In the spring of 2007, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were two of the best tennis players in the world. But they excelled on different surfaces. Federer was the champion on grass, having won 48 consecutive encounters for 5 straight years, while Nadal was undefeated on clay for an astounding 72 consecutive matches played for 3 years.
A question that invariably arose among tennis fans was: who would come out on top if Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played on a court that is half clay and half grass? Organizers decided to find out.
It took 19 days and $1.63 million to create the unique court at Palma Arena in Palma de Mallorca, Nadal's home island. The Battle of the Surface was set for May 2, 2007.
On the eve of the epic clash, Federer said,
We are both looking forward to this absolutely new event. The idea really appeals to me as we both dominate one of the surfaces. Rafa holds the record of 72 victories in series on clay and I have not been defeated on grass since 48 matches. It'll be fun to find out what it's like to play on a court with mixed surfaces! And it ought to be interesting to see who chooses the better tactic. People have been talking about this event for quite a while. Now it's coming up pretty soon already and I like the fact that the stadium - which is very nice, by the way - is located on Majorca, Rafa's home. He has been to Basel, after all, and now I've got the opportunity to play at his place for once
The result: Nadal won 7-5 4-6 7-6 (12-10).
“It has been a nice experience, although before the match I thought it would be a disaster because I felt it would be very difficult for me to adapt to the court,” Nadal said after the match.
“I found the court to be excellent, especially the clay part,” Federer said. “The challenge was difficult, because you have many things in your head.”
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