Nadal vs Djokovic: GOAT, head-to-head, stats, all you need to know about the rivalry – updated after their final clash at Six Kings Slam

WHAT IS THE Head-to-head BETWEEN NADAL AND DJOKOVIC?

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have played each other 60 times, with Djokovic now leading 31-29 after their latest battle, a 6-1, 6-4 win for the Serbian in the second round of the Paris Olympics.

Their rivalry is one of the most remarkable in tennis history, the greatest rivalry of the last decade and the most prolific in the Open era. Djokovic leads in clashes in finals, at 15 to 13. But Nadal has won the most of their 18 Grand Slam meetings, with 11 wins to seven. Their most recent Grand Slam match was at the 2022 French Open, when Nadal beat Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in a sensational quarter-final, going on to win the title for a record 14th time.

Of their 60 matches, 27 have been played on hard courts, 29 on clay, and four on grass. The pair have met in the finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments. Remarkably, they are the only male pair in Open Era history to have met in four consecutive major finals, from Wimbledon 2011 to Roland Garros 2012. 

Their first confrontation took place in the 2006 French Open quarter-finals. Djokovic retired in the third set, with Nadal leading two sets to love. 

The first part of their rivalry, from 2006 to 2010, was overshadowed by the one between Nadal and Roger Federer. It was also dominated by the Spaniard, who defeated Djokovic 16 time to seven.  From 2011 to 2016, Djokovic prevailed, with a 19-7 record; before that, from March 2011 to April 2013, they met in 11 finals.  

Djokovic is also the man who has challenged Nadal on clay the most, having beaten him nine times (to 19 losses). The Serbian is the only player to have beaten the Spaniard in four clay-court finals and the only active player to have beaten him at Roland Garros (in three sets in 2015, in five sets in 2021’s epic semi-final and at the Olympics in 2024). 

A complete list of their matches is available on the ATP website. 

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the net after their 54th meeting in Rome in 2019.

When did Nadal and Djokovic play their last match against each other?

Nadal and Djokovic brought the curtains down on their storied rivalry on October 19, 2024, with a final on-court clash at the Six Kings Slam — an exhibition held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Djokovic came out as the winner, beating Nadal 6-2, 7-6 (5).

The two fought for third place in the competition after the Spaniard lost to compatriot Carlos Alcaraz and the Serbian went down against Italian Jannik Sinner in their respective semi-finals.

“We’ve played an awful quit a lot of times in our careers,” Nadal said ahead of the final meeting with Djokovic. “So one more time, it’s going to be good fun. Yeah, excited about playing against again Novak. We had super long and beautiful story behind. So, let’s try to enjoy that last battle, being professional myself, just going to try my best and try to bring good energy and good show to the people.”

“Should be fun,” Djokovic chimed in. “You know, Rafa and I played 60 times or more. So, it’s another fantastic opportunity to face each other before he retires from tennis.”

Rafa and Novak have played 60 times, but it will be for the last time on Saturday. 🥹

Stream it live 12:30PM ET on the Tennis Channel app 📲#SixKingsSlam pic.twitter.com/hhOLJVYIrd

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 18, 2024

The outcome of this match didn’t count toward their official head-to-head record for it is an exhibition.

Nadal vs Djokovic: Who is the best?

It is very hard to compare these two champions and establish who might be the GOAT (Greatest Of All-Time), especially since their careers are not over. Nevertheless, here are a few numbers to compare them. 

As of July 2024, Nadal and Djokovic have won 46 Grand Slam titles between them, 24 for Djokovic and 22 for Nadal. 

How many titles have Nadal and Djokovic won?

Nadal has won 92 ATP titles in his career, which can be broken down as follows: 

• Grand Slam: 22
• Masters : 0
• Masters 1000 : 36
• ATP 500: 23
• ATP 250 : 10

He also lost 37 finals, including eight in Grand Slams. Nadal has won the Davis Cup five times with Spain; in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019. The Spaniard won the gold medal in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a gold medal in doubles with Marc Lopez at the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

Djokovic, who turned pro five years after Federer, has won 98 ATP titles in his career, which can be broken down as follows: 

• Grand Slam: 24
• ATP Tour Finals: 7
• Masters 1000: 40
• ATP 500: 15
• ATP 250: 12

He has also lost 36 finals, 13 of them in Grand Slams.  

