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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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.insidetennis.com/2011/04/novak-sky-biplanes|title=Novak In the Sky With Biplanes|accessdate=14 July 2011}}</ref> Their 2012 Australian Open Final is widely regarded as the greatest match ever played, and is the longest Grand Slam final in history.
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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.insidetennis.com/2011/04/novak-sky-biplanes|title=Novak In the Sky With Biplanes|accessdate=14 July 2011}}</ref> Their 2012 Australian Open Final is widely regarded as the greatest match ever played, and is the longest Grand Slam final in history.

Djokovic is the player with most career wins against Nadal. Nadal is also the player with most career wins against Djokovic. Djokovic is the only player to have defeated Nadal in 3 clay court finals, and is the only player other than Nadal to win all the ATP Masters 1000 clay court finals (Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome). Many experts conclude that Djokovic is the only challenge to Nadal on clay, seeing as how Federer has only recorded 2 match wins against Nadal on clay throughout his career and Soderling is no longer a Top 10 player. The only time Nadal admitted he was not a favorite to win the French Open was in 2011 while Djokovic had his win streak unbroken.

This rivalry is widely regarded as the greatest rivalry in the Open Era and pundits agree every match the pair played since Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open has been extraordinary. With both players still very young, it is expected that this rivalry will be number 1 in terms of matches played.


=== Head-to-head tallies ===
=== Head-to-head tallies ===

Revision as of 18:33, 25 April 2013

The Djokovic–Nadal rivalry is between tennis players Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who are engaged in a modern-day tennis rivalry. They have played each other 34 times with Nadal leading 19 to 15 in match wins.[1] [2]

Between 2006–2010, this rivalry was often overshadowed by the historic Federer–Nadal rivalry, but it started to become widely recognized after they played their first Grand Slam final against each other at the 2010 US Open.

Novak Djokovic

This rivalry is ranked sixth in terms of matches played[3] with Djokovic at 25 years and Nadal at 26 years of age.

The first ever meeting between the two occurred at the 2006 French Open in the quarterfinals, where Nadal prevailed after Djokovic was forced to retire. Their first final appearance came at the 2007 Indian Wells Masters tournament, where Nadal won the event, this was just the second time they met on the ATP Tour. Djokovic's first win was in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Miami Masters in their third meeting. As of April 2013, their last eleven meetings have come in the championship match.[2]

Rafael Nadal

The Djokovic–Nadal rivalry is listed as the third greatest rivalry in the last decade by ATPworldtour.com.[4]

History

2006

Rafael Nadal 2006

The first meeting between the two, which was the only one for this year, was at the French Open (Roland Garros) 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.[5]

2007

Novak Djokovic 2007

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

The first encounter took place at 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 easily, in a matter of 94 minutes.[6] Djokovic however got his revenge the following week, defeating Nadal for the first time in the quarter-finals of the Miami Masters in just 97 minutes.[7]

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 quarter-finals of the Rome Masters[8] and went on to do the same on his way to a second Grand Slam title, at the French Open a month later. Nadal defeated Djokovic, who was playing his first Grand Slam semi-final.[9] They then met for the first time on grass, in the semi-finals of Wimbledon. After having split the first two sets, Djokovic was forced to concede the match to Nadal on a retirement.[10]

At the Canada Masters in Montreal, Djokovic scored his second victory over Nadal, defeating the Spaniard in the semi's en route to winning his second Masters 1000 title.[11]

The final encounter between the two during the year was in the round robin phase Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. Nadal won easily.[12]

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.[13]

Nadal defeated Djokovic in the semis of the Hamburg Masters.[14] 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.[15]

In their fifth encounter of the year at the Cincinnati Masters, Djokovic defeated Nadal in the semis.[16]

The sixth and final battle of the year came at the Beijing Olympics in the semi-finals, 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 during 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.[17] 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.[18]

