5 Greatest tennis rivalries of all time

#2 Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic:

Career head to head: Djokovic 27-25 Nadal (5-9 in Majors, 16-12 in Masters)

Nadal and Djokovic

If one likes intensity, athleticism, and fierce stroke play on a tennis court, one should not look beyond the rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic. They happen to be the 2 finest movers the game of tennis has seen and therefore, it is usually very difficult for each one of them to get the ball past the other. Djokovic beat Nadal in 5 sets in the Australian Open final in 2012 and Nadal returned the favor in the US Open 2013 and those 2 matches remain among the very best their rivalry has offered so far.

Those 2 again met in the Wimbledon semifinal in 2018 and Djokovic managed to beat Nadal before winning his 4th title. Nadal, the greatest clay-court player of all time, has also managed to beat Djokovic 6 out of the 7 times they have met at the Roland Garros.

On the flip side, their relentless baseline battering can be tiresome for the casual tennis lover. However, for people who love to see intense, no-nonsense battles on tennis courts, the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry might well be the greatest. In terms of statistics also, the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry is the finest that the game has seen.