No. 4, 2005: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer bring their burgeoning rivalry to clay

As Rafael Nadal prepares to play what may be his final Roland Garros, we look back at the 10 matches that made him the undisputed King of Clay.

MATCH 4: 2005 Roland Garros, semifinal: Nadal d. Roger Federer, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

Winning a semifinal is already incredible. Beating Federer is even more amazing.

When it comes to tension in tennis, no place generates it quite like Court Philippe Chatrier. The immense red-clay court, the restless and vocally passionate fans, the gladiatorial atmosphere, the Grand Slam stakes, even the often heavy and overcast spring weather: They all combine to make you feel the weight of the moment like nowhere else in the sport. That goes double for a big match that’s scheduled to begin late in the afternoon. The collective stress in the arena rises through the day, as everyone begins to wonder not just who will win, but whether or not the match will finish.

All of those elements were in play, including the foreboding clouds, as Nadal and Federer took the court at 6:29 P.M. on June 3, 2005. In truth, though, the tension for this match had been building for at least two months.

It began in Miami, where Federer, the world No. 1, fought back from a two-set deficit to beat the 18-year-old upstart from Spain in the final. It continued when the 18-year-old upstart turned around and won four straight tournaments on clay, including the Masters events in Monte Carlo and Rome. For many, it seemed difficult to believe that a teenager, even one as athletic and self-possessed as Nadal, could be a legitimate rival to the mighty and graceful Swiss. Rafa, after all, had never played Roland Garros before, and had yet to reach the quarterfinals at any Slam.

“There was doubt in my mind that I’d be able to breathe at such a high competitive altitude,” Nadal would later admit.

Those doubts, as well as a nasty chocolate-croissant habit he’d picked up in Paris, kept him in subpar form through the early rounds. He even lost a set, and endured the boos of the crowd, to Frenchman Sebastian Grosjean. Still, when he met Federer in the semifinals, it was the Spaniard, not the Swiss, who was on a 22-match win streak. June 3rd also happened to be his 19th birthday.

When they finally took the court late that afternoon, Nadal quickly showed that he could breathe just fine at that altitude. He could also fire his forehand just as lethally, and cover the court just as smoothly, as Federer. He jumped ahead 4-1 and won the first set 6-3.

In the eyes of many fans in 2005, Rafa, with his muscular build and aggressive grunt, was the bruiser, and Federer the artist. It would take a while for people to acknowledge the touch and versatility in Rafa’s game, but it was already evident here. On what proved to be the crucial point of the match, at 4-3 in the third set, with the score tied at one-set each, it was Nadal, rather than Federer, who made the creative play. He brought Federer in with a perfectly measured backhand drop, followed it forward, and volleyed the response away for a winner to set up break point.

“Federer tried to get the chair umpire to stop the match; it was a good sign,” Nadal would later say. “He said it was the rain that was getting to him, but I knew it was my game, too.”

Looking back, the most surprising part of Nadal’s game then may have been his backhand. It wasn’t as feared as his forehand, but he could hit it for winners from seemingly impossible defensive positions. Sliding hard to his right, with a fully open stance, he could pull it all the way back for a crosscourt passing shot winner. That was something new in tennis, and you can hear it in Mats Wilander’s disbelieving voice in the commentary booth.

“I just cannot believe he can hit that shot crosscourt,” Wilander says after a Rafa backhand pass dives past Federer.

If there were any questions left about whether Nadal could close out a win in this rarefied air, he dispelled them in his final service game. Upping his attack, he cut through the tension with two forehand winners, and a fearless crosscourt smash. From that moment on, there was no doubt that Rafa was very much a match for Roger.

Tomorrow: They meet again