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Federer, Nadal, Djokovic: three of the greatest players ever are competing in the same era. After a time in which Nole seemed completely unbeatable, Federer and Nadal have come back to the top of world tennis and arguably as strong as ever. Roger Federer with his 20th Grand Slam victory has showed to be once more the king of tennis, however Nadal with his 17th Grand Slam and current number 1 spot in ATP classification wants to contest. Edited in June 2022, Nadal leads the Grand Slam count with 22, followed by Federer and Djokovic with 20 each.
Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have dominated tennis over the last 10 years. Each of them has a different play style and their preferred surface. These players have longstanding rivalry and have encountered each other on many occassions, often in Grand Slam finals. Federer last Grand Slam trophies were the Australia Open 2018 and 2017, as well as Wimbledon 2017; Nadal won Roland Garros 2018 and 2017, as well as the Open USA in 2017; and Djokovic won the American tournament in 2016. It does not seem that any of the best young tennis player is still ready to replace any of these three legendary sportsmen.
Best tennis player?
- Nadal is often nicknamed the King of Clay. The Spanish player has won an outstanding number of titles on this surface, including 11 French Open, and reached an incredible streak of 81 consecutive wins on clay. But he has also won major titles on all the surfaces and even an Olympic Gold in Bejing 2008.
- Djokovic has suffered injuries and his performance at the ATP World Tour is not back at its best. The Serbian has won many titles in the last few years, clinching his 12th Grand Slam in June 2016 at the French Open. He then became the first player since Rod Laver to hold the four Grand Slam titles at the same time. But at Laver's time (1969) three of the four tournaments were played on grass, which makes Djokovic's accomplishment even more notable.
- Federer has been called the Greatest Of All Times by many observers, and compared to other sport legends such as Jordan, Rossi or Woods, maybe a bit too soon now that Nadal and Djokovic are getting closer to his records. Not only is he praised for his 20 Grand Slam titles, or his 302 weeks as number one, but also for his style of play. He keeps many records, among which 65 straight victories on grass. He won his 19th Grand Slam at Wimbledon in July 2017 and his 20th at Melbourne in January 2018, being one of the oldest player to win a major title.
Nadal vs Djokovic vs Federer: comparing the players
Here are the main achievements of the three players (updated after Roland Garros 2018):
| Rafael Nadal | Novak Djokovic | Roger Federer | |
| Birthdate | June 3, 1986 | May 22, 1987 | August 8, 1981 |
| Turned pro | 2001 | 2003 | 1998 |
| Grand Slams | 17 | 12 | 20 |
| Australian Open | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| French Open | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| Wimbledon | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| US Open | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| World Tour Finals | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| Masters 1000 | 32 | 30 | 27 |
| Others | 30 | 20 | 50 |
| Total titles | 79 | 68 | 97 |
|
Gold medals Weeks at nº1 |
2 177 |
0 223 |
1 309 |
| Total wins | 903 | 797 | 1149 |
Head to Head
| Nadal vs Djokovic | 25 vs 26 |
| Djokovic vs Federer | 23 vs 22 |
| Nadal vs Federer | 23 vs 15 |
Records of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in Grand Slam tournaments
Statistics are up to date after Wimbledon 2017
- Federer has won more Grand Slam tournaments than any other male player (20), but he also holds the records for most finals (29), semifinals (42) and quarterfinals (50), showing great consistency at the highest level in the biggest tournaments. By the end of the 2018 Australian Open, he had won a record 332 matches in Grand Slam. Federer has won a record 8 titles at Wimbledon, and is the only player to reach at least 5 times the finals at each Grand Slam.
- Nadal is second in Grand Slam titles (17) after his victory at Roland Garros 2018, a tournament he has won 11 times, a record for any Grand Slam. Nadal has 90% win rate in the French Open. He has won more Masters 1000 titles than any other player in history. Nadal was the first player to win at least one Grand Slam tournament for 10 consecutive years.
- Djokovic is fourth in Grand Slam titles (12), but has succeeded where Nadal and Federer failed: winning successively the four Grand Slam tournaments. He then won 30 Grand Slam matches in a row, a record in Open era. He has also won the Australian Open a record 6 times. He is the only player to reach three times in a row the finals in each Grand Slam tournament.
Check out these videos with the career highlights of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer
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2528 xp
516 posts
What about Nole? He is the true king. And has been so for a few years. Nadal's injuries accelerated his decline. Federer is having more than a decent twilight but is far from Djokovic. Why are so many people not really giving him the credit he deserves? He was the one who dismantled the epic Nadal-Federer competition
1110 xp
341 posts
I think that you Rafa and Fed fans can agree on many things. Each of the players has his own values and weaknesses. It is extremely complicated to say which one is the best. Due to its longer trajectory probably Federer has been more influential so far, but if Nadal would be fit again and could compete 3 or 4 years at his best we would likely beat some of Federer records.
130 xp
13 posts
First of all, Federer and Nadal have just played 3 matches on Grass, with Federer leading 2-1. On indoors, Federer leading 4-1. On clay its 13-2 , so you see where it makes all the difference. You say Nadal is an all court player just because he has won on all surfaces. Federer has also won on all courts and a French Open and at least reached finals of some of the other French Opens which Nadal won. Nadal is not a good indoor player. Also Nadal has just won one Wimbledon like Federer's one French Open. Yeah Federer's hasn't beaten Nadal in French Open yet. You say its just 3 week transition from clay to grass. Does Federer get any extra time for transition, no right. Thats one weak aspect just like Federer's is clay. A dominant record is important for being best, but then Federer has to be be given points for his longevity and also as you said, you'll have to wait to see where these players end when they retire. As far as records are concerned, currently you can say yeah Federer is best of all times (No. of slams, consecutive weeks as no1 , consecutive slam finals/semis) . Only when someone breaks these records you can say that he is better. And one more thing, you may not consider it as being a part of the greatest, is Federer's style of play. A single handed backhand, and all kind of variations you can imagine. Yep maybe because I am his fan that I go absolutely crazy when he hits one of his drop shots or an impossible volley or a tweener. Maybe you would be going crazy for Nadal's curlers and those huge forehand winners. Its the same thing I am Fed fan, you are Rafa fan, we can never agree.
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