Djokovic–Nadal rivalry

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Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal

The Djokovic–Nadal rivalry is a modern-day tennis rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, widely regarded as two of the greatest tennis players of all time. The rivalry is the most prolific in men's tennis in the Open Era. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history by players, coaches, and pundits,[1] and was listed as the third greatest rivalry in the 2000s decade in 2009 by atptour.com despite only starting in 2006.[2]

The two have faced each other 58 times, including in all four Grand Slam finals, with Djokovic leading 30–28.[3][4][5] Djokovic leads 15–13 in finals. Of all matches, 17 have been in Grand Slams with Nadal leading 10–7. Nadal leads 7–2 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. To date Djokovic is the only man to have beaten Nadal in all four majors.

Of their 58 matches, 27 have been on hard courts, 27 have been on clay, and 4 have been on grass. Nadal leads on clay (19–8), while Djokovic leads on hard courts (20–7). They are tied on grass (2–2).

The first meeting occurred at the 2006 French Open in the quarterfinals, where Nadal prevailed after Djokovic retired with an injury in the third set; Djokovic later commented to the media that he understood what he needed to do to beat Nadal and claiming Nadal "was beatable on clay". Their first final appearance and overall second meeting came at the 2007 Indian Wells Masters tournament, where Nadal won the event. Djokovic's first win came in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Miami Masters in their third meeting.

Between 2006 and 2009, this rivalry was overshadowed by Nadal's rivalry with Roger Federer. It started to become widely recognized when they played their first Grand Slam final against each other at the 2010 US Open. Nadal dominated the first part of the rivalry, leading 16–7 from 2006 to 2010, while Djokovic dominated the second, leading 19–7 from 2011 to 2016. Since 2017, they have been roughly even with Nadal leading 5–4.

From March 2011 to April 2013, the pair contested eleven consecutive meetings in the championship match, the only duo to achieve such a feat in the Open Era.[6] It was the first rivalry in men's tennis to involve meetings in the finals of all four Grand Slam (including four consecutive Grand Slam finals) and a record 29 Masters matches.

Some of their matches are considered to be classics and among the greatest matches of all time including the 2009 Madrid Masters semifinal, the 2012 Australian Open final, the 2013 French Open semifinal, the 2018 Wimbledon semifinal and the 2021 French Open semifinal.[7][8] Their 2012 Australian Open final has been lauded as the greatest match ever played by some long-time tennis pundits, analysts, and former players and legends of the sport. Mary Carillo and John McEnroe both commented that the 2012 Australian Open final match and the 2013 French Open semifinal match were the two best matches played on hard and clay courts respectively.[9]

History[]

Rafael Nadal in 2006.
Novak Djokovic in 2007.

2006[]

The first meeting between the two, which was the only one in 2006, was in the quarterfinals at the French Open. The victory went to Nadal via a retirement from Djokovic after Nadal took the first two sets.[10]

2007[]

In 2007, the pair met seven times, Nadal winning five of them.

The first encounter came in the final of the Indian Wells Masters. This was Djokovic's first Masters final whereas Nadal was bidding for his 6th. Nadal won the match.[11] Djokovic, however, got his revenge the following week, defeating Nadal for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters.[12]

The pair met twice during the summer clay-court season, Nadal continuing his dominance on clay. He defeated Djokovic en route to the title in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters.[13] Similarly, Nadal defeated Djokovic in the semifinals of the French Open a month later, in Djokovic's first Grand Slam semifinal.[14] They then met for the first time on grass, in the semifinals of Wimbledon. After splitting the first two sets, Djokovic retired from the match.[15]

At the Canada Masters in Montreal, Djokovic scored his second victory over Nadal, defeating the Spaniard in the semifinals en route to his second Masters title.[16]

The final encounter between the two in 2007 was in the round robin phase Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai.[17]

2008[]

Djokovic and Nadal met six times in 2008, Nadal winning four of their encounters.

Djokovic defeated Nadal in the semifinals at Indian Wells Masters.[18]

Nadal defeated Djokovic in the semis of the Hamburg Masters.[19] In their third consecutive meeting at the French Open semifinals, a dominant Nadal defeated Djokovic en route to his fourth consecutive French Open title.

Next, they met in the final at the Queen's Club in London, Nadal winning his first grass-court title over Djokovic in straight sets.[20]

In their fifth encounter of the year at the Cincinnati Masters, Djokovic defeated Nadal in the semifinals.[21]

The sixth and final battle of the year came at the Beijing Olympics in the semifinals. Nadal won the match and went on to win the gold medal, while Djokovic later secured the bronze.

2009[]

They met seven times in 2009. Nadal won their first four encounters, while Djokovic won the last three.

The pair met several times on clay and matches involving them became the highlights of the clay-court season. They met for the first time in a clay-court final at the Monte Carlo Masters, Nadal winning a closely contested three-setter and his 5th consecutive title at the event.[22] With his world No. 3 ranking at risk, Djokovic sought to defend his title at the Rome Masters. However, he lost to Nadal in straight sets in the final.[23]

They then met for a third consecutive tournament on clay, in the semis of the Madrid Masters. Nadal won a grueling encounter, saving three match points in the process.[24] The match, at 4 hours and 3 minutes, was the longest three-set singles match on the ATP World Tour in the Open Era (later surpassed by the Olympic semifinal between Federer and del Potro in 2012).[25] The match was voted the best match of the year by fans and critics alike. Djokovic admitted afterwards that it took him a long time to get over the loss.

During the US Open series, Djokovic defeated Nadal for the first time that year at the Cincinnati Masters.[26] Djokovic then won his first Masters title of the year, defeating Nadal in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Paris.[27] The pair then had their final meeting of the year, at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Djokovic won the match, going 2–1 in the round robin phase.[28]

2010[]

They met twice in 2010, and Nadal won both encounters.

Djokovic and Nadal faced off for the first time in a Grand Slam final at the US Open. Nadal won the match in four sets, thus becoming the youngest player in the Open Era to complete a Career Grand Slam. This match took 3 hours and 43 minutes.[29]

Their second encounter came during the Round Robin stage of the ATP World Tour Finals, where Nadal beat Djokovic in two sets.[30]

2011[]

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal during the 2011 US Open final.

