Djokovic–Nadal rivalry
The Djokovic–Nadal rivalry is a modern-day tennis rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, two of the greatest tennis players of all time. The rivalry is the most prolific of the tennis Open Era. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history by players, coaches, and pundits, and was listed as the third greatest rivalry in the 2000s decade in 2009 by ATPworldtour.com despite its only starting in 2006.
The two have faced each other 55 times with Djokovic leading 29–26. Djokovic leads 15–11 in finals. Of these matches, 15 have been in Grand Slams with Nadal leading 9–6. Nadal leads 6–1 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.
Of their 55 matches, 27 have been on hard courts, 24 have been on clay, and 4 have been on grass. Nadal leads on clay, while Djokovic has the edge on hard courts. They are tied on grass.
The first ever meeting between the two occurred at the 2006 French Open in the quarterfinals, where Nadal prevailed after Djokovic retired with an injury in the third set. This match initiated the rivalry, with Djokovic later commenting 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 came at the 2007 Indian Wells Masters tournament, where Nadal won the event, and this was just the second time they had met on tour. Djokovic's first win was in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Miami Masters in their third meeting.
Between 2006–2009, this rivalry was often overshadowed by the historic Federer–Nadal rivalry. It started to become widely recognized when they played their first Grand Slam final against each other at the 2010 US Open. The first part of the rivalry was dominated by Nadal who led 16–7 2006 to 2010, while the second part has been dominated by Djokovic, who lead 19–7 2011 to 2016. From 2017 to present day they have gone an even 3-3.
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 and a record 27 Masters Series matches.
Some of their matches are considered to be classics and among the greatest matches of all time including the 2009 Madrid Masters semifinal, 2013 French Open semifinal and 2018 Wimbledon semifinal. 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 Australian Open match and the 2013 French Open semifinal match were the two best matches played on hard and clay courts respectively.
History
2006
The first meeting between the two, which was the only one for this year, was at the French Open in the quarterfinals. The victory went to Nadal in this match via a retirement from Djokovic after Nadal took the first two sets in fours in a matter of 114 minutes.2007
In 2007, the pair met seven times, Nadal winning five of them.The first encounter took place in the finals of the Indian Wells Masters. This was Djokovic's first Masters 1000 final whereas Nadal was bidding for his 6th. Nadal won the match. Djokovic, however, got his revenge the following week, defeating Nadal for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters in just 97 minutes.
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 and went on to do the same on his way to a third Grand Slam title, at the French Open a month later. Nadal defeated Djokovic, who was playing his first Grand Slam semifinal. They then met for the first time on grass, in the semifinals of Wimbledon. After having split the first two sets, Djokovic conceded the match to Nadal on a retirement.
At the Canada Masters in Montreal, Djokovic scored his second victory over Nadal, defeating the Spaniard in the semis en route to winning his second Masters 1000 title.
The final encounter between the two during the year was in the round robin phase Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai.
2008
Djokovic and Nadal met six times in 2008, Nadal improving his career advantage against Djokovic to 10–4, winning four of their encounters.Djokovic defeated Nadal in the semifinals at Indian Wells Masters in their first meeting in the year.
Nadal defeated Djokovic in the semis of the Hamburg Masters. In their third consecutive meeting at the French Open semi-finals, a dominant Nadal defeated Djokovic in the semis, going on to win his fourth consecutive French Open title.
Next, they met in their second final at the Queen's Club in London, Nadal winning his first grass-court title at the expense of Djokovic in the finals in straight sets.
In their fifth encounter of the year at the Cincinnati Masters, Djokovic defeated Nadal in the semis.
The sixth and final battle of the year came at the Beijing Olympics in the semifinals, Nadal winning the match. He would go on to win the gold medal.
2009
They met seven times in 2009. Nadal won the first four of their encounters, Djokovic going on to win 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. With the no. 3 ranking at risk, Djokovic had to defend his title at the Rome Masters to avoid dropping to No. 4 in the world. He successfully made it to the final but lost to Nadal in straight sets.
They then met for a third consecutive tournament on clay, in the semis of the Madrid Masters. Nadal won a grueling encounter by saving three match points in the process. The match, at 4 hours and 3 minutes, was the longest three-set singles match on the ATP World Tour in the Open Era. 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 this loss.
During the US Open series, Djokovic defeated Nadal for the first time that year at the Cincinnati Masters in 92 minutes. Djokovic then won his first Masters 1000 title of the year, crushing Nadal in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Paris. 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.
2010
They met only 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 to get finished.
Their second encounter came during the Round Robin stage of the ATP World Tour Finals, where Nadal beat Djokovic in two sets.
2011
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 had not lost a match the entire year and continued his fine form by beating Nadal to win his second Indian Wells title.
Two weeks later, the pair met again in the finals of the Miami Masters with Djokovic winning two sets to one.
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. He managed the same feat at the Rome Masters, defeating Nadal in straight sets.
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, winning his first Wimbledon title.
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.
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 record for 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.
Djokovic and Nadal met again in the 2012 Monte–Carlo Masters 1000 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. They had met in seven finals from January 2011 to January 2012, all of which Djokovic won.
The pair met again in the 2012 Rome Masters final at the Foro Italico where Nadal defeated Djokovic in straight sets and regained the trophy he has won 5 times before. Djokovic was the defending champion.
The fourth battle of the year came at the 2012 French Open final. For 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 4 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.
2013
The pair met 6 times, sharing three victories each.Djokovic and Nadal contested the Monte Carlo final for the third time, but this was their first meeting since the 2012 French Open final, and this was the twelfth time in the last thirteen occasions in which they met in the championship match. Nadal failed to win his 9th title after Djokovic defeated him in straight sets.
At the 2013 French Open Nadal came in as seven-time champion and was drawn in the same half Djokovic, made possible by his 3rd seed. Nadal won the 2013 French Open 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, and 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 and take out a hard-fought 4-hour, 37-minute victory.
It was a unique encounter in that it was almost the mirror opposite 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 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.
This was only the second time Nadal had been pushed to five sets at the French Open in 9 years and he remains unbeaten in 5-set encounters on clay.
Djokovic and Nadal met again at the Montreal Masters 1000 semifinals, with Nadal prevailing in three sets. Nadal would then go on to win the Rogers Cup, marking his 25th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 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 Series 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, 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.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 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 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 again faced each other in the Australian Open grand slam final with Djokovic winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in a relatively short match lasting two hours and four minutes.Rafael Nadal seeded No. 2 won his ninth Internazionali BNL d’Italia title, overcoming a stern challenge from top seed Novak Djokovic to triumph at the Foro Italico 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 after two hours and 25 minutes. Nadal also broke a tie with Djokovic by claiming a record 34th ATP Masters 1000 crown.
2020
The duo met for a second time in a team competition, and Djokovic beat Nadal 6-2 7-6.Famous matches
2009 Madrid Masters semifinal
With Nadal widely regarded as invincible on clay courts by many in the tennis world, 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 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. He ended up winning the match and becoming the fourth man in the Open Era 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 favored 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.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.2012 Australian Open 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. Both players were exhausted to the extent that chairs had to be brought out during presentation. 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. The amount of social media chatter on Facebook and Twitter on the match was never seen before in tennis. 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
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 in the fourth set, the match was suspended due to rain; 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. John McEnroe called it one of the top 5 matches of all time. 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, 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 favorite due to his far superior form that year, including a straight-set victory over Djokovic at the Italian Open. 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 to love to seal the match.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.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 4 clay court finals, the only player to defeat Nadal at the French Open in straight sets, and the only player to defeat Nadal in 7 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. Conversely, Nadal is the only player to defeat Djokovic in two hard court slam finals.
The rivalry has seen dominance shift back and forth, with Nadal dominant early on, followed by Djokovic beating Nadal seven times in a row, then Nadal winning six out of seven, and Djokovic winning eleven out of the last thirteen.
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 3rd best rivalry of the last decade even though it only began in 2006.
Comparison of Grand Slam tournament titles
Novak Djokovic has won 17 Grand Slam tournament titles and stands at the third place for all time list, and has won the career grand slam by winning all four majors at least once. In the 2015–2016 tennis seasons, Djokovic also won 4 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 11 on hard courts, 5 on grass, and 1 on clay. Nadal has won 19 Grand Slam tournament titles and is second on the all-time list and has 12 on clay, 5 on hard courts, and 2 on grass. Both 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 |
 Australian Open | 8 | 1 |
 French Open | 1 | 12 |
 Wimbledon Championships | 5 | 2 |
 US Open | 3 | 4 |
| Total Count | 17 | 19 |
- Bold indicates outright record holder
Comparison of Masters 1000 titles
| 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 | 4 | 9 |
| Canadian Open | 4 | 5 |
| Cincinnati Masters | 1 | 1 |
| Shanghai Masters/Madrid Open | 4 | 1 |
| Paris Masters | 5 | 0 |
| Total Count | 34 | 35 |
- Bold indicates outright record holder
Comparison of Year-End Championships
| Tournament | Djokovic | Nadal |
| Year-End Championship | 5 | 0 |
Comparison of 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 6–4, 1–6, 6–4. Nadal also won their only match so far at the Davis Cup by 6–4, 6–4, 6–1 in the 1st round tie of the 2009 event. Djokovic won their most recent match in the finals of the inaugural ATP cup in Sydney by 6-2, 7-6.| Tournament | Djokovic | Nadal |
| Olympics | ||
| Davis Cup | 1 | 5 |
| ATP Cup | 1 | 0 |
Head-to-head tallies
- All matches: Djokovic, 29–26
- All finals: Djokovic, 15–11
- Grand Slam matches: Nadal, 9–6
- * Australian Open: Djokovic, 2–0
- * Roland Garros: Nadal, 6–1
- * Wimbledon: Djokovic, 2–1
- * US Open: Nadal, 2–1
- Grand Slam finals: Tied, 4–4
- Tennis Masters Cup/ATP World Tour Finals matches: Djokovic, 3–2
- Tennis Masters Cup/ATP World Tour Finals finals: Djokovic, 1–0
- ATP Masters Series/ATP World Tour Masters 1000 matches: Djokovic, 16–12
- ATP Masters Series/ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals: Djokovic, 7–6
Completed set tallies
| Djokovic | Set score | Nadal |
| 1 | 10–8 | 0 |
| 0 | 9–7 | 1 |
| 7 | 7–6 | 9 |
| 7 | 7–5 | 9 |
| 11 | 6–4 | 21 |
| 27 | 6–3 | 8 |
| 14 | 6–2 | 11 |
| 7 | 6–1 | 7 |
| 0 | 6–0 | 1 |
| 74 | Total sets | 67 |
| 706 | Total games | 672 |
Results on each court surface
- Clay courts: Nadal 17–7
- Hard courts: Djokovic 20–7
- * Outdoor: Djokovic 16–5
- * Indoor: Djokovic 4–2
- Grass courts: Tied 2–2
Grand Slam matches
- In bold: Matches that happened in the finals.
List of all matches
Singles
Djokovic–Nadal: 55| No. | Year | Tournament | Series | Surface | Round | Winner | Score | Length | Sets | Djokovic | Nadal |
| 1. | 2006 | French Open | Major | Clay | Quarterfinals | Nadal | 6–4, 6–4, 0–0 ret. | 1:54 | 3/5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2. | 2007 | Indian Wells Masters | Masters | Hard | Final | Nadal | 6–2, 7–5 | 1:34 | 2/3 | 0 | 2 |
| 3. | 2007 | Miami Open | Masters | Hard | Quarterfinals | Djokovic | 6–3, 6–4 | 1:37 | 2/3 | 1 | 2 |
| 4. | 2007 |  Italian Open | Masters | Clay | Quarterfinals | Nadal | 6–2, 6–3 | 1:41 | 2/3 | 1 | 3 |
| 5. | 2007 | French Open | Major | Clay | Semifinals | Nadal | 7–5, 6–4, 6–2 | 2:28 | 3/5 | 1 | 4 |
| 6. | 2007 | Wimbledon | Major | Grass | Semifinals | Nadal | 3–6, 6–1, 4–1 ret. | 1:41 | 3/5 | 1 | 5 |
| 7. | 2007 |  Canadian Open | Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Djokovic | 7–5, 6–3 | 1:51 | 2/3 | 2 | 5 |
| 8. | 2007 |  Tennis Masters Cup | Tour Finals | Hard | Round Robin | Nadal | 6–4, 6–4 | 1:44 | 2/3 | 2 | 6 |
| 9. | 2008 | Indian Wells Masters | Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Djokovic | 6–3, 6–2 | 1:28 | 2/3 | 3 | 6 |
| 10. | 2008 |  Hamburg Masters | Masters | Clay | Semifinals | Nadal | 7–5, 2–6, 6–2 | 3:03 | 3/3 | 3 | 7 |
| 11. | 2008 | French Open | Major | Clay | Semifinals | Nadal | 6–4, 6–2, 7–6 | 2:49 | 3/5 | 3 | 8 |
| 12. | 2008 | Queen's Club | 250 | Grass | Final | Nadal | 7–6, 7–5 | 2:16 | 2/3 | 3 | 9 |
| 13. | 2008 | Cincinnati Masters | Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Djokovic | 6–1, 7–5 | 1:26 | 2/3 | 4 | 9 |
| 14. | 2008 | Summer Olympics | Olympics | Hard | Semifinals | Nadal | 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 | 2:10 | 3/3 | 4 | 10 |
| 15. | 2009 |  Davis Cup | Davis Cup | Clay | First Round | Nadal | 6–4, 6–4, 6–1 | 2:28 | 3/5 | 4 | 11 |
| 16. | 2009 |  Monte-Carlo Masters | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–3, 2–6, 6–1 | 2:43 | 3/3 | 4 | 12 |
| 17. | 2009 | Italian Open | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 7–6, 6–2 | 2:03 | 2/3 | 4 | 13 |
| 18. | 2009 | Madrid Open | Masters | Clay | Semifinals | Nadal | 3–6, 7–6, 7–6 | 4:03 | 3/3 | 4 | 14 |
| 19. | 2009 | Cincinnati Masters | Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Djokovic | 6–1, 6–4 | 1:32 | 2/3 | 5 | 14 |
| 20. | 2009 | Paris Masters | Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Djokovic | 6–2, 6–3 | 1:17 | 2/3 | 6 | 14 |
| 21. | 2009 | ATP World Tour Finals | Tour Finals | Hard | Round Robin | Djokovic | 7–6, 6–3 | 1:58 | 2/3 | 7 | 14 |
| 22. | 2010 | US Open | Major | Hard | Final | Nadal | 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 | 3:43 | 4/5 | 7 | 15 |
| 23. | 2010 | ATP World Tour Finals | Tour Finals | Hard | Round Robin | Nadal | 7–5, 6–2 | 1:52 | 2/3 | 7 | 16 |
| 24. | 2011 | Indian Wells Masters | Masters | Hard | Final | Djokovic | 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 | 2:25 | 3/3 | 8 | 16 |
| 25. | 2011 | Miami Open | Masters | Hard | Final | Djokovic | 4–6, 6–3, 7–6 | 3:21 | 3/3 | 9 | 16 |
| 26. | 2011 | Madrid Open | Masters | Clay | Final | Djokovic | 7–5, 6–4 | 2:17 | 2/3 | 10 | 16 |
| 27. | 2011 | Italian Open | Masters | Clay | Final | Djokovic | 6–4, 6–4 | 2:12 | 2/3 | 11 | 16 |
| 28. | 2011 | Wimbledon | Major | Grass | Final | Djokovic | 6–4, 6–1, 1–6, 6–3 | 2:28 | 4/5 | 12 | 16 |
| 29. | 2011 | US Open | Major | Hard | Final | Djokovic | 6–2, 6–4, 6–7, 6–1 | 4:10 | 4/5 | 13 | 16 |
| 30. | 2012 | Australian Open | Major | Hard | Final | Djokovic | 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7, 7–5 | 5:53 | 5/5 | 14 | 16 |
| 31. | 2012 | Monte-Carlo Masters | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–3, 6–1 | 1:18 | 2/3 | 14 | 17 |
| 32. | 2012 | Italian Open | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 7–5, 6–3 | 2:20 | 2/3 | 14 | 18 |
| 33. | 2012 | French Open | Major | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 7–5 | 3:49 | 4/5 | 14 | 19 |
| 34. | 2013 | Monte-Carlo Masters | Masters | Clay | Final | Djokovic | 6–2, 7–6 | 1:52 | 2/3 | 15 | 19 |
| 35. | 2013 | French Open | Major | Clay | Semifinals | Nadal | 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 6–7, 9–7 | 4:37 | 5/5 | 15 | 20 |
| 36. | 2013 | Canadian Open | Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Nadal | 6–4, 3–6, 7–6 | 2:28 | 3/3 | 15 | 21 |
| 37. | 2013 | US Open | Major | Hard | Final | Nadal | 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 | 3:21 | 4/5 | 15 | 22 |
| 38. | 2013 | China Open | 500 | Hard | Final | Djokovic | 6–3, 6–4 | 1:27 | 2/3 | 16 | 22 |
| 39. | 2013 | ATP World Tour Finals | Tour Finals | Hard | Final | Djokovic | 6–3, 6–4 | 1:36 | 2/3 | 17 | 22 |
| 40. | 2014 | Miami Open | Masters | Hard | Final | Djokovic | 6–3, 6–3 | 1:23 | 2/3 | 18 | 22 |
| 41. | 2014 | Italian Open | Masters | Clay | Final | Djokovic | 4–6, 6–3, 6–3 | 2:19 | 3/3 | 19 | 22 |
| 42. | 2014 | French Open | Major | Clay | Final | Nadal | 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4 | 3:31 | 4/5 | 19 | 23 |
