Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal: The Story of Fedal | Tribute

The self-appointed commissioner of tennis had a nightmare the other day. He dreamed they were making a movie about Federer and Nadal, and it was even worse than the one about Borg and myself. Please don't let that happen. For the past 15 years, the tennis world has been divided into two camps. Nadal versus Federer. For me, you know, Federer is the greatest player that's ever played the game. Rafael Nadal most probably has the best chance of going down as the greatest male tennis player of all time. Roger Federer, he's done so much for tennis. He's probably the best player of all time. Lefty versus righty. The raging bull against the graceful feline. Looking at those two players, Nadal and Federer, I think they are two unique players. Raw power versus poetry in motion. For a while, Federer was like way above, and then Nadal came back, and then Federer came back, and then Nadal is coming back, and now maybe Federer is going to come back. So because they push each other, I've seen. And that's good for the game. That they are playing at the same time in the same generation is something that I think has been fantastic to tennis. I'm a fan of that matchup as well, you know. Federer and Nadal is one of the most epic rivalries of all time. Roger Federer will stop winning majors when Roger Federer stops playing majors. I think it's simple. I just like playing tennis. I want to win every tournament that I play. I mean, I'm probably his number one fan of Rafa. I think his game is just tremendous. I don't want to look like I'm going to be his boyfriend, you know. Who's the player that you dread playing the most? Rafa Nadal. Who's your favorite player to play against? Rafa Nadal. If Federer is so universally loved around the world, he owes it mainly to Rafael Nadal. He was on a path of utter domination before Nadal showed up. So when he started losing to Rafa, it made him more human. Well, a quite astonishing win. But one wonders where it will all end. That's a good one. Looking forward to that. It's going to be an exciting match for all of us. Nadal has arrived on the scene. Nadal is the winner in Monte Carlo in dramatic fashion. He's done it. His fifth victory in six meetings with the world number one. And he's third this season. It's there. Nadal wins his second French Open title. Oh, yes. There's nothing that you can do to defend against that. I'm surprised that he doesn't go a lot more to the back end in this match, Federer, when he comes in. But his variety of shot is just getting to Nadal here. That's wide and that's cover up. There's in the world a fine show. A fourth Wimbledon and an eighth Grand Slam triumph for Federer. Not even Rafa can stop Roger's reign. What makes him so difficult? Yeah, he plays unbelievably well. I'm going to try for the next years. I want to continue to improve and that's my goal. Muchas gracias. He's done it. Streak of 81 consecutive matches on clay has come to an end. Has leveled this final. Still the undefeated champion at Roland-Garros. And again, history denied. The great Federer. This kid's making history too. When you lost to him in Paris, did you think to yourself, just wait till I get you at the All England Club, I'm going to get you back? Yeah, I mean, look, I don't know. I was hoping that we're going to meet again in the Wimbledon finals, no doubt. But he did incredibly well. He came so close to win and I would think he deserved it as well. But there's only one winner. So unfortunately for him, it's me. Today was tough for me. But at the same time, it's good to watch me playing one final like this against the best of the world in grass and playing at a similar level. Maybe, well, compared with Roger right now, it's not possible yet because he has 11 grand slams, me three. But, well, I am young. Stunning performance by Nadal. Today, Rafa was supreme. So it was hard. Do you not feel a little like the best player in the world right now? You don't feel like number one? No. No, no. I feel like number two because I am number two. So Federer, 26-year-old maestro from Switzerland, number one in the world since February 2004. He's going for title number six. It was something not even the great Swede Bjorn Borg could achieve. So we pick Nadal, actually. I think he's really ready to win Wimbledon. The two best passing shots of the tournament, without doubt, have just taken place on the last two points. It's a magnificent strike. That's tennis. Federer's magnificent run ends. Nadal is the top man. Roger, first of all, can I just say thank you as a tennis player that you allowed us to be part of this amazing spectacle? I mean, is that any consolation? A little bit. Thanks, John. No, it's tough. It's tough. It hurts. I mean, it's got to be. Listen, I know you're feeling so much emotions right now. And I want you to give me a hug because thank you, man. Thank you. Thank you so much, OK? Unbelievable effort. It's the greatest match I've ever seen in my tennis career. How in the world did you do that? I don't know. I'm just very, very happy right now. I was crying for like 10 minutes. As he has won this title once again, his 13th major title won behind Sampras. How good was that? Oh, that's a gem. That's the Federer of two years ago. Oh, come on! Perhaps about to prove why he is now the best player on the planet. Maybe I'll try later again. I