This still remains the highest quality tennis match I’ve ever seen, and the greatest display of tennis ever in my opinion. By far my favorite match of all time, even if objectively speaking I know that Wimbledon 2008 is probably the GOAT match (or AO2012). Nadal’s defense was unreal in this match; his backhand was so solid and his forehand was as good as ever, but Verdasco was playing borderline reckless tennis on the other hand, just bashing winners left and right. Insane
Outstanding match. Verdasco was such an interesting matchup against Nadal, especially given his enormous power and for being left handed. But Nadal carried into this tournament his 2008 RG-Wimbledon form, which is one of the most astonishing things I have ever seen on any sport. His outfit was also pretty cool.
@@transtaganas indeed, altho verdasco got revenge on round 1 in 2016. Nadal had no defense on him and you can see how as the years have gone by this part of his game has been the key to success.
This is one of those few times when a lower ranked player really took it to the big 3 and it’s not because the big 3 player was having an off day, it’s just that Verdasco raised his level that high. I think Verdasco had a few slams in him with a better mental game
Requesting AO to upload this full match in 1080p as previous version is in 480p and blurry..making this request because this classic can be rewatched endlessly for all the sporting community
PARTIDAZO DE LOCO E HISTORICO!!! Este partido es de los mejores de la historia del tenis sin duda alguna esta en el Top 10 y Top 3 del Australian Open. Nadal en el 2009 en este torneo ha sido la mejor actuacion en modo nivel Dios,Nadal mostro una defensa superlativa le llegaba todas las pelotas incluso a las mas bajitas, la derecha potente e igual el reves,merecido ganador del partido y campeon. Verdasco tambien hay que aplaudirlo porque jugo su mejor partido de su carrera,por un momento pense que iba a ganar verdasco pero Nadal saco la carta magica bajo la manga. Saludos desde Caracas,Venezuela.
Verdasco lost the best match he ever played; sometimes life doesn't seem fair. When Rafa finally calls it a day this is the first version I'll remember - the most exciting sportsman I've ever seen.
The ball striking in this match, and just going for it, few nerves. Just watching this live back then overnight in the eastern USA, I was on the edge of the seat the whole match. Love to relive it many times by now!
2009 is a year of many iconic moments in tennis. 1. Nadal wins an AO title after two back to back 5 set thrillers(his only AO title until 2022) 2. Federer wins French open(his only title of his entire career) 3. Federer wins an epic final against Roddick(16 - 14 in final set) and becomes the player with most no of grand slams - A record he held until 2020. (The match has the longest 5th set). 4. Federer's 41 match winning streak and a record 5 consecutive US open titles is broken by Del Potro.(No player has won even two consecutive US Open titles till now - 2023)
Two of the best points in tennis history and they came in the same match. Two days later, Nadal and Federer played possibly the best point in tennis history as well in the 4th set
I remember watching this 15 years ago! Life was so different then! Simpler times, younger self, world full of possibilities! On a side note, this is the best match ever, in my opinion!
This AO was harder than any AO Djokovic has ever won. Beating Verdasco at an absurd level in more than 5 hours in one of the best matches of all time, and then facing Federer in the final having had 1 day of rest less than him, who was the best HC player at the time and had never lost a GS HC final, winning all 8 he had played... was amazing.
So you are saying AO12 Murray was at a much better level than AO09 Verdasco? Lol c'mon. And now is tougher to face Nadal on HC in 2012 than Federer in 2009...? Federer is arguably the 2nd best HC player of all time. He was dominating hard courts back then and nobody could beat him in a HC GS final. Djokovic had beaten Nadal just 4 months earlier at the 2011 US Open...
