Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players ever and has had an impressive career. As of now, the Spaniard has competed in 1252 matches, winning 1043 of them. He has clinched 91 singles titles, including a record 21 Grand Slam titles and 36 Masters 1000 tournaments. Known as the King of Clay, Nadal has an outstanding record on clay courts, boasting a win percentage of 92%. He has won 464 out of 507 matches on this surface.
Nadal’s win percentage stands at 78% on both hard and grass courts. He has won 506 out of 646 matches on hard courts and 71 out of 91 matches on grass. Over the years, Nadal has established himself as one of the finest players ever, proving to be a formidable opponent for even the best players. Although he has lost over 200 matches, very few players have a positive head-to-head record against him. Roger Federer, for example, has only won 16 out of 40 matches against Nadal.
Only five players have won multiple matches against Nadal while maintaining a positive head-to-head record. These include some of the greatest players of all time, along with a few surprising names. Let’s take a look at these five players who have the best head-to-head records against Rafael Nadal.
Honorable Mentions: Oliver Mutis, Joachim Johansson, Lloyd Harris, Paradorn Srichapan, and Chris Guccione
1. Novak Djokovic – 30-28
Novak Djokovic holds the best head-to-head record against Rafael Nadal, having beaten him 30 times. The two have been involved in one of tennis’s fiercest rivalries, playing 58 matches, with Djokovic leading 30-28. Their first meeting was in the quarterfinals of the 2006 French Open, which Nadal won after Djokovic retired due to injury.
They have faced each other 17 times in Grand Slam matches, with Nadal leading 10-7. They have played nine Major finals, the most for any two players, including Nadal vs Federer. Their encounters include some epic matches, such as the 2012 Australian Open final, which lasted five hours and 53 minutes, making it the longest Grand Slam final ever. Last year, they played twice on clay courts, with Nadal winning the final of the Rome Masters and Djokovic winning in the semifinals of the French Open.
2. Nikolay Davydenko – 6-5
Nikolay Davydenko, a top player during the mid and late 2000s, has a 6-5 record against Rafael Nadal. Remarkably, Davydenko won four matches in a row against Nadal. Although they never met at a Grand Slam, they faced each other in three finals, with Davydenko winning all of them. Nadal won all three encounters on clay courts, while Davydenko claimed six out of seven matches on hard courts. Their last meeting was at the 2012 Madrid Masters, where Nadal won 6-2, 6-2.
3. Dominik Hrbaty – 3-1
Dominik Hrbaty, who reached the semifinals of the French Open in 1999, has won three out of four encounters against Rafael Nadal. Their first match was at the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, where Hrbaty won 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the second round, where he lost to Mikhail Youzhny.
They met again in the final of the 2004 Heineken Open in Auckland. Nadal won the first set 6-4, but Hrbaty took the next two sets to claim his fifth career title. In their third encounter at the 2005 Heineken Open, Hrbaty won the first set 6-3, and Nadal retired due to injury, giving Hrbaty the win. Nadal won their fourth meeting in the third round of the 2005 Barcelona Open, triumphing 6-1, 6-2, and eventually won the tournament without dropping a set.
4. Dustin Brown – 2-0
Dustin Brown, known for his entertaining style of play, is one of the few players to have a perfect record against Rafael Nadal. Their first match was at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle in 2014. Nadal, as the top seed, received a bye to the second round and faced Brown. The German player won 6-4, 6-1, securing his spot in the quarterfinals.
Brown and Nadal met again in the second round of Wimbledon in 2015. Nadal was the tenth seed and had advanced to the second round after defeating Thomaz Bellucci. Brown won the first set, and Nadal came back to win the second, but Brown took the next two sets to move on to the third round.
5. Alex Corretja – 2-0
Alex Corretja, a former World No. 2 and two-time French Open runner-up, won both matches he played against Rafael Nadal in 2003. Their first encounter was in the second round of the Torneo Godo in Barcelona. Nadal, who received a wildcard entry, had won his first-round match against Juan Antonio Marin. At just 16 years old, Nadal took the first set 6-3, but Corretja came back to win the match.
A few months later, they faced each other again at the Madrid Masters. Both players had wildcards for the tournament and met in the first round. Corretja won in three sets and progressed to the second round, where he was defeated by Roger Federer.
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