Recap: Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal first matchup in Nitto ATP Finals | ATP Tour
Nitto ATP Finals
Review: The first meeting between Federer and Nadal at the 2006 Nitto ATP Finals
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November 13, 2025
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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played six Lexus ATP Head2Head matches during the 2006 season.
Written by ATP Staff
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal met once each in 2004 and 2005 and six times during the 2006 season, making their Lexus ATP clash even more intense. Nadal won the first four tournaments – the finals in Dubai, Monte Carlo, Rome and Roland Garros – before Federer quickly won the Wimbledon final and the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals (then known as the Tennis Masters Cup).
Federer sealed his authority at the prestigious tournament by winning 6-4, 7-5 in the season final to claim the title and win his third of the event’s final six trophies.
“I’m waiting for these matches to beat the best players that come after me,” Federer said after his semifinal win.
Nadal was responsible for four of Federer’s five losses in 2006, and the victory in Shanghai was significant for the Swiss, who ended the year with a 92-5 record according to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index. The only man to beat Federer that year was Cincinnati’s Andy Murray. After that loss, Federer ended the season on a 29-match winning streak.
Before the meeting in Shanghai, Federer and Nadal had met seven times in a row, with the losing player winning at least one set. Federer’s dominant performance in the Shanghai season final ended that streak, putting an exclamation point on one of the best seasons in ATP Tour history.
One of the best encounters of the match came in the final point, when Federer hit a forehand winner off Nadal’s tough lob. The Swiss briefly knelt down to celebrate, demonstrating the magnitude of the moment.
“It’s a good feeling, usually I only feel this way in finals,” said the Swiss. “I rarely finish like this, so that’s good.”
Federer defeated James Blake 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 in the final to win the championship.
