What are some famous debuts in history of sports?

One debut above all others stands out for me, as it changed the course of men’s tennis.

In 2005, Rafael Nadal, an 18 year old kid on the rise made his debut at the French Open.

He had a fast-kicking lefty forehand, a game designed for clay court tennis and despite his youth he was already expected to become something special at the French Open one day. Nobody knew just how special he would eventually become.

• As the tournament progressed, the 18 year old Nadal dominated everyone put in front of him, winning 15 out of 16 sets played en route to his first ever Grand Slam semi-final.
• It was there that he came face-to-face with the man himself - non other than World Number 1 and 4 x Grand Slam Champion, Roger Federer.
• Like Nadal, Federer has stream rolled over all of his opponents on his way to the semi-final BUT unlike Nadal, Federer has done so without dropping a single set. Despite Nadal’s good form, few doubted that the 24 year old Roger Federer was very much the favourite to win not only the match but also the tournament.

On June 3rd 2005 (which also happened to be Nadal’s 19th birthday), the two legends of tennis finally squared off for their first ever match on clay.

Roger hoping to reach his 5th Grand Slam Final whilst Nadal was aiming for his 1st.

• Nadal took the 1st set unexpectedly 6-3 but Roger immediately bounced back and won the 2nd set 6-4.
• It would be the last set that Roger would win as part his 2005 French Open campaign. Nadal increased his level of intensity and won the final two sets 6-4 and 6-4.
• Two days later Rafael Nadal won the 1st of his 11 French Open titlesand became the youngest men’s Grand Slam champion in 25 years.

It was the beginning of a new era in men’s tennis.

Over the decade that followed, tennis fans around the world would have the privilege of not only witnessing the greatest clay court tennis player in the history of the game BUT ALSO be a part of perhaps the greatest rivalry in the history of sport - that of Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal.

WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF NADAL HAD LOST?

• Had Federer won that match against a 19 year old Nadal, the mental dynamics between these two great players would have been different, especially due to Nadal’s young age at the time.
• Federer would have had more confidence on clay against Nadal whilst Nadal would probably not have had the surge in confidence to take the battle to Federer on grass.
• It may be a stretch BUT we may very well have been robbed of matches like the 2008 Wimbledon Final or the 2009 Australian Open Final which took place during the hight of the Federer-Nadal rivalry.

In conclusion:

No matter what side of the GOAT (“Greatest of All Time”) debate you stand on - I think we can all agree that the Federer-Nadal rivalry has been one hell of an exciting ride for tennis fans.