They then met for a third consecutive tournament on clay, in the semis of the Madrid Masters. Nadal won a gruelling encounter by saving three match points in the process.[19] 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, which did not have a tiebreak in the third set).[20] 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.[21] Djokovic then won his first Masters 1000 title of the year, crushing Nadal in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Paris.[22] 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.[23]

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.[24]

Their second encounter came during the Round Robin stage of the ATP World Tour finals, where Nadal beat Djokovic in two sets.[25]

2011

The pair met 6 times, all in finals. Djokovic won 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.[26]

Two weeks later, the pair met again in the finals of the Miami Masters with Djokovic winning two sets to one.[27]

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.[28] He managed the same feat at the Rome Masters, defeating Nadal in straight sets.[29]

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.[30]

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.[31]

2012

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.[32]

Djokovic and Nadal met again in the 2012 Monte–Carlo Masters 1000 final. This time, Nadal won his eighth consecutive title after defeated Djokovic in two sets, 6–3, 6–1. 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. Nadal defeated Djokovic in straight sets, 7–5, 6–3, and regained the trophy he has won 5 times before. Djokovic was the defending champion (he defeated Nadal last year).

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 Bjorn 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 (6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 7–5) 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.[33]

2013

Djokovic and Nadal contested the Monte Carlo final for a third time, but this was their first meeting since last year's French Open final, and this was the twelfth time in the last thirteen occasions in which they met in the championship match.[34] Nadal failed to win his 9th title after Djokovic defeated him in straight sets 6–2, 7–6(7–1).[35]

Analysis

Djokovic and Nadal have played 34 times to date; Nadal leads 19–15. In Grand Slams, Nadal leads 6–3. In best-of-five matches, Nadal leads 7–3.

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.[36] Their 2012 Australian Open Final is widely regarded as the greatest match ever played, and is the longest Grand Slam final in history.

Djokovic is the player with most career wins against Nadal. Nadal is also the player with most career wins against Djokovic. Djokovic is the only player to have defeated Nadal in 3 clay court finals, and is the only player other than Nadal to win all the ATP Masters 1000 clay court finals (Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome). Many experts conclude that Djokovic is the only challenge to Nadal on clay, seeing as how Federer has only recorded 2 match wins against Nadal on clay throughout his career and Soderling is no longer a Top 10 player. The only time Nadal admitted he was not a favorite to win the French Open was in 2011 while Djokovic had his win streak unbroken.

This rivalry is widely regarded as the greatest rivalry in the Open Era and pundits agree every match the pair played since Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open has been extraordinary. With both players still very young, it is expected that this rivalry will be number 1 in terms of matches played.

Head-to-head tallies

Results on each court surface

List of all matches

ATP, Davis Cup, and Grand Slam tournament main draw results included.[1]

Legend (2004–2008) Legend (2009–present) Djokovic Nadal
Grand Slam Grand Slam 3 6
Tennis Masters Cup ATP World Tour Finals 1 2
ATP Masters Series ATP World Tour Masters 1000 11 8
ATP International Series Gold ATP World Tour 500 Series 0 0
ATP International Series ATP World Tour 250Series 0 1
Davis Cup Davis Cup 0 1
Olympics Olympics 0 1

Djokovic—Nadal (15–19)

