Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will be facing each other for the 38th time in their careers and for the fourth time already this season when they battle for the Shanghai title on Sunday.
Our champ is appearing in an ATP World Tour-best ninth final of the season (6-3) and the 111th in his career (75-35).
Date: 15 October 2017
Match time: 4.30 PM local time / 4.30 AM EDT – New York, Montreal / 9.30 AM BST – United Kingdom / 10.30 AM CEST – Spain, France, Germany, Italy / 7.30 PM AEDT – Melbourne. To convert to your local time, use this website.
According to ATP World Tour, Federer is seeking a second Shanghai crown (2014), whileRafa is vying for his first, having previously finished runner-up in 2009. A victory will almost guarantee that Rafa closes the year with the No. 1 ATP Ranking for the fourth time, as he would own a 2,760-point lead over Federer.
Rafa leads the overall head-to-head series 23-13. Our champ is 14-9 in final meetings and owns a 12-6 advantage in ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (7-4 in finals). It is their first encounter on Asian soil since the 2007 ATP Finals, when the tournament was held in Shanghai. Federer took a straight-set semi-final clash.
Here are all the matches they have played against each other:
| YEAR | EVENT | SURFACE | RND | WINNER | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami FL, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | F | Roger Federer |
63 64 |
| 2017 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells CA, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | R16 | Roger Federer |
62 63 |
| 2017 | Australian Open Australia |
Outdoor Hard | F | Roger Federer |
64 36 61 36 63 |
| 2015 | Basel Switzerland |
Indoor Hard | F | Roger Federer |
63 57 63 |
| 2014 | Australian Open Australia |
Outdoor Hard | SF | Rafael Nadal |
764 63 63 |
| 2013 | ATP Finals Great Britain |
Indoor Hard | SF | Rafael Nadal |
75 63 |
| 2013 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati OH, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | QF | Rafael Nadal |
57 64 63 |
| 2013 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome Italy |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
61 63 |
| 2013 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells CA, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | QF | Rafael Nadal |
64 62 |
| 2012 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells CA, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | SF | Roger Federer |
63 64 |
| 2012 | Australian Open Australia |
Outdoor Hard | SF | Rafael Nadal |
675 62 765 64 |
| 2011 | ATP Finals Great Britain |
Indoor Hard | RR | Roger Federer |
63 60 |
| 2011 | Roland Garros France |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
75 763 57 61 |
| 2011 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid Spain |
Outdoor Clay | SF | Rafael Nadal |
57 61 63 |
| 2011 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami FL, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | SF | Rafael Nadal |
63 62 |
| 2010 | ATP Finals Great Britain |
Indoor Hard | F | Roger Federer |
63 36 61 |
| 2010 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid Spain |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
64 765 |
| 2009 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid Spain |
Outdoor Clay | F | Roger Federer |
64 64 |
| 2009 | Australian Open Australia |
Outdoor Hard | F | Rafael Nadal |
75 36 763 36 62 |
| 2008 | Wimbledon Great Britain |
Outdoor Grass | F | Rafael Nadal |
64 64 675 678 97 |
| 2008 | Roland Garros France |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
61 63 60 |
| 2008 | ATP Masters Series Hamburg Germany |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
75 673 63 |
| 2008 | ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo Monaco |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
75 75 |
| 2007 | Tennis Masters Cup China |
Indoor Hard | SF | Roger Federer |
64 61 |
| 2007 | Wimbledon Great Britain |
Outdoor Grass | F | Roger Federer |
767 46 763 26 62 |
| 2007 | Roland Garros France |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
63 46 63 64 |
| 2007 | ATP Masters Series Hamburg Germany |
Outdoor Clay | F | Roger Federer |
26 62 60 |
| 2007 | ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo Monaco |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
64 64 |
| 2006 | Tennis Masters Cup China |
Indoor Hard | SF | Roger Federer |
64 75 |
| 2006 | Wimbledon Great Britain |
Outdoor Grass | F | Roger Federer |
60 765 672 63 |
| 2006 | Roland Garros France |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
16 61 64 764 |
| 2006 | ATP Masters Series Rome Italy |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
670 765 64 26 765 |
| 2006 | ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo Monaco |
Outdoor Clay | F | Rafael Nadal |
62 672 63 765 |
| 2006 | Dubai U.A.E. |
Outdoor Hard | F | Rafael Nadal |
26 64 64 |
| 2005 | Roland Garros France |
Outdoor Clay | SF | Rafael Nadal |
63 46 64 63 |
| 2005 | ATP Masters Series Miami FL, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | F | Roger Federer |
26 674 765 63 61 |
| 2004 | ATP Masters Series Miami FL, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | R32 | Rafael Nadal |
63 63 |
GOOD LUCK & VAMOS RAFA!
Rafa has still not managed his schedule as well as Roger and that is I feel why he has lost to Fed to-day. Too much hard court play has given him knee trouble again after a long period without it. Hopefully it is not serious and just needs restingt but it was serious enough to-day to stop Rafa from playing at his best.
I acknowledge Fed’s all round game . At 36 he is to be congratulated But, oh dear, we will now be inundated by all the commentators’ words of hero worship ad nauseum.
My heart grieves for Rafa in losing this match in particular when he was playing well enough to have beaten Fed had knee trouble not re-appeared to hinder him. Which leads me to my previous point – management of Rafa’s schedule.
I hope Carlos Moya can persuade him to skip Basel . Perhaps he won’t have to persuade him, Rafa’s knees may make it impossible to play. We really won’t know how bad the problem is until Rafa or his team enlighten us.
Rafa has said his main objective is not to end the year as number 1 but to remain healthy so that he can be competitive. In that case he must not persist in pushing his body to unreasonable limits.. He is not a teenager anymore.
Please Rafa, look after yourself.!!