Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, eternal rivals in tennis. One the king of clay and other king of grass. Fedal have played each other for over 15 years now, to the delight of the fans. Most, if not all, of their clashes are thrilling.

Back then there were two major groups of tennis fans; a Nadal camp and a Federer camp. While Federer was well-established and ruling the rankings, Nadal was a young Grand Slam winner already. Their rivalry was still budding and yet there was a sense of greatness entailing it.

In just a few more years, fans would start arguing that Fedal were on their way to becoming two of the greatest players of all time.

Fedal rivalry

Rafa beat Federer in the semi finals of 2005 Roland Garros en route his first Grand Slam title. He would beat the Swiss again next year, but in the final. Fedal met again in the Wimbledon final the same year, and it was Roger’s turn to show his prowess on grass.

The same pattern repeated in the following years. Soon it became apparent that both had a firm grip on their respective courts. Fans started wondering who would, or could, break the other’s domination.

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Rafa had an unbeaten streak on clay of 72 matches over 3 years, while Roger had the same on grass for 48 matches over 5 years.

How to judge who the better player is if both simply keep beating the other on their favorite surface? And then in came the ‘Battle of the Surfaces.”

I remember the first time I heard a rumor that Fedal were going to play on a court that was half clay and half grass. I shrugged that rumor, thinking it was too implausible to be true.

But soon the rumors turned into news reports. After that, I simply could not wait for the match, just like all other tennis fans.

A special court was constructed for the sole purpose of an exhibition match between the two rivals. Something that cost a whopping $1.63 million to make! The match would be in Mallorca, the birthplace of Nadal.

The battle of the surfaces

On May 2 2007, the two players were ready for the Battle of the Surfaces. Fedal themselves were as excited as the fans to see how things were going to pan out.

“We are both looking forward to this absolutely new event,” said Federer. “The idea really appeals to me, as we both dominate one of the surfaces.”

All matches between Fedal were of a different level of intensity and class. But you give Rafa just a little bit of clay and he is going to transform into an unbeatable and near-supernatural being on the court.

The Spaniard won the battle 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(10), with perhaps that extra bit of help from the home crowd.

Both players had fun playing in this very unique circumstances. Both had nice things to say about the experience.

“Although before the match I thought it would be a disaster because I felt it would be very difficult for me to adapt to the court. I have had a good time and that is important,” said Nadal.

“I found the court to be excellent, especially the clay part,” said Federer. “The challenge was difficult, because you have many things in your head. On the grass, I felt at the start that I was moving very well, although it took me a while longer to adapt to the clay.”

The trophy Nadal won was a miniature clone of the unique court, possibly one of the most distinct trophies he ever won.

The organizers promoted the Battle of the Surfaces as a way of judging who was truly the best in the world, even though it wasn’t really. Federer was at his physical peak, and probably the better player overall at the time.

In fact, he even beat the Spaniard on clay the same year at the Hamburg Masters to end Rafa’s 81-match unbeaten streak on clay.

On the other hand, perhaps the exhibition hinted at the things to come in the future. Nadal would eventually beat Federer on grass, at Wimbledon. But Roger could never beat Rafa at Roland Garros.

All in all, it was an extraordinary match with an extraordinary concept. We may never see a repeat of it, despite both players agreeing they would play again on such a court. Alas the organizers dismantled the court and sold it’s pieces to raise funds.