Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have formed what is arguably one of tennis’ greatest rivalries, having faced off a remarkable 59 times, a record in men’s tennis. The Serbian star holds a 30-29 lead, with their clashes to date having taken place over a 16-year period from 2006 to 2022. Also, both tennis stars have won a total of 46 Grand Slam titles, with Djokovic leading with 24, two times more than the Spanish legend.
As the argument about who is the GOAT of tennis has been raging since the US Open, however, Djokovic reflects on meeting Nadal at the beginning of his career and how he felt when close to him.
Djokovic opens up about being intimidated by Nadal
Novak Djokovic revealed a fascinating insight from his early years as a tennis player. The Serbian said that he felt intimidated by his big rival, Rafael Nadal. Meanwhile, when Djokovic made his breakthrough at the top of the world ranking in 2008, Nadal and Federer had already established the Big Two and the Serbian star originally found it difficult to defeat them..
At one point, Rafael Nadal led Novak Djokovic 14-4 in head-to-head matches, but as Djokovic grew in experience, he began to reduce the gap in other ways as well. As of 2022, Djokovic had a head-to-head record of 27-23 against Nadal, which has now improved to 30-29.
During an interview with Jon Wertheim on 60 Minutes on CBS News, reigning world No. 1 Djokovic revealed how he was unnerved by Nadal early in his career. “I’m playing Nadal in Roland Garros, and I have his locker next to my locker, right? So, we are so close,” he explained. “And we’re trying to give each other space. But then the locker room is also not that big. And, the way you jump around like Nadal does before we go out on the court.”
“In the locker room, he’s doing sprints next to you. I can even hear the music he’s listening to, you know, in his headphones. So, you know, it’s pissing me off. Early in my career, I didn’t realise how all that’s part of the scenario, right? So I was getting intimidated by that.But it’s also motivating me to do stuff myself and to show that I’m ready, you know? I’m ready for a battle, for a war,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal is set for a comeback in 2024, and he is willing to be on the Roland Garros court again, while Djokovic remains the favorite to win the Australian Open.
Djokovic’s H2H record vs Nadal
The rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is one of the most extraordinary in tennis history and the most prolific in the Open era. The two men have faced each other 59 times, more than any other player, with Djokovic leading their head-to-head 30 to 29. The Serb is also the one who has won the most finals (15 to 13), but Nadal has won most of their Grand Slam meetings, triumphing 11 times and losing seven times.
Out of the total 59 meetings, 28 were held on clay, 27 on hard court, and four on grass. The tennis legends have faced each other in the finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments, making them the only male pair in Open Era history to have met in four consecutive major finals. In their initial encounter, Nadal emerged victorious with a two-set advantage as Djokovic retired during the third set of the 2006 French Open quarter-finals. Djokovic retired during the third set.
From 2006 to 2010, Nadal dominated the rivalry, defeating Djokovic 16 times and losing only seven times.
