Djokovic–Federer rivalry

Federer and Djokovic at the 2015 Cincinnati Masters final.

The Federer–Djokovic rivalry is a tennis rivalry between two professional tennis players, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. They have faced each other 45 times with Djokovic leading 23–22. This includes a record 15 Grand Slam matches, four of which were finals, plus a record ten semifinals. Both players have beaten the other in each of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

A notable aspect of the rivalry is their ability to beat each other on any given day, including Grand Slam play, making it one of the most competitive and evenly matched rivalries in the Open Era. To date Federer is the only man to have beaten Djokovic in all four majors, and likewise Djokovic is the only man to have beaten Federer in all four majors. Both men accomplished this after having beaten each other at Wimbledon. Both players are generally considered to be the two greatest hard court players in the open era.

Their matches showcase an unpredictable display of shot-making. In addition, neither man has beaten the other more than four times in a row, as the changes of playing surface that occur throughout the year often produce little effect on determining the winner of their matches. In most other rivalries the type of playing surface has a profound effect on the outcome of matches, but in this rivalry, the type of surface in most cases does not give any considerable advantage to one player over the other.

In theory, Federer gains a marginally small advantage on faster surfaces, as Djokovic's retrieval ability is nullified somewhat, but so far their match results have been relatively even across hard, clay, and grass courts respectively. As such, they have contested many acclaimed matches over the years. Their 2010 and 2011 US Open and 2011 French Open semifinals along with the 2014 Wimbledon final are classified among the most notable matches in their rivalry.^[1][2][3]

History

Australian Open

Djokovic and Federer have played four times at the Australian Open, with Djokovic winning three times and Federer winning once. The first time they met at a major was in the fourth round of the 2007 Australian Open, where Federer won in straight sets. Federer went on to win without losing a set in the tournament to claim his tenth Grand Slam title.^[4] The next year, they met in a rematch at the 2008 Australian Open semifinals, where Djokovic won in straight sets to reach his second Grand Slam final.^[5] It was the first time in nearly four years that someone defeated Federer in straight sets at a Grand Slam. Djokovic proceeded to win his first career major over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.^[6]

Three years later they met again in the semifinals of the 2011 Australian Open. The match was highly competitive, lasting for three hours despite being a straight sets match. Djokovic took the first set in a tight tiebreaker. In the second set, Federer held a substantial lead before Djokovic made a comeback, winning five games in a row to claim the set. Djokovic won after closing out the match in the third set.^[7] Following a similar pattern to 2007 and 2008, the winner of the match went on to win the tournament. Djokovic defeated Andy Murray in the final to win his second Australian Open title.^[8] Djokovic and Federer met once again in the semifinals of the 2016 Australian Open. Djokovic easily won the first two sets but Federer rallied to win the third. Djokovic, however, broke Federer in the eighth game of the fourth set and then held to win the match and move on to the final.

Federer put an end to Djokovic's 43-match win streak in a memorable semifinal at the 2011 French Open.

French Open

The pair have two meetings at Roland Garros thus far with both occurring at the semifinal stage. The first was at the 2011 French Open. Djokovic entered the tournament with a 43-match winning streak and was the sensation of the season. In the match, Federer won the opening set in a tiebreak and then claimed the second set to gain a substantial lead. Djokovic took the third set and was serving for the fourth set, but Federer came back to win it in a tiebreak closing out the match in four sets. The win ended Djokovic's winning streak as well as his 41–0 start to the 2011 season.^[9] As a result, Federer advanced to his fifth French Open final.^[10]

Federer's win also saved John McEnroe's record of 42 consecutive match wins to start the 1984 season.^[11] The victory further elevated Federer's head-to-head record against Djokovic to 14–9 and 3–1 on clay. In a rematch, Federer and Djokovic met again in another French Open semifinal in 2012 which saw Djokovic prevail in straight sets^[12] and even up their clay record at 3–3. With the win, Djokovic advanced to his first French Open final.^[13] Both times, the winner of the semifinal went on to lose the final to Rafael Nadal in four sets.^[14][15]

Wimbledon

Djokovic and Federer met in the semifinals of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, with Federer winning in four sets to advance to his eighth Wimbledon final.^[16] With the win, Federer also became the first player to defeat Djokovic at all four of the Majors. Federer then won the final over Andy Murray to win his seventh Wimbledon title, reclaiming the world number 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic as a result. As such, Federer subsequently broke Pete Sampras' record of 286 weeks of being ranked as the world number 1.^[17]