@@rafagoat575 Nada was in amazinng form both physically and teckinically...but you should know that AO speed court from 2008 to 2012 is a clay hardcourt that is what allowed Nadal who was in peak physical form to run around wide balls make speactacular winners and always put ball back into play...and STILL he should have lost eiher by Verdasco or Federer the only reason it got so close is even though the court was so slow the ball bounce was still low...RAFA fans must accept that RAFA dominated only clay tournaments and nothing else if hardcourts where always fast like these days Nadal would never have any major title outside clay..US open is basically the 2nd clay slam of the year..court is slow as hell with high bounce and ALL 4 US opens Nadal won conditions where even slower than clay...For eample UUS OPEN 2011-AO 012 court speeds where even slower than clay the only difference is AO is low bounce (witch does not allowed Nadal activate his pusher tactics) and Us Open is high bounce witch suits perfectly Nadal pusher game and STILL even in clay harcourt condition Novak beat him in both of these occasions...Nadal can never be the GOAT of tennis not even close and no amount of clay titles can change that both Novak and Federer surprass him by far in all stats...weeks at number 1 and amount of overall titles except clay of course it is not even close...AO 019 was the faster court ever even faster than Wimbledon and Novak beat Nadal like a kid...have you ever wondered why Nadal has 0 titles in Paris Masters and ATP Finals? because these courts are fast as hell with low bounce
@@dimitrissle6508 So, by your amzing logic Djokovic's 7 Wimbledon titles have no merit, because the grass was sped down drastically in the early 2000s... to the point that HC and Grass CPI are practically the same lol plus he only started beating Federer there when the Swiss was 34+ years old. Nadal is the only player who won Wimbledon beating Federer in his prime. And yeah, in AO19 Djokovic beat Rafa like a kid... it wasn't that big of a beat down as the one months later in RG tho lol when Ivanisevic said Rafa had no chance because everything favored Djokovic, the dump clay making it low bounce, the cold weather, the balls... even the roof in the last minute... and then 60 62 75. By the way... in AO19 Nadal was coming back from an injury, nobody expected much from him and he made the final. Not bad. Go ahead and check how Djokovic has done in his career coming back from injuries in 2018 or even after the AO saga in 2021... you'll be surprised.
@@rafagoat575 What bullshit is this RAFA Fans keep ignoring the facts? ? are you dRUNK? Nadal only beat Federer once in a medium fast Wimbledon 2008 final when Federer had weak backand..since 2011 onwards the court changed and became way faster and Roger improved his weak backand since 2014 by also changing to larger headsize racket and improvig his backand technique a lot so 32-35 year old Feder played much better on grass compare to 2008 Federer lol...Novak beat prime Federer on Wimbledon 3 times and in 2015 Wimbledon he almost straghit setted highest level of Fderer on grass so just image what 2015 Wimbledon Djokovic would do to 08 Wimbledon Nadal oxaxaxax the outcome would be simillar to their Wimbledon 2011 final encounter maybe Nadal would lose even more badly heheh 2011 Nadal played at much higher level compared to his 08 wimbledon performance..his shots where simillar but in 2011 he had way stronger serve......ALSO why you mention clay as an argument? Everyone agrre that Nadal is unbeatable on clay but I ALREADY SAID that NO AMOUNT OF CLAY TITLES CAN MAKE NADAL THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME! but since you mention the 2020 RG fianal what yuou have to say about 2021 RG Semifinal..Nadal can not even beat Novak consistently even on clay ! axaxa But after 2013 Novak did not even lose a set from Nadal on fast hardcourts after 15 encounters just image ! Nadal has not even won a set from Novak on hard courts for the last 11 years ! just look at the stats ! WHY NOT just accept facts? Nadal is only good on slow high bounce surface and Feder-Novak dominate Nadal on fast low bounce surfaces a good xample is the 2011 wimbledon final when Novak desotroyed Nadal in 4 sets and also 2014 Wimbledon final where the court speed was the fastest ever...Just check the court speed and ball bounce before you start an argument...Nadal dominated only slow high bounce surfaces and these type surfaces allow onloy pushers to win...no skill at all
Nadal in the Aus Open 09 was playing on the levels of the gods, after 15years, his SF and final matches are the best matches of shear quality and consistency, I have ever seen. Verdaso was hammering forehands and threw the whole kitchen sink at Nadal, but still returned those balls back. Absolutely insane levels.
