Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were constantly on opposite sides of the court given their superb careers, mainly in singles but on the odd occasion doubles.
Over 50,000 people watched Nadal play Federer in a singles exhibition clash in Cape Town in 2020, such was their ability to attract huge crowds.
Nadal retired from tennis in November, with his farewell coming just over two years after the retirement of fellow legend Federer.
They met a total of 40 times on the ATP Tour, with the Spaniard winning 24 times compared to the 16 of the Swiss star.
But one of their most intriguing ties involved playing with two other icons, with Federer and Stan Wawrinka having once taken on Nadal and Marc Lopez in an entertaining doubles encounter.
Rafael Nadal of Spain serves to Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland while playing with Marc Lopez of Spain during the BNP Paribas O…
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka beat Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez at Indian Wells
The quartet came face-to-face in the semi-finals of the 2011 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, with the Spanish pairing of Nadal and Lopez having won the competition a year before.
But a title defence was always going to prove difficult given the star-studded men’s doubles line-up in California.
Two pairs of brothers in Bob Ryan and Mike Ryan and Andy Murray and Jamie Murray were involved, while even Novak Djokovic took part with Viktor Troicki.
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Other legendary pairings included Marin Cilic and Ivo Karlovic, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram, and Sam Querrey and John Isner among others.
But it was the Swiss duo of Federer and Wawrinka who would eventually end the run of the Spaniards in the final four.
A hugely entertaining encounter took place between the legends, with Nadal and Lopez on the receiving end of a 7-5, 6-3 defeat.
Federer and Wawrinka did, however, fail to build on that fine result in the final, where they lost 6-4, 7-6(7-5), 10-7 to Alexandr Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse.
What is Rafael Nadal’s and Roger Federer’s history at Indian Wells?
Nadal and Federer have a storied history at Indian Wells, with the latter joining Djokovic for the most singles titles ever with five.
His fifth and final triumph ironically came against Wawrinka in 2017, while there were also plenty of near misses in singles and doubles.
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Nadal meanwhile accompanied his 2011 semi-final doubles defeat with a singles final loss to Djokovic, although there was a quick return to success.
He and Lopez recovered to win the 2012 doubles event, with Nadal winning his third and final singles title a year later.
Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a shot as partner Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland looks on against the team of Marc Lopez and Rafael Nadal of …
Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images
What did Rafael Nadal think of his Indian Wells doubles loss to Roger Federer?
Despite the defeat, Nadal had fond memories of his exciting meet-up with long-time rival Federer in that Spain versus Switzerland clash.
“We lost this match,” said Nadal, as per the BNP Paribas Open in February 2024. “I think that was the semi-final match against Roger and Stan.
READ MORE: The five players with the most Australian Open main draw appearances after Stan Wawrinka handed wildcard
“It was a good match, good memory even if we lost. Special to play with my friend Marc, who is now one of my coaches.
“Playing against Roger and Stan. I enjoyed plenty of friendly moments here, winning two times with Marc in doubles has been very, very special.”
A doubles match so epic that even a loss is a good memory 😎@RafaelNadal | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/3LE4fAViGF
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) February 25, 2024
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Another Spaniard in Carlos Alcaraz is currently doing his best to follow in his hero’s footsteps in California.
He is now the two-time defending champion ahead of this year’s tournament at Indian Wells, with both of his final wins coming against Daniil Medvedev.
Related Topics
Indian Wells
Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer
Stan Wawrinka
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