Rafa Rewind: Tennis on flying carpet? On water? Nadal & Federer’s most unbelievable Doha matches

Once upon a time, the ATP Tour’s season started in Doha, Qatar, meaning that the Persian Gulf city became the site of many iconic promotional events over the years.

Between 2009 and 2012, Doha tapped the world’s top players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for a series of exhibition matches to kick off the season each year. And as their rivalry defined this era of tennis, each match had to be bigger and more over the top than the last.

Nowadays, the Doha event’s current spot on the ATP calendar places it in February right before the event in Dubai. And with an upgrade to ATP 500-status right around the corner, there’s no doubt that even more dramatic and photogenic matchups will be in store in the future.

From playing tennis on a “magic” flying carpet to literally playing on water, check out this roundup of the iconic exhibition matches Federer and Nadal played in Doha over the years:

“It was a fantastic experience," Nadal told press at the time. "For the past three years we have done a few different things, and this one was a very nice experience.”

Of course, the match was limited to volleys—any time the ball that touched the court the point was essentially over—but the incredible images make up for the awkward setup: