Thursday, May. 21, 2009
Federer/Nadal — 2005
On the day of his 19th birthday, Rafael Nadal inaugurated one of sport's greatest rivalries when he beat Roger Federer 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a gripping semi-final match. The elements of the rivalry appeared in incipient form: the supremacy of Nadal's defensive play (Federer lost despite coming to the net 59 times) and Federer's mental fragility in the face of his opponent's imperviousness (during the match, Federer howled with frustration and even banged the side of his head with his racket strings). Nadal went on to win the championship — his first of four in a row; the next three all came with victories over Federer in the final.
See what Serena Williams has to say about Nadal in this year's TIME 100.