This was Nadal at his absolute best: against Federer he was definitely much less accurate and powerful as Roger had the upper hand until he ran out of gas in the 5th set; otherwise Roger should have won in 4 as he completely destroyed Nadal
The quality of rallies in this match is unparalleled to anything seen after or before.......freaking hell of a match! One of the greatest matches of all time if you ask me any day.
Been thinking a lot about Rafa’s legacy lately. Even though it feels a bit sad that he’s not really able to compete at top level anymore, I feel so grateful for everything he’s been giving us thru the years. This match is a good example of what Nadal really was. A fighter that refused to give up, regardless of his limitations. 2009 was the year where I really felt Rafa developed a game where he looked to be invisible on all surfaces. The speed , the mentality, the forehands… How can you compete with that? Unfortunately his knees didn’t hold up, and later that year he lost in French for the first time and skipped Wimbledon for the first time. After that, he wasn’t the same player. He lost a fair bit of his speed, but instead developed an otherworldly baseline game that no one was able to really stand up against a good day. It worked for five years or so before his body simply couldn’t perform with that high intensity anymore. What did he do then? Well, he developed a new, offensive style with an highly improved serve and was back dominating post 2016, for anotger couple of good years. the ability to always use his abilities to the max, adapt and change his game due to his physical limitations and refusing to give up, regardless if it's about winning a close Grand Slam-thriller or coming back after a 10 month long injury period is completely unique. A couple of crazy stats: - Once up 18-5 head to head against Federer and Djokovic in Slam meetings. (Still in a HEAVY lead in this metric) - an 81 (!) match win streak on clay - skipped, been seriously harmed, or retired from 25+ Majors in his career due to injuries. Still manage to win 22. I don’t care how you compare him to the others. I’m just greatful that we got to see this player compete and give so much to the sport for 20 years.
I remember this match as it was played like yesterday... So Unreal n So Unbelievable Tennis was played that night there at ROD LAVER ARENA.... VERDASCO PLAYED THIS MATCH AS IT WAS THE LAST DAY OF HIS LIFE.. BUT NADAL PLAYED WITH SHARE DETERMINATION AND WILL POWER WHICH MADE THE DIFFERENCE ON THAT NIGHT... I think that the Quality of the Tennis on that night was far far more greater than in the Wimbledon final 2008...
this is some of the highest quality tennis ive ever seen. And We've all seen prime nadal. Prime fed. Prime Djoker. Verdasco was cracked here. Some of these shots....
What a match this was. I remember I was in my hometown in Argentina staying awake until such late hours in our hot summer just to watch this fantastic match!
Both, Rafa and Roger are born for tennins. They are undoubtedly born tennis wizards! Cant include anyone else in this list, in this era! The charisma they possess is beyond anyones imagination!
One of the best matches and tournaments I've ever seen Nadal play, and I've followed him since his first win at RG! I'll never forget the anxiety I had during this match! This Nadal was untouchable!
Nadal-Federer 2008 is obviously an amazing match and probably the greatest I have seen. But this one is clearly the 2nd best I've ever seen as well, and nearly rivals it. Absolutely immense match from Verdasco with Nadal playing at his absolute peak. This was the final as far as I'm concerned.
Impressive rallies from both! From memory Verdasco only won a single game in the final? For me his best play was a fourth set tiebreak against Nadal (2009 Aus open semi-final) where he almost didn’t loose a point!
One of my favourite tennis matches of all time. Verdasco gave his all maybe even compared to all of his other matches combined, yet still lost. Must’ve been so crushing seeing how unbelievable he played that day. Against any other player at the time, this performance would’ve win him the match. But you know, Nadal is just… Nadal. Hope he’ll be enjoying his retirement. He deserves a nice, slow-living life!
The best match between Verdasco, who turned into the best hard hitter, and Rafa, who turned into the best defender. It is like Novak and Wawrinka. The best contradictions and shields clash on a different level.
@@AlejandroGarcia-wz1qi You`re wrong. He didn`t lose speed at all. Moya stated in an interview that he had to teach Rafa to stop chasing every damn ball to preserve his energy for longer matches given his injuries.
Is this match was on thursday or friday ? In another word who took the 2 days rest after the semi final..nadal or roger ? If it was roger that took 2 days rest then it's unbelievable for nadal to win the final after this war in semis and 1 days rest thereafter !
