It was in the quarterfinals of the 2005 French Open that Novak Djokovic first played against Rafael Nadal, two years after the Serbian turned pro and Nadal had an easy victory over him. But in 2007, Novak Djokovic finally conquered Nadal at the Miami Open final after losing in two previous meetings. That was the beginning of the tennis icon, as he is the only player to defeat Nadal the most in his career.
Djokovic and Nadal met at the finals of the 2013 and 2015 China Open and Djokovic won them all. The most astonishing victory was in 2013, where the Serbian prevailed over the Spaniard.
Novak Djokovic achieved a 100% success rate at Beijing
Novak Djokovic’s reign as China Open champion began in 2009 when he beat Marin Cilic in the final and scored a 6-2, 7-6 victory in an hour and 54 minutes, kicking off his incredible journey at this tournament.
In 2010, Djokovic defended the Beijing title, defeating David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4 in an hour and 24 minutes over two days. Novak Djokovic led 3-1 before the rain sent them off the court. Djokovic and Ferrer returned to the court the following day and continued their battle, with the Serb sealing the deal in straight sets to celebrate another ATP title.
After defending his title in 2010, Novak Djokovic skipped Beijing in 2011 due to an injury and returned in 2012. The Serb reached his 51st ATP final. Novak ousted Jo-Wilfried 7-6, 6-2, in an hour and 42 minutes for the Beijing three-peat.
The following year, Novak Djokovic defended his Beijing title, remaining perfect in the Chinese capital. The Serb defeated his great rival Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 27 minutes in the title clash.Djokovic secured his fourth title at this event after four trips to Beijing, maintaining a perfect score after debuting in 2009.
Novak Djokovic and Nadal met for the 38th time, and the Serb celebrated his 16th victory, leading 12-8 in their hard-court duels and leveling the score in the finals to 9-9. It was Nadal’s first hard-court loss of the season.
In 2015, Novak Djokovic sent Rafael Nadal packing in ruthless fashion 6-2, 6-2 to win his sixth China Open crown in seven years in Beijing. Djokovic maintained a 29-0 lifetime record in China Open matches, a 100% success record that might have propelled him to do the same in 2023 but he opted for rest after his US Open triumph.
How many times did Nadal play Djokovic?
The rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal is regarded as one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history. They have faced off 59 times, including in each of the Grand Slam finals, with Djokovic holding a 30-29 overall advantage. Nadal leads 11-7 in the majors, including 5-4 in major finals, while Djokovic leads 15-13 in finals at all levels. While Djokovic leads 2-0 at the Australian Open and 2-1 at Wimbledon, Nadal leads 8-2 at the French Open and 2-1 at the US Open.
Djokovic is the only player to date to have defeated Nadal in all four major tournaments. In their 59 meetings, they have played 27 times on hard courts, with Djokovic winning 20-7; 28 times on clay, with Nadal winning 20-8; and 4 times on grass, where they are tied 2-2.
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