Ranking the 7 biggest rivals of Rafael Nadal's career ft. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal's illustrious career ended at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals on November 19. He lost the final match of his career to Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets. While the last season of his career didn't play out how he wanted, that doesn't take away from his accolades over the years.

Nadal accomplished almost everything that the sport has to offer. He won 22 Major titles, an Olympic gold medal in singles and doubles, and 36 Masters 1000 titles, and set numerous other records.

Doing all of this wasn't an easy task, and plenty of players stopped him in his tracks time after time. On that note, here's a look at seven of Nadal's biggest rivals over the years:

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#7 - Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev at the ATP Finals 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Zverev was touted to be a highly-rated player since his pro circuit debut. When he started playing regularly on the ATP Tour in 2016, he gave a good account of himself right from the start. He first crossed paths with Nadal at the Indian Wells Masters that year, and even held a match point during their fourth-round contest.

However, Nadal was able to turn things around and down Zverev. He needed five sets to win at the 2017 Australian Open and won their next three matches to compile a 5-0 record against his younger rival. With more experience, Zverev won the next three before losing two. They wrapped up their rivalry this year with the German handing the 22-time Major champion his first loss in the opening round at Roland Garros, with the final head-to-head being 7-4 in the Spaniard's favor.

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#6 - Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem at the Australian Open 2021. (Photo: Getty)

At one point Thiem was dubbed as Nadal's successor on clay, given his tendency to push his older rival on the surface. The Austrian was initially on the backfoot in their rivalry, though he established himself as a capable challenger as the years progressed.

Nadal stopped Thiem from winning the French Open twice in the 2018 and 2019 finals. The latter did score some memorable wins, ending the Spaniard's three-year reign at the Barcelona Open in the 2019 final. Thiem also earned a hard-fought five-set win en route to the Australian Open final in 2020. Nadal won their most recent encounter at the 2024 Brisbane International with a 10-6 advantage.

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#5 - Nikolay Davydenko

Nikolay Davydenko at the US Open 2011. (Photo: Getty)

Davydenko is one of few players with a winning record against Nadal and leads their head-to-head 6-5. The Russian overcame a 4-2 deficit in this match-up and won four matches on the trot to race ahead. One of those four consecutive wins came in the final of the 2009 Shanghai Masters.

Nadal snapped his losing skid with a straight-sets win at the Madrid Open 2012, though he never got a chance to even this rivalry after that. Davydenko's game had declined when they met in Madrid, and he eventually retired in 2014.

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#4 - Juan Martin del Potro

Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open 2018. (Photo: Getty)

While there were plenty of momentum shifts in this rivalry, Nadal had the last laugh in the end to lead the head-to-head 11-6. He won his first four matches against del Potro in straight sets before the latter went on his winning streak.

Del Potro won three games on the trot in 2009, including a semifinal showdown at the US Open, where he eventually won the title. Nadal came out on top the next five times they met, and the tide turned in the Argentine's favor after that. Del Potro ended his losing skid with a win at the 2013 Shanghai Masters and edged past him in three tight sets at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The Spaniard resumed winning by taking the next three encounters, though an injury forced him to retire in the most recent meeting at the 2018 US Open. While their rivalry was compelling, the Argentine's frequent injuries meant they didn't compete that often.

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#3 - Andy Murray

Andy Murray at Wimbledon 2019. (Photo: Getty)

Murray and Nadal's rivalry began in 2007 and lasted until 2016, with the head-to-head being 17-7 in the latter's favor. They faced off at the Majors nine times but never in a final. The Spaniard won seven of these meetings, with the Brit's wins coming at the 2008 US Open and the 2010 Australian Open. However, Murray does have a 3-1 lead in championship rounds, and beat him to win the 2009 Rotterdam Open, the 2011 Japan Open, and the 2015 Madrid Open.

The last meeting at the 2016 Madrid Open saw the Brit win in straight sets. Even though he came up short more often than not, he was one of the few players to have consistently challenged the Spaniard.

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#2 - Roger Federer

Roger Federer at the French Open 2021. (Photo: Getty)

Federer and Nadal had one of the most defining rivalries across all sports. The former was already an established star and soon found a worthy rival in the latter.

The Spaniard took the early lead and left the Swiss to catch up. 14 of their 40 matches took place at the Majors, with Nadal winning 10 of them. He remained unbeaten at the French Open with a 6-0 record and leads 3-1 at the Australian Open. Federer has a 3-1 advantage at Wimbledon, and the duo surprisingly never crossed paths at the US Open.

Nadal enjoyed a 23-10 advantage but Federer narrowed the gap over the last few years. He won six of their last seven matches since 2015, with the head-to-head concluding at 24-16 in the Spaniard's favor.

The two were the dominant force for most of the 2000s and the next decade. They won 11 consecutive Majors starting from the 2005 French Open until the 2007 US Open. Their showdown at the 2008 Wimbledon final remains one of the most iconic matches ever played. Nadal won the title and ended Federer's five-year reign at the venue.

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#1 - Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic at the Davis Cup 2024. (Photo: Getty)

The most intense and fierce rivalry across all sports has to be between Djokovic and Nadal. Their determination and passion led to some of the most memorable matches in tennis history.

Nadal had the upper hand early on and led Djokovic 14-4 at one point. However, the latter quickly caught up when he peaked in 2011. The Serb won seven consecutive matches that year to narrow the head-to-head to 16-14. All seven of these wins were in finals, including three at consecutive Majors from Wimbledon to the 2012 Australian Open.

Nadal maintained his lead until 2015, and Djokovic finally tied the rivalry at 23-23 with a win at the ATP Finals that year. The Serb won their next three matches to take a 26-23 lead and has remained in front ever since.

Djokovic won the most recent encounter at this year's Paris Olympics in straight sets to end the head-to-head 31-29 in his favor. He was the biggest obstacle for the Spaniard to overcome in recent years, which he failed to do on a consistent basis. Nevertheless, the quality of tennis they produced in all of their matches was a sight to behold and cemented their place as the very best in the business.