These are no mere mortal men. These are two Spaniard Titans. Dear Lord, you do not want to see Verdasco hitting that forehand with some space so that his arm is a bit more stretched out. Good knight 😂🎾💥
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Can’t believe it’s been 15 years since this tournament. Easily one of the best grand slams I’ve ever seen all-around
To me this is the best match Ive ever seen. The Verdasco forehand on that day was just magnificent.
The fact that Nadal did this and then beat prime Fed with a day’s less rest that him in the very next match is so incredible
Djoker beat Murray in a 5h match in 2012, and then went on to beat prime Nadal in the final
I think the extra day rest didn't help Federer at all, epecially his serve.
@@dzyba we're talking about nadal here
@@dzyba so?
@@dzybaWe don’t care about Djokovic.
This still remains the highest quality tennis match I’ve ever seen, and the greatest display of tennis ever in my opinion. By far my favorite match of all time, even if objectively speaking I know that Wimbledon 2008 is probably the GOAT match (or AO2012). Nadal’s defense was unreal in this match; his backhand was so solid and his forehand was as good as ever, but Verdasco was playing borderline reckless tennis on the other hand, just bashing winners left and right. Insane
Verdasco was on fire and so hot!!!!
Outstanding match. Verdasco was such an interesting matchup against Nadal, especially given his enormous power and for being left handed. But Nadal carried into this tournament his 2008 RG-Wimbledon form, which is one of the most astonishing things I have ever seen on any sport. His outfit was also pretty cool.
Federer - Djokovic 2011 RG Semifinal entered the room.
@@transtaganas indeed, altho verdasco got revenge on round 1 in 2016. Nadal had no defense on him and you can see how as the years have gone by this part of his game has been the key to success.
This is one of those few times when a lower ranked player really took it to the big 3 and it’s not because the big 3 player was having an off day, it’s just that Verdasco raised his level that high. I think Verdasco had a few slams in him with a better mental game
The smile on Verdasco's face everytime Nadal had a brilliant point. Amazing.
Oui on sentait qu'il se régalait lui aussi avec de si beaux échanges 🎉
One of the greatest matches of all time in terms of quality
Oui magnifique, verdasco à la hauteur, qu'est il devenu ?
Requesting AO to upload this full match in 1080p as previous version is in 480p and blurry..making this request because this classic can be rewatched endlessly for all the sporting community
I remember very well that match ! One of the craziest I've ever seen
Best Ever match in HISTORY
Probably one of the most beautiful match of 2009 !
Verdasco was on fire and so hot!!!!
And in history of tennis.
This match's legacy and quality transcend decades.... Not just 2009
*One of the most beautiful match ever
PARTIDAZO DE LOCO E HISTORICO!!! Este partido es de los mejores de la historia del tenis sin duda alguna esta en el Top 10 y Top 3 del Australian Open. Nadal en el 2009 en este torneo ha sido la mejor actuacion en modo nivel Dios,Nadal mostro una defensa superlativa le llegaba todas las pelotas incluso a las mas bajitas, la derecha potente e igual el reves,merecido ganador del partido y campeon. Verdasco tambien hay que aplaudirlo porque jugo su mejor partido de su carrera,por un momento pense que iba a ganar verdasco pero Nadal saco la carta magica bajo la manga. Saludos desde Caracas,Venezuela.
Verdasco lost the best match he ever played; sometimes life doesn't seem fair. When Rafa finally calls it a day this is the first version I'll remember - the most exciting sportsman I've ever seen.
Reminds me of Roddick in the Wimbledon final against Federer. Easily played the best match of his career and LOST to Federer.
Verdasco got his revenge in 2015. Beat Rafa in the first round in another 5 set epic. But no one remembers that!
@utkarshdeshmukh8864 actually it's was 2016, in 2015 Nadal lost to Berdych in the quarterfinals.
top 5 best matches i've ever seen i remember every point like it was yesterday!
from memory that guy in the audience was verdasco's best mate that had flown over from spain, not a coach or anything just the ultimate hype man
The ball striking in this match, and just going for it, few nerves. Just watching this live back then overnight in the eastern USA, I was on the edge of the seat the whole match. Love to relive it many times by now!
