TENNIS
How many times have Nadal and Djokovic faced each other and who has won the most?
A brief history on the encounters between the Serbian ATP's number one and the Spaniard, who is undoubtedly the greatest clay player of all times.
Everyone is looking forward to the 58th duel between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of Roland Garros. A new match that comes less than a month after the previous in the final of the Rome Masters, which was won in straight sets by the Spanish tennis player.
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Since last night, numerous tennis experts have been debating who has better chances, who is in better shape, and there is no doubt that there is a slight advantage on the clay for the Spaniard.
That is Nadal's favorite turf, and the matches played on clay throughout their personal history show that stats are absolutely on his side. Namely, Nadal leads on clay with 19-7 against Djokovic. The "King of clay" dominance is also reflected because he has only two defeats at the French Open in 107 matches so far. He was defeated once by Novak and the second time by Robin Soderling.
Djokovic had his last victory over Nadal on clay back in 2016, at the Masters' tournament in Rome, when he knocked out his great rival in the quarterfinals and later won the trophy.
When it comes to their overall matches, Djokovic leads with 29:28, and this will be their 58th career clash.
"It's not like the other duels. The biggest challenge is to play against Nadal on clay at this stadium, where he had great success in his career. Our matches bring additional tension and expectations. Our rivalry is historical for this sport. I have had the privilege of playing against him so many times. The rivalries with him and Roger helped me improve my game. Yes, I will probably choose Rafa as the biggest rival I have had in my career. The preparation of the match against him, the background, the conditions always differ from match to match," said Djokovic after he secured his semifinal with Nadal at this year's Roland Garros.