Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have excelled in tennis that they have set new benchmarks for others to follow. ‘The Big Three’ have notched up one record after another, making the GOAT debate still very much alive. The debate has been subjective to a huge extent, with each individual having their own thought process or favorite player to adjudge their winner.
One of the parameters to determine how tough the paths were for the trio, is their number of wins against top 10 players of their times. While the number of wins being higher is the best sign, a lower number could also show how tough the competition was for that particular player. Nevertheless, the readings are extremely fascinating, making the Big Three comparison much more clearer.
Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal?
Considering the parameter above, the man who is actually more dominant among the three is Novak Djokovic. In fact, no other player in tennis history has more wins against top 10 ranked players in the men’s singles category than the current World No.2. What is remarkable is that Djokovic began his professional career and found his peak too much after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and has yet managed to notch up 247 such wins in 1285 ATP Tour matches he has played so far.
Courtesy of Nadal’s long layoff this year and his streak of injuries otherwise, it has allowed Djokovic to now come just 13 matches short of the Spaniard, who has played 1298 of those himself. Talking about the 22-time Grand Slam champion, Nadal is actually third on this list with 186 top 10 player wins to his name. Now this number could come as a massive surprise to the former World No.1’s fans when compared with Djokovic’s.
But this also perhaps shows that when Nadal started to find his peak, the competition for the top 10 had increased. Apart from Djokovic and Federer, players such as Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori, Fernando Verdasco amongst many were indeed top competitors, with some also being multiple Grand Slam and Masters series winners.
On the other hand, Novak Djokovic found his toughest competition in Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. While the others have hardly proved to be a match to the 23-time Grand Slam champion. It highlights his consistency further and sustained success in big tournaments, which need large reservoirs of both physical and mental fitness.
Djokovic and Nadal have had the biggest and longest rivalry amongst all categories of tennis of all-time. The duo have played 59 matches against each other, with the Serbian leading by the barest of margins, 30-29. They clashed against each other for the first time in the quarterfinals of the French Open 2006, with Nadal winning the match in two sets since Djokovic retired in between. And the last time they met each other was co-incidentally in the quarterfinals of the French Open 2022, which once again was won by Nadal.
It was in 2006 when Djokovic played Federer as well for the first time in the Monte Carlo Masters. But in that match, the Serbian gave the then World No.1 a tough fight even though he lost 3-6, 6-2, 3-6. In their first 10 matches, Federer lead 8-2. However, Djokovic found incredible peaks throughout the 2010s and by the time they played last at the Australian Open 2020 semi-final, he had complete command over the rivalry, leading 27-23 in 50 matches.
When it comes to a few other top 10 players of his time, Djokovic has lost a few big-ticket matches to Stan Wawrinka. Yet, on head-to-head, he leads 21-6 overall. When it comes to playing Andy Murray, the most successful tennis player also had many interesting battles but has managed to dominate, 25-11 in 36 matches.
Another player who has managed to clinch some crucial wins against Novak Djokovic is Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. But Djokovic leads Tsonga, 17-6 in 23 matches. As years went by, the one top 10 player who has managed to trouble him the most than others is Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic leads 9-5, but will find himself challenged by the Russian due to their similarities of being excellent on hard courts and indoors as well as playing a deep, baseline game.
It would be fair to say that the parameter is in a way a reflection of Novak Djokovic winning the most and breaking all records. And yet, one can’t really claim that Rafael Nadal is the least proficient of the trio because of some proud records he either possesses by himself or sharing with someone which are extremely hard to achieve.
Did Roger Federer have it tougher or easier?
This question has always polarized opinion. It is widely believed that Roger Federer struck gold at the right time and right place, winning the Wimbledon 2003 title at a time when tennis badly needed a new face and superstar. Andre Agassi was on a decline, while Pete Sampras had retired by then.
Many of Roger Federer’s Top 10 ‘conquests’ in Grand Slams and Masters matches at his peak from 2003-2008 were Rafael Nadal, Tim Henman, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Murray and David Nalbandian. Five of those players have won one or more Grand Slams in their careers. Overall, Federer accumulated 224 wins over top 10 players in his career.
It is an extremely remarkable feat from Federer, proving that he was made to work hard for his dominance and even later, when Nadal and Djokovic started calling the shots on the Tour. The Swiss maestro managed to hold fort by largely remaining fit and reinventing his game, although he is still 23 wins short of Djokovic. But being ahead of Nadal is no mean feat and that too explains why Federer paved the way for others to remain the year-end World No.1 for hundreds of weeks in a row.
