Statistical comparison: National records of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
The trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have dominated men’s tennis for more than a decade now. A total of 38 Grand Slam titles are shared amongst them. The rivalries between these three supremely talented athletes are considered by many to be the best in the history of the sport. Federer is the all-time leading major winner with 17 titles, Nadal is tied with Pete Sampras in second place with 14 titles, while Djokovic has seven Grand Slams to his name.
They have done tremendously well on all surfaces and entertained fans worldwide with exceptional tennis. But how do they fare for their nation? Let us take a look.
Davis Cup
Davis Cup is a team event organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) where teams from different countries compete in a knock-out format. It is a best of five match series featuring four singles matches and one doubles match.
Win – Loss records of the trio in Singles:
| Player | Clay Court | Hard Court | Grass Court | Carpet | Total | Win % |
| Roger Federer | 11-3 | 16-1 | 2-0 | 8-3 | 37-7 | 84.09 |
| Rafael Nadal | 17-0 | 3-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 21-1 | 95.45 |
| Novak Djokovic | 10-4 | 13-3 | 0-0 | 3-0 | 26-7 | 78.78 |
Win- Loss records in Doubles:
| Player | Clay Court | Hard Court | Grass Court | Carpet | Total | Win % |
| Roger Federer | 3-3 | 5-3 | 0-1 | 3-2 | 11-9 | 55 |
| Rafael Nadal | 3-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 3-4 | 42.85 |
| Novak Djokovic | 1-0 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 50 |
The one trophy that's missing from Federer’s trophy cabinet is the Davis Cup trophy. The Swiss master’s best result was reaching the semifinals in 2003, when they were beaten by Australia. Switzerland have reached the final this year and are banking on Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka to get them over the line for the first time. They take on France from November 21-13 in Lille, France.
Nadal’s record is Davis Cup is the most impressive with just one loss in singles. He lost to Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic way back in 2004 and is on a 20-match winning streak since then.
Djokovic was part of the Serbian team that beat France 3-2 in Belgrade to capture their first Davis Cup title.
Davis Cup Commitment award
The ITF presents the Davis Cup Commitment Award to players who have shown long-standing dedication to representing their country in this prestigious competition. Each Award recipient must have played in a minimum of 20 home or away ties or 50 ties at any level of the competition (including Zone Group Events) over their career.
Both Federer and Djokovic are recipients of the Davis Cup Commitment award.
Davis Cup wins:
Nadal has been part of the Spanish Davis Cup winning team in 2004, 2009 and 2011.
Djokovic helped Serbia win the Davis Cup for the first time in 2010.
Federer is yet to win a Davis Cup for his country.
Olympics
The biggest event on the planet has witnessed some incredible matches between legends of the game. The best feeling for any athlete is to stand on the podium and listen to the national anthem of your country.
| Player | 2000 Sydney Olympics | 2004 Athens Olympics | 2008 Beijing Olympics | 2012 London Olympics |
| Roger Federer | Semifinals | Second Round | Quarterfinals | Silver |
| Rafael Nadal | Did not participate | Did not participate | Gold | Did not participate |
| Novak Djokovic | Did not participate | Did not participate | Bronze | Semifinals |
Federer has taken part in all the last four Olympic Games and his best result has been a silver in London. He lost to Brit Andy Murray in the final. Federer had beaten Murray just a month before the gold medal match in the final at the Wimbledon Championships.
Nadal missed the London Olympics due to an injury, but the Spaniard took gold in Beijing. He joined Andre Agassi as the only other men’s player in the Open era to win the golden slam (all four slams + Olympic gold).
Djokovic came close in both Beijing and London, but couldn’t get over the line at crucial stages of the match. He had to settle for bronze in the 2008 games.
Clearly, all three guys have done exceptionally well for their nation. It remains to be seen if they can add more trophies to this impressive list in the future.