Rafael Nadal’s 7 most-played opponents: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer top
Rafael Nadal’s career will come to a close next month in what looks set to be an emotional Davis Cup farewell.
Nadal has been on tour for over two decades and beating him has been one of the toughest challenges in tennis history, though a few have had more shots at it than most.
To mark the end of his career, we countdown the seven ATP opponents the former world No 1 played more than anyone else.
7) Fernando Verdasco – 20 matches
H2H: Nadal leads 17-3
Nadal’s seventh-most played rivalry is against fellow Spaniard and former world No 7 Verdasco, who he played 20 times at ATP level.
Their most famous meeting was their iconic semi-final at the Australian Open in 2009, which Nadal won in five sets on his way to the title.
He dominated the overall head-to-head, winning 17 of their 20 contests, though Verdasco picked up a few notable wins.
Verdasco prevailed when they met on home turf in Madrid in 2012 and also won a five-set battle in round one of the Australian Open in 2016.
6) Stan Wawrinka – 22 matches
H2H: Nadal leads 19-3
Another head-to-head Nadal largely dominated, the former world No 1 won 19 of his 22 matches against three-time major winner Wawrinka.
Nadal’s most famous win in this head-to-head came in the 2017 French Open, where he completely dismantled the Swiss to win his first Roland Garros title in three years.
He won the last six matches between the two and also prevailed in their first 12 meetings, though his unbeaten record was ended in stunning fashion.
Wawrinka famously beat Nadal in four sets to lift the 2014 Australian Open title, the first of three wins in this rivalry.
=4) Tomas Berdych – 24 matches
H2H: Nadal leads 20-4
Nadal’s joint-fourth most-played opponent, former world No 4 Berdych, started his head-to-head against the Spaniard strongly – winning three of their first four matches.
However, he could not live with Nadal after that, with the 22-time major champion winning 19 of their remaining 20 meetings.
He famously beat Berdych to win the second of his two Wimbledon titles in 2010 and also downed the Czech to help Spain prevail in the 2009 Davis Cup final.
Berdych snapped a 17-match losing streak to win their 2015 Australian Open quarter-final, though would then lose their remaining two meetings.
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=4) Andy Murray – 24 matches
H2H: Nadal leads 17-7
Perhaps Nadal’s toughest rival outside of his fellow ‘Big Three’ meetings, Murray faced the Spaniard 24 times across their respective careers.
Nadal certainly had the edge, winning 17 of their matches – including their first five meetings on the ATP Tour.
He beat fellow former No 1 Murray in three straight Grand Slam semi-finals in 2011 and also thrashed the Brit in the 2014 French Open semi-final, though also suffered some tough losses to him.
Murray reached his first Grand Slam final by downing Nadal in the 2008 US Open semi-final and beat the Spaniard at the Madrid Open in the 2015 final and 2016 semi-final – their last encounter.
3) David Ferrer – 32 matches
H2H: Nadal leads 26-6
A close friend of Nadal throughout his career – and how his Davis Cup captain – former world No 3 Ferrer faced his compatriot 32 times.
Ferrer won their first meeting Stuttgart 20 years ago but Nadal dominated the head-to-head after that, winning 26 of their matches.
Most famously, he beat his compatriot to win the French Open title in 2013 and won all eight of the finals they contested against each other.
However, Ferrer did beat him at the 2007 US Open and 2011 Australian Open, as well as a big win on clay at the 2014 Monte Carlo Masters.
2) Roger Federer – 40 matches
H2H: Nadal leads 24-16
Perhaps the most famous rivalry in tennis history, Nadal faced Federer times over a 15-year spell which captivated tennis fans all over the world.
Nadal’s breakthrough came with a victory over Federer at the 2004 Miami Open, and he won six of their first seven meetings.
He downed the Swiss in four Roland Garros finals and in memorable Wimbledon and Australian Open finals, though Federer – despite trailing the head-to-head – did find some success.
He beat Nadal in the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finals, a memorable 2017 Australian Open final, and won seven of their last eight matches.
1) Novak Djokovic – 60 matches
H2H: Djokovic leads 31-29
No men in ATP history have faced each other more often than Djokovic and Nadal, with their 60 matches a record unlikely to be broken any time soon.
The Spaniard and his Serbian rival met for the first time at the 2006 French Open and for the last time at the Olympics just a few months ago, a rivalry that defined an era of the men’s game.
The head-to-head ebbed and flowed across the 18 years they played each other, with Nadal leading 5-4 in Grand Slam finals and 11-7 overall at majors.
However, Djokovic holds a 15-13 lead in finals and a narrow 31-29 lead overall.