Between 2006 -- 2010 , this rivalry was often overshadowed by the historic Federer -- Nadal rivalry .
Rivalry started to become widely recognized after they played their first Grand Slam final against each other at the 2010 US Open .
Between 2006 -- 2010 , this rivalry was often overshadowed by the historic Federer -- Nadal rivalry , but it started to become widely recognized after they played their first Grand Slam final against each other at the 2010 US Open .