In a Wimbledon rematch, Djokovic defeated Federer in the final of the Championships in 2014. It was the first Wimbledon final played between the two and was their second meeting in a Major final. At 3 hours and 56 minutes the match was also their longest encounter. It was a highly epic contest, with Federer winning the first set and Djokovic winning the next two. Federer saved a championship point in the fourth set before he came back to force a fifth set. Djokovic hung on to win it for his second Wimbledon title.^[18] With the win, Djokovic prevented Federer from breaking Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles. Djokovic further became the first man to defeat Federer in all four of the Grand Slams. The two met again in the 2015 Wimbledon Gentleman's Singles final with Djokovic defeating Federer once again.

US Open

The two players have played six times at the US Open with the series tied at 3–3. Djokovic played Federer in his first Major final at the 2007 US Open. Djokovic began strongly in the final and broke Federer in the eleventh game of the first set. With Djokovic serving for the set, Federer saved five set points to come back and claim the first set in a tiebreak. Djokovic quickly gained a break lead in the second set, but was unable to serve it out as Federer came back again, saving two set points to force the set to a tiebreak which he claimed as well. In the third set, Federer was able to stay ahead on serve. He closed out the match in the tenth game by breaking Djokovic's serve to win the contest in straight sets.^[19]

The two subsequently played each other for five consecutive years at the US Open. After the first meeting that took place in the final, the next four meetings all occurred in the semifinals. The next year in 2008, Federer again defeated Djokovic in a four-set semifinal^[20] on his way to winning the US Open for the fifth straight time.^[21] The 2009 semifinal was of particular consequence as Federer won the match in straight sets, hitting his between-the-legs shot tweener to set up match point. It was Federer's 40th straight win at the venue as he advanced to his sixth straight US Open final.^[22]

Their next two meetings at the tournament in 2010 and 2011 were five-set matches. Both were won by Djokovic and on both occasions he saved two match points. In the fifth set of the 2010 semifinal, Federer lead 5–4 and had two match points on Djokovic's serve but couldn't convert them. Djokovic held, broke Federer's serve, and then held again to win the match 7–5. Djokovic was in disbelief that he'd won, putting an end to Federer's run of six straight US Open finals. "To be honest, I was just closing my eyes and hitting forehands as fast as I can on match point. If it goes in, it goes in. If it goes out, just another loss to Federer in the US Open," Djokovic stated. "It was just a couple of points that decided the match. I managed to come back. I was very lucky."^[23][24]

In the 2011 semifinal, Federer started the match strongly as he took the opening set in a tiebreak and won the second set comfortably. Djokovic won the next set, and claimed the fourth set as well to come back and force the match into a deciding fifth set. Federer recovered to gain a 5–3 lead and had two match points on his own serve. Djokovic saved the first match point with a return winner and went on to win four games in a row to win the match once again by the same score of 7–5 in the fifth. "Sure, it's disappointing, but I have only myself to blame," said Federer. "I set it all up perfect, but I couldn't finish it. It was a tough year in terms of some tough losses at some crucial stages of the season but look, it's not the first time it's happened."^[25] Both years, Djokovic went on to play Rafael Nadal in the final, losing to him in 2010^[26] before defeating him in 2011 to win his first US Open title.^[27]

The two then played in the 2015 US Open Final. Djokovic exemplified his development into the world's best player with a thrilling 6–4 5–7 6–4 6–4 victory.

Djokovic won the 2010 and 2011 semifinals of the US Open against Federer. He won the 2011 US Open.

Comparison of Grand Slam titles

As of June 2016, Federer has won a record 17 grand slam titles of which he has won 4 Australian Open titles, 1 French Open, joint all-time record of 7 Wimbledon titles and 5 US Open titles. Federer has won an all-time record of 9 hard court grand slams. Djokovic has won 12 grand slams titles of which he has won an open era record 6 Australian Open titles, 1 French Open title, 3 Wimbledon titles and 2 US Open titles. Djokovic has won 8 grand slams on hard courts from the Australian Open and US Open and as a result, only Djokovic and Federer have won at least 8 majors on hard courts in the open era and a combined 17 hard court grand slam titles. This is the third rivalry after Djokovic - Nadal where two players have won at least ten majors each.

