Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal debate solved with half grass, half clay match showing which Wimbledon legend was better

Scottish Sun

5 hours ago

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The exhibition almost didn't happen after an infestation of worms
SPLIT DECISION Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal debate solved with half grass, half clay match showing which Wimbledon legend was better
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IT was a question that defined a tennis generation - who is better, Roger or Rafa?
Way back in 2007, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal went to extreme lengths to find out.
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Roger Federer (left) and Spain's Rafael Nadal went head-to-head in a bizarre match in 2007
Credit: Reuters
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The pair played an exhibition game on a clay-grass court to discover who was best
Credit: AP:Associated Press
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But issues with the turf almost saw the match in Mallorca cancelled
Credit: AFP
The pair engaged in a bizarre experiment, pitting themselves against each other on a half-grass, half-clay court.
Federer, then 26, entered the contest after winning five consecutive Wimbledon titles.
He was undefeated on a grass court in FIVE years and had also won seven other Slams at the US and Australian Opens.
Nadal was at that time the new kid on the block - but already the undoubted King of Clay.
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The Spaniard hadn't lost a match on the surface in two years as the pair agreed to a mad-cap exhibition on two surfaces.
Argentine Pablo del Campo was the man to come up with the concept.
He had been inspired by baseball, where dirt and turf mix seamlessly into the game.
Del Campo told the BBC's Sporting Witness podcast: "When the outfield meets the infield, the grass meets the dirt.
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"Seeing that from above, I saw a hybrid tennis court.
He added: "I think that the idea was irresistible for both Federer and Nadal."
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A venue was decided at the Palma Arena on Nadal's home island of Mallorca.
Construction of the court took 19 days, with organisers racking up a total cost north of £1.3m.
They also had to battle a worm infestation on the grass side of the court, resulting in it being relaid with turf from a GOLF green.
Del Campo added: "We understood that was a mess, a big mess.
"It was very, very stressful."
The match was played over three sets infront of a sellout 7,000 crowd - and didn't disappoint.
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While there is a limited number of entries, it is possible to remain in the queue and wait for people already inside to leave, with those tickets then becoming available.
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Nadal broke Federer's serve on both grass and clay to take the first set.
But the Swiss superstar - a winner of 20 career Grand Slams - broke back to force a decider.
Nadal would eventually take the third and deciding set following an epic 12-10 tie break.
The Spanish superstar - who retired earlier last October with 14 French Open clay titles - admitted he thought the idea could be a "disaster".
He said following the match: "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.
"I have had a good time and that is important.
"Both of us would like to repeat this experience because, although the match was not a real one, it allowed us to play for points without much tension and to play more relaxed."
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Despite never playing again on the bizarre surface, it would be Nadal who would triumph in the pair's head-to-head battles.
The pair met 40 times over the years, with Nadal winning 26, and Federer 14.
Federer added: "I found the court to be excellent, especially the clay part.
"The challenge was difficult, because you have many things in your head.
"You have problems to work out about how you are going to play on either side of the court.
"On the grass, I felt at the start that I was moving very well, although it took me a while longer to adapt to the clay."