Featured Image Credit: YouTube
Topics: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Tennis
Marcus Chan
Rafael Nadal has previously spoken about the possibility of playing Roger Federer on a 50-50 court again.
Having won a combined total of 42 Grand Slams, Nadal and Federer will forever be etched in tennis history as two of the greatest.
During his career, Nadal dominated on clay as he won 14 French Open titles.
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Federer was the man to beat on grass, having lifted the Wimbledon trophy on eight occasions.
Back in 2007, Nadal and Federer faced off on a half-and-half court - one side was clay and the other was grass.
The match was labelled as the 'battle of the surfaces' and the court reportedly cost over £1 million to construct.
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In front of 7000 fans in Mallorca, Spain, Nadal took the first set 7-5 before Federer bounced back to take the second 6-4.
The third set was a roller coaster ride as it swung one way then the other.
In the end, it was Nadal who came out on top as he won the tie break 12-10.
After the match, Nadal stated that he would like to do it again.
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He said: "It has been a nice 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."
The Spaniard continued: "Both of us would like to repeat this experience because, although the match was not a real one, it allowed us to play for points without much tension and to play more relaxed."
Meanwhile, Federer said: "I found the court to be excellent, especially the clay part. The challenge was difficult, because you have many things in your head.
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"You have problems to work out about how you are going to play on either side of the court. 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."
Federer called time on his career back in 2022 before Nadal stepped away from the sport in 2024.