The pair met six times, all in finals, with Djokovic winning all six encounters, including two Grand Slam finals.

Coming into their first encounter of the year at the Indian Wells Masters, Djokovic was undefeated for the season and continued his streak by beating Nadal to win his second Indian Wells title.[31]

Two weeks later, the pair met again in the finals of the Miami Masters with Djokovic winning two sets to one.[32]

Djokovic and Nadal clashed twice during the clay-court spring. In the final of the Madrid Masters, Djokovic scored his first ever victory over Nadal on clay, in straight sets.[33] He managed the same feat at the Rome Masters, defeating Nadal in straight sets.[34]

Djokovic and Nadal met in a final for the fifth time in the year at Wimbledon, arguably their biggest encounter of the year. In a 2-hour 28 minute contest, Djokovic overcame Nadal in four sets for his first Wimbledon title.[35]

They met for a second consecutive final at the US Open, a rematch of the final from the previous year, in which Nadal had prevailed. Djokovic won his third Grand Slam title of the year, overcoming Nadal again in four sets.[36]

2012[]

The pair met 4 times, all in finals, with Nadal winning three of the four encounters and Djokovic winning only one, which was a Grand Slam final.

Djokovic won the 2012 Australian Open final after an epic five-set battle vs. Nadal. The match lasted 5 hours 53 minutes, the longest match in a Grand Slam final in the Open Era. At the end of the match, both players were so exhausted they could not stand for the trophy presentation. Nadal called it "the greatest loss in his career" and "the best match he ever played". Djokovic also commented on the match, saying this was a moment he would never forget, and considered it a career-defining victory for himself.[37]

Djokovic and Nadal met again in the 2012 Monte–Carlo Masters final. This time, Nadal won his eighth consecutive title after defeating Djokovic in two sets. It was the first time since November 2010 that Nadal had beaten Djokovic.

The pair met again in the 2012 Rome Masters final where Nadal defeated defending champion Djokovic in straight sets to regain the trophy he had won 5 times before.

The fourth battle of the year came at the 2012 French Open final. For only the second time in tennis history, two opposing tennis players played four consecutive Grand Slams finals against each other. This was a match of historic proportions as either Nadal would have broken Björn Borg's record of six titles at the French Open or Djokovic would have become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win four Grand Slams in a row. Nadal eventually emerged victorious after 3 consecutive losses in Grand Slam finals, prevailing in four sets after multiple rain delays that forced the final to be concluded on the following Monday afternoon. With this victory, Nadal became the most successful tennis player at the French Open, winning seven French Open titles.[38]

2013[]

The pair met 6 times, with three victories each.

Djokovic and Nadal contested the Monte Carlo final for the third time, the twelfth time in the last thirteen occasions in which they met in the championship match.[39] Nadal failed to win his 9th title after Djokovic defeated him in straight sets.[40]

At the 2013 French Open Nadal came in as seven-time champion and was drawn in the same half as Djokovic, made possible by his 3rd seed. Nadal won the tournament after beating Djokovic in the semifinal and Ferrer in the final. His semifinal clash with Djokovic was widely considered one of the greatest clay court matches ever played. Nadal was 2 points away from victory in the 4th set but was denied by Djokovic and taken to a fifth set, where he went down a break 4–2 only to break back and ultimately triumph 9–7 for a 4-hour, 37-minute victory. It was a unique encounter in that it was almost the mirror opposite[41] of the almost six-hour 2012 Australian Open final they contested where Djokovic was leading Nadal 2–1 sets and was 2 points away from victory in the 4th set only for Nadal to come back and win the 4th set in a tiebreaker and go up a break in the 5th set. In exactly the same fashion the player leading by a break in the 5th set committed a hauntingly uncharacteristic error (Nadal missed an easy backhand pass at 30–15, 4–2 in the fifth in Melbourne, while Djokovic ran into the net after hitting a what would have been a clean winner at 4–3 in the fifth in Paris) only to spark a momentum shift for their opponent to break back and ultimately win the match – Djokovic broke back to win the Australian Open 2012 final 7–5, while Nadal broke back to win the French Open 2013 semifinal 9–7. Nadal suggested that it was almost "poetic justice" that he won this match after losing their brutally epic encounter in Australia.[42]

This was only the second time Nadal had been pushed to five sets at the French Open in 9 years (The first being against John Isner in the 1st round of the 2011 French Open) and he remains unbeaten in 5-set encounters on clay.

Djokovic and Nadal met again at the Montreal Masters semifinals, with Nadal prevailing in three sets. Nadal would then go on to win the Rogers Cup, marking his 25th ATP Masters title. The US Open final saw a third Nadal-Djokovic matchup, which Nadal took in four sets. The match showed Nadal's fighting spirit, as he clawed down from 0–2 at a set apiece, and from 4–4, 0–40 on his own serve. He would take the title to beat Djokovic for the sixth time out of seven meetings.

The two tennis players faced again in the China Open final with Djokovic winning in straight sets; however, by reaching the final, Nadal took the world #1 ranking away from Djokovic. They met again in the finals of the ATP World Tour Finals, where Djokovic again won in straight sets, winning his third year-end championship, and denying Nadal his first. Nadal finished 2013 as world #1, with Djokovic as world #2, having won 24 consecutive matches after losing the US Open final to Nadal. Their domination in 2013 was also apparent in the year end rankings: together, they amassed 25,290 points, more than the numbers 3 to 7 combined.

2014[]

In 2014, the pair met three times, all in finals, with Djokovic winning the first two encounters, and Nadal winning the last one. Djokovic started off by beating Nadal in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in straight sets, and then supplanted that victory with a three-set victory over Nadal in Rome. In the process he acquired a 4-match winning streak against the Spaniard, and also the first player to have amassed 4 clay-court wins over Nadal. Their final meeting of the year came at the French Open, where Nadal went on to win the match after dropping the opening set to Djokovic.

2015[]

In 2015, the pair contested four matches with Djokovic winning all four. They met at the semifinal stage of the Monte Carlo Masters event. The match was competitive in parts with Nadal producing, by his own assessment, his best performance yet of the season. However, a very in-form Djokovic prevailed. They faced each other at the quarterfinal stage of the French Open where Djokovic beat Nadal in straight sets. It was Djokovic's first victory against the Spaniard in seven meetings at the tournament, Djokovic also broke the record for most sets won against Nadal at the French Open (7), became the only man to ever beat Nadal at all four of the Grand Slam tournaments, became the first man to beat Nadal in straight sets in a best of five format match on clay, and also the only man to beat Nadal on clay 6 times. This was also only the second time that Nadal has been defeated at the French Open, after losing to Robin Soderling in the 2009 edition of the tournament. Nadal is now 86–2 at the French Open, and a 108–2 record for best-of-five set matches on clay.[43] Nadal played Djokovic in the Beijing final, where he was comprehensively beaten by the Serb. They met again in the semifinal of ATP World Tour Finals in London which Djokovic won in two sets and leveled his head-to head with Nadal for the first time at 23–23.

2016[]

In 2016, the pair met three times with all three matches going to Djokovic. In the Doha final, Djokovic won in a convincing straight set victory bringing him into the head-to-head lead for the first time. Djokovic won again the semifinal at Indian Wells[44] and at the quarterfinal stage of the Rome Masters putting the rivalry at 26–23 in Djokovic's favor with a 7 match winning streak against Nadal.

2017[]

Nadal defeated Djokovic in the Madrid Open semifinals 6–2, 6–4 to reverse a trend of losses.

2018[]

Nadal beat Djokovic in the semifinals at the Italian Open in two sets 7–6, 6–3, in their first match in over a year.

Djokovic beat Nadal in the semifinals at Wimbledon after five exhilarating sets, lasting over five hours.

2019[]

Nadal and Djokovic faced each other in the Australian Open final with Djokovic winning 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 in two hours and four minutes.

Nadal won his ninth Italian Open title, overcoming Djokovic to triumph at the Foro Italico 6–0, 4–6, 6-1 after two hours and 25 minutes. Nadal also broke a then-tie with Djokovic by claiming a record 34th ATP Masters crown.[45]

2020[]

The duo met in the ATP Cup final, their second match in a team competition (the first being at the 2009 Davis Cup). Djokovic beat Nadal 6–2, 7–6.

As the top two seeded players at the French Open, they met in the final. Nadal won, claiming his record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title, 6–0, 6–2, 7–5.

2021[]

Nadal won his tenth Italian Open title by defeating Djokovic in a three-set final, 7–5, 1–6, 6–3. By claiming a record 36th Masters title, this leveled a tie with Djokovic.

Nadal and Djokovic met in the semifinals of the French Open, in a rematch of the previous year's final. This time, Djokovic upset Nadal in four sets 3–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 6–2. It was the second time Djokovic defeated Nadal at the French Open.

Analysis[]

Commentators Dick Enberg, John McEnroe, and Mary Carillo have said that this rivalry has the potential of being the greatest rivalry in tennis history due to the number of matches already played between the two, the quality of the matches, and the age difference of only one year.[46]

Djokovic is the player with the most career wins against Nadal. Nadal is also the player with the most career wins against Djokovic. Djokovic is the only player to have defeated Nadal in four clay-court finals, the only player to defeat Nadal at the French Open in straight sets, the only player to defeat Nadal twice at the French Open, and the only player to defeat Nadal in seven consecutive finals. Both play a similar style of tennis but have differences that make their matches competitive and unique. Djokovic is the only player to defeat Nadal in three consecutive grand slam finals and the only player to defeat Nadal in all four grand slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open). Conversely, Nadal is the only player to defeat Djokovic in two hard court slam finals (US Open 2010 and 2013).

The rivalry has seen dominance shift back and forth, with Nadal winning sixteen of their first twenty-three matches, followed by Djokovic beating Nadal seven times in a row, then Nadal winning six of seven, and Djokovic winning fifteen of the last twenty-one.

Many pundits have claimed this to be the greatest rivalry of the Open Era given the number of records it has produced, the quality of their matches, it has the most encounters in the Open Era, and the number of classic matches it has produced that are unrivaled by any other. In 2009, it was rated the third best rivalry of the last decade even though it only began in 2006.

Grand Slam tournament titles[]

Both Djokovic and Nadal have won 20 Grand Slam tournament titles, tied for first on the all-time list with Roger Federer. Djokovic has achieved a double Career Grand Slam by winning all four majors at least twice. In the 2015–2016 tennis seasons, he also won four consecutive Grand Slam titles, a feat not achieved since 1969. In addition, Djokovic is the only player to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once on three different surfaces. Djokovic's Grand Slam tournament titles include 12 on hard courts, 6 on grass, and 2 on clay, while Nadal's Grand Slam tournament titles include 13 on clay, 5 on hard courts, and 2 on grass. Both have also won the Career Grand Slam, and Nadal is the youngest player in the Open Era to achieve this feat, aged 24.

Tournament Djokovic Nadal
Australia Australian Open 9 1
France Roland Garros 2 13
United Kingdom Wimbledon Championships 6 2
United States US Open 3 4
Total Count 20 20
  • Bold indicates outright record holder.

ATP Masters[]

Djokovic and Nadal hold the joint record for the most Masters titles with 36 each. Nadal has won 26 on clay and 10 on hard courts. Djokovic has won 26 on hard courts and 10 on clay and is the only player to have won all 9 Masters tournaments, having done so twice. Nadal is missing two titles (Miami and Paris).

  Hardcourt   Clay

Tournament Djokovic Nadal
Indian Wells Masters 5 3
Miami Open 6 0
Monte-Carlo Masters 2 11
Madrid Open/German Open 3 5
Italian Open 5 10
Canadian Open 4 5
Cincinnati Masters 2 1
Shanghai Masters/Madrid Open 4 1
Paris Masters 5 0
Total Count 36 36
  • Bold indicates outright record holder.

Year-End Championship[]

Novak Djokovic won four ATP World Tour Finals in a row (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) and has won five total, while Nadal has not won the event. Nadal has reached the final twice, in 2010 and 2013. Djokovic has a 3–2 advantage over Nadal in the event and won their only meeting in the title match by 6–3, 6–4 in 2013. Djokovic is second all-time in total titles at the event (tied with Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl), behind Roger Federer (6 titles).

Tournament Djokovic Nadal
Year-End Championship 5 0

ATP/ITF Rankings[]

Rankings Djokovic Nadal
Weeks as world No. 1 335 209
Year-end No. 1 6 5
ITF World Champion 6 4
  • Bold indicates outright record holder.

National representation[]

Djokovic and Nadal faced each other at the 2008 Olympics and in the 2009 Davis Cup. Nadal won their only meeting at the Olympics in the semi-finals of the 2008 event. Nadal also won their only match so far at the Davis Cup in the 1st round tie of the 2009 event. Djokovic won their most recent match while representing their countries in the finals of the inaugural ATP Cup in Sydney.

Tournament Djokovic Nadal
Olympics Bronze medal.svg Gold medal.svg
Davis Cup 1 5
ATP Cup 1 0

Head-to-head tallies[]

  • All matches: (58) Djokovic, 30–28
    • All finals: (28) Djokovic, 15–13
    • Grand Slam matches: Nadal, 10–7
      • Australian Open: Djokovic, 2–0
      • Roland Garros: Nadal, 7–2
      • Wimbledon: Djokovic, 2–1
      • US Open: Nadal, 2–1
    • ATP Tour Finals matches: Djokovic, 3–2
    • ATP Masters matches: Djokovic, 16–13
    • Other matches: Djokovic, 4–3
    • Grand Slam finals: Nadal, 5–4
    • ATP Tour Finals finals: Djokovic, 1–0
    • ATP Masters finals: Tied 7–7
    • Other finals: Djokovic, 3–1

Results on each court surface[]

  • Clay courts: Nadal 19–8
  • Hard courts: Djokovic 20–7
    • Outdoor: Djokovic 16–5
    • Indoor: Djokovic 4–2
  • Grass courts: Tied 2–2

Tournament overview[]

Tournament Hard Court (o) Clay Grass Hard Court (i) Total
Djokovic Nadal Djokovic Nadal Djokovic Nadal Djokovic Nadal Djokovic Nadal
Australian Open 2 0 2 0
French Open 2 7 2 7
Wimbledon 2 1 2 1
US Open 1 2 1 2
Indian Wells Masters 3 1 3 1
Miami Open 3 0 3 0
Monte-Carlo Masters 2 2 2 2
Italian Open 3 6 3 6
German Open / Madrid Open 1 3 1 3
Canadian Open 1 1 1 1
Cincinnati Masters 2 0 2 0
Paris Masters 1 0 1 0
ATP Tour Finals 3 2 3 2
China Open 2 0 2 0
Queen's Club 0 1 0 1
Qatar Open 1 0 1 0
Davis Cup 0 1 0 1
ATP Cup 1 0 1 0
Summer Olympics 0 1 0 1
Total 16 5 8 19 2 2 4 2 30 28

Grand Slam matches[]

Tournament 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Australian Open D D
French Open N N N N N N D N D
Wimbledon N D D
US Open N D N
  • Finals in bold.

Completed set tallies[]

Djokovic Set score Nadal
1 10–8 0
0 9–7 1
8 7–6 9
7 7–5 10
12 6–4 21
28 6–3 9
15 6–2 12
7 6–1 8
0 6–0 2
78 Total sets 72
741 Total games 718

Famous matches[]

2009 Madrid Masters semifinal[]

With Nadal widely regarded as invincible on clay courts by many in the tennis world,[47][48] Djokovic emerged as one of the few who could test his dominance on it, and the closest Nadal came to losing for the first time in this tournament came in May 2009. It was the longest Masters match and semifinal in Open Era history. Djokovic ranked No. 4 in the world, took the first set 6–3. But the world No. 1 Nadal remained resilient, saving three match points and eventually ending up winning in three sets after four hours and two minutes[49] in what he called one of his greatest wins in his career.

2010 US Open final[]

Nadal needed this title to complete his Golden Career Slam, creating much hype before the tournament. Even more so when he would have to face Djokovic who had an excellent record on this surface. Nadal had perfected his serve to the point where it became his most dangerous weapon.[50] He ended up winning the match and becoming the fourth man in the Open Era (after Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, and Roger Federer) to complete a Career Grand Slam and the second man in the open era to complete a Career Golden Slam after Andre Agassi.

2011 Wimbledon final[]

The 2011 Wimbledon final would put the world No. 1 ranked and defending champion Nadal against the No. 2 ranked Djokovic who was looking for his first Wimbledon title. Nadal, on a 20-match winning streak at the All England Club, was favoured by many to win despite Djokovic coming into the match with four finals victories over Nadal during year. However, with a four set victory, Djokovic became the first Serbian man to win Wimbledon and for the first time overtook Nadal for the No. 1 ranking.[51]

2011 US Open final[]

The 2011 US Open final had Nadal as the defending champion after defeating Djokovic the prior year but with Djokovic having defeated Nadal in five finals including a victory over Nadal in the Wimbledon final earlier in the year, expectations were high on Djokovic to win his first US Open title. In a match lasting 4 hours and 10 minutes, Djokovic defeated Nadal for a sixth consecutive finals victory over Nadal. With the win, Djokovic became the sixth man in the open era to win three of the four majors in the same year.[52]

2012 Australian Open final[]

Main article: 2012 Australian Open – Men's singles final

This match was the third straight Djokovic vs Nadal major final. It was the longest Grand Slam final in history with Djokovic prevailing 7–5 in the fifth set in 5 hours 53 minutes.[53] Both players were exhausted to the extent that chairs had to be brought out during presentation.[54] The momentum switched several times throughout the match, at one stage Djokovic being only two points from winning the fourth set and thus the championship. However, Nadal managed to force a deciding set. He went up a break in the fifth set, but the turning point was when he missed a backhand winner at the net at 4–2 30–15, and lost his chance to consolidate his break. Tennis legends Mats Wilander, Björn Borg, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, and Stefan Edberg have all responded saying this was the greatest match of all time.[citation needed] The amount of social media chatter on Facebook and Twitter on the match was never seen before in tennis.[citation needed] Many congratulated both players for playing the greatest match ever witnessed, and news media also commented on the insurmountable quality of the match itself. With the win, Djokovic brought his win streak against Nadal to seven, all of which were in finals and 3 being grand slam finals.

2012 French Open final[]

Main article: 2012 French Open – Men's singles final

This match was the fourth straight Djokovic vs Nadal major final. Rafael Nadal won the first set 6–4, Nadal gaining a break of serve after a long attritional battle. There were several delays due to the erratic rain, but none lasting more than an hour. With Nadal leading by two sets to one, and Djokovic leading 2–1 and serving (up a break) in the fourth set, the match was suspended due to rain;[55] it was initially thought that Djokovic had gained the momentum, having won eight games in a row prior to the suspension of the match, however, Nadal was able to regroup and take the fourth set, and ultimately the match, after Djokovic double-faulted on championship point down.

2013 French Open semifinal[]

Björn Borg dubbed it the greatest clay court match ever.[citation needed] John McEnroe called it one of the top 5 matches of all time.[citation needed] Both players produced incredible tennis in what was a mirror image of the 2012 Australian Open final. The match had momentum swings throughout the entire affair but the most important occurred late in the fifth set when Djokovic, up a break, touched the net on a winner that would have put him in position to serve for the match, losing the point. He never recovered mentally from this mistake and Nadal saved the break and immediately broke back, eventually winning the final set.

2015 French Open quarterfinal[]

Djokovic defeated Nadal ending a 39 match winning streak at the tournament in straight sets. After a highly competitive first set, Nadal's level declined in the second and third allowing Djokovic to finally get the better of him at the tournament he had dominated for the last ten years. It was the second time Nadal lost in the French Open and the only time he lost in straight sets at the event. Djokovic eventually lost in the final to Stan Wawrinka.

2018 Wimbledon semifinal[]

Djokovic defeated Nadal in a thrilling five set match, lasting 5 hours, 15 minutes and played over two days. The match was highly anticipated early on, as Nadal, the world No. 1, had not progressed beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon since 2011 (where he lost to Djokovic in the final), and Djokovic on the other hand was recovering from a long elbow injury and had dropped down in the rankings. Before the match, Nadal was considered as the slight favourite due to his far superior form that year, including a straight-set victory over Djokovic at the Italian Open.[56] Due to delay caused by a six-and-half hour semifinal between Kevin Anderson and John Isner, the match started in the late Friday evening. Djokovic and Nadal won the first and second sets respectively. The third set entered the tiebreak and Djokovic saved three set points to win the set. As Wimbledon does not permit match play after 11:00 p.m, the match was halted after three sets. The fourth set, played next day, featured a lot of break point opportunities for both players, but eventually it was Nadal who took the set. In the fifth set, both players held serve for the first seventeen games, despite Nadal having break points in ninth and fifteenth games, and Djokovic in eighth and sixteenth games. In the end, Djokovic broke Nadal's serve at love to seal the match.

2021 French Open semifinal[]

Djokovic defeated Nadal in a bruising four set encounter, lasting 4 hours, 11 minutes. Nadal raced into a 5–0 lead, taking the first set 6–3, only for Djokovic to level, taking the second set by the same scoreline. The third set, lasting 97 minutes, was described by fellow professionals, journalists and fans alike, as one of the greatest sets ever seen, which Djokovic took on a tiebreak, after surviving a set point.[57] Despite Nadal taking a 2–0 lead in the fourth set, Djokovic won the next six games, to hand Nadal just his third ever defeat at Roland Garros in his 108th match at the tournament. Djokovic would go on to win the title, moving to within one Grand Slam of both Nadal and Federer and becoming the first man in the Open Era to win each of the four Grand Slams on multiple occasions.

List of all matches[]

ATP, ATP Cup, Davis Cup, and Grand Slam tournament main draw results included.[5]

Legend (2006–2008) Legend (2009–present) Djokovic Nadal
Grand Slam Grand Slam 7 10
Tennis Masters Cup ATP World Tour Finals 3 2
ATP Masters Series ATP World Tour Masters 1000 16 13
ATP International Series Gold ATP World Tour 500 Series 2 0
ATP International Series ATP World Tour 250 Series 1 1
Davis Cup Davis Cup 0 1
ATP Cup ATP Cup 1 0
Olympic Games Olympic Games 0 1
Total 30 28

Singles (58)[]

