5 longest matches between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic ft. Historic Australian Open 2012 final
The rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is the most prolific in men's tennis history in the Open Era, with the two players facing each other at least once every year since 2006.
Over the years, the pair have faced each other a total of 59 times with the Serb leading the head-to-head with 30 wins. However, the Mallorcan leads the head-to-head when it comes to Grand Slam matches at 11-7.
The furious rivalry between the pair has given fans numerous breathtaking moments and unforgettable matches.
As of 2023, the pair hold a total of 44 Grand Slam titles (22 each). While Novak Djokovic looks fine to participate in the forthcoming French Open, fans are also hoping for the 14-time winner's much-awaited return to his favorite tournament.
The two have never disappointed the fans with their athleticism and performance, and have had some marathon matches over the last 16 years. On that note, let's take a look at the 5 longest matches between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic:
#5 French Open 2021 semifinal - 4 hours and 11 minutes
Since making his professional debut, Rafael Nadal has been virtually unstoppable at the French Open. However, there have been a few occasions when the 'King of Clay' fell short of triumphing on the clay court.
In 2021, Novak Djokovic was seeded first in the French Open following his appreciable form in the Australian Open and other ATP events. The Serb smashed the title hopes of Tennys Sandgren, Pablo Cuevas, Ricardas Berankis, Lorenzo Musetti, and Matteo Berrettini to reach the semifinals, where he was up against his arch-rival.
The then-13-time Roland Garros win secured the first set against his arch-rival 6-3. However, Djokovic drafted a brilliant comeback to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 and book his berth in the final, which he went on to win against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
#4 French Open 2022 quarterfinal - 4 hours and 12 minutes
A year after their semifinal clash at the 2021 French Open, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal locked horns in the quarterfinals of the clay-court Major. Djokovic was seeded first while the latter was seeded fifth in the tournament.
The Spaniard took down the likes of Jordan Thompson, Corentin Moutet, Botic van de Zandschulp, and Felix Auger Aliassime to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament, where he contested against defending champion Djokovic.
Similarly to last year, Nadal secured the first set over Djokovic, and the Serb triumphed in the second set. However this time, instead of going down, the southpaw flipped the script on the Serb and won the third set. In the 4th set, Djokovic managed to force a tie-break, but it turned out to be his opponent's day as he won the match 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) and secured a place in the semifinals.
#3 French Open 2013 semifinal - 4 hours and 37 minutes
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic locked horns in the semifinals of the 2013 French Open. The Serb defeated David Goffin, Guido Pella, Grigor Dimitrov, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Tommy Haas to secure a semifinal spot.
Here, he was up against Rafael Nadal, who was in terrific form at the moment. Nadal and Djokovic battled for an incredible four hours 37 minutes, with the Spaniard winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(7), 9-7 to book his spot in the final, where he beat David Ferrer to win the tournament.
#2 Wimbledon 2018 semifinal - 5 hours and 15 minutes
The 2018 Wimbledon semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is regarded as one of the best matches in the history of the competition. After Roland Garros, the Spaniard was in great form when he walked into the All England Club.
Roger Federer was the defending champion and top seed, but he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the eventual runner-up, Kevin Anderson. Anderson booked his place in the final by beating John Isner in the semifinals.
The other semifinal was between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. It went on for a whopping five hours and 15 minutes, with Djokovic raising his hands in the air after winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (11), 3-6, 10-8.
#1 Australian Open 2012 final - Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic play out longest Grand Slam final (5 hours and 53 minutes)
Novak Djokovic was the favorite to win the 2012 Australian Open after the stellar season he had in 2011. However, the in-form Rafael Nadal was far from willing to let the Serb just run away with the trophy.
In order to reach the final, Djokovic defeated top stars such as Lleyton Hewitt, David Ferrer and Andy Murray, while the Spaniard triumphed over the likes of Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer to reach the title clash.
The match had everything from top-notch defense to powerful strokes, and no one was ready to give up. The southpaw started the match by winning the first set 7-5. However, the Serb came from behind to win the 2nd and 3rd sets 6-4, 6-2.
The fourth set would have been a decider for both stars but Nadal refused to lose and extended the match to the last set after a hard-fought tie-breaker. After another neck-to-neck contest in the fifth set, the Serb won 7-5 to win his third Australian Open title after a final that lasted five hours and 53 minutes -- which, to this day, remains the longest Grand Slam final in men's tennis history.