With Rafael Nadal announcing that the Davis Cup will be his final tournament, it officially marks the end of the rivalry between the Spaniard, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. The three played a total of 150 matches between them across 20 years.
The rivalry started in the third round of the 2004 Miami Open, when Federer and Nadal locked horns for the very first time, with the Spaniard beating the then-World No. 1 6-3, 6-3. Djokovic entered the ATP Tour the following year and soon began challenging the two.
The Serb later started dominating tennis alongside Federer and Nadal, and the three shared a rivalry that will always be remembered in sporting history, one that led to the birth of the term “Big Three” in tennis.
With the Spaniard only having the Davis Cup to play, where Djokovic and Serbia will not feature, there won’t be another match between the two greats, thus bringing an end to the “Big Three” rivalry. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have played a total of 150 matches, many of which are among the best in tennis history.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faced one another 40 times
The start of the Big-3 rivalry was with that of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who squared off on 40 occasions, with the latter leading 24-16 in their head-to-head.
The two played out some of the greatest matches in tennis history, including two iconic Wimbledon finals in 2007 and 2008 and the Australian Open finals in 2009 and 2017, among other fixtures.
They locked horns in nine Grand Slam finals, with Nadal winning six of them on all surfaces. Federer beat his rival in two Wimbledon title clashes and the 2017 Australian Open final, while being unable to register a single win over him at the French Open.
The last match between the two tennis icons came in the semifinals of Wimbledon 2019, with the Swiss winning 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic squared off on 50 occasions
Federer and Djokovic forged a strong rivalry, which the Serb leads 27-23. Their very first encounter came in the first round of the 2006 Monte-Carlo Masters, with the Swiss grinding out a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 win.
Federer won each of his first four matches against Djokovic, including the 2007 US Open final. However, the Serb gradually started to improve his head-to-head record against the Swiss and eventually surpassed him in it. In fact, from 2015 to 2019, the two locked horns on 13 occasions, with Djokovic coming out on top in nine matches.
They played several memorable matches, particularly the 2019 Wimbledon final, which the Serb won 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3). The two locked horns in five Grand Slam finals, with Djokovic winning four of them, three at Wimbledon and one at the US Open in 2015.
The last match between Federer and Djokovic took place in the semifinals of the 2020 Australian Open, with the Serb winning 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-3.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played one another 60 times
The longest portion of the Big-3 rivalry featured Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, as they locked horns on 60 occasions, the first of which came in the quarterfinals of the 2006 French Open, which the Spaniard won after the Serb retired due to injury.
The two played out some of the greatest matches in tennis history, with the 2012 Australian Open final being a fixture that will always be etched in fans’ memories. Djokovic won the clash 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 after five hours and 53 minutes, which is the longest Grand Slam final in terms of duration.
The Spaniard and the Serb faced one another in nine Grand Slam finals, with the former winning five of them. Their last encounter came in the second round of the Paris Olympics, with Djokovic winning 6-1, 6-4.
