In a historic moment at the 2004 Miami Open, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer, marking the beginning of their legendary rivalry. Over the next two decades, they faced each other in more than 40 matches across various surfaces, with Nadal leading the head-to-head 24-16. This rivalry, which started in Miami and concluded at the 2019 Wimbledon, has become one of the most iconic in tennis history.
20 years ago today, Rafael #Nadal & Roger #Federer faced off in singles for the 1st time (they already had done so in doubles) It came at the #MiamiOpen & it launched one of sport's greatest rivalries An excerpt from my book THE MASTER: https://t.co/8AgdY9xpcL https://t.co/WaHHmXkTVp
A snapshot of Tennis's most iconic rivalry - Federer v. Nadal 🤝 -First match was 2004 Miami; last match was played 2019 Wimbledon. -40 total matches with 20 on hard court, 16 on clay, and 4 on grass. -Nadal led their H2H 24-16. @rogerfederer | @RafaelNadal https://t.co/ee09nuEo4v
20 years ago today, the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal rivalry started! https://t.co/YKCRGAdiPB
2️⃣0️⃣ years ago today, the greatest rivalry of all time was born. Rafael Nadal defeated No. 1 Roger Federer 6-3, 6-3 in their first career meeting. The duo would go on to play more than 40 times against each other. https://t.co/ysoYBtBDHi
Throwback Thursday ⏮️ 2004 Miami Exactly 20 years ago Federer and Nadal played their first match against each other! @miamiopen | #MiamiOpen https://t.co/lUNIUa7j33
How time flies... 🕰️ It’s been EXACTLY 20 YEARS since the first Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal match at the 2004 Miami Open! @rogerfederer @RafaelNadal #MiamiOpen https://t.co/lekpqAGFFY
On this day in 2004, a young World No. 32 Rafael Nadal upset World No. 1 Roger Federer at the Miami Open 👀 This was the first ever match between the two! https://t.co/82zxHkZNvU
The start of a new rivalry ⚔️ Taking the top spot on our Top 5 Miami Finals countdown is the 2005 battle between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, which launched a new era for tennis. https://t.co/N6gb6nUQL1
Throwback @MiamiOpen story from me... Miami Open Doing Something Done Only Once In Tennis History https://t.co/rY3coogTyn via @WorldTennisMag
📖 20 years ago: the 1st FEDAL in history. World No.34 back then, Rafael Nadal, 17 years old, faced No.1 Roger Federer for the first time and beat him 6-3 6-3 in Miami 3rd round. The 1st chapter of a legendary 40 episodes series 🥹 https://t.co/jdjhYHNP4A