Inside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s icon half-grass-half-clay court £1m match

THE Battle of Surfaces was played between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal back in 2007, with the two rivals competing on a special court made up of grass and clay.

Back in 2007, tennis icons Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal competed in a special match on a remarkable court split between grass and clay. The exhibition match, dubbed the ‘Battle of Surfaces’, pitted the two best players on their preferred surface to try and find the true best in the world.

The Battle of the Surfaces took place on May 2 2007, pitting the World No.1 Federer against Nadal, ranked a spot below the Swiss star. The match was played in Palma de Mallorca, the capital city of Nadal’s native Mallorca, with the court being constructed in the 21-time Grand Slam champions home.

The unique court cost over £1 million – $1.63m – to construct, with clay surface on one side of the net and grass on the other. It also took 19 days to prepare.

The idea behind the match came about as Federer had won 48 successive matches on grass following an unbeaten run of five years. On the other hand, Nadal had gone three years since his last loss on clay as he claimed 72 successive wins.

The Battle of the Surfaces took place on May 2 2007, pitting the World No.1 Federer against Nadal, ranked a spot below the Swiss star. The match was played in Palma de Mallorca, the capital city of Nadal’s native Mallorca, with the court being constructed in the 21-time Grand Slam champions home.

The unique court cost over £1 million – $1.63m – to construct, with clay surface on one side of the net and grass on the other. It also took 19 days to prepare.

The idea behind the match came about as Federer had won 48 successive matches on grass following an unbeaten run of five years. On the other hand, Nadal had gone three years since his last loss on clay as he claimed 72 successive wins.

Before the match, Federer commented: “We are both looking forward to this absolutely new event. The idea really appeals to me as we both dominate one of the surfaces.

“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.”

In front of a crowd of 7,000 intrigued spectators, the two legends changed sides to ensure both men played on their preferred surface and the other. In the end, Nadal emerged triumphant with a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (12-10) win over his great rival.

After securing his win, Nadal said: “It was a good experience, although before the game I thought it would be a disaster because I felt it would be very difficult for me to adapt to the court.”