Defeating Nadal, Federer won the Basel tournament for the seventh time

The 2015 Swiss Indoors final between two living legends of tennis was very exciting, with a 2-1 victory for the home player.

Federer defeated Nadal after more than three years. Photo: Reuters.

Two and a half years have passed since the last time Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal met in a final. Time has somewhat reduced the form of both players, making the match no longer as classic as it was in the past. But the class of the living legends is still present on every ball, enough to excite the fans.

Nadal showed his tenacity, with his strengths in long shots and baseline play. Federer shined thanks to his excellent serve. After more than two hours, the number one seed defeated his Spanish opponent with the scores of 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. After five consecutive losses to Nadal, Federer won again, the 11th time in 34 confrontations.

This is Federer's seventh Basel title in 12 finals in his home country. Halle, Wimbledon, Cincinnati and Dubai are the four other tournaments where the Swiss has won at least seven titles.

This could be considered Nadal's best match of 2015, after a period of bad luck. The third seed played very confidently against his long-time rival, not rushing or showing the mentality of giving up every time Federer took the lead.

Nadal was so good at countering Federer’s backhand that the Swiss player often made mistakes on his backhand. The home player made 32 mistakes in the match, 12 more than his opponent. Federer’s SABR from the start of the match was also defeated by Nadal’s precise spin and passing shots.

Nadal (right) had a good match compared to his poor form in 2015. Photo: Reuters.

Nadal is good, but Federer is even better. His good serving ability helped the 34-year-old tennis player score 12 aces. His combination of serving, netting, and control helped Federer score 44 winners and 23 net points. Therefore, Federer's games often ended quickly while Nadal had to work hard to maintain the game.

Federer's strong serve helped him finish the first set easily with two breaks. In the second set, the match became more tense. Federer continuously made mistakes and in the 11th game, Nadal had a crucial break, moving towards leveling the set 1-1.

The third set played out similarly to the second, but at crucial moments, the home crowd became Federer’s formidable weapon. In the eighth game, the Swiss crowd formed waves in the stands and continuously encouraged their idol. This immediately took effect when Nadal made three errors, losing the decisive break. The Spaniard, despite his best efforts to turn the game around in the following game, could not prevent Federer from holding his serve and going on to win the match.

According to VNE