Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal often contested to produce some of the best tennis matches. However, the US Open happens to be the only Major deprived of a Federer vs Nadal clash.

Along with Novak Djokovic, the two dominated the world of tennis for almost two decades by claiming most Grand Slam titles from the mid-2000s until the late 2010s. The rivalries born out of the trio are some of the best across all sports.

While Nadal has lifted the US Open trophy four times, Federer has won the Grand Slam five times. There have been times when the two made it to the semifinals but lost the match and failed to meet the other in the finals. This happened four years in a row.

Here’s a look at the four main editions of the year’s last Major that sum up why it remains the only Grand Slam deprived of a Federer-Nadal clash.

#1 2008 US Open

The 2008 edition came during a relatively nascent stage of the Federer-Nadal rivalry and was the first of the four consecutive editions of the Championship where both tennis legends reached the semifinals but one of them failed to get through. Rafael Nadal had already defeated Roger Federer in the previous two Grand Slams, the 2008 French Open and the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. New York allowed the latter to seek revenge.

The Swiss managed to win the Championship but unfortunately, it was not Nadal on the other side of the court, who faced Andy Murray in the semifinals but lost 6-2, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4. Federer also engaged in an exciting four-set semifinal match with Novak Djokovic and managed to get the better of the Serb, securing a place in the final. He ultimately beat Murray in straight sets and won his fifth and last US Open title.

#2 2009

The 2009 edition provided another opportunity for Nadal and Federer to see each other in the final but while both players made it to the semis, Nadal was once again ousted by the eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentinian scored a rather easy victory 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Federer too met Djokovic in the semis again and managed to get the better of him in straight sets 7-6, 7-5, 7-5.

The then 20-year-old Del Potro not only denied tennis fans the possibility of a Federer-Nadal encounter at the US Open but also went on to win his maiden and only Grand Slam title by defeating the Swiss in an intense five-set battle 3–6, 7–6(5), 4–6, 7–6(4), 6–2.

Because of this victory, Del Potro is one of three men alongside Nadal and Djokovic to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam final.

#3 2010

The 2010 US Open marked the first of Nadal’s victories at the tournament where he defeated Djokovic 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, completing his Career Golden Slam. It was his third Grand Slam victory that year after the French Open and Wimbledon.

However, once again, the Major was denied a Federer-Nadal encounter as the Serb defeated the Swiss in the semifinals seeking revenge for the previous two editions. This resulted in a slip in ranking for Federer from World No. 2 to World No. 3. However, the two rivals shared the Grand Slam victories that year as Federer clinched the Australian Open while Nadal won the other three tournaments.

#4 2011

The era of the Big Four was at its peak during the 2011 US Open where Nadal faced Murray in the semifinal and Federer played against Djokovic. The matchup was also reminiscent of the 2008 US Open, the first in the series of Federer and Nadal’s ‘almost’ meeting each other in the US Open final.

Djokovic who was seeded first in the tournament defeated Federer 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 with the Swiss losing the match despite having two match points. On the other hand, Nadal defeated Murray 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 and once again held the Brit back from his maiden Grand Slam title, seeking revenge for four years ago.

While Djokovic went on to become the eventual champion and lifted his first US Open trophy, his iconic victory came at the cost of a much anticipated Federer-Nadal clash at the championship, the last in the series of both players reaching the semifinals of the tournament.

After that, the 2013 US Open presented the possibility of Federer facing Nadal in the quarterfinals but the Swiss was ousted by the Spaniard’s compatriot Tommy Robredo in straight sets. The possibility of a clash presented itself once again in 2017 when the duo could have met in the semifinals, but the hurdle in the form of Del Potro came again who defeated the Swiss, losing to the eventual champion Nadal. 2017 also marked the last time Federer and Nadal divided the Grand Slam wins among themselves with the former winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon and the latter the French Open and the US Open.