No. Year Tournament Surface Round Winner Score Length (H:MM) Djokovic Nadal
1. 2006 France Roland Garros Clay Quarterfinal Nadal 6–4, 6–4, RET 1:54 0 1
2. 2007 United States Indian Wells Hard Final Nadal 6–2, 7–5 1:34 0 2
3. 2007 United States Miami Hard Quarterfinal Djokovic 6–3, 6–4 1:37 1 2
4. 2007 Italy Rome Clay Quarterfinal Nadal 6–2, 6–3 1:41 1 3
5. 2007 France Roland Garros Clay Semi-final Nadal 7–5, 6–4, 6–2 2:28 1 4
6. 2007 United Kingdom Wimbledon Grass Semi-final Nadal 3–6, 6–1, 4–1, RET 1:41 1 5
7. 2007 Canada Canada Hard Semi-final Djokovic 7–5, 6–3 1:51 2 5
8. 2007 China Tennis Masters Cup Hard (i) Round Robin Nadal 6–4, 6–4 1:44 2 6
9. 2008 United States Indian Wells Hard Semi-final Djokovic 6–3, 6–2 1:28 3 6
10. 2008 Germany Hamburg Clay Semi-final Nadal 7–5, 2–6, 6–2 3:03 3 7
11. 2008 France Roland Garros Clay Semi-final Nadal 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(7–3) 2:49 3 8
12. 2008 United Kingdom Queen's Club Grass Final Nadal 7–6(8–6), 7–5 2:16 3 9
13. 2008 United States Cincinnati Hard Semi-final Djokovic 6–1, 7–5 1:26 4 9
14. 2008 China Summer Olympics Hard Semi-final Nadal 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 2:10 4 10
15. 2009 Spain Davis Cup Clay Round Robin Nadal 6–4, 6–4, 6–1 2:28 4 11
16. 2009 Monaco Monte Carlo Clay Final Nadal 6–3, 2–6, 6–1 2:43 4 12
17. 2009 Italy Rome Clay Final Nadal 7–6(7–2), 6–2 2:03 4 13
18. 2009 Spain Madrid Clay Semi-final Nadal 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(11–9) 4:03 4 14
19. 2009 United States Cincinnati Hard Semi-final Djokovic 6–1, 6–4 1:32 5 14
20. 2009 France Paris Hard (i) Semi-final Djokovic 6–2, 6–3 1:17 6 14
21. 2009 United Kingdom ATP World Tour Finals Hard (i) Round Robin Djokovic 7–6(7–5), 6–3 1:58 7 14
22. 2010 United States US Open Hard Final Nadal 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 3:43 7 15
23. 2010 United Kingdom ATP World Tour Finals Hard (i) Round Robin Nadal 7–5, 6–2 1:52 7 16
24. 2011 United States Indian Wells Hard Final Djokovic 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 2:25 8 16
25. 2011 United States Miami Hard Final Djokovic 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–4) 3:21 9 16
26. 2011 Spain Madrid Clay Final Djokovic 7–5, 6–4 2:17 10 16
27. 2011 Italy Rome Clay Final Djokovic 6–4, 6–4 2:12 11 16
28. 2011 United Kingdom Wimbledon Grass Final Djokovic 6–4, 6–1, 1–6, 6–3 2:28 12 16
29. 2011 United States US Open Hard Final Djokovic 6–2, 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 6–1 4:10 13 16
30. 2012 Australia Australian Open Hard Final Djokovic 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5 5:53 14 16
31. 2012 Monaco Monte Carlo Clay Final Nadal 6–3, 6–1 1:18 14 17
32. 2012 Italy Rome Clay Final Nadal 7–5, 6–3 2:20 14 18
33. 2012 France Roland Garros Clay Final Nadal 6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 7–5 3:49 14 19
34. 2013 Monaco Monte Carlo Clay Final Djokovic 6–2, 7–6(7–1) 1:52 15 19

Records

  • Longest ATP Masters 1000 three-set match of the Open Era (at the 2009 Madrid Masters)[citation needed]

    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.[37] A second exhibition, with proceeds to benefit a foundation run by Nadal and the soccer team Real Madrid, was scheduled for July 14, 2012 in Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium,[38] but cancelled because of injury by Nadal.[39]

    Djokovic—Nadal (0–1)

    No. Year Tournament Surface Round Winner Score Djokovic Nadal
    1. 2011 Colombia Bogota Hard Exhibition Nadal 7–6(7–5), 6–3 0 1