This was an absolutely fantastic match to watch. Such high level of hitting the whole way. Arguably Rafa at his very best.
2009 is a year of many iconic moments in tennis.
1. Nadal wins an AO title after two back to back 5 set thrillers(his only AO title until 2022)
2. Federer wins French open(his only title of his entire career)
3. Federer wins an epic final against Roddick(16 - 14 in final set) and becomes the player with most no of grand slams - A record he held until 2020.
(The match has the longest 5th set).
4. Federer's 41 match winning streak and a record 5 consecutive US open titles is broken by Del Potro.(No player has won even two consecutive US Open titles till now - 2023)
3:23 and 6:22 Best two points, insane level of tennis
Two of the best points in tennis history and they came in the same match. Two days later, Nadal and Federer played possibly the best point in tennis history as well in the 4th set
@@SJ-di5zuin AO 2017, Roger Rafa played another epic epic point but this time Roger won it. Almost similar finish to the point like in 2009.
Easily top 3 best ao matches of all time along with nadal vs djoko in 2012 and nadal vs fed in 2009 in the same year
Meddy vs nadal 2022
Fed vs nadal 2017
@@muhammadsaadgodil9389 Nadal vs Dimitrov 2017 tho
Murray vs. Djokovic 2012 semis was one of the best as well.
Stan vs Novak 2013
Andy vs Novak 2012
Stan vs Novak 2014
There are too many to choose
@@M.L.officialbut the above mentioned are greater than these
I remember watching this 15 years ago! Life was so different then! Simpler times, younger self, world full of possibilities!
On a side note, this is the best match ever, in my opinion!
One of the best AO matches ever
One of the best tennis matches ever
@@СергейПахомов-д6б that's right
Agreed
Verdasco was on fire and so hot!!!!
Without a doubt.
3:47 might be the most vintage Nadal shot of all Nadal shots ever
Just a filthy winner. Verdasco had so much side spin on the shot and Rafa just loops it right back in like nothing 😅
probably the best leftie vs leftie Grand Slam Match.
Intensity At it's peak🌡
This AO was harder than any AO Djokovic has ever won. Beating Verdasco at an absurd level in more than 5 hours in one of the best matches of all time, and then facing Federer in the final having had 1 day of rest less than him, who was the best HC player at the time and had never lost a GS HC final, winning all 8 he had played... was amazing.
Nah. 2012 AO was no doubt a more difficult path for Djokovic. Beating peak Murray and prime Nadal back to back is about as hard as it gets.
So you are saying AO12 Murray was at a much better level than AO09 Verdasco? Lol c'mon.
And now is tougher to face Nadal on HC in 2012 than Federer in 2009...? Federer is arguably the 2nd best HC player of all time. He was dominating hard courts back then and nobody could beat him in a HC GS final. Djokovic had beaten Nadal just 4 months earlier at the 2011 US Open...
@@rafagoat575 Nada was in amazinng form both physically and teckinically...but you should know that AO speed court from 2008 to 2012 is a clay hardcourt that is what allowed Nadal who was in peak physical form to run around wide balls make speactacular winners and always put ball back into play...and STILL he should have lost eiher by Verdasco or Federer the only reason it got so close is even though the court was so slow the ball bounce was still low...RAFA fans must accept that RAFA dominated only clay tournaments and nothing else if hardcourts where always fast like these days Nadal would never have any major title outside clay..US open is basically the 2nd clay slam of the year..court is slow as hell with high bounce and ALL 4 US opens Nadal won conditions where even slower than clay...For eample UUS OPEN 2011-AO 012 court speeds where even slower than clay the only difference is AO is low bounce (witch does not allowed Nadal activate his pusher tactics) and Us Open is high bounce witch suits perfectly Nadal pusher game and STILL even in clay harcourt condition Novak beat him in both of these occasions...Nadal can never be the GOAT of tennis not even close and no amount of clay titles can change that both Novak and Federer surprass him by far in all stats...weeks at number 1 and amount of overall titles except clay of course it is not even close...AO 019 was the faster court ever even faster than Wimbledon and Novak beat Nadal like a kid...have you ever wondered why Nadal has 0 titles in Paris Masters and ATP Finals? because these courts are fast as hell with low bounce
@@dimitrissle6508 So, by your amzing logic Djokovic's 7 Wimbledon titles have no merit, because the grass was sped down drastically in the early 2000s... to the point that HC and Grass CPI are practically the same lol plus he only started beating Federer there when the Swiss was 34+ years old. Nadal is the only player who won Wimbledon beating Federer in his prime.
