One of the best matches ever, the number of ridiculous rallies that didn’t even make this highlight reel is hilariously high and I encourage people to check out the 40 min ones if they have time
For all intents and purposes, this is one of the greatest matches of all time... Atleast the first 4 sets are. The effort and quality displayed by Nadal to play at such a level after the semifinal against Verdasco (also one of the greatest matches of all time) is simply difficult to put into words
Success is not built on success. It's built on failure, It's built on frustration. it's built on fear that you have to overcome. I pray that anyone who reads this will be successful in Life
I remember this match like it was yesterday and Roger bursting into tears after the match is still one of the most unforgettable moments in tennis history.
This is among the best matches ever. The 2017 Australian Open final will remain the most magical night in sports history, but this one had more than its own share of brilliance. If every tennis match were even 25% of the quality of this one, tennis would be the most popular sport in the world.
@@jollyjames30 perhaps a bit, but the back didn’t become a real problem for him until the early 2010s particularly in 2012/13 he had issues with it. The only thing that I remember he dealt with in around 2008/2009 was that he had mono during the 2008 AO which hindered his performance for a couple of months most likely
@@matthewmalagari2465 I remember him grimacing during the Murray match in Shanghai 2008 tour finals and people on the forums said he was dealing with a back issue. But who knows.
This baseline take it off the bounce attacking tennis is beyond entertaining, although I still wish they had at least a few tournaments with lightning fast courts for more variation these days
2009 was the last time we saw Rafa’s incredible speed and movement that he had in his earlier years. After the knee problems later that year, it was never the same. He still enjoyed success on hard court throughout his whole career, but post 2009 he was playing a whole different game. I think it’s a bit sad that we never got to see what peak baseline Rafa (between like 2010 and 2014) would’ve done with these legs. Talk about an unbeatable player…
Many people act like Nadal hadn't already won like 5 Masters 1000 on hard court by the end of 2009. That is as many hard court M1000 titles as he had from 2010 until the end of his career. His speed from 2005 to 2008 was second to none. There was virtually no ball he could not get his hand on.
@@phamnhat2925Exactly he was still fast after 2009 but you could tell that he didn't have his peak speed anymore. I would've loved to see the 09 AO version of Nadal against the 2012 AO version of Djokovic. 2012 Nadal was not as fast as 2005-09 Nadal and he still pushed Djokovic to 5 very close sets.
@@patcisz3474 - 2012- 2013 he only lost a smidge due to the injuries. He was still in his athletic prime. He did improve his forehand up the line coming into 2012 though. 2015 was where the problems began, falling out of his prime. It took him 2 years to revamp his game to be more offensive to compete at a high level but sadly on hardcourts he wasn't as competitive against Djokovic and Federer with this game style. That's also why I am not that impressed with Djokovic beating him at Rolland Garros in 2015, many players were kicking his ass those 2 years and Djokovic was still in his prime. That's like Nadal beating Djokovic in 2017. The difference Nadal faced Djokovic in 2015/16, 7 times; where Djokovic in 2017 and 2018 Nadal faced him 3 times and Djokovic was back to form by mid season.
@Soundwave-Renaissance Yes, Nadal improved his forehand down the line significantly in the years 2012 and 2013 and he even gained some extra muscle which made his shots have more impact in rallies. His forehand reached an unstoppable level from the 2013 American hard court season all the way to the 2014 AO. That back injury he suffered in the warmup before that final against Wawrinka completely ruined his dominant streak on hard courts and his prime was cut short. Nadal was just never quite the same player again after that.
Wonderful pace and aggression. Perfect placement with power, fantastic movement by both. Amazing prolongation of rallies that you think are won already. Just such good tennis.
@Romans8-9 There is no way Nadal was favored over Federer in Wimbledon 2008 when Nadal never won a wimbledon title and Federer was going for a record 6th straight title.
Watching this after Rafa announces his retirement, everyone talks Wimby 08, but for me the two best matches they played in finals was this and 2017 Aus open, almost ridiculous levels of shot making and rallies, the rally at 12.55 in this still makes laugh at the sheer absurdity of how good the shots are, the slapped squash shot from Roger unreal, the 360 return from Rafa just makes you laugh, ridiculous.
