{"id":92517,"date":"2025-05-11T10:39:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T10:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/92517\/"},"modified":"2025-05-11T10:39:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T10:39:09","slug":"what-happened-when-rafael-nadal-played-roger-federer-in-an-incredible-italian-open-final-which-lasted-over-five-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/92517\/","title":{"rendered":"What happened when Rafael Nadal played Roger Federer in an &#8216;incredible&#8217; Italian Open final which lasted over five hours"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal enjoyed a legendary rivalry that defined an era of tennis.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sharing 42 Grand Slam titles between them, Federer and Nadal competed at the very top of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/atp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ATP Tour<\/a> for the best part of 20 years.<\/p>\n<p>The pair contested nine Major finals, of which Nadal won six, only suffering defeat at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/wimbledon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wimbledon<\/a> (2006, 2007) and at the Australian Open (2017).<\/p>\n<p>Federer and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/rafael-nadal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nadal<\/a> produced several classics over the years that will be forever etched into the memories of those who watched them live.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Photo by Ryan Pierse\/Getty Images\" width=\"1024\" height=\"687\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-81837469-1024x687.jpg\" \/>Photo by Ryan Pierse\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/news\/the-five-best-matches-between-rafael-nadal-and-roger-federer-including-the-contest-john-mcenroe-hailed-as-the-greatest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nadal\u2019s win over Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final<\/a> is considered by many as the \u2018greatest match ever played\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>A match played two years earlier, however, was just as entertaining, as the legendary stars battled it out for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/italian-open\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Italian Open<\/a> title.<\/p>\n<p>Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer in an \u2018incredible\u2019 five-hour Italian Open final 19 years ago<\/p>\n<p>Nadal and Federer had played one another five times before the 2006 Italian Open, with the Spaniard dominating the early proceedings of their rivalry.<\/p>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Match<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Winner<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Loser<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Score<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2006 Monte-Carlo \u2013 F<\/td>\n<td>Rafael Nadal<\/td>\n<td>Roger Federer<\/td>\n<td>6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2006 Dubai \u2013 F<\/td>\n<td>Rafael Nadal<\/td>\n<td>Roger Federer<\/td>\n<td>2-6, 6-4, 6-4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2005 French Open \u2013 SF<\/td>\n<td>Rafael Nadal<\/td>\n<td>Roger Federer<\/td>\n<td>6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2005 Miami Open \u2013 F<\/td>\n<td>Roger Federer<\/td>\n<td>Rafael Nadal<\/td>\n<td>2-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2004 Miami Open \u2013 3R<\/td>\n<td>Rafael Nadal<\/td>\n<td>Roger Federer<\/td>\n<td>6-3, 6-3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<p>Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer\u2019s head-to-head record pre-2006 Italian Open<\/p>\n<p>Fresh off the back of titles in Barcelona and Monte-Carlo, Nadal looked in great shape to win the title in Rome, navigating a tricky first-round tie against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/carlos-moya\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Carlos Moya<\/a> before powering his way through to the final.<\/p>\n<p>Rafael Nadal\u2019s route to the 2006 Italian Open final<\/p>\n<ul class=\"inline-links multi\">\n<li>2006 Italian Open SF \u2013 Rafael Nadal beat Gael Monfils, 6-2, 6-2<\/li>\n<li>2006 Italian Open QF \u2013 Rafael Nadal beat Fernando Gonzalez, 6-4, 6-3<\/li>\n<li>2006 Italian Open 3R \u2013 Rafael Nadal beat Tim Henman, 6-2, 6-2<\/li>\n<li>2006 Italian Open 2R \u2013 Rafael Nadal beat Filippo Volandri, 6-1, 6-2<\/li>\n<li>2006 Italian Open 1R \u2013 Rafael Nadal beat Carlos Moya, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Nadal\u2019s rival, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetennisgazette.com\/tag\/roger-federer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Federer<\/a>, had a tougher time of things en route to the final, battling through back-to-back three-setters to set up a sixth career meeting with the Spaniard.