Return Winners: The 2005 ATP Miami Open final

Facing each other for the second time in their careers, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal staged an epic battle at the 2005 Nasdaq-100 Open (now the Miami Open).

In Miami in 2004, 17-year-old Rafael Nadal announced himself to the world by stunning world No. 1 Roger Federer in straight sets. Despite that early defeat, Federer would end the year with three of the four Grand Slams in tow.

In the early months of 2005, both players entered the Miami tournament riding double-digit streaks. They extended them on their way to the final, dropping only three sets between them. The final back then was played as a best-of-five.

The Final

Nadal, playing in the biggest match of his young career, took the first set in a route, 6-2. In the second set, Federer began to impose himself on his younger opponent, but Nadal countered and sent the set into a tiebreak. He stretched his sets-won streak against Federer to four to find himself in the driver’s seat.

Down two sets to none and facing the end of an opportunity to capture the “Sunshine Double,” the Indian Wells champion drove the third set to a tiebreak. This time, Federer took it to start clawing his way back into the match.

From there, the Swiss turned up the aggressiveness to ride out the fourth behind a break, and in the decider, he notched three more to breeze through to a  2–6, 6–7(4), 7–6(5), 6–3, 6–1 win.  This was his fourth championship in a row, while Nadal saw his tournament-winning streak end at two.

2

Nadal dropped to 0-2 in his career in hard-court finals. On this occasion and in his first, in Auckland in 2004 against Dominik Hrbaty, Nadal got off to a strong start by capturing the first set.

6

This was the sixth time in his 27 tournament victories Federer rallied from at least one set down to win the match.

85

The last time a men’s final went the distance was in 1985, the first year of the tournament. In an all-American matchup, Tim Mayotte rallied from two sets down to defeat Scott Davis.

Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias