How Novak Djokovic surpassed Rafael Nadal to become the player with most Masters-level wins in ATP

Novak Djokovic achieved many great things in his career, and the list is very long. It would take days to list out everything amazing that he’s done, but we can take a look at something he completed recently. It happened at the 2025 Miami Masters where he bested Camilo Ugo Carabelli for what is his 411th win at the Masters level.

With that win, Djokovic officially surpassed Rafael Nadal as the player with the most wins at the Masters level. Nadal has 410 in his career, which has by now concluded, and Djokovic is up to 411 and counting because he’s certainly going to win a few more if not a dozen more.

There doesn’t seem to be an end to his career in sight, and there are lots of Masters matches to be played during a year. So what does this mean? Well, quite a few things. It means that Djokovic has now emerged at the top of yet another iconic list ahead of Nadal and Federer.

It bolsters his claim to being the greatest of all time, a claim that was already extremely strong and just rounds up a legacy that is getting more and more impossible to comprehend by the day. So let’s take a close look at how Djokovic came to be the winningest player at the Masters level.

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Novak Djokovic’s Masters run through numbers

TENNIS: MAR 23 Miami Open - Source: Getty

So Novak Djokovic has by now stood in 59 ATP 1000 finals. Yes, those are Masters finals and not regular finals, and he has won 40 of those, losing 19. That’s a tremendous winning percentage, furthering his iconic status.

At one point, Djokovic went on to win 12 straight ATP 1000 finals he played. He didn’t lose a single final between 2013 and 2015, winning three on clay and the other nine on hard courts.

He didn’t just dominate at the events, though, because he also had some dry spells in there. One notable example was when he lost five finals in a row between Cincinnati of 2008 and Cincinnati of 2009. He generally started really well on the Masters tour, winning four of the first five finals he made.

The first final he made was in Indian Wells in 2007, and here he is almost 20 years later, still winning matches at this level. After we briefly looked at the numbers, we have to look at individual events as well. The first final he made on this level was back in 2007 in Indian Wells, and he actually ended up losing that one. His opponent was Rafael Nadal, and the Spaniard simply dealt better with the slower court, beating Djokovic 6-2 7-5.

Djokovic didn’t have to wait too long to finally win one, as it happened the same year. In fact, just two weeks later he would stand in the Miami Open final, beating Guillermo Canas 6-3 6-2 6-4. Yes, back then some finals were played in three sets. That’s how long ago it was.

And here he is, 18 years later, playing at the same event and breaking a record tied to this group of events. Pretty sensational and almost impossible stuff, but when you’re arguably the best of all time, nothing is impossible.

Djokovic went on to win one more ATP 1000 event that year in Canada, and he never looked back as he kept adding to it. He has slowed down a little bit in recent years because he only made three finals since 2022, which shouldn’t be a massive surprise because he essentially said that he was going to play less and less of these events.

The most recent final he made was the one in Shanghai last year where Jannik Sinner bested him. The most recent win obviously happened at the Miami Open recently, as he’s still part of the draw.

Novak Djokovic’s Masters career is undoubtedly the best one out of all players. He has won so many events and over such a long period of time that it boggles the mind. Between his first win and his last win, there is 16 years, which should be illegal. Being that good over that period of time is not something that many players get to be.

A huge credit goes to Djokovic, of course, but he’s had a bit of luck with injuries as well and generally being rather healthy. Overall, this latest milestone that he’s been able to achieve simply shows how great he is. It has to be repeated many times because it gets played down many times.

He’s certainly not done yet, and he’s going to keep adding to his legacy both at Masters events and generally. He’s not going to be around too much longer though, so fans should cherish this stuff because it’s not going to last forever.