Djokovic and Nadal have the biggest rivalry in tennis

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have never met at the American Open. A confrontation in Queens this year between these two famous rivals – which could only happen in the final – would be a must for tennis fans. Despite the story of these two stars, their rivalry is not the biggest in the history of men's tennis. No, this claim belongs to Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

You could laugh aloud at that. But the numbers speak for themselves. Since their first date in 2006, Djokovic and Nadal have come to the act as a match in 54 games, according to the ATP Tour – the largest number of players in the Open era who began in 1968. In addition, their series of careers is remarkably tight. Djokovic won 28, while Nadal won 26.

All the other important rivalries of modern history are more unbalanced, in addition to having fewer matches. John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors played 34 times, McEnroe holding a bigger advantage than Djokovic over Nadal. Similarly, Pete Sampras and André Agassi played 34 times and Sampras won 20 wins against 14 for Agassi.

Djokovic against Nadal is the biggest rivalry of men's tennis

The most frequent singles tennis matches in the Open era, as well as the number of victories of each player in the rivalry

Player 1			Player 2
first name	victories			victories	first name
Novak Djokovic	28	–	–	26	Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic	26	–	–	22	Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal	24	–	–	16	Roger Federer
Ivan Lendl	21	–	–	15	John McEnroe
Novak Djokovic	25	–	–	11	Andy Murray
John McEnroe	20	–	–	14	Jimmy Connors
Ivan Lendl	22	–	–	13	Jimmy Connors
Boris Becker	25	–	–	ten	Stefan Edberg
Pete Sampras	20	–	–	14	André Agassi
Rafael Nadal	26	–	–	6	David Ferrer

During their first meeting at the 2006 French Open, Nadal and Djokovic had a major title between them. Now, Nadal has 18 while Djokovic has 16 – and they are 33 and 32 respectively, they could both meet or exceed the current record 20-year-old Federer.

Federer and Nadal played in epic matches, especially when Nadal defeated Federer in five sets in the 2008 Wimbledon final, finishing in the dim light at 21:15. local hour. But Federer and Nadal played 14 games in major against 15 for Nadal and Djokovic. Federer against Djokovic is also a remarkable rivalry, but they have not played so many times in total (48). And unlike Djokovic and Federer or Federer and Nadal, Djokovic and Nadal competed in the final of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Djokovic is also one of only two men to beat Nadal at Roland Garros; he made it in the quarter-finals in 2015.

And the rivalry between Djokovic and Nadal is also more competitive in Slams, Nadal winning nine major games against six for Djokovic. In comparison, Nadal leads 10 to 4 against Federer at the majors.

Even if you consider that Nadal's victory over Federer in the famous Wimbledon match in 2008 is the biggest men's match of that time, Djokovic and Nadal also experienced epic clashes. The final of the 2012 Australian Open stands among the biggest. The sets were long with lots of running, improbable winners and extra t-shirts. In the end, Djokovic triumphed in five hours and 53 minutes. They both had difficulty standing up during the trophy ceremony.

Other matches have been captivating. In the semifinals of the 2013 French Open, Nadal beat Djokovic 9-7 in the fifth set, completing a four-hour, 37-minute clay marathon. At Wimbledon last year, also in the semi-finals, the match was held under the roof, even if they had to finish the match the next day. Nadal lost in the fifth set, 10-8.

Djokovic and Nadal could meet again soon; if it's in this US Open, a potential 55th match between the two – the event's top-of-the-table players – would battle the final on Sept. 8th. And if not, perhaps because of the shoulder injury that Djokovic is feeding, there will probably be many bigger matches between them in the future. They are always in their prime and they are too good to stay away from each other.