Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have had one of the greatest rivalries on the tennis court over the last two decades. They have played in some of the most memorable matches over the years. Nadal and Federer have met each other 40 times on the tennis court.

While Nadal prevailed on 24 occasions, Federer won 16 matches against the Spaniard. One of their most memorable matches was the final of the Wimbledon Championships in 2007.

Rafael Nadal recounts his painful defeat against Roger Federer

Federer and Nadal were the top two seeds at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships. They had lived up to their tag as favorites and met in the tournament’s summit clash. The match was a see-saw battle with constant momentum shifts. The Swiss maestro eventually won the final in a five-set thriller.

Talking about his loss in that match, Nadal, in his book, Rafa: My Story, said, “So far, though, I’d played and lost, both times against Federer – in the final here the year before, and the year before that. The defeat in 2006 had not been so hard. I went out onto the court that time just pleased and grateful that, having just turned twenty, I’d made it that far. Federer beat me pretty easily, more easily than if I’d gone out with more belief. But my defeat in 2007, which went to five sets, left me utterly destroyed.”

Further, he added, “I knew I could have done better, that it was not my ability or the quality of my game that had failed me, but my head. And I wept after that loss. I cried incessantly for half an hour in the dressing room. Tears of disappointment and self-recrimination. Losing always hurts, but it hurts much more when you had your chance and threw it away.”

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Talking about his performance in that match, Nadal said, “I had beaten myself as much as Federer had beaten me; I had let myself down and I hated that. I had flagged mentally, I had allowed myself to get distracted, I had veered from my game plan. So stupid, so unnecessary. So obviously, so exactly what you must not do in a big game.” 

Nadal likely to make a comeback at the Canadian Open

At the recently concluded Wimbledon Championships, Nadal suffered an abdominal injury. As a result, he had to withdraw from the tournament before his semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios.

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However, Nadal is set to return to training soon. Additionally, he has also made hotel reservations in Montreal to participate in the Canadian Open. This comes as a huge boost to Nadal ahead of the US Open, which will start later next month.