| 43. | 2015 | Monte-Carlo Masters | Masters | Clay | Semifinals | Djokovic | 6–3, 6–3 | 1:37 | 2/3 | 20 | 23 |
| 44. | 2015 | French Open | Major | Clay | Quarterfinals | Djokovic | 7–5, 6–3, 6–1 | 2:27 | 3/5 | 21 | 23 |
| 45. | 2015 | China Open | 500 | Hard | Final | Djokovic | 6–2, 6–2 | 1:30 | 2/3 | 22 | 23 |
| 46. | 2015 | ATP World Tour Finals | Tour Finals | Hard | Semifinals | Djokovic | 6–3, 6–3 | 1:19 | 2/3 | 23 | 23 |
| 47. | 2016 |  Qatar Open | 250 | Hard | Final | Djokovic | 6–1, 6–2 | 1:13 | 2/3 | 24 | 23 |
| 48. | 2016 | Indian Wells Masters | Masters | Hard | Semifinals | Djokovic | 7–6, 6–2 | 1:58 | 2/3 | 25 | 23 |
| 49. | 2016 | Italian Open | Masters | Clay | Quarterfinals | Djokovic | 7–5, 7–6 | 2:25 | 2/3 | 26 | 23 |
| 50. | 2017 | Madrid Open | Masters | Clay | Semifinals | Nadal | 6–2, 6–4 | 1:39 | 2/3 | 26 | 24 |
| 51. | 2018 | Italian Open | Masters | Clay | Semifinals | Nadal | 7–6, 6–3 | 1:56 | 2/3 | 26 | 25 |
| 52. | 2018 | Wimbledon | Major | Grass | Semifinals | Djokovic | 6–4, 3–6, 7–6, 3–6, 10–8 | 5:17 | 5/5 | 27 | 25 |
| 53. | 2019 | Australian Open | Major | Hard | Final | Djokovic | 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 | 2:04 | 3/5 | 28 | 25 |
| 54. | 2019 | Italian Open | Masters | Clay | Final | Nadal | 6–0, 4–6, 6–1 | 2:29 | 3/3 | 28 | 26 |
| 55. | 2020 | ATP Cup | Team | Hard | Team Final | Djokovic | 6–2, 7–6 | 1:55 | 2/3 | 29 | 26 |
Doubles
Djokovic–Nadal| No. | Year | Tournament | Series | Surface | Round | Winner | Score | Opponents | Djokovic | Nadal |
| 1. | 2009 | Canadian Open | Masters | Hard | Last 32 | Nadal/Roig | 7–5, 6–4 | Djokovic/Vemić | 0 | 1 |
| 2. | 2015 | Qatar Open | 250 | Hard | Semifinals | Nadal/Mónaco | 7–6, 6–1 | Djokovic/Krajinović | 0 | 2 |
As a pair
| No. | Year | Tournament | Series | Surface | Round | Pair | Score | Opponents | Wins | Losses |
| 1. | 2010 | Canadian Open | Masters | Hard | Last 32 | Djokovic/Nadal | 7–5, 3–6, | Pospisil/Raonic | 0 | 1 |
Pairing Djokovic and Nadal
Historic achievements
- Only two players in the open era to play 55 matches against one another.
- Only two players in the open era to play 27 finals.
- Only two players to have played each other 27 times in Masters 1000 tournaments.
- Longest winning streak at one Masters 1000 tournament with 11 consecutive victories, 2005-2015, Nadal 7 titles, Djokovic 4 titles.
- Only two players in the open era to simultaneously hold all 9 Masters 1000 titles between them.
- Longest Grand Slam final at 5 hours and 53 minutes
- Longest match in Australian Open history
- Longest ATP three-set match of the Open Era with tie-break in deciding set
- Longest ATP Masters 1000 three-set match of the Open Era
- Latest finish for an uninterrupted Grand Slam final.
- 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.
- First pair to win the two first major tournaments of the season 5 times, since increased to 6 by Federer and Nadal.
- Most consecutive seasons in the Open Era playing a Grand Slam final, from 2010–2014.
- Most matches played against each other at any single Grand Slam event
- Most different ATP Masters Series tournaments played
- Doubles team made up of singles No.1 and No.2
- Highest numbers of Masters 1000 titles in the open era, Nadal 35 and Djokovic 34.
- Djokovic and Nadal hold the all-time record of titles in their respective favored grand slam tournaments. Nadal has a record of 12 French Open titles and Djokovic has 8 Australian Open titles. Neither Djokovic nor Nadal has lost a final in those respective events.
Exhibition matches
Djokovic—Nadal (3–3)
Career evolution
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= active record Performance timeline comparison
Grand Slam tournaments
- Bold = players met during this tournament
2005–2010