The 6 players to beat Novak Djokovic 3+ times in a row: ft. Jannik Sinner, Rafael Nadal
Jannik Sinner is one of a handful of players to have won three or more consecutive matches against Novak Djokovic.
The Italian will seek his fourth successive victory over the great Serbian when the pair clash in the 2025 French Open semi-finals.
Here, we look at the six players with the most consecutive wins against Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal – 5 wins (2008-2009)
Fittingly, Djokovic’s greatest rival — Rafael Nadal — is the only player to defeat him five times in a row.
Nadal started the streak with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
The Spaniard then won the first four matches he and Djokovic contested in 2009 — all of which were on clay — with these triumphs coming in a Davis Cup first round tie (6-4, 6-4, 6-1), the Monte Carlo final (6-3, 2-6, 6-1), the Rome final (7-6, 6-2), and a memorable and epic semi-final in Madrid (3-6, 7-6, 7-6).
Djokovic ended the run with a 6-1, 6-4 win in the 2009 Cincinnati Masters semi-finals.
Nadal amassed four other separate streaks of three straight wins over Djokovic: in 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013.
Roger Federer – 4 wins (2006-2007)
Roger Federer’s best run against Djokovic was the four wins he claimed in the pair’s first four encounters.
The Swiss downed Djokovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in the first round of the 2006 Monte Carlo Masters in the duo’s first-ever match before prevailing 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in a Davis Cup playoff tie later that year.
In 2007, Federer beat the Serbian 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 in the last 16 of the Australian Open and 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in the Dubai quarter-finals. Djokovic broke the streak by registering his maiden win against Federer — a 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 triumph in the 2007 Canadian Open final.
Federer also beat Djokovic three straight times in 2010.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – 4 wins (2008-2009)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga holds a 6-17 record against Djokovic, with four of his wins coming in succession between 2008 and 2009.
After losing to Djokovic in the 2008 Australian Open final, Tsonga earned wins in the Bangkok final (7-6, 6-4), the Paris Masters last 16 (6-4, 1-6, 6-3) and the ATP Finals (1-6, 7-5, 6-1) round robin stage in the same season.
The Frenchman took his winning streak against Djokovic to four with a 6-4, 7-6 win in the 2009 Marseille semi-finals before falling 3-6, 4-6 to the Serb in the 2009 Miami Open quarter-finals.
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Andy Roddick – 4 wins (2009-2010)
Andy Roddick is a rare player with a winning record against Djokovic (5-4), having won five of their first seven meetings.
The American defeated Djokovic four straight times — all in quarter-final matches — between 2009 and 2010.
Roddick’s wins came at the 2009 Australian Open (6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 2-1 retired), the 2009 Indian Wells Masters (6-3, 6-2), the 2009 Canada Masters (6-4, 7-6) and the 2010 Cincinnati Open (6-4, 7-5).
Djokovic snapped Roddick’s run with a 6-2, 6-3 victory in the 2010 ATP Finals group stage.
Andy Murray – 3 wins (2008-2009)
Andy Murray finished his rivalry with Djokovic with a 11-25 record — and he enjoyed his most successful period against the Serb in 2008 and 2009.
The Brit beat Djokovic 6-3, 7-6 in the 2008 Canadian Open quarter-finals, 7-6, 7-6 in the 2008 Cincinnati final and 6-2, 7-5 in the 2009 Miami Open final.
The pair’s next match came almost two years later, with Djokovic winning 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 in the 2011 Australian Open title match.
Jannik Sinner – 3 wins (2023-2024)
Sinner and Djokovic split their first eight matches, with the Italian winning four out of five after Djokovic had a 3-0 lead.
After losing to Djokovic for the fourth time in the final at the 2023 ATP Finals, Sinner amassed a three-match winning streak over the tennis legend.
The Italian overcame the 24-time major champion 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in the 2023 Davis Cup semi-finals after saving match points. He then downed Djokovic 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 7-3 in the 2024 Australian Open semi-finals and 7-6, 6-3 in the 2024 Shanghai Masters championship match.
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