Djokovic 30 – 28 Nadal

No. Year Tournament Series Surface Round Winner Score Length Sets Djokovic Nadal
1. 2006 France French Open Major Clay Quarterfinals Nadal 6–4, 6–4, 0–0 (ret.) 1:54 3/5 0 1
2. 2007 United States Indian Wells Masters Masters Hard Final Nadal 6–2, 7–5 1:34 2/3 0 2
3. 2007 United States Miami Open Masters Hard Quarterfinals Djokovic 6–3, 6–4 1:37 2/3 1 2
4. 2007 Italy Italian Open Masters Clay Quarterfinals Nadal 6–2, 6–3 1:41 2/3 1 3
5. 2007 France French Open Major Clay Semifinals Nadal 7–5, 6–4, 6–2 2:28 3/5 1 4
6. 2007 United Kingdom Wimbledon Major Grass Semifinals Nadal 3–6, 6–1, 4–1 (ret.) 1:41 3/5 1 5
7. 2007 Canada Canadian Open Masters Hard Semifinals Djokovic 7–5, 6–3 1:51 2/3 2 5
8. 2007 China Tennis Masters Cup Tour Finals Hard (i) Round Robin Nadal 6–4, 6–4 1:44 2/3 2 6
9. 2008 United States Indian Wells Masters Masters Hard Semifinals Djokovic 6–3, 6–2 1:28 2/3 3 6
10. 2008 Germany Hamburg Masters Masters Clay Semifinals Nadal 7–5, 2–6, 6–2 3:03 3/3 3 7
11. 2008 France French Open Major Clay Semifinals Nadal 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(7–3) 2:49 3/5 3 8
12. 2008 United Kingdom Queen's Club 250 Grass Final Nadal 7–6(8–6), 7–5 2:16 2/3 3 9
13. 2008 United States Cincinnati Masters Masters Hard Semifinals Djokovic 6–1, 7–5 1:26 2/3 4 9
14. 2008 China Summer Olympics Olympics Hard Semifinals Nadal 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 2:10 3/3 4 10
15. 2009 Spain Davis Cup Davis Cup Clay First Round Nadal 6–4, 6–4, 6–1 2:28 3/5 4 11
16. 2009 Monaco Monte-Carlo Masters Masters Clay Final Nadal 6–3, 2–6, 6–1 2:43 3/3 4 12
17. 2009 Italy Italian Open Masters Clay Final Nadal 7–6(7–2), 6–2 2:03 2/3 4 13
18. 2009 Spain Madrid Open Masters Clay Semifinals Nadal 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(11–9) 4:03 3/3 4 14
19. 2009 United States Cincinnati Masters Masters Hard Semifinals Djokovic 6–1, 6–4 1:32 2/3 5 14
20. 2009 France Paris Masters Masters Hard (i) Semifinals Djokovic 6–2, 6–3 1:17 2/3 6 14
21. 2009 United Kingdom ATP World Tour Finals Tour Finals Hard (i) Round Robin Djokovic 7–6(7–5), 6–3 1:58 2/3 7 14
22. 2010 United States US Open Major Hard Final Nadal 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 3:43 4/5 7 15
23. 2010 United Kingdom ATP World Tour Finals Tour Finals Hard (i) Round Robin Nadal 7–5, 6–2 1:52 2/3 7 16
24. 2011 United States Indian Wells Masters Masters Hard Final Djokovic 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 2:25 3/3 8 16
25. 2011 United States Miami Open Masters Hard Final Djokovic 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–4) 3:21 3/3 9 16
26. 2011 Spain Madrid Open Masters Clay Final Djokovic 7–5, 6–4 2:17 2/3 10 16
27. 2011 Italy Italian Open Masters Clay Final Djokovic 6–4, 6–4 2:12 2/3 11 16
28. 2011 United Kingdom Wimbledon Major Grass Final Djokovic 6–4, 6–1, 1–6, 6–3 2:28 4/5 12 16
29. 2011 United States US Open Major Hard Final Djokovic 6–2, 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 6–1 4:10 4/5 13 16
30. 2012 Australia Australian Open Major Hard Final Djokovic 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5 5:53 5/5 14 16
31. 2012 Monaco Monte-Carlo Masters Masters Clay Final Nadal 6–3, 6–1 1:18 2/3 14 17
32. 2012 Italy Italian Open Masters Clay Final Nadal 7–5, 6–3 2:20 2/3 14 18
33. 2012 France French Open Major Clay Final Nadal 6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 7–5 3:49 4/5 14 19
34. 2013 Monaco Monte-Carlo Masters Masters Clay Final Djokovic 6–2, 7–6(7–1) 1:52 2/3 15 19
35. 2013 France French Open Major Clay Semifinals Nadal 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 6–7(3–7), 9–7 4:37 5/5 15 20
36. 2013 Canada Canadian Open Masters Hard Semifinals Nadal 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(7–2) 2:28 3/3 15 21
37. 2013 United States US Open Major Hard Final Nadal 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 3:21 4/5 15 22
38. 2013 China China Open 500 Hard Final Djokovic 6–3, 6–4 1:27 2/3 16 22
39. 2013 United Kingdom ATP World Tour Finals Tour Finals Hard (i) Final Djokovic 6–3, 6–4 1:36 2/3 17 22
40. 2014 United States Miami Open Masters Hard Final Djokovic 6–3, 6–3 1:23 2/3 18 22
41. 2014 Italy Italian Open Masters Clay Final Djokovic 4–6, 6–3, 6–3 2:19 3/3 19 22
42. 2014 France French Open Major Clay Final Nadal 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4 3:31 4/5 19 23
43. 2015 Monaco Monte-Carlo Masters Masters Clay Semifinals Djokovic 6–3, 6–3 1:37 2/3 20 23
44. 2015 France French Open Major Clay Quarterfinals Djokovic 7–5, 6–3, 6–1 2:27 3/5 21 23
45. 2015 China China Open 500 Hard Final Djokovic 6–2, 6–2 1:30 2/3 22 23
46. 2015 United Kingdom ATP World Tour Finals Tour Finals Hard (i) Semifinals Djokovic 6–3, 6–3 1:19 2/3 23 23
47. 2016 Qatar Qatar Open 250 Hard Final Djokovic 6–1, 6–2 1:13 2/3 24 23
48. 2016 United States Indian Wells Masters Masters Hard Semifinals Djokovic 7–6(7–5), 6–2 1:58 2/3 25 23
49. 2016 Italy Italian Open Masters Clay Quarterfinals Djokovic 7–5, 7–6(7–4) 2:25 2/3 26 23
50. 2017 Spain Madrid Open Masters Clay Semifinals Nadal 6–2, 6–4 1:39 2/3 26 24
51. 2018 Italy Italian Open Masters Clay Semifinals Nadal 7–6(7–4), 6–3 1:56 2/3 26 25
52. 2018 United Kingdom Wimbledon Major Grass Semifinals Djokovic 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(11–9), 3–6, 10–8 5:17 5/5 27 25
53. 2019 Australia Australian Open Major Hard Final Djokovic 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 2:04 3/5 28 25
54. 2019 Italy Italian Open Masters Clay Final Nadal 6–0, 4–6, 6–1 2:29 3/3 28 26
55. 2020 Australia ATP Cup Team Hard Team Final Djokovic 6–2, 7–6(7–4) 1:55 2/3 29 26
56. 2020 France French Open Major Clay Final Nadal 6–0, 6–2, 7–5 2:41 3/5 29 27
57. 2021 Italy Italian Open Masters Clay Final Nadal 7–5, 1–6, 6–3 2:49 3/3 29 28
58. 2021 France French Open Major Clay Semifinals Djokovic 3–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 6–2 4:11 4/5 30 28

Doubles[]

Djokovic–Nadal (0–2)

No. Year Tournament Series Surface Round Winner Score Opponents Djokovic Nadal
1. 2009 Canada Canadian Open Masters Hard Last 32 Nadal/Roig 7–5, 6–4 Djokovic/Vemić 0 1
2. 2015 Qatar Qatar Open 250 Hard Semifinals Nadal/Mónaco 7–6(7–3), 6–1 Djokovic/Krajinović 0 2