And yeah, in AO19 Djokovic beat Rafa like a kid... it wasn't that big of a beat down as the one months later in RG tho lol when Ivanisevic said Rafa had no chance because everything favored Djokovic, the dump clay making it low bounce, the cold weather, the balls... even the roof in the last minute... and then 60 62 75. By the way... in AO19 Nadal was coming back from an injury, nobody expected much from him and he made the final. Not bad. Go ahead and check how Djokovic has done in his career coming back from injuries in 2018 or even after the AO saga in 2021... you'll be surprised.
@@rafagoat575 What bullshit is this RAFA Fans keep ignoring the facts? ? are you dRUNK? Nadal only beat Federer once in a medium fast Wimbledon 2008 final when Federer had weak backand..since 2011 onwards the court changed and became way faster and Roger improved his weak backand since 2014 by also changing to larger headsize racket and improvig his backand technique a lot so 32-35 year old Feder played much better on grass compare to 2008 Federer lol...Novak beat prime Federer on Wimbledon 3 times and in 2015 Wimbledon he almost straghit setted highest level of Fderer on grass so just image what 2015 Wimbledon Djokovic would do to 08 Wimbledon Nadal oxaxaxax the outcome would be simillar to their Wimbledon 2011 final encounter maybe Nadal would lose even more badly heheh 2011 Nadal played at much higher level compared to his 08 wimbledon performance..his shots where simillar but in 2011 he had way stronger serve......ALSO why you mention clay as an argument? Everyone agrre that Nadal is unbeatable on clay but I ALREADY SAID that NO AMOUNT OF CLAY TITLES CAN MAKE NADAL THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME! but since you mention the 2020 RG fianal what yuou have to say about 2021 RG Semifinal..Nadal can not even beat Novak consistently even on clay ! axaxa But after 2013 Novak did not even lose a set from Nadal on fast hardcourts after 15 encounters just image ! Nadal has not even won a set from Novak on hard courts for the last 11 years ! just look at the stats ! WHY NOT just accept facts? Nadal is only good on slow high bounce surface and Feder-Novak dominate Nadal on fast low bounce surfaces a good xample is the 2011 wimbledon final when Novak desotroyed Nadal in 4 sets and also 2014 Wimbledon final where the court speed was the fastest ever...Just check the court speed and ball bounce before you start an argument...Nadal dominated only slow high bounce surfaces and these type surfaces allow onloy pushers to win...no skill at all
Nadal in the Aus Open 09 was playing on the levels of the gods, after 15years, his SF and final matches are the best matches of shear quality and consistency, I have ever seen.
Verdaso was hammering forehands and threw the whole kitchen sink at Nadal, but still returned those balls back.
Absolutely insane levels.
This 2009 Rafa would topple 2011, 2019 or 2015 novak
This was Nadal at his absolute best: against Federer he was definitely much less accurate and powerful as Roger had the upper hand until he ran out of gas in the 5th set; otherwise Roger should have won in 4 as he completely destroyed Nadal
Lowkey better than the final
Verdasco was on fire and so hot!!!!
If not for the abysmal 5th set, the final would have eclipsed this.
@@jacobschmidt2709 final had better shot-making
03:24 and 06:23 There are no points better than these, and what a player Fernando Verdasco could have been with a stronger mentality.
What a match what intensity Nadal prime was just an Amazing athlete
The quality of rallies in this match is unparalleled to anything seen after or before.......freaking hell of a match! One of the greatest matches of all time if you ask me any day.
3:23 , you're welcome.