<\/p>\n<p>Roger Federer\u2019s route to the 2006 Italian Open final<\/p>\n<ul class=\"inline-links multi\">\n<li>2006 Italian Open SF \u2013 Roger Federer beat David Nalbandian, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6<\/li>\n<li>2006 Italian Open QF \u2013 Roger Federer beat Nicolas Almagro, 6-3, 6-7, 7-5<\/li>\n<li>2006 Italian Open 3R \u2013 Roger Federer beat Radek Stepanek, 6-1, 6-4<\/li>\n<li>2006 Italian Open 2R  \u2013 Roger Federer beat Potito Starace, 6-3, 7-6<\/li>\n<li>2006 Italian Open 1R \u2013 Roger Federer beat Juan Ignacio Chela, 6-2, 6-1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The final was full of quality right from the off, as the pair fought hard in the first set, before Federer played a perfect tiebreaker to take the lead 7-6 [7-0].<\/p>\n<p>Federer carried that momentum through to the second, and looked ready to extend his advantage, until Nadal clawed his way back, taking the set 7-6 [7-5].<\/p>\n<p>Taking his game into another gear, Nadal broke at 2-2 in the third, holding onto the one break advantage to win the set, 6-4.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Federer bounced back in the fourth, racing through the set, 6-2, to send the tie into a decider.<\/p>\n<p>Looking to wrap up just his second career win over Nadal, Federer led 4-1 in the fifth before his opponent bravely fought back to 4-4.<\/p>\n<p>At 5-6, Federer had a look at two match points on Nadal\u2019s serve but couldn\u2019t take advantage of either as his forehand deserted him in the crucial moments.<\/p>\n<p>Federer looked to have the match won again at 5-3 in the fifth set tiebreaker but was unable to get over the line, with Nadal coming back to win 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6.<\/p>\n<p>After five hours of thrilling action, it was Nadal who lifted the trophy, beating Federer in one of the greatest clay-court matches the sport has ever seen.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"700\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-57609544-1024x700.jpg\" alt=\"Photo by Julian Finney\/Getty Images\" \/>Photo by Julian Finney\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Nadal\u2019s win in Rome was his 53rd consecutive victory on clay, tying Guillermo Vilas\u2019 seemingly unbreakable record.<\/p>\n<p>During an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gazzetta.it\/Tennis\/ATP\/09-05-2025\/nadal-adoro-roma-l-italia-ama-il-tennis-e-si-merita-un-campione-come-sinner.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">La Gazzetta dello Sport<\/a> ahead of the 2025 Italian Open, Nadal reflected on his legendary win over Federer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Rome, I experienced emotional moments, the first two finals were incredible,\u201d said Nadal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith [Guillermo] Coria in 2005 I was losing 3-0 and 40-15 in the fifth and I won 7-6 in the longest final of the tournament, and the following year with Roger [Federer], again in the fifth down 4-1, two match points against, and again 7-6 after five hours and seven minutes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many unforgettable moments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Did Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer ever play another match at the Italian Open?<\/p>\n<p>Nadal and Federer played just one more match against each other in Rome, when they returned to the final seven years later.<\/p>\n<p>Their second meeting in the Italian capital couldn\u2019t quite live up to the standards set by their first, as Nadal dominated Federer in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, to win his seventh title in Rome.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"698\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-169054911-1024x698.jpg\" alt=\"Photo by Clive Brunskill\/Getty Images\" \/>Photo by Clive Brunskill\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Nadal won three more titles in Rome, retiring from tennis in 2024 as a record ten-time champion.<\/p>\n<p>Only time will tell who will come out on top at the 2025 Italian Open, but it\u2019ll certainly be interesting to see who lifts the title at Stadio Centrale on Sunday, May 18.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal enjoyed a legendary rivalry that defined an era of tennis. Sharing 42 Grand&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4105],"tags":[4294,25564,4296,13325,79,1068,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-92517","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tennis","8":"tag-atp","9":"tag-italian-open","10":"tag-rafael-nadal","11":"tag-roger-federer","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-tennis","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114488774748069601","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}