Besides, the conditions in Australia are brutal. Nothing like in Paris 10 days ago
Honestly the 2009 Australian Open for Nadal was one of his best performances in his entire career, 5+ hour match victory against Verdasco in the SF then another really long classic match in the final against his rival Roger to win the title, after being so tired probably from the SF to turn around in the final and give it all you got despite the fatigue and defeat Federer for the title is amazing
Looking back; these men produced levels of tennis in this match that are positively soul stirring. Fedfan or Rafaholic... just be glad you have seen them play.
im just going to be so sad when they retire. i really hope federer has two more years in him, and years where he still can win a grand slam.well i still wish i could get to an actual french open at roland garos to see nadal win, but im running out of time and im housebound.i am the biggest nadal fan and followed him since he was 16 years old. i love federer too, but i couldnt start supporting federer until nadal got his 15th grand slam taking him past sampras, and then i was just happy for nadal to get the french and federer could have everythihg else. i dont like djokovic.not personally-he's a great guy. just his style of play doesnt excite me.. now that nadal is two behind federer though, priorities have changed, want nadal to catch up and tie him on 20.i would be happy for both of them to finish on 20 but for the djokovic threat and since nadal is the much more likely of the two to get more slams, federer being 37, i would then have to support nadal to go past 20 grand slams to make sure djokovic doesnt end up as having the most slams
The only way I can see Federer keeping Grand slam record is if he plays 2-3 more years and wins Wimbledon and Australian open each year to get to like 25 or so. And even then Djokovic and Nadal will likely pass him unless they retire or get injured
No sport requires skill, technique, perseverance, tenacity and talent as much as tennis!!! I'm convinced Edit: No sport, especially ball sports, demands all the aforementioned abilities and mental stability like tennis. That's demanded from the get-go to the very end. All other sports, you're a warrior for a specified time. But in tennis, you're a warrior until there's one winner who met the requirements.
Estamos en una época de transición del tenis Federer retirado, Nadal a punto y Djokovic en vigencia pero los partidos memorables se fueron. Me queda la nostalgia
Roger Federer himself said that this was the best match quality wise that the two of them ever played. Rafa was forced to play this way as he was too tired to play his usual counterpunching patient style after his 5 hour 14 minute epic semifinal against Verdasco. Ultimately Rafa was too good for Roger as he was for much of their grand slam matchups.
yeah. his childhood hero Rod Laver was presenting the trophies. He was gutted that he wasn't being given the winners' cup by his idol. But then Nadal's parents got divorced so he started struggling- only to come back and win three majors in 2010
Im so glad that was my childhood growing up. I reall think about it and there is no one right now who play at that level. People say carlos and sinner. Nah, that level cannot be found. Fedal in their prime cannot be touched
Match shows how important it is to slide on hardcourts. Many shots would have been winners by RF but Rafa was sliding in the last second to reset the point. Amazing!!!
I can see why federer was in tears afterwards because i think this game was the best of federer at the time and the irritation of losing still at the end mustve been frustrating. As a federer fan , i remember i always felt that federer cannot beat prime nadal, nadal coverance of the ball was insane during the time.
It was his backhand against Nadal that he struggled with. He improved with the new racquet. I wonder if it would have changed his career had he started with a bigger head size. Most guys play with close to 100sqinch and fed was 90sqinch
It's heartbreaking how simple it was for Nadal to play Federer : keep pummeling the backhand. Federer was a little slow to change to a modern racquet. Post that change + hugging the baseline, Nadal hasn't really been able to bother Roger too much on his BH side. This match could've been a very different story with the new racquet. Here Federer is pretty much stripped of hitting cross court backhands to any advantage.
@@shrirajmukherjee have you ever thought that Nadal was fast as lightning back then? It wasn’t all about hitting to Federer’s backhand. Nadal back then was best returner in the game, as well as having the best net game of all singles players. In addition Nadal being able to hit winners from any defensive position, is the real reason he routinely beat Federer. Federer did not beat Rafa at a GS for almost a 8 years until AO 2017.
