3 instances when Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played five-set matches

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are two of the greatest tennis players of all time and have mesmerized tennis fans for more than 15 years now.

Since making their professional debuts, the two have broken several records in the sport and don’t seem to have any intentions of stopping anytime soon.

The first match between the duo took place in 2006 in the Roland Garros quarterfinals, which saw the Spaniard triumph after the latter suffered an injury. The last meeting between the two, meanwhile, came in the quarterfinals of the French Open once again, with Nadal winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) last year.

While a few matches between the two have been one-sided, many of their encounters have been neck-to-neck contests. Hence, without further ado, let's take a look at the 3 instances when Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played five-set matches:

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#1 2012 Australian Open final

The 2012 Australian Open final is arguably the greatest-ever match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

The Serb was the top seed as well as the defending champion and booked his place in the final after an epic five-setter against Andy Murray. Nadal, on the other hand, booked his place in the title clash with a four-set win over Roger Federer.

The match was expected to be an intense one and it fully lived up to expectations. In the end, Djokovic came out on top after a battle that lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes to win his third Australian Open crown. The Serb won 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(5), 7-5.

The 2012 Australian Open final is the longest Grand Slam final in terms of duration and is considered to be one of the greatest tennis matches of all time, if not the greatest.

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#2 2013 French Open semifinal

2013 French Open - Day Thirteen

Rafael Nadal was unarguably the most lethal tennis player on clay courts by the time the 2013 French Open came along. The 'King of Clay' failed to capture the prestigious Roland Garros title only once from 2005-2012.

The former World No. 1 started his campaign at the 2013 French Open against Daniel Brands, who he beat in four sets. He then took down the likes of Martin Klizan, Fabio Fognini, Kei Nishikori, and Stan Wawrinka to reach the semifinals.

Here, the Spaniard squared off against Novak Djokovic and the two played out a thrilling five-set encounter. The southpaw eventually won 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 6-7(3), 9-7 to reach the final where he beat David Ferrer. The semifinal between Nadal and Djokovic lasted 4 hours and 37 minutes and is considered to be among the best matches ever in French Open history.

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#3 2018 Wimbledon semifinals

Rafael Nadal was seeded second at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships and booked his place in the semifinals with wins over Dudi Sela, Mikhail Kukushkin, Alex de Minaur, and Juan Martin del Potro.

Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, was seeded 12th in the tournament and beat Tennys Sandgren, Horacio Zeballos, Kyle Edmund, Karen Khachanov, and Kei Nishikori to reach the semifinals.

The duo faced each other at Wimbledon for the first time since the 2011 final, and the match ended up being an all-time classic. Both tennis stars were giving their absolute best on the court to get the better of each other. Eventually, Djokovic walked out victorious 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(9), 3-6, 10-8. The Serb eventually went on to win the 2018 Wimbledon Championships by beating Kevin Anderson in the final.