Novak Djokovic lifted the Davis Cup in 2010 with Serbia. The Serb won the bronze medal in singles at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. 

Djokovic is the only player to have won every Masters 1000 event in his career (Miami, Indian Wells, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Montreal / Toronto, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris, and World Tour Finals). Nadal has not won in Miami, where he lost several times in the final, or Paris, where he lost in the final in 2007. He has also never won the ATP Finals, the biggest gap in his resume.

Nadal has finished five seasons ranked world No 1. He did it in 2008, 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019. Djokovic now has seven – in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020 and 2023. Since 2010, only Andy Murray in 2016 and Carlos Alcaraz in 2022 have prevented Djokovic or Nadal from finishing a year at the top of the ATP ranking. 

As of July 2024, Nadal has been world number 1 for 209 weeks but Djokovic holds the all-time record, having topped the list for 428 weeks, having long ago broken Federer’s record of 310 weeks. 

Nadal vs Djokovic: Who has the best stats?

Nadal has won 1080 matches in his career, compared to Djokovic’s 1111 (all figures as of July 29, 2024).  

• Rafael Nadal has won 82.6% of the matches he played in his career (1080 wins to 226 losses).
• Novak Djokovic has won 83.5% of the matches he played in his career (1112 wins to 220 losses).

• On hard courts, Djokovic has won 84.7% of his matches, a better percentage than Nadal, who is 77.5%. 
• On clay, Nadal, the “king of clay”, has won 90.5% of his matches, compared to 80% for Djokovic. 
• On grass, Djokovic has won 85.7% of his matches, more than Nadal, who has won 79.2%. 

WHAT ARE THE BEST NADAL-DJOKOVIC MATCHES?

2012 AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINAL

Djokovic took on this match with a significant psychological edge. He had won all seven encounters with Nadal in 2011, each time in the final. But the Serbian had just played two days earlier an extraordinary 4hr-50 minute semi-final against Andy Murray, won 7-5 in the fifth set.

Nadal won the first set, and had never lost a Grand Slam final when doing so. The Serb reversed the trend and seemed to be heading for a four-set win when, at 4-3 in his favour in the fourth set, he led 40-0 on Nadal’s serve. 

Nadal held on, kept battling for every point, and eventually snatched the fourth set. He celebrated the win as if he had won the tournament. The Spaniard maintained his momentum to get the break first in the fifth set. Yet Djokovic rallied from 4-2 down and fought back by taking again the Nadal serve. 

In a breathless atmosphere, past 1.30 am local time, Djokovic saved a last break point on his serve, then converted his first match point with a stunning forehand winner to claim a dramatic victory, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5. 

The Serb then took his shirt off and roared in a memorable celebration. The award ceremony only added to the match’s legend. As the two men, exhausted and struggling to stay on their feet, the sponsors’ speeches went on and on. Eventually, organisers took pity and brought chairs and bottles of water.

At 5hrs, 53 minutes, this match is the longest Grand Slam final in history. The two gladiators fought in an astonishing endurance contest. Djokovic finished with 57 winners to 69 unforced errors, Nadal with 44 winners to 71 unforced errors.

“This one was very special,” Nadal admitted in the press conference. “That’s probably a match that’s going to be in my mind not because I lost, no, because the way that we played.”

2013 FRENCH OPEN SEMI-FINAL

Another marathon with exceptional drama. Back in June 2013, the French Open was the only Grand Slam Novak Djokovic had not won, and the Serb was going for the “Nole Slam” after seizing the last three Slams against Nadal in the finals. 

The Serbian was a man on a mission. He was on his way to knock Nadal out of Roland-Garros when he served with a break lead at 4-3 in the fifth set. Nadal had never been so challenged in a fifth set at Roland-Garros. 

But at 40-40 on his serve, a point will cost Djokovic dearly: the Serb lost his balance in after rushing to hit a winning overhead, he hit the net and lost the point. On the next point, an unforced error of his gave Nadal the break back. The Spaniard then went in for the kill and prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 9-7.

