Nadal's 5 most epic rivalries in the 2010s

#2: David Ferrer: 21 matches

Nadal beat Ferrer in the 2013 Roland Garros finalNadal lost to Djokovic in the 2019 Australian Open final

In the first all-Spanish Grand Slam final in more than a decade, Nadal beat compatriot and good friend David Ferrer in straight sets in the 2013 Roland Garros final to win a record-extending 8th title at the tournament.

The win was one of Nadal's 18 victories over Ferrer during the 2010s, while losing only thrice against the fellow Spaniard. Ferrer's 3 wins over Nadal, all in straight sets, came in the 2011 Australian Open quarterfinals, 2013 Paris-Bercy semifinals, and 2014 Monte Carlo quarterfinals.

The 2013 Roland Garros triumph was the latest of Nadal's 6 wins in as many meetings with Ferrer in tournament finals.

#1: Novak Djokovic: 33 matches

Nadal's 33 matches with Djokovic was the most matches played by the Spaniard against any player during the decade that was 2010 to 2019. 22 of these meetings happened in tournament finals.

21 of Nadal's 106 defeats during the decade came at the hands of the Serb, most recently in the 2019 Australian Open final where Nadal suffered his first straight-set defeat in a Slam final. It was Nadal's 15th defeat to Djokovic in 22 tournament finals during the decade.

Nadal twice lost 7 consecutive matches against the Serb in the decade. The first of these instances came in 2011-12 when the Spaniard lost seven consecutive finals to Djokovic from 2011 Indian Wells to 2012 Australian Open. During the second of those instances, Nadal fell behind in his head-to-head with Djokovic for the very first time.

In the pair's Open-Era record 50th meeting, Nadal beat Djokovic in the 2017 Madrid semifinals. However, outside of clay, following a four-set win in the 2013 US Open final, Nadal has not beaten the Serb in 9 meetings. If Nadal's 2013 Coupe Rogers semifinal win is also included, the Spaniard has lost 14 of the pair's last 16 non-clay meetings. Djokovic has clearly had the upper hand on the Spanish maestro in the decade gone by.

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