Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are two of the biggest names in men’s tennis and along with Roger Federer, make up the Big 3 of Tennis. The most prominent among a plethora of records possessed by the duo include the two highest tallies of Grand Slam titles after Federer – Nadal (19), Djokovic (16) – and also the two highest tallies of Grand Slam match wins after Federer – Nadal (271), Djokovic (280).
Take a look at a few incidental similarities between Djokovic and Nadal.
Both of them won their first 34 Masters 1000 titles from 50 finals
Djokovic has enjoyed great success at ATP Masters 1000 events throughout his career. He enjoyed another milestone by reaching his 50th masters 1000 Championship match with a win against Grigor Dimitrov at the Rolex Paris Masters. He became the first player after Federer and Nadal to play a staggering tally of 50 Masters 1000 finals.
In the final match, Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov in straight sets to win a record-extending fifth title at the venue. With the win at Bercy, Djokovic now has 34 Masters titles, compared to Rafael Nadal’s 35
Incidentally, Nadal also won his 50th Masters 1000 final – which came about in 2019 Rome. In the final, the Spaniard beat none other than Djokovic himself in three sets to win a record-extending 9th title in the Italian capital. Nadal also broke a tie with Djokovic by claiming a record 34th ATP Masters 1000 crown.
They have never lost against 70% of all opponents faced
Rafael Nadal has faced 281 different opponents during his career and has never lost a match against 198 of them. This accounts for a perfect record against 70% (198/281) of all opponents faced.
During his career, Novak Djokovic has faced 248 different opponents, beating 174 of them without enduring a defeat. This also makes for a perfect record against 70% (174/248) of all opponents faced.
They have a winning record against Federer
During their immensely successful careers, both Nadal and Djokovic have beaten Roger Federer more than any other player has. Both men also have a winning head-to-head record against the Swiss maestro.
In 40 career meetings with Federer, Nadal has beaten the 20-time Grand Slam champion on 24 occasions. Nadal leads Federer 10-4 in Grand Slam matches – a tally that includes six wins in Grand Slam finals.
Djokovic and Federer have faced each other 49 times with Djokovic leading 26–23. Djokovic leads 13–6 in finals. Their matches include a record 16 Grand Slam matches, five of which were finals, plus a record ten semi-finals.
They have defeated Federer in tournament finals more times than they have defeated any other player
Federer has lost 54 tournament finals against 21 different players during his illustrious 22-year professional career.
However, more than half of his losses in title matches have come against the duo of Nadal and Djokovic. Both Nadal and Djokovic have won 14 tournament finals apiece at the expense of the 20-time Grand Slam champion – a tally which includes 10 Grand Slam finals (Nadal-6, Djokovic-4).
They have the two-best win-loss percentages in the Open Era
Among players to have played over 200 matches, Nadal (973-197) and Djokovic (893-187) are two of only seven players to have a career win-loss record of over 80%.
Nadal (83.2%) and Djokovic (82.7%) lead the list with the two-best win-loss records of any player.
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