Nadal – Djokovic rivalry
Their rivalry was listed as the third best rivalry of the past decade by the ATP, behind Federer-Nadal (of course) and Sampras-Agassi (kinda weird because they only met 6 times in the 00’s ).
In just over 6 years, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic already met 32 times (Federer and Nadal “only” met 28 times in 8 years). And they provided some intense matches: this year’s Australian Open final, the 2009 Madrid SF, the 2008 Olympic Games SF…
Quick facts:
– Nadal won five of eight of their Grand Slam matches.
– Nadal dominates on clay and grass, whereas Djokovic rules on hard courts.
– Nadal lead 2-1 in 2012: Djokovic won the Australian Open final on hard courts, and Nadal won in Monte Carlo and Rome on clay
In pink the Grand Slam matches, in gold the Olympic Games. You can click on the column to sort.
| No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Round | Winner | Score | N. D. | R. N. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006 | French Open | Clay | QF | Nadal | 6-4 6-4 retired | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 2007 | Indian Wells | Hard | F | Nadal | 6-2 7-5 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | 2007 | Miami | Hard | QF | Djokovic | 6-3 6-4 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | 2007 | Rome | Clay | QF | Nadal | 6-2 6-3 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | 2007 | French Open | Clay | SF | Nadal | 7-5 6-4 6-2 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | 2007 | Wimbledon | Grass | SF | Nadal | 3-6 6-1 4-1 retired | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | 2007 | Canada (Montreal) | Hard | SF | Djokovic | 7-5 6-3 | 2 | 5 |
| 8 | 2007 | Shanghai | Hard (i) | RR | Nadal | 6-4 6-4 | 2 | 6 |
| 9 | 2008 | Indian Wells | Hard | SF | Djokovic | 6-3 6-2 | 3 | 6 |
| 10 | 2008 | Hamburg | Clay | SF | Nadal | 7-5 2-6 6-2 | 3 | 7 |
| 11 | 2008 | French Open | Clay | SF | Nadal | 6-4 6-2 7-6(3) | 3 | 8 |
| 12 | 2008 | London (Queen’s Club) | Grass | F | Nadal | 7-6(6) 7-5 | 3 | 9 |
| 13 | 2008 | Cincinnati | Hard | SF | Djokovic | 6-1 7-5 | 4 | 9 |
| 14 | 2008 | Beijing | Hard | SF | Nadal | 6-4 1-6 6-4 | 4 | 10 |
| 15 | 2009 | Serbia v Spain | Clay | RR | Nadal | 6-4 6-4 6-1 | 4 | 11 |
| 16 | 2009 | Monte Carlo | Clay | F | Nadal | 6-3 2-6 6-1 | 4 | 12 |
| 17 | 2009 | Rome | Clay | F | Nadal | 7-6(2) 6-2 | 4 | 13 |
| 18 | 2009 | Madrid | Clay | SF | Nadal | 3-6 7-6(5) 7-6(9) | 4 | 14 |
| 19 | 2009 | Cincinnati | Hard | SF | Djokovic | 6-1 6-4 | 5 | 14 |
| 20 | 2009 | Paris | Hard (i) | SF | Djokovic | 6-2 6-3 | 6 | 14 |
| 21 | 2009 | London | Hard (i) | RR | Djokovic | 7-6(5) 6-3 | 7 | 14 |
| 22 | 2010 | US Open | Hard | F | Nadal | 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 | 7 | 15 |
| 23 | 2010 | London | Hard (i) | RR | Nadal | 7-5 6-2 | 7 | 16 |
| 24 | 2011 | Indian Wells | Hard | F | Djokovic | 4-6 6-3 6-2 | 8 | 16 |
| 25 | 2011 | Miami | Hard | F | Djokovic | 4-6 6-3 7-6(4) | 9 | 16 |
| 26 | 2011 | Madrid | Clay | F | Djokovic | 7-5 6-4 | 10 | 16 |
| 27 | 2011 | Rome | Clay | F | Djokovic | 6-4 6-4 | 11 | 16 |
| 28 | 2011 | Wimbledon | Grass | F | Djokovic | 6–4 6–1 1–6 6–3 | 12 | 16 |
| 29 | 2011 | US Open | Hard | F | Djokovic | 6–2 6–4 6-7 6–1 | 13 | 16 |
| 30 | 2012 | Australian Open | Hard | F | Djokovic | 5-7 6–4 6-2 6–7 7-5 | 14 | 16 |
| 31 | 2012 | Monte Carlo | Clay | F | Nadal | 6-3 6-1 | 14 | 17 |
| 32 | 2012 | Rome | Clay | F | Nadal | 7-5 6-3 | 14 | 18 |