I dont agree about AO 17. Both were over the hill. Rafa lost alot of speed by AO 17 and Fed was even older. This match both were in their physical primes.
@@Romans8-9 Fair comment, but in terms of drama it had it all, and maybe as a slightly biased roger fan i'm swayed by the end result, still some extraorindary tennis either way
Watching this, you realize how good these guys really were and why players born in the 90’s have combined for a total of 2 (!?!?) GS titles. 5th set was a disappointment which makes 2017 a bigger joy for me to watch but the first 4 sets of this final were the best they ever played against each other. In total, probably the best Fedal match there ever was.
This was just prime Nadal on hard court , playing against prime Roger, I saw this match stream and was amazing but I didn't remember how good these two were at their best , the speed of the ball was out of this world and either tecnique or fitness in both ones were unique, it was like a battle between two alliens, when they faced each other again in 2017 in Ausi OPEN they were still extraordinary but both senior humans already
Terrifying to think he put in this performance just 2 days after beating Verdasco in the (then) longest match in the tournament's history, arguably a top 10 all-time match in its own right.
Nadal before 2010 was incredibly fast and even faster than Djokovic. The problem was after this match Nadal was suffering from knee tendinitis for the rest of the year 2009 which was part of the reason he lost against Soderling at RG and then he had to skip Wimbledon as the defending champion. He was able to come back healthy in 2010 and won 3 grand slams but you could tell that he lost a fraction of the speed he had before.
I remember watching this live, staying up late to do so, and thinking that Federer’s forehand couldn’t penetrate like it normally did against other opponents… that was what led to him losing this match…
I feel like Federer had control of this match and had too many options, which allowed Nadal back into the match. It must be nice to have so many tools in your toolbelt. Federer GOAT
It was Federer's match... Even Nadal did not have any hope mentally going into that match. Due to their match-up , Federer choked it mentally. I was happy for Nadal by then. In later years, when Nadal lost so many heartbreaking AO finals, I felt like he is cursed from 2009 win.
@@kelvintan6161 After you see all his career and you come up with this comment , than you didnt undertstand nothing about tennis. Try another sport . A "weak era" champion would never remain in history. But guess what. Roger Federer remains one of the greats , and for majority of people , the biggest icon in tennis.
fedsqaush had lots of success with B players and B tournaments where he won 50 % on the 250/500 circuit..When it came nadal/djoki Fedsqaush only own 33% of their GS matches and same with 33% in GS finals agaisnt djoki/ndal complete failure!! Fed couldn't even beat nadal once at french and lossed to Djoki 3 times in a row Wimbledon finals on fedsqaush supposed best surface even nada beat him at wimbledon finals!! Fed was weak mentall, weak backhamd ,didn't have tenni smarts and never evolved his sqaush game but he sure sold lots of running shoes
Nadal was very lucky to win here tbh… despite losing the 5th set by a decent margin Federer still won more points overall He was more dominant and better player for the first 4 sets
@@Alexx22570yeah in your own delusional world fed won this match. It’s embarrassing how a cry baby you are. Did you cry like fed did here. Nadal 100% deserved here. There 0% luck involved.
One of the best matches in history. Slightly underrated
Their meeting at Wimbledon 08 was probably that greatest match ever (as a spectacle), but this was arguably better in terms of sustained quality.
One of the best matches ever, the number of ridiculous rallies that didn’t even make this highlight reel is hilariously high and I encourage people to check out the 40 min ones if they have time
I already did a week ago and I agree
For all intents and purposes, this is one of the greatest matches of all time... Atleast the first 4 sets are.
The effort and quality displayed by Nadal to play at such a level after the semifinal against Verdasco (also one of the greatest matches of all time) is simply difficult to put into words
I actually think this is the highest quality I've seen if not for the fifth set
Success is not built on success. It's built on failure, It's built on frustration. it's built on fear that you have to overcome. I pray that anyone who reads this will be successful in Life
Tysm for saying this 🥺❤️
Damn, all these bots...
Aaaamiiiin.....
Success is built on championships, nothing else.
In Jesus Christ's name, amen!
I remember this match like it was yesterday and Roger bursting into tears after the match is still one of the most unforgettable moments in tennis history.