Este partido es increíble, que nivel… no puede quedar en el olvido
Been thinking a lot about Rafa’s legacy lately. Even though it feels a bit sad that he’s not really able to compete at top level anymore, I feel so grateful for everything he’s been giving us thru the years. This match is a good example of what Nadal really was. A fighter that refused to give up, regardless of his limitations. 2009 was the year where I really felt Rafa developed a game where he looked to be invisible on all surfaces. The speed , the mentality, the forehands… How can you compete with that? Unfortunately his knees didn’t hold up, and later that year he lost in French for the first time and skipped Wimbledon for the first time. After that, he wasn’t the same player. He lost a fair bit of his speed, but instead developed an otherworldly baseline game that no one was able to really stand up against a good day. It worked for five years or so before his body simply couldn’t perform with that high intensity anymore. What did he do then? Well, he developed a new, offensive style with an highly improved serve and was back dominating post 2016, for anotger couple of good years. the ability to always use his abilities to the max, adapt and change his game due to his physical limitations and refusing to give up, regardless if it's about winning a close Grand Slam-thriller or coming back after a 10 month long injury period is completely unique.
A couple of crazy stats:
- Once up 18-5 head to head against Federer and Djokovic in Slam meetings. (Still in a HEAVY lead in this metric)
- an 81 (!) match win streak on clay
- skipped, been seriously harmed, or retired from 25+ Majors in his career due to injuries. Still manage to win 22.
I don’t care how you compare him to the others. I’m just greatful that we got to see this player compete and give so much to the sport for 20 years.
4:16 piece of art from both players.
My favorite match!!!!
I remember this match as it was played like yesterday...
So Unreal n So Unbelievable Tennis was played that night there at ROD LAVER ARENA....
VERDASCO PLAYED THIS MATCH AS IT WAS THE LAST DAY OF HIS LIFE..
BUT NADAL PLAYED WITH SHARE DETERMINATION AND
WILL POWER WHICH MADE THE DIFFERENCE ON THAT NIGHT...
I think that the Quality of the Tennis on that night was far far more greater than in the Wimbledon final 2008...
Crazy match.... saw it live....
this is some of the highest quality tennis ive ever seen. And We've all seen prime nadal. Prime fed. Prime Djoker.
Verdasco was cracked here. Some of these shots....
One of the toughest matches of his career 😮💪🔥But bravo 👏For perseverance and determination
One of the greatest matches ive seen live. I dont know how nadal survived the tidal wave assault of verdasco
Nadal is the GOAT ❤
What a match this was. I remember I was in my hometown in Argentina staying awake until such late hours in our hot summer just to watch this fantastic match!
A true classic!!
Uno de los mejores partidos de tenis de la historia
3:46 this shot was absolutely ABSURD
This is really the best quality highlights you have from 2009? Ridiculous.
One of the most legendary matches in living memoryv
Memories... Best match, best time❤
The quality in this match dude… Verdasco was sooooo strong my god
I'll never understand how the official tournament channels can't upload a higher quality video. This practically looks like a VHS recording.
Absolutely unforgettable
Both, Rafa and Roger are born for tennins. They are undoubtedly born tennis wizards! Cant include anyone else in this list, in this era!
The charisma they possess is beyond anyones imagination!
the speed, the spin, the depth and the stamnia
What wonderful years!
3:23 One of the best rallys I have ever seen
One of the best matches and tournaments I've ever seen Nadal play, and I've followed him since his first win at RG! I'll never forget the anxiety I had during this match! This Nadal was untouchable!
Por este partidazo empecé amar el tenis...
Nadal-Federer 2008 is obviously an amazing match and probably the greatest I have seen. But this one is clearly the 2nd best I've ever seen as well, and nearly rivals it. Absolutely immense match from Verdasco with Nadal playing at his absolute peak. This was the final as far as I'm concerned.
Rafa said his calves felt like lead the next day..
PLEASE, AO, ALSO UPLOAD A EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO OF THE MATCH BETWEEN THESE TWO FROM 2016
Nadal was shit in 2016 lol
@@rafagoat575 I was rooting for Verdasco, I think he deserves a better highlights video for his performance
2009 - 2010 Verdasco was great player. Won Djokovic twice and gave Nadal a lot of trouble.
