At the 2023 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic lifted the coveted trophy in the men’s singles division with a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) straight sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Rod Laver Arena. With this win, the Serbian athlete extended his record of Australian Open wins to 10 titles. Rafael Nadal was also at the opposite end of the spectrum this year. The defending champion had a disappointing tournament and was knocked out in the second round by Mackenzie McDonald. So, given how the Australian Open 2023 shaped out to be this year, do we finally have an answer to the neverending Nadal vs Djokovic debate? Well, let’s find out.
“I’m super blessed and grateful…”@DjokerNole paid tribute to the team behind his phenomenal success on the eve of another Grand Slam final. #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/lBy5XZh8pK
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2023
Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic: Their epic rivalry
“This has been one of the most difficult tournaments, considering the circumstances. not playing last year coming back this year.” – Novak Djokovic
Djokovic and Nadal are considered to be two of the greatest tennis players of all time. Theirs is one of those all-time great sports rivalries that we usually see once in a generation – like Ronaldo vs Messi or Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali.
Over the course of their illustrative careers, the duo have faced each other 59 times. Djokovic leads their head-to-head fixtures with 30 wins, while Nadal is narrowly behind with 29 wins. Djokovic has also won in more finals (15) than Nadal. However, Nadal has won most of their 18 Grand Slam meetings – with 11 victories and 7 losses. Their most recent match-up was at the 2022 French Open where Nadal defeated Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) in the quarter-finals.
Rafael Nadal: The Spaniard’s incredible achievements
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Rafael Nadal has achieved many notable things throughout his career. He has won a whopping 22 Grand Slam singles titles: 14 French Open, 2 Wimbledon, 2 Australian Open and 4 US Open. He is also the only player in the Open Era to win the French Open 14 times and also holds the record for the most titles at a single Grand Slam event.
The athlete has also reached a record 34 Grand Slam finals and has finished as the runner-up in 9 of them. He has spent 209 weeks as the world’s number-one ranked player and has won 35 ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles and a record 35 ATP Tour 500 titles. He has also won the ATP Tour Finals 2 times and the ATP Tour Year-End Championship once. In 2008, 2009 and 2011, the Spaniard also won the Davis Cup and has won all 9 ATP Tour Masters 1000 events on clay.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nadal defeated Djokovic in the semifinals to win the gold medal.
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Novak Djokovic: Looking at the Serbian’s achievements
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Novak Djokovic has had notable achievements throughout his career. He has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles: 10 Australian Open, 7 Wimbledon, 3 US Open and 3 French Open. He has reached a record 13 Grand Slam finals in consecutive years and 34 Grand Slam finals overall, spent a consecutive 223 weeks as the world’s number-one ranked player and is currently the second player in history to have spent over 300 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings.
The athlete is also the only player in history to have won all nine of the ATP Tour Masters 1000 events and has won a record 35 ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles and a record 36 ATP Tour 500 titles. He has also won the ATP Tour Year-End Championship and is a five-time winner of the ATP Tour Finals.
Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic: The rivalry highlights
At the 2005 Australian Open, Djokovic appeared in his first Grand Slam and was defeated by Marat Safin in the first round. He reached the third round of both Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year and reached his first Grand Slam final at the 2007 US Open. In 2008, he won the Australian Open and in 2011, went on to win three more Grand Slam titles. By 2012, he had become of the most dominant players of the sport.
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Nadal won his first Grand Slam in 2005 when he was victorious at the French Open and became the No. 3 ranked player in the world after a 24-match winning streak. He missed the Australian Open in 2006 due to a foot injury but defeated Roger Federer in the Frech Open final the same year. Federer later got his revenge at the Wimbledon final. He won the French Open again in 2007 and 2008, as well as Wimbledon in 2008. Just like Djokovic, by 2009, Rafa too had become one of the most dominant tennis players in the world.
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Over the last decade, both Djokovic and Nadal have been ranked mostly in the top 3 players in the world. However, as per the latest rankings, Nadal drops out of the top 100 and is placed at the 136th spot, while Djokovic climbed up to No.2 with his French Open win.
So, having gone through their impressive careers, we come back to the same question we began this piece with – who is the best?
Well, this might seem like a copout (we apologise!), but it’s impossible to choose between the two legends. The two have been evenly matched throughout their careers. We also believe their careers are far from being over, and as Djokovic celebrates his French Open win and Nadal recovers from his hip injury, we are waiting to see who will end his career as the greatest of all time.
(Hero and feature image credits: Courtesy Instagram/Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: As of July 5 2023, Novak Djokovic is ranked No. 2, whereas Rafael Nadal is ranked No. 136.
Answer: As of July 5, 2023, the number one ranked tennis player is Carlos Alcaraz.
Answer: Rafael Nadal has beaten Novak Djokovic the most including at seven Masters and five Grand Slam finals.
