The 15 times Rafael Nadal has lost a set 6-0: Roger Federer achieved feat 3 times

Oli Dickson Jefford 04 Apr 2024 4:42 PM

Only 12 men have ever won a set 6-0 over Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal has only ever lost 15 sets by a 6-0 scoreline

There have been few sights more imposing on a tennis court than an in-form Rafael Nadal storming to victory.

The Spaniard has earned his spot as one of the all-time greats of tennis in an extraordinary career, with 22 Grand Slam titles to his name and over 200 weeks at the top of the ATP Rankings.

But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for him, and – on very few occasions – he has not been able to get even a single game in a set.

We take a look at the 15 times the Spaniard has faced a bagel in his epic career.

Andy Roddick – 2004 US Open

A former US Open champion and world No 1, American ace Roddick was at the peak of his career when he took on a teenage Nadal at Flushing Meadows 20 years ago.

Nadal would go on to win four titles in New York but the then-inexperienced Spaniard was no match for Roddick on this occasion.

Attempting to defend his US Open title from the previous year, Roddick prevailed 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 in this round two clash.

Julien Benneteau – 2004 Lyon

A stalwart of French tennis for well over a decade, Benneteau gave his home crowd something to cheer as he beat Nadal with ease on home soil.

Nadal was on paper the favourite for this contest but was ultimately unable to match his French rival, who stormed to a 6-3, 6-0 triumph.

Gaston Gaudio – 2005 Buenos Aires

This match can be summed up in one word: bizarre.

In a match between the then-reigning Roland Garros champion and the man who started his domination of that event later that year, Nadal got off to a flawless start.

But, perhaps buoyed by his home crowd, Gaudio dropped just one game after a disastrous opening set in a topsy-turvy 0-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory.

Guillermo Coria – 2005 Monte Carlo

Nadal’s dominance in Monte Carlo began by defeating defending champion Coria in the 2005 final to claim his first title at the event, a first-ever win after losing a set 6-0.

In an era where Masters 1000 finals were still best-of-five, Nadal was comfortably two sets up before a third-set dip saw Coria claw back some ground.

But the Spaniard steadied the ship, eventually sealing a 6-3, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 triumph.

Roger Federer – 2006 Wimbledon, 2007 Hamburg, 2011 Tour Finals

Nadal led the head-to-head in his enduring rivalry against Federer, but the Swiss maestro was able to bagel him on three occasions.

The first occasion came when Federer beat his rival 6-0, 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-3 in their first of three straight Wimbledon finals, before he picked up a rare win in clay against Nadal in Hamburg, capturing the title with 2-6 6-2 6-0 win.

And Federer was dominant when they met at the ATP Finals in 2011, winning 6-3, 6-0.

David Nalbandian – 2007 Paris

Nadal dominated Roland Garros in the French capital, but the indoor hard courts of the Paris Masters proved much trickier for him.

He never won the title at the Masters 1000 event and reached the final just once, losing heavily to former Wimbledon finalist Nalbandian.

One of the most consistent players of the mid-2000s, the Argentine won their 2007 final in a comprehensive 6-4, 6-0 scoreline.

Mikhail Youzhny – 2007 Chennai

Perhaps the worst defeat of Nadal’s career came in the Chennai final over 16 years ago, where he won just one game against Youzhny.

The talented Russian, a former US Open semi-finalist, dominated throughout and faced little trouble as he stormed to a 6-0, 6-1 victory.

Andy Murray – 2009 Rotterdam, 2011 Tokyo

One of just two players to take multiple bagel sets off Nadal, Murray was able to claim two career titles by beating the Spaniard thanks to 6-0 sets in a final.

The first was the tougher of the two, with the three-time major winner battling past Nadal 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 to win in Rotterdam.

And he was again taken to three sets in Tokyo, though conceded just two games after dropping the opening set in a 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory.

Lukas Lacko – Doha 2011

One of the more surprising names on this list, Lacko was able to dominate a set against the 22-time major winner, but could not close out the match.

After a lopsided second set in Doha, Nadal rebounded in a 7-6(3), 0-6, 6-3 victory.

Tomas Berdych – 2015 Australian Open

Nadal lost a set 6-0 for just the second time at a Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2015 where struggling with injury, he was beaten by Berdych.

Arguably one of the best players to never win a major title, Czech star Berdych was one of the cleanest ballstrikers of his generation and delivered a sublime performance here.

Berdych dominated the first two sets and held firm in the third to reach the last four in Melbourne thanks to a 6-2, 6-0, 7-6(5) win.

Philipp Kohlschreiber – 2017 Miami

After a couple of years far from his best, Nadal was back in prime form in 2017, thought there were still one or two scares.

And in a third round Miami contest against veteran German Kohlschreiber, he was certainly under the cosh early on.

But Nadal was in fine form after a ragged opener, battling back to win 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Dominic Thiem – 2018 US Open

In an all-time great Flushing Meadows tussle, Nadal battled back from a set down against Thiem to seal one of the best individual victories of his career.

Thiem, who would win the title in New York two years later, barely put a foot wrong in a stunning opening set.

But Nadal was able to find something extra when it mattered, rallying to seal a memorable 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5) triumph.