Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are two of the greatest tennis players of all time, with a long and storied rivalry that spans over two decades. They have faced each other 40 times in total, with Nadal holding the head-to-head advantage with 24 wins to Federer’s 16. Both players have won numerous Grand Slam titles and have been at the top of the world rankings. Their matches were always highly anticipated and attracted a lot of attention from fans and media alike.
However, with a recent tweet from the official Twitter handle of the US Open, fans are reminded of the upsetting moments when the duo could not face each other. Federer and Nadal have ‘almost’ played each other at the US Open several times. To the disappointment of fans, the legends have dodged the opportunity due to losses in key matches or injuries.
Rafael Nadal versus Roger Federer at the US Open- a coveted sight
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With Federer now retired, the possibility of Nadal ever playing him at the US Open seems bleaker than ever. With the same thought in mind, US Open posted a picture of the duo on their Twitter account. In the picture, they pasted a Reddit post that says, “The biggest match that was never played?”
They posted this with the caption, “Still hurts to think about @Reddit”.
Immediately, tennis fans on Twitter poured their hearts out in the comments. Most of these quote tweets and comments talk about a Federer versus Nadal, or Fedal, match. As a fan has pointed out, the tennis community will always be “thirsty” to see the two play each other at a US Open.
US open will always be thirsty for Fedal 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/yMu332njoS
— Brown eyes 🏴☠️ (@gungun005) February 9, 2023
Another fan expressed the “astronomical” impossibility of this match ever happening.
The odds of the two of them never meeting at the US Open are astronomical
— TherealBBuss (@BussBarry) February 9, 2023
Fans have also taken to reminiscing about the events of the past and dig out reasons why the dream didn’t materialize. Some have also blamed Novak for this unfateful outcome.
This is because there was a guy called Novak who stopped it from happening
— chinalion (@ZhenggangCheng) February 10, 2023
Another fan has just blamed Nadal for losing too early in the tournament or suffering an injury. By the comments and re-tweets, it is evident that the tennis community hates taking “no” for an answer. But now that they have to, justifying it with blame on the GOATs might help ease the pain.
Not Federer or Djokovic’s fault that Nadal just happens to lose or be injured before he gets to play them
— Nick K (@Nicks_Twit88) February 9, 2023
If only RF could have beaten Tommy Robredo that one time….. https://t.co/eKy9vVNqoo
— Juan José (@jjvallejoa) February 10, 2023
A fan has directly tagged Rafa and Federer in their retweet and urged them to “do something about it.”
maybe you guys can do something about it @rogerfederer @RafaelNadal ☹️ https://t.co/J7hvuCFFRm
— mimi 𓃶𓃚 (@loveisparpall) February 10, 2023
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This is still absolutely fucking crazy you know. It’s actually one of the wildest fun facts in men’s tennis because how did these two dominate for years and have such an intense rivalry yet never meet at one of the four Slams. Crazy. https://t.co/oIQ3QZwtb0
— Yasmin Syed (@yasminstefsyed) February 9, 2023
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Federer and Nadal remain two of the best players tennis will ever have. In their long career and rivalry, the two have not just grown close as friends, but also value each other as compatriots. So much so that Nadal could not hold back his tears during Federer’s retirement announcement. However, all dreams are not meant to come true, and Fedal at Arthur-Ashe might be one of them.
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