Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer: Who has the better record against Novak Djokovic on each surface?
Very few players in history have managed to register a positive head-to-head record against either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. Novak Djokovic, however, has a winning record against both players, leading the head-to-head against Nadal 30-28 and Federer 27-23.
But how do the Swiss and Spaniard fare against the World No. 1 when their records are separated by playing surface? While it is no secret that Nadal is the undisputed king of clay, Federer has stamped his authority on the grass. With Djokovic himself preferring to play on hardcourt, it has made for a really interesting dynamic across the Big 3 over the last decade and a half.
Without further ado, here's a look at how Nadal and Federer have fared against the Serb on each surface:
Clay: Djokovic vs Nadal (8-19) and Djokovic vs Federer (4-4)
Unsurprisingly, it's Rafael Nadal who has the better record against Novak Djokovic on clay. The 21-time Grand Slam champion leads their head-to-head on clay 19-8. Djokovic and Federer, on the other hand, are tied at 4-4 across their eight meetings on the red dirt.
Roland Garros 2006: First Meeting
Roland Garros 2021: 58th Meeting
@DjokerNole and @RafaelNadal are reinventing the Next Gen 👀 https://t.co/lirWH57m1W
The Swiss has faced Djokovic twice at Roland Garros. While Federer won their first clash in 2011, the Serb gained his revenge the very next year.
Meanwhile, Nadal has played against Djokovic at the French Open nine times and has lost only twice -- 2015 and 2021. In fact, the 34-year-old is the only player in history to have defeated Nadal twice at Roland Garros.
Grass: Djokovic vs Nadal (2-2) and Djokovic vs Federer (3-1)
Djokovic and Nadal have met four times on grass, winning two contests each. The Serb won their two most recent meetings (2011 and 2018 Wimbledon), while the Spaniard won their first two clashes (2007 Wimbledon and 2008 Queen's Club Championships).
Two years ago today, Roger Federer beat Novak Djokovic in a 35-shot rally in the 2019 Wimbledon final 😳
Djokovic went on to win the title in a fifth-set tiebreaker. https://t.co/5QZek484Pp
Roger Federer, on the other hand, has won only one of his four matches against the World No. 1 on grass. The Swiss won their first clash (2012 Wimbledon semifinals) but went on to lose the next three (2014, 2015 and 2019 Wimbledon finals).
Hard: Djokovic vs Nadal (20-7) and Djokovic vs Federer (20-18)
The Swiss has beaten Djokovic four times in Grand Slams on hardcourt (2007 Australian Open, 2007, 2008 and 2009 US Open) and thrice in the Year-End Championships (2010, 2015 and 2019).
The Serb, meanwhile, has prevailed in seven Grand Slam matches (Australian Open - 2008, 2011, 2016, 2020 and US Open - 2010, 2011, 2015). He has also beaten the World No. 26 in three Year-End Championships (2012, 2013 and 2015). In Masters 1000 tournaments, Federer trails 6-7.
Rafael Nadal has a rather deplorable record against the Serb on hardcourt, winning only seven of their 27 meetings. Only two of the wins have come in Grand Slams (2010 and 2013 US Open) and two in the Year-End Championships (2007 and 2010).
The longest Grand Slam final of all time.
On this day in 2012, Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7(5) 7-5 at the Australian Open after 5 hours and 53 minutes 😮 https://t.co/NQR3SGZURi
Novak Djokovic has vanquished the Spaniard thrice in Grand Slams (2011 US Open, 2012 and 2019 Australian Open) and thrice in Year-End Championship (2009, 2013 and 2015). In Masters 1000 tournaments, the World No. 1 leads 10-2.
Final verdict of who fares better against Novak Djokovic
Based on the numbers, it is clear that the surface plays a bigger role in matches between Djokovic and Nadal.
Federer and Djokovic are quite evenly matched on all three surfaces, meaning that who wins and who loses depends on form at that point in time.
Coming to matches between Nadal and Djokovic, the Spaniard can be backed to win on most occasions on clay, while the 20-time Grand Slam champion is almost certain to win on hardcourt. On grass, there is not much to separate the two, although Djokovic will be favored should they meet at present.