Yeah i cherished when he broke into tears
broke my heart, but i think the friendship between the goats was super solidly forged that night
the level is just insane
This is among the best matches ever. The 2017 Australian Open final will remain the most magical night in sports history, but this one had more than its own share of brilliance. If every tennis match were even 25% of the quality of this one, tennis would be the most popular sport in the world.
Never 😂😂😂
football ⚽ >>> basketball >>> tennis >>> F1, cricket, ice hockey >>> anything else
@@moonchild9237 basketball is one country sport so its shouldnt be in list
This to me along with the Rome 2006 final are the two best matches they have played in terms of shot making, unbelievable tennis from these two
Best hard court match of all time in terms of speed, variety and shotmaking
Djokavic fans don't realize that this was Federer at a much higher level than 2011and beyond when he started this drop off
@@astrahcat1212 Wasn't Federer dealing with a back problem during this time in late 2008-2009?
@@jollyjames30 perhaps a bit, but the back didn’t become a real problem for him until the early 2010s particularly in 2012/13 he had issues with it. The only thing that I remember he dealt with in around 2008/2009 was that he had mono during the 2008 AO which hindered his performance for a couple of months most likely
@@matthewmalagari2465 I remember him grimacing during the Murray match in Shanghai 2008 tour finals and people on the forums said he was dealing with a back issue. But who knows.
@@jollyjames30 yeah, you’re probably right. I honestly don’t remember much from his fall 2008 season so that definitely a possibility
This baseline take it off the bounce attacking tennis is beyond entertaining, although I still wish they had at least a few tournaments with lightning fast courts for more variation these days
2009 was the last time we saw Rafa’s incredible speed and movement that he had in his earlier years. After the knee problems later that year, it was never the same.
He still enjoyed success on hard court throughout his whole career, but post 2009 he was playing a whole different game.
I think it’s a bit sad that we never got to see what peak baseline Rafa (between like 2010 and 2014) would’ve done with these legs. Talk about an unbeatable player…
Many people act like Nadal hadn't already won like 5 Masters 1000 on hard court by the end of 2009.
That is as many hard court M1000 titles as he had from 2010 until the end of his career.
His speed from 2005 to 2008 was second to none. There was virtually no ball he could not get his hand on.
@@phamnhat2925Exactly he was still fast after 2009 but you could tell that he didn't have his peak speed anymore. I would've loved to see the 09 AO version of Nadal against the 2012 AO version of Djokovic. 2012 Nadal was not as fast as 2005-09 Nadal and he still pushed Djokovic to 5 very close sets.
@@patcisz3474 - 2012- 2013 he only lost a smidge due to the injuries. He was still in his athletic prime. He did improve his forehand up the line coming into 2012 though. 2015 was where the problems began, falling out of his prime. It took him 2 years to revamp his game to be more offensive to compete at a high level but sadly on hardcourts he wasn't as competitive against Djokovic and Federer with this game style. That's also why I am not that impressed with Djokovic beating him at Rolland Garros in 2015, many players were kicking his ass those 2 years and Djokovic was still in his prime. That's like Nadal beating Djokovic in 2017. The difference Nadal faced Djokovic in 2015/16, 7 times; where Djokovic in 2017 and 2018 Nadal faced him 3 times and Djokovic was back to form by mid season.
@Soundwave-Renaissance Yes, Nadal improved his forehand down the line significantly in the years 2012 and 2013 and he even gained some extra muscle which made his shots have more impact in rallies. His forehand reached an unstoppable level from the 2013 American hard court season all the way to the 2014 AO. That back injury he suffered in the warmup before that final against Wawrinka completely ruined his dominant streak on hard courts and his prime was cut short. Nadal was just never quite the same player again after that.
We'll never see these levels again. Omg i took it for granted😮
That 3d set from Rafa was one of the most important and most clutch sets in his career
Wonderful pace and aggression. Perfect placement with power, fantastic movement by both. Amazing prolongation of rallies that you think are won already. Just such good tennis.
In terms of quality maybe the best match of all times, with RG semifinal 2011
This is the highest level grand salm match they ever played imo
This match
2012 Olympic final against murray
2019 wimbledon final against nole
2014 monte carlo final against stan hurts the most
One of the highest quality matches ever played.
12:53 best rally of the game. Nadal not only saved two impossible returns but win the rally by hitting outregious retrun from the position he was in.