• Bold indicates outright record holder

Masters 1000

Federer and Djokovic have also met seventeen times in Masters 1000 tournaments, with eleven of the meetings taking place on hard court and six on clay. Federer and Djokovic have met in every Masters 1000 on hard court: Indian Wells, Miami, Montreal, Toronto, Cincinnati, Shanghai, and Paris. On clay, they've met in Monte Carlo and Rome, but have never played each other in Madrid. The majority of their matches have taken place at the semifinal stage with ten meetings, while only five of their Masters 1000 meetings have been in a final. Their first ever career meeting came in 2006 in the first round of Monte Carlo where Federer defeated Djokovic in three sets.^[28] Since then, they have played each other in a Masters 1000 tournament at least once per year to date.

Federer has beaten Djokovic three times in Cincinnati finals. The first final in 2009 saw Federer win with a comfortable score of 6-1 7-5, and the second encounter in 2012 saw Federer dominate the first set 6-0 and clinch the second set 7-6, denying him the chance to become the first man to win all of the available Masters 1000 tournaments. Their third match came in the 2015 final with Federer once again prevailing in straight sets, 7-6 6-3. As of 2015, Cincinnati is the only Masters 1000 tournament that Djokovic has yet to win. Likewise, Djokovic defeated Federer once in the Montreal final.^[29] Djokovic has also beaten Federer three times in Rome which is another tournament that Federer has never won. In addition to Montreal and Rome, Federer has never won Monte Carlo but has defeated Djokovic there in 2006,^[28] 2008,^[30] and 2014.^[31]

Federer and Djokovic met in the semifinals of Miami in 2009. Federer won the opening set but lost the second set. Federer fell behind 0-2 in the third set and then proceeded to smash his racquet after netting another forehand. It was the first time in seven years that Federer had destroyed a racquet.^[32] The crowd got behind Federer but Djokovic went on to win and advance to the final where he lost to Andy Murray.^[33] After Miami, Federer spoke about his recent drop of form, "It was unfortunate but thank God the hard court season is over. I don't care any more. I'm moving over to clay, a new chapter."^[34] Federer again lost to Djokovic in three sets in Rome^[35] but recovered his form in Madrid^[36] and went on to win the French Open.^[37] Later in the year when the hard court season began again, they met in their first Cincinnati final where Federer defeated Djokovic in straight sets to win Cincinnati for a third time.^[38]

In 2010, Federer beat Djokovic in the Toronto semifinals in their longest Masters 1000 encounter to date,^[39] but went on to lose the final to Andy Murray.^[40] Later in the year, Federer beat Djokovic again in the Shanghai semifinals^[41] but lost the final to Andy Murray in similar fashion, missing his chance to win his first title in Shanghai.^[42] In 2011, Djokovic and Federer met in the semis of Indian Wells where Djokovic won in three sets^[43] and went on to win the title over Rafael Nadal.^[44] In 2012, Djokovic beat Federer in the Rome semifinals^[45] but lost the final to Nadal.^[46] They met again in the Cincinnati final where Federer beat Djokovic in straight sets. Federer won Cincinnati for the fifth time and it was the first bagel set in the rivalry which saw Djokovic's record in Cincinnati finals fall to 0–4.^[47]

They next met again in the Paris Bercy semifinals in 2013 where Djokovic beat Federer^[48] on route to winning the title over David Ferrer.^[49] In 2014, Djokovic defeated Federer again in an Indian Wells rematch, this time in the final in a third set tiebreak. Federer was down a break in the third set and made a comeback, but Djokovic hung on to win it in a tiebreaker.^[50] Later in the year Federer played a flawless match against Djokovic in the Shanghai semifinals and beat him in straight sets. Federer's win put an end to Djokovic's 28-match streak of winning matches played in China that began at the China Open in 2012 and lasted for just over two years.^[51] This time, Federer went on to win his first title in Shanghai as he defeated Gilles Simon in the final.^[52] In the 2015 Italian Open final, Djokovic beat Federer in straight sets, achieving his 4th Italian Open title and going one ahead of Federer with his 24th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown.^[53] Federer would get back at Djokovic in the 2015 Cincinnati Masters final, beating him in straight sets to win his 7th Cincinnati title, thus preventing Djokovic from completing the Career Golden Masters and he would also tie with him at 24 Masters 1000 titles apiece.

