This was the year Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would finally face off in Flushing. No more would New Yorkers have to imagine what it would be like to see the all-time greats share the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But after Federer’s shocking fourth-round loss to Tommy Robredo on Monday night, the rivals now likely will never meet at the U.S. Open, with the 32-year-old Swiss star fading from the forefront of the sport he long dominated.
So many times, the rivals have been so close to playing in Queens, but somehow, something always has prevented the showdown, even when Federer and Nadal were the top two seeds of the tournament from 2005-08.
Federer and Nadal have met 31 times, with Nadal leading 21-10, and have played in the finals of every other Grand Slam. All together, they have faced each other five times at the French Open, three times at Wimbledon and two times at the Australian Open.
Here is a look at Federer and Nadal’s 10 missed opportunities to meet at the U.S. Open.
2003: A second-seeded Federer, fresh off his first Grand Slam title — at Wimbledon — lost in the fourth round to David Nalbandian, while a 17-year-old Nadal lost in the second round in just his second career major, to Younes El Aynaoui. Federer and Nadal were on track to meet in the quarterfinals.
2004: Top-seeded Federer captured his first U.S. Open title and third Grand Slam of the year, annihilating Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets in the championship match. Nadal won just seven games in a straight-set loss to second-seeded Andy Roddick in the second round.
2005: Federer defended his championship with a four-set win over Andre Agassi, while Nadal, who was seeded second after winning his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, fell to American James Blake in four sets in the third round.
2006: Federer and Nadal had met in the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon, with the Spaniard winning on clay and the Swiss star winning on his favored grass, but the second-seeded Nadal’s best showing at the U.S. Open to date still was not enough to meet his rival. Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to Mikhail Youzhny, while Federer won his third straight championship, defeating Roddick in the final.
2007: Federer and Nadal met in the finals of Paris and London for the second straight year, with the same results, but Nadal’s struggles on the hard courts continued as he was bounced in the fourth round by David Ferrer. Federer won his fourth straight title by defeating an opponent making his first appearance a grand slam final: Novak Djokovic.
2008: Nadal came to Queens as the top seed for the first time after knocking off Federer in the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon, but their much-anticipated matchup was derailed when Andy Murray knocked off Nadal in the semifinals. Federer would defeat the Brit for his fifth straight championship, his last in New York.
2009: Despite losing to Nadal in the Australian Open final earlier in the year, a defeat that moved him to tears, Federer was back as the No. 1 seed, while the Spaniard entered as the No. 3 seed, having been unable to defend his Wimbledon crown due to a knee injury. They looked to be on track to finally meet in the finals, but Nadal was dominated by eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals, losing 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. The 6-foot-6 Argentine then ended Federer’s reign with a five-set win in the final.
2010: Back as the No. 1 seed, Nadal reached his first final, but the second-seeded Federer blew a two sets to one lead and two match points against Djokovic in the semifinals. Nadal then defeated Djokovic in four sets for his only Open title, marking his third straight Grand Slam win.
2011: Somehow, this year was even closer than the year before. With a second-seeded Nadal waiting in the final again, the third-seeded Federer blew a two-set lead to Djokovic and then had two match points again, this time on his serve. After Djokovic hit an inconceivable forehand winner off a Federer serve to save the first, the five-time champion clipped the net on the next point and fell flat again. Djokovic would get revenge for the previous year, defeating Nadal in the finals.
2012: Nadal missed the tournament for the first time due to a knee injury while Federer came in as the top seed after winning at Wimbledon — his first Grand Slam title in more than two years — and fell in the quarterfinals to Tomas Berdych.