New Delhi: The tension was palpable between the two greats of contemporary tennis, from the moment they came out of the locker room at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, here on Saturday night.

In the end, Nadal was the 6-5 (7/4) winner, but the real winner was the near 10,000 crowd, who defied the cold and chilly wind to stay out late and watch the clash of the titans.

Roger Federer was the first to hit the court. He had started to warm up with a teammate when a tremendous roar in the stands made him stop and look over his shoulder. It was Rafael Nadal walking onto the court, Federer stepped out for a moment and after a brief handshake with the Spaniard, returned to the court.

For the next five minutes, Nadal and Federer practised from the same side of the court and did not exchange a word. And when it came to facing each other in the last singles of the day, the two looked dead serious. Even though their clash was part of an exhibition tournament, the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), the kind of pace the two generated on court was extraordinary.

The match was over when the duo met each other in the singles. Nadal was representing Indian Aces, who were 4-0 up against Federer's UAE Royals. But that did not stop the two stars from putting up an intense performance.

Nadal started in an attacking manner to break Federer's serve. The Swiss star's face had a grim expression and he smiled only after breaking back in the fourth game.

He hit few delightful shots which made India cricket team director Ravi Shastri stand up and applaud.

The duo, however, acknowledged the cheers from the crowd together, waving at them. The contrast of styles between the Swiss and the Spaniard was evident. Federer, as usual, was supremely confident, a gentleman playing a gentleman's game. Nadal looked more an earthly and approachable, but was a ferocious warrior when it came to fighting for a point.