Absoloutly outstanding match between two great players 🎉❤
Rafas wheels pre knee injuries were out of this world. This is the GOAT rivalry.
Greatest hardcourt match ever played. I think it featured the 2 greatest shots of Rafa's career: @1:52 and @2:04
2009 rafa was scaryyy, and then 2010 rafa was even scarier
At that time their levels were untouchable and incomparable to any other players in history regardless of GS#
True. There will never be the likes of them again
This is one of Nadal's greatest ever victories, just below 2008 Wimbledon as he was the underdog in both.
He was not the underdog here. He was seeded no.1 and I remember he was pre-match favourite but it was close.
@@Romans8-9 Federer was the favorite in this match I remember the ESPN commentators were saying that so don't lie.
@@patcisz3474 you remember wrong. He was also pre-match favourite at Wimbledon 2008.
@Romans8-9 There is no way Nadal was favored over Federer in Wimbledon 2008 when Nadal never won a wimbledon title and Federer was going for a record 6th straight title.
@@patcisz3474 Bro I know for a fact Nadal was favourite before the match in 2008, since I knew someone who bet $100,000 on Federer at 2 to 1.
Watching this after Rafa announces his retirement, everyone talks Wimby 08, but for me the two best matches they played in finals was this and 2017 Aus open, almost ridiculous levels of shot making and rallies, the rally at 12.55 in this still makes laugh at the sheer absurdity of how good the shots are, the slapped squash shot from Roger unreal, the 360 return from Rafa just makes you laugh, ridiculous.
I dont agree about AO 17. Both were over the hill. Rafa lost alot of speed by AO 17 and Fed was even older. This match both were in their physical primes.
@@Romans8-9 Fair comment, but in terms of drama it had it all, and maybe as a slightly biased roger fan i'm swayed by the end result, still some extraorindary tennis either way
How good is this 😮 FANTASTYYYYYYYYY ❤
Tennis as its purest form or close to
Watching this, you realize how good these guys really were and why players born in the 90’s have combined for a total of 2 (!?!?) GS titles. 5th set was a disappointment which makes 2017 a bigger joy for me to watch but the first 4 sets of this final were the best they ever played against each other. In total, probably the best Fedal match there ever was.
Thank you for the inspiration Rafa...Rest in Retirement🙏
One of the best final ever
Best shotmaking of any match, ever
Federer was such humble in defeat
These were awesome Tennis times. Very impressive
This was just prime Nadal on hard court , playing against prime Roger, I saw this match stream and was amazing but I didn't remember how good these two were at their best , the speed of the ball was out of this world and either tecnique or fitness in both ones were unique, it was like a battle between two alliens, when they faced each other again in 2017 in Ausi OPEN they were still extraordinary but both senior humans already
The most beautiful tennis match ever
The greatest tennis match - overall quality of shots
The two GOATs of Tennis 👑
no such thing as 2 goats. the word goat has a meaning
Terrifying to think he put in this performance just 2 days after beating Verdasco in the (then) longest match in the tournament's history, arguably a top 10 all-time match in its own right.
Nadal stamina is unfair, you can see why on clay was unstopabble
Finally with great quality. Keep uploading everything prior to 2010.
Eh it's OK. They could do way better
@@TvRF20 Their previous uploads were terrible.
Fedal is the best shot making for all time ❤
Rafa e Roger ! Grazie!
What a great job for Federer to maintain his style of play against Nadal's style of play.
This was one of the matches why Federer lost his undisputed the GOAT status along with 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 US Open and 2019 Wimbledon finals.
Nadal before 2010 was incredibly fast and even faster than Djokovic. The problem was after this match Nadal was suffering from knee tendinitis for the rest of the year 2009 which was part of the reason he lost against Soderling at RG and then he had to skip Wimbledon as the defending champion. He was able to come back healthy in 2010 and won 3 grand slams but you could tell that he lost a fraction of the speed he had before.
12:53 what a point 🎉
I'd love to see Tsonga vs Blake Australian Open 2009
FEDAL the two very best of the game!!!
