5 opponents that both Federer and Nadal enjoy playing against
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the two most prominent names in men's tennis.
The duo, in that order, have won the most Grand Slam titles (Federer-20, Nadal-19). They are also among just three players (Novak Djokovic being the third) to play 50 Masters finals and record over 350 match wins in the tournament category.
Federer's 40-match win streaks at Wimbledon (2003 to 2008) and at the US Open (2004 to 2009) are the longest at the two tournaments. Nadal's 12 titles, 5 consecutive titles, 39 match win streak (2010 to 2015) and 93 match wins at Roland Garros are unrivaled by any player ever.
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Amidst a slew of other records and achievements over the course of their illustrious careers, the duo have left many a fine player in their wake. Over 200 different players have played both Federer and Nadal but only three players (one active) have a winning head-to-head against the two legends.
Despite the fact that Federer and Nadal have beaten Djokovic on more occasions than they have any other player (Federer-23, Nadal-26), the Serb is the only active player among three in total to have a positive head-to-head against the two legends.
On that note, let us take a look at five players that both Federer and Nadal enjoy playing against. These are Federer's and Nadal's top five favorite opponents in terms of combined win % (minimum four matches played against both).
#5 Denis Istomin (Kazakhstan)
Istomin has met Nadal on five occasions - thrice at Grand Slams, once at a Masters 1000 (Miami 2014) and once at an ATP 250 tournament (2010 London Queens). On all but one occasion (Queens), Istomin has failed to even take a set off the Spaniard; needless to say, he has lost all five of those matches.
The bespectacled Kazakh has fared slightly better against Federer, winning a set on two occasions. But he has still lost on all the seven occasions - twice at a Grand Slam, twice at a Masters 1000, twice at an ATP 500 tournament, and once at an ATP 250 tournament - that he has faced the 20-time Grand Slam champion.