Novak Djokovic ranks five tennis legends – including Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
Novak Djokovic revealed who he thinks was the better player between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as he ranked five tennis greats.
The Serbian icon’s epic rivalries with Nadal and Federer are the two most prolific matchups in the Open Era of men’s tennis in terms of the number of matches contested.
Djokovic amassed a 31-29 edge over Nadal from the pair’s record 60 encounters, with the pair having first faced off in 2006 and last shared the court in 2024.
He finished with a 27-23 lead from his 50 clashes with Federer, who he played for the first time in 2006 and last time in 2020.
The Big Three sit first, second and third on the list of men with the most Grand Slam singles titles in tennis history. Djokovic has won a record 24 majors, while Nadal and Federer retired on 22 and 20 respectively.
In an interview with DAZN, Djokovic was asked to blind rank five tennis legends (choosing a position between one and five without knowing which other players would feature).
The first name put to Djokovic was Pete Sampras — and he placed the American in third.
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The Serbian was then asked to rank Nadal — and he did not hesitate to put the Spaniard in the No 1 spot.
Djokovic followed this by placing Andre Agassi in fourth and Federer in second, which left fifth as the only position in which he could put his coach Andy Murray.
The former world No 1 has named Nadal as his greatest rival and the toughest opponent he has ever faced on numerous occasions.
“You probably know the names Federer and Nadal,” Djokovic said at a Qatar Airways event in February.
“I would say Nadal would be the one that probably stands out as my biggest opponent and biggest rival. Yes.”
Sampras, who sits fourth on the men’s Grand Slam list with 14 titles, is the player Djokovic idolised when he was growing up.
“I’ve said it many times, I looked up to Pete [Sampras], he was definitely my role model and idol in tennis,” he said in 2020.
“I cannot say I was copying Pete, because my game is probably completely different from his but I just loved the way he dealt with pressure and played his best when he needed it the most. Always found the first serve, always held his nerves.”
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