 In 2006 , Federer won three Grand Slam singles titles and reached the final of the other , with the only loss coming against Nadal in the French Open . This was Federer and Nadal 's first meeting in a Grand Slam final . He was the first man to reach all four finals in a calendar year since Rod Laver in 1969 . Federer defeated Nadal in the Wimbledon Championships final . In the Australian Open , Federer defeated Marcos <unk> , and at the US Open , Federer defeated Roddick ( 2003 champion ) . In addition , Federer made it to six ATP Masters Series 1000 finals , winning four on hard surfaces and losing two on clay to Nadal . Federer , however , consistently pushed Nadal to the limit on clay throughout the season taking him to fourth @-@ set <unk> in Monte @-@ Carlo and Paris , and a thrilling match in Rome that went to a deciding fifth @-@ set tiebreaker . 