don't know. God, it's killing me. Try again. I have the last word. This guy deserves it. First of all, Roch, sorry for today. I know, I know. Yeah, I already know how you feel right now. It's really tough, but you remember you are a great champion. You are one of the best of the history. You're going to improve the 14 of Sampras for sure. A man humble in victory. A man so emotional in defeat. On a day of huge shocks, both defending champions crashed out. A week ago when Nadal lost to your opponent here today, did you feel a little bit more pressure on your shoulders? Because everyone's going to say you were going to win it. Or were you popping some major bottles of champagne right there? No, no, that's not it. I don't ever wish that a guy loses. You know, I think that's mean. But I, you know, I was... How do I say? I mean, I kind of was relieved because I knew he was going to be the hardest one to beat. But after that, you know, all the press were jumping on me saying, OK, I mean, if you don't win this year, you're a bad player kind of thing, you know? So for me to come through in the end, it was an... I felt like I was just played three, four finals of French Opens this week, you know? Because everybody expected me to win. So it's an unbelievable relief of pressure right now. And that's why I'm smiling. Roger Federer, the great, great Roger. Greatest of all time, all right? Chad, Mary, back to you. That's true. I became number one in the world by winning this title because this is the biggest one there is out there. 16 times now, a Grand Slam champion. An order has been restored in Paris. Ends up on the turf and picks himself up as a Wimbledon champion. What do you think you have to accomplish to convince yourself that you're ahead of Roger, maybe the greatest ever? Talk about if I am better or worse than Roger is stupid because the title says he's much better than me. So that's the truth at that moment. And I think will be the truth all my life. Matches here with these two. The cropping, this one-sided Federer. There still belongs to Rafael Nadal. Nadal humbled at the hands of his great rival. Rafa, Roger has a good record against you on the indoor surface. So what do you find? It's a good record, no? It's a perfect record, 100%. Oh, my God. I don't know how he gets there and does what he does. He's done it again. Unbelievable match by Rafael Nadal. Unbelievable effort. I cannot believe he does that. Still Federer has only beaten him in a major at Wimbledon. And it's done. No question, this is Rafa's house. He stands alone, seven French championships. I've done it before. I can put him under pressure. And I hope that this time I have a better chance. And in New Wales, things were a bit difficult for me. But he's had an incredible comeback. So I'm really happy for him. But someone's got to stop him. So I hope it's me. 6-4 in the fifth. But for Roger, the runner's up spot for the fourth time in his last five. Hello, I'm here just to announce that I have to retire from the tournament. We thought that rivalry had played its requiem. But it just took one magic night in Melbourne in 2017 for Fidel to come back in all its glory. We feel very lucky as well because you're going to play your great long-time rival, Roger Federer, in the final. What do you expect from that one? We're all thrilled. For me, it's a privilege, you know. And it's a very, very special thing, I think, for both of us to be in the final of a major again. Have another chance to compete against each other after a couple of years having some problems. Rafa's definitely presented me with the biggest challenge in the game. I mean, I'm probably his number one fan of Rafa. I think his game is just tremendous. Get the popcorn out. Tennis is a tough sport. There's no draws. But if there was going to be one, I would have been very happy to accept the draw tonight and share it with Rafa, really. It was like old times, you know. We're playing each other every week now. Can't get enough of each other. Roger Federer completes the sunshine double. For the fifth time in a row, he gets the better of his great rival. My knee was not enough good to compete at the level that I need to compete. We've had so many epic battles that, yes, I know that every one that we have now, it could be our last. So was this our chance for the last one? I really hope not. We have not been playing very often like eight years ago, so it's a little bit different. You want to do, achieve something on the clay. Inevitably, at some stage, you will go through Rafa. Half in front, probably my biggest rival on my career with all the story that we shared together. That always makes the match a little bit more special and unique. The way he defends the court and plays on clay, there's nobody who even plays remotely close to him, you know. So I don't even know who I need to go search for to go practice with somebody who plays like him. That's a way, 37 years of age, he's into his 12th Wimbledon final. Roger has already been on social media and described this victory as one of the greatest achievements in sport. Thanks to Roger for the words. And I think, as everybody knows, we have a very, very good relationship. Because we have been going through a great rivalry for a very, very long time. So I just can say thanks to him. At the end, it doesn't really matter who's going to be the one because I think they do it together, actually.