2018 WIMBLEDON SEMI-FINAL

For the first time in three years, the champions met again in a semi-final as good as any, in terms of level. Nadal had not been to the semis since 2011 and Djokovic had not played a slam semi-final since the 2016 US Open. 

Djokovic took a crucial step towards victory by winning a thrilling third-set tiebreak. The match had to be interrupted at the end of the third set due to Wimbledon’s 11 p.m. curfew. It had started at only 8:10 p.m. due to the extended semi-final match between Isner and Anderson. 

But Nadal seemed to come back as the better player the day after and snatched the fourth set. In the deciding set, the Spaniard got the first break points at 4-4 and then 7-7. But Djokovic held his serve and finally won this classic 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8), 3-6, 10-8 after 5hs 16 minutes of play. 

2019 AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINAL / 2015 ROLAND-GARROS SEMIS

The Serbian produced one of his most flawless displays against Nadal in the 2019 Australian Open final, when he won 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

2009 MADRID MASTERS SEMI-FINAL

Their most legendary clash on the ATP Tour, 4hrs 10mins long, this Madrid Masters 1000 semi-final was the longest match ever played in a Masters 1000 event.

Nadal won this fantastic fight 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (9) after saving three match points in a football-like atmosphere. “I played the best tennis match of my life. Two points decided the match. It’s very frustrating,” Djokovic said later in his press conference. 

Who is the best in Grand Slams?

As of July 28, 2024, Rafael Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam titles while the Serb now tops the list with 24. Both players have won all four Grand Slam tournaments in their careers. Nadal has done it twice while Djokovic has won each of them at least three times. 

Djokovic has won seven titles at Wimbledon, compared to Nadal’s two and a record 10 titles at the Australian Open, compared to two for Nadal. Nadal won the US Open four times, the same number as Djokovic, and triumphed 14 times at Roland Garros, while Djokovic has won the title three times there. 

In their Grand Slam meetings, Nadal leads 11-7. They have met in nine Grand Slam finals. 

• At the Australian Open, Djokovic leads 2-0, both in finals, in 2012 and 2019.
• In Paris, at the French Open, Nadal has defeated Djokovic eight times, beating him three times in the final, in 2012, 2014 and 2020.
• At Wimbledon, Djokovic leads 2-1 (Djokovic won their only meeting in the finals in 2011). 
• In New York, at the US Open, Nadal leads 2-1, with all matches played in the finals. The Spaniard won the 2010 and 2013 finals, and the Serbian won the 2011 final. 

HAVE NADAL AND DJOKOVIC EVER PLAYED AT THE OLYMPICS?

Yes. Twice. The first came in the 2008 Olympics, in Beijing, when Nadal won 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in the semi-finals, the Spaniard going on to win the title and the Olympic gold medal. Djokovic took the bronze medal, to date his only medal at the Olympics. The second came in the second round of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, when Djokovic won 6-1, 6-4.

Who has the best record against Roger Federer?

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic both lead in their head-to-heads with Roger Federer, five and six years older than them respectively. 

Nadal has 24 wins to 16 losses against Roger Federer. In Grand Slams, Nadal has beaten his Swiss rival 10 times and lost four times.  Djokovic defeated the Swiss 27 times and lost 23. In Grand Slams, Novak also has a positive ratio: he led 11-6.  

Nadal vs Djokovic: Are they friends?

“It’s kind of difficult” to be friends, says Novak Djokovic, because “we are rivals of course“, answering a question about his friendship with Nadal and Federer. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic “have always respected each other”, as great champions. 

Rafael Nadal, however, puts his relationship with Federer one notch above the one he has with the Serb. “It is true that with Federer I have lived more moments and spent more time with him than with Djokovic”, he admitted in an interview with Ultima Hora, before adding: “I have good relations with both and I think we have achieved that amongst us”. 

Nadal and Djokovic have played together at a few exhibitions, as in Milan in September 2016 to raise money for the Novak Djokovic Foundation, and in October 2019 in Kazakhstan to raise money for Rafael Nadal Foundation. “And as the days pass our relationship is getting better and better“, says the Mallorcan on his relationship with the Serb.