5 unique features of the legendary Nadal vs Djokovic rivalry 

No two men have ever clashed as many times on the ATP tour as has the legendary duo of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The two all-time Grand Slam title leaders behind Roger Federer have locked horns on as many as 55 occasions, with Djokovic (29) enjoying a narrow head-to-head lead after trailing for large swathes in their epic rivalry.

Nadal and Djokovic have met in all possible tournament categories on the ATP Tour: Grand Slams, ATP Finals, Masters 1000, ATP 500, ATP 250, Olympics, Davis Cup and now the ATP Cup. If one of them had been a non-European, the pair would have clashed in the Laver Cup too.

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An overwhelming 80% of their clashes have materialized on two of the grandest stages on tour: Grand Slams (15) and Masters 1000 tournaments (28), with Nadal leading in the former and Djokovic in the latter. The pair has met most often on outdoor clay (24), followed by 21 on outdoor hardcourts.

Due to the high ranking sustained by both players over a long period of time, most of Nadal and Djokovic's meetings have come at the business end of tournaments: 26 times in tournament finals and 19 times in semifinals. With the pair revisiting their legendary rivalry on the newest tournament category on the ATP tour - the inaugural edition of the 2020 ATP Cup - yesterday, let us have a look at some unique aspects of one of the most fierce rivalries in the Open Era.

#1 Nadal and Djokovic have met in more tournament categories than any other pair

Federer (left) and Berdych (right)

Before Djokovic beat Nadal in one of the singles ties of the inaugural ATP Cup final in Sydney, the pair, along with Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych, had clashed in the most tournament categories on the ATP tour.

Federer and Berdych have clashed in all the 7 tournament categories that Nadal and Djokovic had met in before the latter pair's ATP Cup meeting.

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Following their ATP Cup meeting, Nadal leads Djokovic 9-6 in Grand Slam tournaments, and 1-0 respectively in the Davis Cup and the Olympics, while Djokovic leads the Spaniard 16-12 in Masters 1000 tournaments, 3-2 at the ATP Finals, 2-0 in ATP 500 tournaments, and 1-0 at the ATP Cup.

The pair have split their 2 ATP 250 meetings - Djokovic winning in the 2016 Doha final and Nadal beating the Serb in the 2008 Queens final, which was then a 250 tournament.

#2 No player has beaten Nadal on clay as many times as Djokovic has

Nadal (left) and Djokovic

Nadal (59 titles, 436-39 win-loss) has the most titles and the best win-loss record of any player on the red dirt.

150 of 174 players who have played the Spaniard on clay have never managed a win. Djokovic (seven) leads a group of five players to have beaten Nadal on clay multiple times.

Dominic Thiem has four wins over Nadal on clay, Gaston Gaudio and Fabio Fognini have three apiece, while the duo of David Ferrer and Roger Federer have two respective wins over the Spaniard. It must be noted here that no player has a winning head-to-head record over Nadal on clay.

Djokovic is the only player other than Robin Soderling to have beaten Nadal at Roland Garros, where the record 12-time winner holds a staggering 91-2 win-loss record.

#3 Nadal-Djokovic is the only pair to contest the title match at all 4 Grand Slams

Nadal (left) lost to Djokovic for the 2nd time in an Australian Open final (2019)

15 of Nadal and Djokovic's career meetings have unfolded at Grand Slam tournaments, with eight of these being Grand Slam finals.

Nadal trails Djokovic 0-2 in Australian Open finals, leads 2-0 in French Open finals, trails 0-1 in Wimbledon title matches and leads 2-1 in US Open finals, making the pair the only one in the Open Era to contest Grand Slam finals at all the four tournaments.

Outside of Grand Slam finals Nadal leads Djokovic 5-2, with the Serb's only two wins coming in the 2015 French Open quarterfinals and the 2018 Wimbledon semifinals.

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#4 Nadal has lost his last 8 hardcourt meetings with Djokovic

Nadal (right) hoists aloft the 2013 US Open title

Though widely renowned for his claycourt prowess, Nadal is no slouch on surfaces outside the red dirt.

Nadal's 468-132 win-loss record on hardcourt (78%) is the 11th best by any player who has played over 100 matches on the surface. Of the 56 players who have beaten Nadal on hardcourt, no player has bested the Spaniard on the surface as many times as Djokovic (20) has.

Djokovic became the only player to beat Nadal in straight sets in a Grand Slam final when he did so at the 2019 Australian Open. The Serb hasn't lost a hardcourt match against the Spaniard since the 2013 US Open final, and the streak extended to eight following his straight-sets win over the Spaniard in the ATP Cup final.

In the process, Djokovic extended his set-win streak on outdoor hard court over Nadal to 19-0.

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#5 No player has beaten Djokovic in as many tournament finals as Nadal has

Nadal (right) wins his 34th Masters 1000 title at 2019 Rome

Djokovic holds the second-best win-loss record in finals (77-34; 69%) by an active player, and is 11th overall in the all-time list.

Among 30 players who have met Djokovic in a tournament final, Nadal (11) leads a small group of only nine players to have beaten the Serb when a title has been on the line. Andy Murray (eight), Roger Federer (six), Stan Wawrinka (three) and Alexander Zverev (two) are the only ones apart from Nadal to have bested Djokovic multiple times in a tournament final.

Nadal has beaten Djokovic four times in a Grand Slam final (2012, 2014 French Open; 2010, 2013 US Open), six Masters 1000 finals and once in the final of an ATP 250 tournament (2008 Queens).

However, Djokovic holds a 15-11 head-to-head lead over Nadal in tournament finals, and is also the player with the most tournament final wins against the Spaniard.

On the last occasion when a title was on the line in the pair's legendary rivalry, Nadal beat Djokovic (2019 Rome) to become the first player to win 34 Masters 1000 titles.

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