3 times Roger Federer dominated Novak Djokovic on clay ft 2011 French Open semifinal
Novak Djokovic currently leads the list of tennis players with the most number of Grand Slam titles won (24) and with Roger Federer (20 Grand Slams) having bid adieu to tennis in 2022 and Rafael Nadal (22 Grand Slams) set to follow Federer's path of retirement, Djokovic's record is unlikely to be beaten anytime soon.
However, when it comes to a specific surface, it is Nadal who enjoys the title of being the King of Clay and with 63 clay court titles including 14 French Open wins, the Spaniard has rightly proved why he is worthy of being referred to as the king. However, his biggest rivals and the other two members of the Big Three,- Djokovic and Federer have dominated the realms of hard court and grass courts respectively and despite being unable to match up to Nadal's records, have played their fair share of memorable matches on clay.
Some of these matches happen to have taken place between Djokovic and Federer and while the former leads the latter 18-11 in terms of matches won on clay, there have been times when the Swiss succeeded in getting better of the Serb on the said surface.
With that said, let's take a look at a few matches where Federer dominated Djokovic on clay.
#3 2008 Monte Carlo Semifinal
Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2008 before he went on to win his first major title and the first of the record 10 Australian Open titles he now holds to his name.
However, a couple of months later at Monte Carlo, Federer was able to take an easy lead in a match that Djokovic later ended up retiring from due to breathing difficulties.
The Swiss was leading 6-3 and 3-2 before the Serb decided to put an end to the said encounter. In addition to the health issues, Djokovic also claimed that facing someone like Federer brought extra physical pressure, something that he could not fight at that moment.
Speaking about the same, Djokovic said:
"I didn't feel good for last three days. I've been waking up with some sore throat. But I thought it's not going to be nothing special."
He added, "But obviously when you're playing against the No. 1 player of the world, you obviously get a lot of balls back and longer points, and I just couldn't get enough energy back after each point. I needed a lot of time. And I just decided not to risk anything."
# 2 2014 Monte Carlo Semifinal
Another clay court encounter that ended in Federer's favor again came at Monte Carlo in 2014 when he defeated Djokovic 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinal before losing to compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the finals.
Despite two set points, Djokovic failed to get the better of Federer, a defeat that he largely owed to his taped forearm and wrist, after which he announced his decision to take some time off to let the injury heal. Hence, while the Serb did give a tough fight to the Swiss in the first set, the pain worsened and the former managed to bag two games before the latter took the match.
While Djokovic was the defending champion, it was Federer's first final at Monte Carlo since 2008 which also happens to be the tournament where Federer has beaten Djokovic thrice.
Speaking about his struggle, Djokovic said (via Sports Illustrated):
"It's unfortunate that when you're playing at this level against Roger, big tournament, that you are not able to play your game because something else is taking away all your energy and effort."
Federer on the other hand, acknowledged how the injury prevented his opponent from giving his best but was fairly satisfied with his game. He said (via Sports Illustrated):
"I'm very happy with the way I played. I tried to stay aggressive, like I have all week."
#1 2011 French Open Semifinal
Before one of the classic Federer-Nadal finals, at the semifinal of the 2011 French Open, the Swiss, who has won the championship only once, defeated World No.1 Novak Djokovic 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 in a battle that ended the Serb's 41-0 winning streak that year.
The match did not only prove that Federer had a lot more to give to tennis back then but also brought back a Federer-Nadal final. However, with two out of four games ending in intense tiebreaks, Djokovic did give Federer a great fight before the latter made the best of the surface that did not otherwise favor him.
Speaking about the same, the eight-time Wimbledon Champion said (via The Guardian):
"I would think it is the best match I played this year."
He added, "I did really well, a top start when I was able to break. But I know he has always got something in his racket to break me as well. There was a lot of pressure on Novak but he handled it great. It was a pleasure playing against him. He can still achieve so much more this year."
Despite the said victory, the King of Clay defeated Federer in the finals while Djokovic ended up taking a short break to prepare for Wimbledon after his semifinal loss to the Swiss.