Federer vs Nadal
Nadal leads Federer 24–16, built on clay, where he won 14 of 16 including all six at Roland-Garros. Its defining pattern was Nadal's left-handed forehand into Federer's one-handed backhand: in the charting, 59.5 % of Nadal's forehands went that way.
The split
| Federer | Nadal | |
|---|---|---|
| Clay | 2 | 14 |
| Grass | 3 | 1 |
| Hard | 11 | 9 |
| Grand Slams | 4 | 10 |
| Grand Slam finals | 3 | 6 |
| All finals | 10 | 14 |
How the rivalry is played
Across all 40 matches, 59.5 % of Nadal's forehands went cross-court or inside-in, toward Federer's backhand. Against Djokovic, also right-handed, the figure was 50.9 %.
Match Charting Project, our tally of the charted matchesFederer's backhand was usually the casualty: in 25 charted matches against Nadal, its effectiveness score was positive only five times.
Jeff Sackmann, Tennis AbstractAt the 2017 Australian Open it held: Nadal hit 122 cross-court forehands at it and won fewer than half those points, where in 2014 he'd won nearly three-quarters.
Jeff Sackmann, Tennis AbstractLate in the rivalry Federer flattened his cross-court backhand, rushed the net and served and volleyed more.
ATP, Rivalries
The matches that defined it
- 2008 · Wimbledon finalNadal 6–4 6–4 6–7 6–7 9–7
4 h 48 min through rain and near darkness, ending Federer's five straight Wimbledon titles. Widely rated the greatest match ever played.
ESPN - 2017 · Australian Open finalFederer 6–4 3–6 6–1 3–6 6–3
From 1–3 down in the fifth, his 18th major and first since 2012: the backhand that finally held.
ATP - 2019 · Wimbledon semi-finalFederer 7–6 1–6 6–3 6–4
Their last match, and their first at Wimbledon since 2008.
ATP, Rivalries
Questions
What is the Federer vs Nadal head-to-head?
Nadal leads 24–16 in 40 official matches.
Who won more Grand Slam finals, Federer or Nadal?
Nadal, 6–3, including 4–0 at Roland-Garros. Federer won 2 of 3 at Wimbledon.
Why did Nadal beat Federer so often?
Largely through one pattern: his high left-handed forehand into Federer's one-handed backhand, especially on clay, where Nadal won 14 of 16.
What we don't claim
- The 2019 Indian Wells walkover isn't counted. Surface and finals splits besides clay come from Wikipedia.