As a pair (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Series Surface Round Pair Score Opponents Wins Losses
1. 2010 Canada Canadian Open Masters Hard Last 32 Djokovic/Nadal 7–5, 3–6, [8–10] Pospisil/Raonic 0 1

Exhibition matches[]

In Bogota on March 21, 2011, Nadal beat Djokovic in their first exhibition match and the highest caliber match ever played in Colombia.[58] A second exhibition, with proceeds to benefit a foundation run by Nadal and the football team Real Madrid, was scheduled for July 14, 2012 in Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium,[59] but cancelled because of injury to Nadal.[60]

Djokovic—Nadal (3–3)
No. Year Tournament Surface Round Winner Score Djokovic Nadal
1. 2011 Colombia Bogotá Hard (i) Exhibition Nadal 7–6(7–5), 6–3 0 1
2. 2013 Chile Santiago Hard (i) Exhibition Djokovic 7–6(7–3), 6–4[61][62] 1 1
3. 2013 Argentina Buenos Aires Hard Exhibition Nadal 6–4, 7–5[63] 1 2
4. 2015 Thailand Bangkok Hard (i) Exhibition Djokovic 6–4, 6–2 2 2
5. 2016 Italy Milan Hard (i) Exhibition Djokovic 6–4, 6–4 3 2
6. 2019 Kazakhstan Nur-Sultan Hard (i) Exhibition Nadal 6–3, 3–6, (11–9)[64] 3 3

Significant achievements[]

  • Only two male players in the open era to play 58 matches against one another.
  • Most Grand Slam tournament meetings – 17 (tied with Djokovic–Federer).
  • Most Grand Slam tournament finals – 9 (tied with Federer–Nadal).
  • Only two male players in the open era to play 29 finals.
  • Only two players to have played each other 29 times in ATP Masters tournaments.
  • Only two players to have played each other 9 times in a single tournament (Rome Masters and French Open).
  • Longest winning streak at one Masters tournament (Rome) with 11 consecutive victories, 2005–2015, Nadal 7 titles, Djokovic 4 titles.
  • Only two players in the open era to simultaneously hold all 9 ATP Masters titles (2013 Monte-Carlo to 2014 Miami) between them.
  • Longest Grand Slam final (2012 Australian Open) at 5 hours and 53 minutes
  • Longest match in Australian Open history (2012 Australian Open final)
  • Longest ATP three-set match of the Open Era with tie-break in deciding set (at the 2009 Madrid Masters)
  • Longest ATP Masters three-set match of the Open Era (at the 2009 Madrid Masters)
  • Latest finish for an uninterrupted Grand Slam final (2012 Australian Open).
  • First male pair in Open Era history to have met in each of the four Grand Slam finals, since matched by Djokovic and Murray.
  • Only male pair in Open Era history to have met in four consecutive Grand Slam finals (2011 Wimbledon–2012 French Open).
  • Most consecutive seasons in the Open Era playing a Grand Slam final (5), from 2010 to 2014.
  • Doubles team made up of singles No.1 and No.2 (shared with Connors and Ashe)
  • Top 2 in the list of most Masters titles in the open era, 36 each for Djokovic and Nadal.
  • Djokovic and Nadal hold the all-time record of titles in their respective favoured Grand Slam tournaments. Nadal has a record of 13 French Open titles and Djokovic has 9 Australian Open titles. Neither player has lost a final in those respective events.
  • First pair to win Grand Slams in three different decades: Nadal ('00s–6, '10s–13, '20s–1), Djokovic ('00s–1, '10s–15, '20s–4).
  • Oldest pair in the Open Era to play the French Open final (in 2020), with Nadal aged 34 and Djokovic aged 33 to put them at a combined age of 67.

Career evolution[]

  • () = active record (updated Monday, 23 August 2021)
Age (end of season) 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Serbia Djokovic's season 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Spain Nadal's season 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Grand Slam titles Djokovic 0 0 0 1 1 1 4 5 6 7 10 12 12 14 16 17 (20)
Nadal 0 1 2 3 5 6 9 10 11 13 14 14 14 16 17 19 20 20 (20)
Grand Slam match wins Djokovic 5 14 33 51 66 85 110 134 158 180 207 228 237 258 280 296 (317)
Nadal 6 19 36 56 80 95 120 143 157 171 187 198 203 226 247 271 282 291 (291)
ATP Finals titles Djokovic 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 (5)
Nadal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (0)
ATP Masters titles Djokovic 0 0 2 4 5 5 10 13 16 20 26 30 30 32 34 36 (36)
Nadal 0 4 6 9 12 15 18 19 21 26 27 27 28 30 33 35 35 36 (36)
Total titles Djokovic 0 2 7 11 16 18 28 34 41 48 59 66 68 72 77 81 (85)
Nadal 1 12 17 23 31 36 43 46 50 60 64 67 69 75 80 84 86 88 (88)
Total match wins Djokovic 13 53 121 185 263 324 394 469 543 604 686 751 783 836 893 934 (972)
Nadal 45 124 183 253 335 401 472 541 583 658 706 767 806 873 919 977 1004 1028 (1028)
Ranking Djokovic 78 16 3 3 3 3 1 1 2 1 1 2 12 1 2 1 (1)
Nadal 51 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 4 1 3 5 9 1 2 1 2 (5)
Weeks at No. 1 Djokovic 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 62 101 127 179 223 223 232 275 301 (335)
Nadal 0 0 0 0 19 46 76 102 102 115 141 141 141 160 196 205 209 (209) (209)

Performance timeline comparison[]

Main article: Tennis performance timeline comparison (men)

Grand Slam tournaments[]

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.
  • Bold = players met during this tournament

2005–2010[]

Player 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA
Serbia Novak Djokovic 1R 2R 3R 3R 1R QF 4R 3R 4R SF SF F W SF 2R SF QF 3R QF SF QF QF SF F
Spain Rafael Nadal 4R W 2R 3R A W F QF QF W F 4R SF W W SF W 4R A SF QF W W W

2011–2016[]

Player 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA
Serbia Novak Djokovic W SF W W W F SF F W SF F F QF F W SF W F W W W W 3R F
Spain Rafael Nadal QF W F F F W 2R A A W 1R W F W 4R A QF QF 2R 3R 1R 3R A 4R

