"Still in awe of the fact this actually happened" - Tennis fans recall the iconic 'Battle of Surfaces' between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on its 15th anniversary
On 2 May 2007, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal took part in an exhibition match aptly named 'Battle of Sufaces.' Held in Palma de Mallorca, the capital city of the Spaniard's home island, the encounter featured a unique court that was half-grass and half-clay.
Federer was the top-ranked men's tennis player at the time of the event, while the 21-time Grand Slam champion was ranked World No. 2. The court cost an estimated $1.63 million to put together over 19 grueling days, and even necessitated players to switch footwear in between breaks.
Coming into the match, the Swiss was undefeated on grass for five straight years, racking up a 48-match unbeaten streak. The Mallorcan, meanwhile, had a 72-match unbeaten streak to his name on clay and was unparalleled on the surface for three years.
Rafael Nadal eventually won the clash 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(10) in three sets after a two-and-a-half-hour marathon. Today happens to be the 15th anniversary of this iconic clash, a fact that did not escape the attention of tennis fans on social media.
Several took to Twitter to reminisce about this once-in-a-lifetime match, pointing out how lucky they were to watch two of the greatest tennis players duel it out in such novel fashion.
"Today is the 15th anniversary of the Battle of the Surfaces. Still in awe of the fact this actually happened," one fan tweeted.
Today is the 15th anniversary of the Battle of the Surfaces.
Still in awe of the fact this actually happened.
@rogerfederer @RafaelNadal https://t.co/j0ReZJQCfK
May 2, 2007: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer play the Battle of Surfaces in Mallorca. Clay on one side, grass on the other!
The Spaniard saved MPs to win the match! https://t.co/G5nFjTJpH7
15 years ago today, 'The Battle of Surfaces' was held in Palma de Mallorca for natural surfaces supremacy
- $1.63 million half-clay, half-grass court
- Nadal riding a 72-match win streak on clay; Federer riding a 48-match win streak on grass
- Nadal d. Federer 7-5 4-6 7-6(10) https://t.co/I9PcoTN14Q
"One of the best Tennis court ideas ever! Prime Grass Federer vs Clay Nadal," another fan tweeted.
One of the best Tennis court ideas ever ❤️❤️❤️
Prime Grass Federer vs Clay Nadal twitter.com/BastienFachan/…
On this day in 2007, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who were World No.1 and 2 respectively played an exhibition match tagged the “Battle of Surfaces" in Mallorca.
The match was played on a special court with grass on one side of the net and clay on the other.
Cool, huh? 😎 https://t.co/Tmm0RrxF1T
this pic screams ICONIC from every pixel twitter.com/lavercup/statu…
"A legendary moment in tennis history and a brilliant showcase of the most appealing aspect of tennis IMO - surface variety," one user posted.
Missed opportunity with the worm issue that forced the grass court to be replaced on short notice. But regardless a legendary moment in tennis history and a brilliant showcase of the most appealing aspect of tennis IMO - surface variety twitter.com/BastienFachan/…
Tarihte bugün: 02.05.2007
Roger Federer ve Rafael Nadal "battle of surfaces" maçında, yarı çim yarı toprak.. https://t.co/ebiMDyhfAW
"Rivals on two surfaces in 2007, teammates on one in 2022," the Laver Cup's official Twitter handle wrote, referring to the fact that the duo have been confirmed to appear at this year's edition as part of Team Europe.
Rivals on two surfaces in 2007, teammates on one in 2022. #Fedal #BlackCourt #LaverCup London. https://t.co/Sj8mPB2xNY
https://t.co/dtKo1DZAv2
bitches really have to build a whole half grass half clay court to go on a date smh they can't do anything like normal ppl twitter.com/LaverCup/statu…
Rafael Nadal leads the head-to-head 14-2 against Roger Federer on clay, but trails 1-3 on grass
The 'Battle of Surfaces' was indeed an interesting idea to pit Rafael Nadal against Roger Federer, seeing that it is one of the most surface-dependent rivalries of all time. The World No. 4 leads their head-to-head 14-2 on clay, losing only at the 2007 Hamburg Masters and the 2009 Madrid Masters.
Roger Federer: "In 2019 after my loss to Rafael Nadal, I did not know if I wanted to play the Roland Garros again in my career." https://t.co/6eyR0PunSs
The Spaniard has never lost to Federer in a clay Grand Slam, winning all six of their clashes at Roland Garros (2005-2008, 2011 and 2019). On grass, however, the World No. 41 has the clear upper hand.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion has beaten the Mallorcan thrice at Wimbledon (2006, 2007 and 2019), and lost only one encounter at SW19 (2008) for a 3-1 lead in the head-to-head on the surface. The Swiss also leads the head-to-head on hardcourt 11-9.