Djokovic–Nadal rivalry

The tennis rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal was the most prolific in men's tennis in the Open Era. It is widely considered by players, coaches, and pundits as among the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport. The pair contested at least one professional match every year from 2006 to 2022, and in 2024. Nadal and Djokovic are statistically two of the most successful male players in the history of the sport.

They faced each other 60 times, including in all four major finals, with Djokovic leading 31–29 overall. Djokovic leads 15–13 in finals of all levels, while Nadal leads 11–7 at the majors, including 5–4 in major finals. Nadal leads 8–2 at the French Open and 2–1 at the US Open, while Djokovic leads 2–1 at Wimbledon and 2–0 at the Australian Open. Djokovic is the only player to have beaten Nadal in all four majors. He also leads their five-set match record at 2–1.

Of their 60 meetings, 27 matches were on hard courts with Djokovic leading 20–7, 29 on clay with Nadal leading 20–9, and 4 on grass where they are tied 2–2.

The first meeting occurred at the 2006 French Open in the quarterfinals, where Nadal prevailed after Djokovic retired with an injury; Djokovic later commented to the media that he understood what he needed to do to beat Nadal and that Nadal was "beatable on clay". In Roland Garros he beat Nadal twice in 2015 and a semifinal in 2021. Between 2006 and 2009, this rivalry was overshadowed by Nadal's rivalry with Roger Federer. It started to become widely recognized when the pair contested their first major final at the 2010 US Open. From March 2011 to April 2013, the pair contested eleven consecutive tournament finals, with Djokovic winning eight and Nadal three, the only duo to achieve such a feat in the Open Era. It is one of two rivalries in men's tennis (the other being the Djokovic–Murray rivalry) to involve meetings in the finals of all four majors, including four consecutive finals in 2011–12, and a record 29 Masters matches. Their French Open rivalry alone consists of ten matches, an Open Era record between two players at a single tournament.

Some of their matches are considered to be classics and among the greatest matches of all time including the 2009 Madrid Masters semifinal, 2011 Miami Masters final, the 2012 Australian Open final, the 2013 French Open semifinal, 2018 Wimbledon semifinal, and the 2021 French Open semifinal. Their 2012 Australian Open final has been lauded as the greatest match ever played by some long-time tennis pundits, analysts, and former players and legends of the sport. Their 2012 Australian Open final and 2013 French Open semifinal are sometimes considered the best hardcourt and clay-court matches of all time respectively. The ATP Tour listed the rivalry as the third-greatest of the 2000s decade, despite only starting in 2006.

Their first match was at the 2006 French Open, which Nadal won in straight sets. Their last match was at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which Djokovic won in straight sets.