Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s rivalry has been sublime and it has enhanced the quality of games in the modern era.
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In modern tennis, the quality of matches and the brilliance that fans are able to see on an everyday basis is due to the magnificent exploit of three people. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have exhibited a standard of Tennis that has seen the sport rise to new heights when it comes to viewership and fan bases. Federer was the original dominator, having a golden period from 2003 to 2007 in which he was simply sublime. Nadal broke Federer’s domination and set about charting his own course of success. Both Federer and Nadal are tied on 20 Grand Slam titles, with both of them having acquired success at every level possible.
However, there is a third person in that holy triumvirate that has given the stiffest competition to both Federer and Nadal. He has won 18 Grand Slams but remarkably, he has a better head-to-head record against both Nadal and Federer. This feat makes him one of the best in the business along with the duo. Djokovic, who is currently the No.1 ranked player and is level with Federer for the most weeks as the top-ranked player, has one of the best rivalries in the business and that is with Nadal.
The Djokovic vs Nadal rivalry is one of the best in the business and is on par with the likes of the Federer vs Nadal or Djokovic vs Federer rivalry. The duo have competed in 56 matches which is the most in the Open Era. Djokovic holds a remarkable 29-27 head-to-head record, indicating the brutal and close rivalry with Nadal.
If one looks at the Nadal vs Djokovic rivalry, no player has held the upper hand for long periods of time. In the Nadal vs Federer rivalry, the Spaniard had held a winning streak of five consecutive games on three separate occasions against Federer. In the Djokovic vs Federer rivalry, it was the Swiss maestro who started off brilliantly but since then, Djokovic has held the upper hand.
Djokovic leads 15–12 in finals. Of these matches, 16 have been in Grand Slams with Nadal leading 10–6. Nadal leads 7–1 at the French Open and 2–1 at the US Open, while Djokovic leads 2–0 at the Australian Open and 2–1 at Wimbledon. The first part of the rivalry was dominated by Nadal who led 16–7 from 2006 to 2010, while the second part was dominated by Djokovic, who led 19–7 from 2011 to 2016. From 2017 to the present day they have been mostly even, with Nadal leading 4–3. From March 2011 to April 2013, the pair contested eleven consecutive meetings in the championship match, the only duo to ever achieve such a feat in the open era. It was the first rivalry to involve meetings at all 4 Grand Slam finals (including four consecutive Grand Slam finals) and a record 27 Masters Series matches. If one looks at the current state of the rivalry, Nadal just leads 4-3 in the last few encounters. Both have their territories marked. While Nadal is the ultimate King of Clay with 13 French Open titles, Djokovic is the ultimate master of Australia winning Down Under nine times.
If one looks at the brilliance of the Nadal vs Djokovic rivalry, it is on par with the Federer vs Nadal rivalry for the sheer excitement and tension that each match provides. The 2012 Australian Open final is considered the best in the rivalry between the duo. At five hours and 53 minutes, the longest final in Grand Slam history, Djokovic overcame Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 in what has been termed as the ‘best match ever’.
In another classic, Nadal and Djokovic squared off in the 2013 French Open semi-final and played out a four hour 37 minute epic. Nadal won the match 6-4,3-6,6-1,6-7,9-7 as Djokovic failed to break Nadal’s dominance on Clay.
Djokovic has had the distinction of beating Nadal in the French Open, thus earning him the reputation of him being the only player to beat the Spaniard on all four surfaces. Nadal has not been able to repeat his performance in Australia, but he has beaten Djokovic twice in the US Open to win that title.
By all counts, this rivalry is if not better than the Federer vs Nadal or the Djokovic vs Federer rivalry. This rivalry has seen intensity that is unparalleled and that has made Tennis a better sport in the modern era.
