A complete comparison of Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer's careers after duo's retirement: Who comes out on top?
The tennis world went through a wave of emotions as Rafael Nadal ended his career at the 2024 Davis Cup in Malaga. As the Spaniard announced his swansong from the sport, it is up for debate who among him or Roger Federer might be the greatest player of all time. The Swiss player retired in 2022.
The Federer-Nadal rivalry shaped modern men's tennis, with both players raising the bar of tennis standards to unimaginable heights with 103 and 92 career titles respectively.
Let's look at the career achievements of the two legends of the sport
Rafael Nadal finished ahead in the head-to-head against Federer
The high-profile rivalry of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal saw the duo meet 40 times across the net in their careers. The Spaniard led the head-to-head 24-16. While Federer could beat the Mallorcan only twice in 16 encounters on clay, the Swiss got the better of Nadal on grass and hard courts.
Nadal also got the better of Federer in the high-stakes events such as the Grand Slams and the Masters 1000 events. The Swiss Maestro could never dethrone Nadal at Roland Garros, losing all six encounters. The Spaniard also led the Swiss 3-1 at the Australian Open, with the only victory coming for the latter in the five-set thriller at the 2017 final.
The only Major where Federer got the better of his arch-rival was at the Wimbledon Championships, where the Swiss won three of the four encounters. However, Nadal's victory in 2008 changed the course of his career and is one of the cherished chapters of modern tennis history.
Rafael Nadal pipped Roger Federer on the Grand Slam count
On the counts of who won the most number of Major titles, Rafael Nadal pipped Roger Federer having won 22 Major titles, while the Swiss finished with 20 Major titles. Nadal lost only 4 matches out of 116 at Roland Garros, and Federer had over 100 victories at both the Australian Open and the Wimbledon.
Of the other notable tournament victories, Nadal finished with 36 Masters 1000 titles in his career, 26 of which came on clay. On the other hand, Federer finished with 28 Masters 1000 titles, of which 22 came on hard courts.
One notable event where Federer's achievements triumphed over Nadal's was the year-ending ATP Finals. While the Swiss won it 6 times, that trophy remains a notable miss from Nadal's impressive trophy haul.
Nadal had the longest winning streak on clay, while Federer held that record on hard and grass courts
Rafael Nadal's record on clay courts is miles above every other player who has played the sport. The Spaniard has 63 clay-court finals in his career, including 14 titles at Roland Garros. During 2005-2007, the Spaniard went on an impressive run of 81 undefeated matches on red dirt. The streak ended at the hands of Federer at the 2007 Hamburg Masters final.
On the other hand, Roger Federer remained dominant on hard courts and grass courts. The Swiss had a 56-match win streak on hard courts (2005-2006) and a 65-match win streak on grass courts (2003-2008).
Both those streaks were ended by Nadal at the finals of the 2006 Dubai Tennis Championships and the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, respectively.
Rafael Nadal had more success while playing for the country compared to Roger Federer
Whenever both played for their country, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer put their best foot forward. While Federer led Switzerland to Davis Cup glory in 2014, Nadal became Davis Cup champions with Spain five times, the last of which was in 2019.
An Olympic gold is a priceless honor that is missing from Federer's trophy cabinet. The Swiss came close at the 2012 London Olympics, losing the final to Andy Murray. However, he bagged the gold medal in doubles alongside Stan Wawrinka at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
On the other hand, Rafael Nadal has struck Olympic gold in both singles and doubles. The Spaniard won the gold for Spain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and then later partnered with Marc Lopez to win the gold in doubles at the 2016 Rio Olympics.