2017–Present[]

Player 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS WIM USA FRA AUS FRA WIM USA
Serbia Novak Djokovic 2R QF QF A 4R QF W W W SF W 4R W NH 4R F W W W
Spain Rafael Nadal F W 4R W QF W SF SF F W SF W QF NH A W QF SF A A

Djokovic–Nadal Grand Slam tournament era (2005–present)[]

Year Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open
2005 Russia Marat Safin Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer Switzerland Roger Federer
2006 Switzerland Roger Federer Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer Switzerland Roger Federer
2007 Switzerland Roger Federer Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer Switzerland Roger Federer
2008 Serbia Novak Djokovic Spain Rafael Nadal Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer
2009 Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer Switzerland Roger Federer Argentina Juan Martín del Potro
2010 Switzerland Roger Federer Spain Rafael Nadal Spain Rafael Nadal Spain Rafael Nadal
2011 Serbia Novak Djokovic Spain Rafael Nadal Serbia Novak Djokovic Serbia Novak Djokovic
2012 Serbia Novak Djokovic Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer United Kingdom Andy Murray
2013 Serbia Novak Djokovic Spain Rafael Nadal United Kingdom Andy Murray Spain Rafael Nadal
2014 Switzerland Stan Wawrinka Spain Rafael Nadal Serbia Novak Djokovic Croatia Marin Čilić
2015 Serbia Novak Djokovic Switzerland Stan Wawrinka Serbia Novak Djokovic Serbia Novak Djokovic
2016 Serbia Novak Djokovic Serbia Novak Djokovic United Kingdom Andy Murray Switzerland Stan Wawrinka
2017 Switzerland Roger Federer Spain Rafael Nadal Switzerland Roger Federer Spain Rafael Nadal
2018 Switzerland Roger Federer Spain Rafael Nadal Serbia Novak Djokovic Serbia Novak Djokovic
2019 Serbia Novak Djokovic Spain Rafael Nadal Serbia Novak Djokovic Spain Rafael Nadal
2020 Serbia Novak Djokovic Spain Rafael Nadal Tournament cancelled Austria Dominic Thiem
2021 Serbia Novak Djokovic Serbia Novak Djokovic Serbia Novak Djokovic

^ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Wimbledon Championships of the tournament was cancelled.

Combined singles performance timeline (best result)[]

Tournament 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 SR
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 3RN 4RN 1RD QFN WD WN QFND WD WD WD FN WD WD FN QFN WD WD WD 10 / 18
French Open A A WN WN WN WN 4RN WN WN WN WN WN FD WD WN WN WN WN WD 15 / 17
Wimbledon 3RN A 3RD FN FN WN QFD WN WD SFD FD WD WD 3RD QFD WD WD NH1 WD 8 / 17
US Open 2RN 2RN 3RND QFN FD SFND SFND WN WD FD WN SFD WD FD WN WD WN 4RD 7 / 18
Year-end championships
ATP Finals DNQ A SF SF W RR F RR W W W W F RR F RR SF 5 / 15
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells A 3R A SF W W W SF W SF W W W W 4R 2R SF NH1 8 / 14
Miami A 4R F 2R W F F SF W W 4R W W W F 2R 4R A 6 / 15
Monte Carlo 3R A W W W W W W W W W SF W W W W SF QF 13 / 17
Madrid1 3R A A 2R F W F W W QF W W F W W QF W QF 8 / 16
Rome A A W W W W W W W W W W W F F W W W W 15 / 17
Canada A 1R W 3R W W QF SF W W W 3R F W 3R W W NH1 A 9 / 15
Cincinnati A 1R 1R QF 2R F F QF F F W 3R F 3R QF W SF W A 3 / 17
Shanghai2 1R 2R W QF SF SF F SF 3R W W SF W SF F W QF NH1 5 / 17
Paris Q1 A 3R 2R F QF W 3R QF 2R W W W QF QF F W SF 5 / 16

1 Tournament cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATP Rankings[]

Year-end ranking timeline[]

Player 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Serbia Novak Djokovic 679 186 78 16 3 3 3 3 1 1 2 1 1 2 12 1 2 1
Spain Rafael Nadal 811 200 49 51 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 4 1 3 5 9 1 2 1 2

Djokovic–Nadal ATP No. 1 era[]

Player Start date End date Weeks Total
Spain Rafael Nadal August 18, 2008 July 5, 2009 46 46
Switzerland Roger Federer (2) July 6, 2009 June 6, 2010 48 285
Spain Rafael Nadal (2) June 7, 2010 July 3, 2011 56 102
Serbia Novak Djokovic July 4, 2011 July 8, 2012 53 53
Switzerland Roger Federer (3) July 9, 2012 November 4, 2012 17 302
Serbia Novak Djokovic (2) November 5, 2012 October 6, 2013 48 101
Spain Rafael Nadal (3) October 7, 2013 July 6, 2014 39 141
Serbia Novak Djokovic (3) July 7, 2014 November 6, 2016 122 223
United Kingdom Andy Murray November 7, 2016 August 20, 2017 41 41
Spain Rafael Nadal (4) August 21, 2017 February 18, 2018 26 167
Switzerland Roger Federer (4) February 19, 2018 April 1, 2018 6 308
Spain Rafael Nadal (5) April 2, 2018 May 13, 2018 6 173
Switzerland Roger Federer (5) May 14, 2018 May 20, 2018 1 309
Spain Rafael Nadal (6) May 21, 2018 June 17, 2018 4 177
Switzerland Roger Federer (6) June 18, 2018 June 24, 2018 1 310
Spain Rafael Nadal (7) June 25, 2018 November 4, 2018 19 196
Serbia Novak Djokovic (4) November 5, 2018 November 3, 2019 52 275
Spain Rafael Nadal (8) November 4, 2019 February 2, 2020 13 209
Serbia Novak Djokovic (5) 3 February 2020 23 March 2020 7 282
ATP Ranking was frozen
 23 March 2020 23 August 2020 22 22
Serbia Novak Djokovic (5) 25 August 2020 Present * 53 335double-dagger
* Statistics correct as of 23 August 2021.

double-daggerRepresents ATP rankings record.

See also[]

References[]

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External links[]

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