When Roger Federer ended Rafael Nadal's 81-match winning streak on clay
Between the 2005 Monte Carlo Masters and the 2007 Hamburg Masters, Rafael Nadal went on a 81-match winning streak that is, to this day, the longest single-surface unbeaten run in the Open Era.
The run was sandwiched between losses to former World No. 18 Igor Andreev in the quarterfinals of the 2005 Valencia Open and Roger Federer in the final of the 2007 Hamburg Masters.
For two years between those two matches, the King of Clay ran rampant and vanquished all those who had the misfortune of meeting him on clay. The run included two Roland Garros titles, three Monte Carlo Masters titles, and two Rome Masters titles.
The day Roger Federer ended Nadal’s 81 Match winning streak on clay🙏🏻
The last set 6-0 !!
#RogerFederer https://t.co/hY5KYjkLg9
Rafael Nadal's first Hamburg Masters appearance
The 2007 Hamburg Masters was held as a warm-up event for Roland Garros, and marked Nadal's first appearance in the tournament. Nadal had skipped the event the last two years but decided to go for his fourth ATP tour title on clay in 2007.
The Spaniard defeated Andreev in the third round and Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinal, to set up the final with Federer. The No. 1 seed, on the other hand, had disposed of David Ferrer and Carlos Moya en route to the final.
Prior to this game, Federer and Nadal had played five games on Nadal's favorite surface and the Spaniard had won every single one of them. Only a month earlier, Nadal had prevailed over the Swiss in the Monte Carlo Masters final.
The No.2 seed started strongly, breaking Federer twice in the first set to take it 6-2. But Federer fought back valiantly, returning the favor by breaking Nadal twice in the second set and taking the match to the deciding set.
Nadal clay streak between 2005-2007 was 81 matches unbeaten. Imo the most impressive stat in Men’s Tennis history. Won’t be repeated again
2005: https://t.co/9SChtIV6bT
The then-World No.1 turned the screws in the final set, holding all his serves and breaking Nadal's serve thrice to bagel him. It was the third and final time Nadal was bagelled on clay.
The aftermath
Federer's unexpected triumph over Rafael Nadal made many believe that he might pip the Spaniard at the upcoming French Open. Rafael Nadal reclaimed his supremacy with a four-set win over Federer in the finals to win his third Roland Garros title.
Nadal also returned to Hamburg the following year, defeating Roger Federer in three sets to complete his Clay Court set. At the 2008 French Open, Nadal served the bagel back to Federer in one of the most one-sided Grand Slam finals in history, winning 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.
The duo have faced each other 10 more times since the 2007 Hamburg Masters on clay, and Rafael Nadal has won all but one of those ties - the final of the 2009 Madrid Masters. Overall, Rafael Nadal leads their head-to-head 14-2 on clay.