In Rafael Nadal’s times, the Tennis world has been elevated to a whole new different level. The likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, in addition to Rafael Nadal, have given Tennis fans plenty of cheer and excitement. The trio’s rivalry against each other is legendary. If one has to go for the starting point of the rivalry, it has to be the contests between Nadal and Federer. It then evolved into the Nadal and Djokovic encounter. All the other rivalries that he had has seen total dominance by the Spaniard. But, when it came to contests between Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, it was simply sublime to watch.

Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer

If there was one contest that redefined rivalry and dominance, it was the clashes between Federer and Nadal. There was a clear trend in the dominance. Nadal would dominate on Clay while Federer dominated on other surfaces. But, slowly but surely, Nadal was in a league of his own as the years progressed. Nadal ensured Federer never won against him in Roland Garros. His only Australian and one Wimbledon titles have come by beating Federer. Overall, he leads Federer 24-16 in 40 meetings. In Grand Slams, it is 10-4. 22 of Nadal’s wins against Federer has come on clay and outdoor hard courts. Federer, on the other hand, leads in grass and indoor hard courts. He has denied Nadal the chance to win the year-ending ATP Finals on a couple of occasions.

Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic

If there is one rivalry that is gladiatorial, it is Nadal vs Djokovic. They have played each other very frequently. Each time, the competitive quotient goes up a notch. The duo have met 58 times, which is the most by anybody in the history of Tennis. Djokovic has a 30-28 head-to-head winning ratio against Nadal. The Spaniard has once again held his own in clay courts, winning 19 out of the 26 matches. Djokovic, on the other hand, has won 20 out of the 27 matches on hard courts. In fact, Djokovic is the only player to have beaten Nadal twice in the French Open in the entire decade. When Djokovic won the French Open in 2021, he became the first player in the history of the Open Era to win all four Grand Slams twice.

Rafael Nadal vs Andy Murray

There was always the Nadal-Federer-Djokovic triumvirate dominating Tennis. But, at the same time, there was Andy Murray who was making a name for himself. He became a worthy contender and tried to make the dynamic trio into the Fab 4. But, against Nadal, he came up short on many occasions. Nadal always got the better of Murray in Grand Slams. But, the British player used to win the ATP titles against Nadal. He has beaten Nadal in three out of the four ATP title finals. But, overall, Nadal has a 17-7 head-to-head record against Murray.

Rafael Nadal vs Stan Wawrinka

On paper, it seemed a very one-sided rivalry. Nadal won the first 12 encounters against Wawrinka and had a total of 17 wins in 20 contests against the Swiss player. But, Wawrinka has had his moments. He defeated Nadal in the final of the 2014 Australian Open for his only win there. Wawrinka, though, was denied the Grand Slam when he lost to Nadal in the final of the 2017 French Open. Nadal dominated the rivalry with a head-to-head of 17-3, but Wawrinka had his moments.

Rafael Nadal vs Juan Martin del Potro

Rafael Nadal enjoyed a huge rivalry with Juan Martin del Potro. Out of the 17 encounters that he had with the Argentinian, Nadal won 11 but del Potro held his own with six wins. The most notable win for del Potro was the 2009 US Open. He not only defeated Nadal but beat Federer for his first US Open title. Thus, del Potro was the first player to beat both Nadal and Federer in one grand slam. They have had memorable encounters, which included a five-hour quarterfinal in 2018 Wimbledon that saw Nadal come out on top.