Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic: Here is the statistical comparison
What's the story
Spanish ace Rafael Nadal won his 14th French Open title after beating youngster Casper Ruud in the final. The former secured a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam honor, two more than his rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer (20 each). Nadal defeated world number one Djokovic in the quarter-finals. The former won his 29th ATP match against the Serbian. Here, we compare their numbers.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Nadal overcame Djokovic to reach the semi-finals of the 2022 French Open. The Roland Garros champion won 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) to qualify for a record-extending 15th semi-final in this major. Nadal avenged his loss to Djokovic at the last year's French Open. In 2021, the latter became the first man to defeat Nadal twice at Roland Garros.
Record
Oldest French Open champion
After beating Ruud, Nadal has become the oldest man to win the French Open. The Spaniard has broken the record of Andres Gimeno, who clinched the title 50 years ago at 34. Notably, Nadal was just 19 when he won his maiden Roland Garros title in 2005. The Spaniard defeated Mariano Puerta 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 in the final.
H2H
Head-to-head record: Djokovic 30-29 Nadal
Nadal had the better of Djokovic in what was the 59th fixture between the two. The latter still has a slender lead over Nadal (30-29) in the ATP head-to-head series. Nadal leads 11-7 in Grand Slam matches. Nadal leads 8-2 at the French Open and 2-1 at the US Open. Meanwhile, Djokovic leads 2-0 at the Australian Open and 2-1 at Wimbledon.
Results
Nadal vs Djokovic: Match results across tournaments
Nadal vs Djokovic: Match results across tournaments All ATP finals (29): Djokovic leads 16-13. ATP World Tour Finals: Djokovic leads 3-2. ATP World Tour Masters 1000: Djokovic leads 16-13. ATP World Tour 500 Series: Djokovic leads 2-0. ATP World Tour 250 Series: 1-1. Davis Cup: Nadal leads 1-0. ATP Cup: Djokovic leads 1-0. Olympic Games: Nadal leads 1-0.
Djokovic
Most successful player at the Australian Open
Djokovic secured his second French Open title last year. He beat Nadal en route to the final (semi-finals). By winning the French Open (beat Stefanos Tsitsipas), Djokovic became the first-ever player in the Open Era to win each Grand Slam twice. Besides, Djokovic holds the record for winning most Australian Open men's singles titles (9). He has won the hard-court Grand Slam nine times.
Information
The greatest rivalry in tennis!
Djokovic and Nadal faced each other for the 18th time at a Grand Slam. As per Opta, the duo has contested the most matches at Grand Slams in the Open Era. This rivalry has surpassed that of Djokovic and Roger Federer (17).
Streak
Nadal ended Djokovic's winning streak
After beating Djokovic in the quarter-finals, Nadal broke the long-standing winning streak of the world number one. The Serbian was unbeaten in 22 sets, dating back to his Rome Masters win earlier this year. Djokovic claimed straight-set wins in each of the matches before the quarter-finals (2022 French Open). Nadal also ended the 11-match winning streak of Djokovic at the French Open.
Numbers
A look at other notable numbers
In the quarter-final (2022 Roland Garros), Nadal and Djokovic played their 19th overall tie-break (between the two). Interestingly, it was the first meeting between the two players, who have won at least 20 Grand Slams each. It was also the first instance of two players with over 300 major wins and 1,000 ATP match-wins locking horns in a match.