En mi opinión de los mejores partidos en la historia del tenis. Verdasco tenía en su cuerpo 3 ó 4 Grand Slams pero la cabeza no le acompañó.
Man Rafas movement back then was unreal.
it is not FHD 1080p no where?
Longest match i guess?AO is crazy,made great matches and matches for like Tsonga and Verdasco
6:23 Still wondering how Nadal won this point
This match is wonderful match
It's one of the top best 10 matches ever
the closest we will get to rafael nadal vs rafael nadal
Very High quality match
Unpopular opinion: This Match was better than Final.
Agree
epic match, legendary stuff
Legendary Match
Quel beau match, quels beaux echanges, à moments donnés, on eut crû 2 Nadal. Verdasco joue très bien et est à la hauteur. Qu'est devenu ce joueur ??
Verdasco’s technique was closest to perfection
Impressive rallies from both! From memory Verdasco only won a single game in the final? For me his best play was a fourth set tiebreak against Nadal (2009 Aus open semi-final) where he almost didn’t loose a point!
He thought he would be drained in the final match but it wasn't. He did cry the Great Roger.
You've already posted longer extended highlights for this match 5 years ago. 🙃
One of my favourite tennis matches of all time. Verdasco gave his all maybe even compared to all of his other matches combined, yet still lost. Must’ve been so crushing seeing how unbelievable he played that day. Against any other player at the time, this performance would’ve win him the match. But you know, Nadal is just… Nadal. Hope he’ll be enjoying his retirement. He deserves a nice, slow-living life!
Wow what a match, shame it had to end on a double, Verdasco might've been able to comer back from that if he held his nerve
Only 12 minute highlights for this amazing 5 hour match ? Come on.
Best match of history at pair with federer vs safin in AO
This was such an insane match
The best match between Verdasco, who turned into the best hard hitter, and Rafa, who turned into the best defender.
It is like Novak and Wawrinka.
The best contradictions and shields clash on a different level.
verdasco prime is beast
5:37 VAMOS!!!!
Still waiting for Verdasco to win this match.
Heroic effort by Nadal, but you have to think this and the five-set final must’ve taken a lot out of him the rest of the season.
Don't forget the 4 hr Madrid Semi final against Novak
Ya 15 años que locura el mejor tenista de la historia Nadal junto con Federer
Easily top 5 best SF of a GS ever
No! What pain finishing with double fault 😢
Man, Nadal used to be quick back then. Lost a ton of speed after this
It's normal, he was 22 and now 37. He started to lose speed after 2014.
@@AlejandroGarcia-wz1qi You`re wrong. He didn`t lose speed at all. Moya stated in an interview that he had to teach Rafa to stop chasing every damn ball to preserve his energy for longer matches given his injuries.
@@K1ll3rInstinct oh come on bro. To say he hasn't lost half a step of pace in his late 30s is ridiculous. He was definitely faster at 22!
Would be curious to see the AO 2009 versions of Nadal, Fed and Verdasco against the young folks of actual tennis.
The greatest Spanish match of all time
Some shots of this match made me think 'but this is not possible'...
Is this match was on thursday or friday ?
In another word who took the 2 days rest after the semi final..nadal or roger ?
If it was roger that took 2 days rest then it's unbelievable for nadal to win the final after this war in semis and 1 days rest thereafter !
اسف فيرداسكو على هذه المباراة هي الافضل لك رغم الهزيمة
This match tells the story of how Rafa's style of play would take a toll on his body....
But... He's 38 and still fighting, winning RG at 36 against Novak is maybe his greatest achieve in France.
These are no mere mortal men. These are two Spaniard Titans. Dear Lord, you do not want to see Verdasco hitting that forehand with some space so that his arm is a bit more stretched out. Good knight 😂🎾💥
Nadal is a defensive masterclass
6:35 How did Verdasco lose this point??? LOL
Nadal had zero depth in his shots. Not complaining at all given what we got to see. Verdasco had his best forehand on show.