@@scottandigan6276 Don't forget Fed was no slouch either back then. Nothing bothered Fed as much as Nadal's lefty cross court forehand - which is not the same as saying Nadal had no other strengths. Of course Nadal was brilliant at many things, but none of them hurt Fed even remotely as much as the Nadal FH to his own single handed BH. It really was all about hitting to Fed's BH, both while serving and during rallies. Fed wasn't very fast at AO 17 either, much slower than Nadal in raw speed. The difference simple was amping up his BH and better court positioning.
Tennis19999 yeah. I've always been confused when people say the 2008 Wimbledon final was overall a higher quality match. It was a closer, nail-biting, intense, epic, high quality match, but the 09 AO final had some of the best rallies and most high quality tennis I've seen. Nadal certainly played at such a high level in this match. I'd say even better than the 08 Wimbledon final. This match is a big part to tennis history, including the unforgettable ceremony after. I was heartbroken as a Fed fan, but that made the rest of 09 so much sweeter. It was a defining moment in men's tennis history, just as much as the 08 Wimbledon match imo.
I would agree. That match really shows Feds heart and determination in the 5ty set and whole match. Nadal gave everything that year just as he did in 08. Gotta credit Nadal for gutting out the win in 08 after the 07 loss
@@dualShockRK98 I'm from Germany and even I don't see how Zverev should win even one set against Nadal/Federer when they are playing on this level. In fact they beat him both even today, when they getting their game together.
2009 is very unique tennis special year Only time Nadal won Australian Only time Federer won Roland Garros Only time Nadal was defeated in Roland Garros Only time Roddick was close to win Wimbledon and only time was close to beat Federer in GS Only time Juan Martin Delpotro won GS in US
Federer's court positioning was off few times here and his infamous, atrocious conversion rate. Losing games after having 3,4 even 5 break points sometimes.
@@slytlion Fed was taken to 5 sets by a paralyzed Agassi and was defeated by baby Nadal on his best surface. There's a reason Fed tanked to avoid Nadal in 2013 USO.
I'd describe Nadal's style as tactical/strategic and not "defensive," as some claim. Because, I do not find that Nadal focuses any more or less on defense than he does on offense. And while it is true Nadal doesn't finish off points as easily as Federer does (in form of winners), no one does so from a defensive position (especially while chasing down shots) quite like he does.
Tyran Mathurin agreed, Nadal is an athletic and Tactical player. Extremely savvy with excellent volley and touch at the net. His prime speed, movement, return and forehand are the best.
@@TUTUMAH Yup. And I remember watching Nadal's 2003 Hamburg match against Carlos Moya (his coach), and listening to one of the commentators discuss his tactical awareness and maturity at such young age. Nadal was only 16 yrs old, at the time.
God Fedal matches easily have the most compelling and interesting point exchanges of all time, just look at how much court they cover in 23:50, I don’t know if we’ll ever see a rivalry of higher quality.
Now that these guys are in the twilight of their careers, as a long time Federer fan, I can finally appreciate the genius of Nadal so much more. All said and done, he was/is a once a lifetime player like the fed himself. P.s. the pain of the match still doesn’t go away lol
This was the perfect intersection of their careers where they actually both had something to prove, and you can see it in the hustle on EVERY point. Fed was finally dethroned as #1 after getting beat on his home turf at Wimbledon 6 months earlier so he obviously had a chip on his shoulder, and Nadal was out to prove he was the undisputed #1 over Fed by winning his first hard court slam after failing to grab the US Open, which Fed took instead.
Min Kang This Nadal would beat any level of Djoker. This Nadal is Peak Tennis player. Can’t get better than this unless you added a Sampras like serve to Nadal. Also Nadals movement in 2017 seems 2 steps slower than his 2009 movement.
@@scottandigan6276 Nadal here wasn't at his technical peak, but his physical peak. US Open 2010 was both his technical and physical peak and that Nadal is best player I have ever witnessed!
