Nadal's 5 most epic rivalries in the 2010s

#4: Stanislas Wawrinka: 18 matches

Wawrinka had his first win over Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open final

In 18 matches with Stanislas Wawrinka during the 2010s decade, Nadal lost just 3, winning 15.

But the first of those losses arrived in the final of the 2014 Australian Open where Nadal lost to Wawrinka for the first time in 13 matches. Wawrinka followed up that Melbourne win with another defeat of the Spaniard in the Rome quarterfinals later that season and also beat Nadal in the 2015 Paris-Bercy quarterfinals.

Nadal has since won the pair's next 6 matches which includes Wawrinka's only defeat in a Grand Slam final at 2017 Roland Garros.

#3: Roger Federer: 20 matches

Nadal lost to Federer in the 2017 Australian Open final

Nadal just about hung on to a winning record in 20 meetings with 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the 2010s decade, winning 11 of those clashes.

In the intervening period, Nadal lost 5 matches in a row to Federer for the very first time, a run which included losses in the finals at 2015 Basel, 2017 Australian Open, 2017 Miami, and 2017 Shanghai, and a fourth round reverse at 2017 Indian Wells. The loss in Melbourne from a break up in the fifth set marked Nadal's first loss at a Grand Slam to Federer since losing in the 2007 Wimbledon final.

In the pair's Roland Garros meeting in 8 years since Nadal's 4-set win in the 2011 final, Nadal beat the 4-time Roland Garros semifinalist in straight sets at the 2019 edition of the competition. Weeks later, in the pair's first Wimbledon meeting since Nadal's win in an epic 2008 final, Federer emerged triumphant in straight sets in the 2019 Wimbledon semis en route to reaching his 12th final at the grasscourt major.

During the decade, Nadal went 3-5 against Federer in all finals, winning at 2010 Madrid, 2011 Roland Garros and 2013 Rome (all on clay), while losing in the 2015 Basel and ATP Finals and thrice in 2017 - Australian Open, Miami, and Shanghai. After winning in the 2014 Australian Open semis, Nadal has gone 0/7 against the Swiss maestro in all clashes outside of clay.