I remember watching this live, staying up late to do so, and thinking that Federer’s forehand couldn’t penetrate like it normally did against other opponents… that was what led to him losing this match…
The 5th set federer really just slowed down. Nadal was relentlessly attacking. When you are as amazing as these men, its a fine line
I feel like Federer had control of this match and had too many options, which allowed Nadal back into the match. It must be nice to have so many tools in your toolbelt. Federer GOAT
Fe-dal is the kind of match I could never cheer. Just sit and enjoy.
It was Federer's match... Even Nadal did not have any hope mentally going into that match. Due to their match-up , Federer choked it mentally. I was happy for Nadal by then. In later years, when Nadal lost so many heartbreaking AO finals, I felt like he is cursed from 2009 win.
Shame for Roger. One he'll remember forever. Nadal was always the one to read Fed like no other
Why is this clay court blue??
Do not cry, boy.
What makes you think it's clay?? This is the Australian Open
😂
Harvey Light
Peak nadal fitness
Very good match, prevented from being truly elite by how pathetically awful Federer was in the fifth set.
Hi love tennis great hiloghts
Роджер 3-0 должен был брать матч,все шансы упустил в первых трех сетах
No player in history would have beaten Nadal on this day.
Fun fact : an 🇦🇺 male player hasn't won the Aussie Open since 1976 (Mark Edmondson), almost 50 years ago! 🤔
Makes one wonder what happened to Roger in that 5th set? It’s like he fell apart
This was that final year of Darth Federer,and Fed always had one problem, those two guys Nadal and Djoker always got in his head
It’s the absolute proof that Federer’s mental strength is extremely weak compared to Djokovic & Nadal.. Federer = weak era champ
@@kelvintan6161 After you see all his career and you come up with this comment , than you didnt undertstand nothing about tennis.
Try another sport .
A "weak era" champion would never remain in history.
But guess what. Roger Federer remains one of the greats , and for majority of people , the biggest icon in tennis.
Heaney Drive
Hackett Via
i remember this match and how much i wanted to see roger pull through it was a big disappointment for a die hard fed fan
2012 final is better
Wow 16 minutes highlights for a 4 1/2 hour match are you that useless
Meanwhile a monster was brewing in the shadows. djokovic...........👾
Brewing how? Djokovic was the defending champion.
Nadal was a beast 😊
Loved seeing Frauderer cry at the end of the match. He knew Nadal had take over his throne
Aah a Djokovic fan ... I couldn't have guessed 🙂
roger should have won this match, he lost against himself
Nadal should have won the 2007 Wimbledon final.
Deon Falls
fedsqaush had lots of success with B players and B tournaments where he won 50 % on the 250/500 circuit..When it came nadal/djoki Fedsqaush only own 33% of their GS matches and same with 33% in GS finals agaisnt djoki/ndal complete failure!! Fed couldn't even beat nadal once at french and lossed to Djoki 3 times in a row Wimbledon finals on fedsqaush supposed best surface even nada beat him at wimbledon finals!! Fed was weak mentall, weak backhamd ,didn't have tenni smarts and never evolved his sqaush game but he sure sold lots of running shoes
If you tell me Nadal wasnt juiced I wont believe you
(Highlights)
Nadal was very lucky to win here tbh… despite losing the 5th set by a decent margin Federer still won more points overall
He was more dominant and better player for the first 4 sets
No, Nadal was the deserved champion.
@@Italo-j5c when did I say he wasn’t? All that I said was he was lucky to win
Oh excuses from Federer fanboys said the same after Wimbledon 2019😊
It's hard to tell which one was the best in the 4 first sets, excellent level from both
@@Alexx22570yeah in your own delusional world fed won this match. It’s embarrassing how a cry baby you are. Did you cry like fed did here. Nadal 100% deserved here. There 0% luck involved.
Weak era champ federer being exposed
Yes, he only went on to to win Madrid, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Cincinnati, final at US Open, etc. after that. Such a bad player..
It’s definitely not like he had to face the rise of Novak, nadal, along with other players like Delpo, tsonga, davydenko either, such a bad plauer
@@GF-hg7opum he didnt win the US open in 2009 or after that😅
@@DjokerFan I said 'final at US Open'. So basically the guys made the final in all 4 slams and you call it a weak era because he was that good
@@GF-hg7op keep coping bud, Novak is the GOAT
This Nadal was missing in 2019. Novak had it way too easy in 2019, 2021 and 2023 Aussie open
min 0:18, "WOOW" scream... it's cinema