    Career evolution

    • () = active record (updated Monday April 22, 2013)
    Age (end of season) 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
    Serbia Djokovic's season 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
    Spain Nadal's season 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
    Grand Slam titles Djokovic 0 0 0 1 1 1 4 5 (6)
    Nadal 0 1 2 3 5 6 9 10 11 (11)
    Grand Slam match wins Djokovic 5 14 33 51 66 85 110 134 (141)
    Nadal 6 19 36 56 80 95 120 143 157 (157)
    Total titles Djokovic 0 2 7 11 16 18 28 34 (37)
    Nadal 1 12 17 23 31 36 43 46 50 (53)
    Total match wins Djokovic 13 53 121 185 263 324 394 469 (495)
    Nadal 45 124 183 253 335 401 472 541 583 (604)
    Ranking Djokovic 78 16 3 3 3 3 1 1 (1)
    Nadal 51 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 4 (5)
    Weeks at number 1 Djokovic 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 62 (78)
    Nadal 0 0 0 0 19 46 76 102 102 (102)

    Performance timeline comparison (Grand Slam tournaments)

    Main article: Tennis performance timeline comparison (men)
    Key
    W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
    (W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
    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

    2011–2013

    Player 2011 2012 2013
    AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA AUS FRA WIM USA
    Serbia Novak Djokovic W SF W W W F SF F W
    Spain Rafael Nadal QF W F F F W 2R A A

    See also

    References

    1. ^ a b ATP World Tour. "ATP Head 2 Head". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    2. ^ a b "Novak & Rafa: The Rivalry". ATP World Tour. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
    3. ^ Sharko, Greg (13 September 2011). "Shark Bites – Djokovic's $10m Season". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
    4. ^ "RIVALRIES OF THE DECADE". Retrieved 19 August 2011.
    5. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 1". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    6. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 2". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    7. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 3". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    8. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 4". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    9. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 5". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    10. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 6". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    11. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 7". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    12. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 8". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    13. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 9". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    14. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 10". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    15. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 12". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    16. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 13". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    17. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 16". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    18. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 17". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    19. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 18". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    20. ^ "Best Matches of the Year". ATP World Tour. 9 December 2009.
    21. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 19". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    22. ^ "In-Form Djokovic Cruises Past Nadal, Reaches 10th Final Of Year". atpworldtour.com. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
    23. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 21". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    24. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 22". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    25. ^ ATP World Tour. "Match Stats No. 23". Retrieved 2011-09-18.
    26. ^ Dwyre, Bill (2011-03-20). "Novak Djokovic finds a secret to tennis success and a dent in Rafael Nadal's armor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
    27. ^ Fodens, Eve (2011-04-04). "Novak Djokovic hot streak rolls on as Rafael Nadal is edged out". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
    28. ^ Newbery, Piers (2011-05-08). "Novak Djokovic ends Nadal's run on clay in Madrid". BBC Sports. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
    29. ^ Hudson, Elizabeth (2011-05-15). "Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win Rome Masters". BBC Sports. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
    30. ^ The Associated Press (2011-07-03). "Novak Djokovic wins Wimbledon title". ESPN. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
    31. ^ The Washington Post and The New York Times (2011-09-12). "Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal in U.S. Open men's final". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
    32. ^ "Longest Men's Singles Championship Final". ESPN Sports. 30 January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    33. ^ "NADAL TOPS DJOKOVIC TO BREAK BORG'S PARIS RECORD". ATP World Tour. 11 June. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    34. ^ Nadal, Djokovic seal third Monte Carlo final - ABC Grandstand Sport - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
    35. ^ Djokovic dethrones Nadal in Monte Carlo - ABC Grandstand Sport - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
    36. ^ "Novak In the Sky With Biplanes". Retrieved 14 July 2011.
    37. ^ "Nadal beats Djokovic in Colombia's most important tennis match ever". Associated Press. 21 March 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
    38. ^ "Exhibition match set for Madrid". Associated Press. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
    39. ^ "Injured Nadal out of Djokovic exhibition". ESPN. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Novak Đoković.
    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rafael Nadal.

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