Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal: Who leads the Masters 1000 title race after the Paris Masters?

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have dominated the sport for a long time. The two of them have racked up numerous records and big titles for themselves. But the Serb has pulled ahead in recent times, and after the conclusion of this year's Paris Masters, he's got a sizeable lead in the Masters title count.

Djokovic's victory at the Paris Masters helped him clinch a record 40th title at the Masters 1000 level. Nadal, on the other hand, trails him with a haul of 36 trophies. It took them a while to get to this point, so let's take a look at how the story unfolded over the years.

Nadal claimed his maiden Masters title at the 2005 Monte-Carlo Masters, while Djokovic nabbed his first at the 2007 Miami Open. By the time the Serb won his first title at this level, the Spaniard already had seven to his name.

By the end of the 2010 season, Nadal had won 18 Masters titles compared to Djokovic's five. The Serb closed the gap by winning five of them in his memorable 2011 season.

Nadal then extended the lead with his own five Masters haul in 2013 to accumulate 26 trophies at the level. Two years later, Djokovic set a new record by winning six Masters titles in a single season. The Spaniard, meanwhile, couldn't capture a single Masters title in 2015.

Djokovic's record breaking 2015 season saw him cut down Nadal's lead in the Masters title race by a huge margin. The former trailed the latter by just one title following the conclusion of the 2015 season, with the race being 27-26 in the Spaniard's favor.

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Novak Djokovic surpassed Rafael Nadal in the Masters 1000 title race for the first time in 2016

Rafael Nadal at the 2016 Monte-Carlo Masters.

Djokovic then won the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open in 2016 to complete yet another "Sunshine Double". The first title enabled him to tie Nadal's tally, which he then overtook at the latter tournament. After chasing his rival for the better part of his career, the Serb had finally bested him in one department.

Later in the year, Djokovic furthered his advantage as he nabbed his milestone 30th Masters title at the Canadian Open. Nadal also won his first Masters title since 2014 in Monte Carlo, but still trailed the Serb.

2017 marked a renaissance for Nadal, while Djokovic was plagued by injury woes. The latter skipped the second half of the 2017 season and wouldn't be back to his best for another year.

This left the door open for Nadal to rack up some titles. The Spaniard equalled Djokovic's tally of 30 titles at the 2017 Madrid Open. He surpassed the benchmark by emerging victorious at the 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters.

Nadal captured his 35th Masters title at the 2019 Canadian Open, but Djokovic was hot on his trail. The following year, the latter tied the Spaniard's count by winning the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Djokovic took the sole lead in the race yet again by winning the 2020 Italian Open, his 36th Masters title. Nadal then defeated the Serb in the final of the same tournament the next year to get back on even terms.

However, it now remains the Spaniard's last title at the Masters 1000 level so far. He finished as the runner-up at the 2022 Indian Wells Masters and has been out of action since the start of the 2023 season. Djokovic, meanwhile, has expanded his trophy cabinet with more titles.

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Novak Djokovic looks primed to break more records after his Paris Masters triumph

Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Paris Masters.

With his main rival sidelined and the next generation aside from Carlos Alcaraz not giving him too much of a fight, Djokovic has amassed a few more Masters titles. His results are also significant in the light of him missing quite a few tournaments.

The Serb wasn't allowed to participate in the Masters 1000 tournaments in North America for a while because of the vaccine mandate. He missed three editions of the Indian Wells Masters and Miami Open, and was absent from the Cincinnati Masters twice.

Djokovic has also skipped a few events in order to priortize his health and be better prepared for the Majors. Since the start of 2021, he has participated in 11 Masters tournaments and has won four of them, along with a couple of runner-up finishes too.

Djokovic is now the most successful player at the Masters level. He has the most wins with 399 and the most titles with 40. He's also the only player to have won each of the Masters event twice, and needs another title in Monte Carlo to complete a triple Career Golden Masters. Given his form, it doesn't seem like a far-fetched possibility.