Federer and Djokovic at the Toronto Masters in 2010, moments before their longest Masters 1000 encounter. Federer went on to win in three sets.

Comparison of Masters 1000 titles

Novak Djokovic has won 30 Masters 1000 titles and Roger Federer has won 24 (as of 2016). Both players have won the most Masters 1000 titles on hard courts in the Open Era. Djokovic has won 22 and Federer 18, they are the only two players to have won at least 18 masters on hard courts.

• Bold indicates outright record holder

Notes
^A Federer's Madrid titles; one came on hard court in 2006, one came on red clay in 2009, and the most recent one came on blue clay in 2012. Djokovic's Madrid titles came on red clay in 2011 and 2016.
^B Hamburg was downgraded to ATP World Tour 500 series in 2009 and is no longer a Masters 1000. Federer had won Hamburg four times prior, while Djokovic had never won Hamburg.

ATP World Tour Finals

The pair have met four times so far at the ATP World Tour Finals. Federer defeated Djokovic soundly in the 2010 semifinals^[54] on the way to winning his fifth title at the Year-End Championships.^[55] In 2012, Federer and Djokovic were drawn into opposite groups again where Djokovic went 3–0 and Federer went 2–1. After winning their semifinal matches, they met in the final where Djokovic beat Federer to go 5–0 and win the tournament for the second time in his career.^[56]

Since the Tennis Masters Cup in 2007, Federer and Djokovic have been drawn into opposing groups at every Year-End Championships except one. The 2013 edition saw the pair drawn to play each other in the same group for the first and only time in their careers. Djokovic defeated Federer in the round-robin^[57] before going on to win over Rafael Nadal in the final for his third ATP World Tour Finals title.^[58]

In 2014, Federer and Djokovic both went 3–0 in their respective groups. They were scheduled to meet in the final but Federer was forced to withdraw due to a back injury after he had won a grueling semifinal against Stanislas Wawrinka. Djokovic won his fourth title at the ATP World Tour Finals with a walkover. It was the first time in the history of the Year-End Championships that no final match was contested.^[59]

Federer defeated Djokovic in the 2015 round robin stage, ending Djokovic's 23-win streak.^[60] However, Djokovic defeated Federer in the final 6-3 6-4 to capture his fourth consecutive ATP World Tour Finals crown.^[61]

• Bold indicates outright record holder

Both players have the highest number of Year End Championship titles, Djokovic is ranked second on the list and is tied with Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl at 5 titles each, Federer has won the most titles in the open era as he has a record 6 YEC titles. Both player are considered to be the two greatest players to participate in the Year End Championship tournament due to the consistent number of records they have broken at the tournament.

Analysis

Hard court

Djokovic's favorite and most successful surface is hard court where he has 50 titles, including a record six Australian Open wins.

The two most commonly meet on hard courts, with 34 of their 45 matches taking place on the surface, each winning 17. Djokovic leads 6–4 in hard court grand slam matches, with a 3–3 tie at the US Open and Djokovic leading 3–1 at the Australian Open. They have twice met in hard court grand slam finals with Federer winning the 2007 US Open final and Djokovic winning the 2015 US Open final. They met in four straight US Open semifinals from 2008 to 2011, which is a record. They also met in three semifinals in Australia, in 2008, 2011, and 2016.

Hard court is widely considered to be Djokovic's best surface with Djokovic himself stating that it is his most successful and preferred surface.^[62] Their first seven Grand Slam meetings took place on hard court in either the Australian Open or US Open, before finally meeting at the French Open in 2011. Statistically Federer is the best hard court player of the Open Era. He has the most hard court titles of all time with 60, while Djokovic is fourth all-time with 45 titles. On 2 February 2015, Federer and Djokovic were tied with an 83% hard court win percentage—the best of all time. Both players, along with Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl, are the only four men in tennis history to have winning percentages above 82% on hard court.^[63]

Up to 2014, Federer and Djokovic were tied with Andre Agassi for the most Australian Open titles at four each which was an Open Era record. Djokovic broke the record at the 2015 Australian Open after winning the title for a fifth time in Melbourne.^[64] Djokovic is undefeated in Australian Open finals with a 6–0 record while Federer has a 4–1 record. At the US Open for a ten-year stretch from 2004 to 2013, either Federer or Djokovic appeared in the final match. In US Open finals, Federer has a 5–2 record while Djokovic has not fared as well having a 2–5 record. Their finals appearance streak ended at the 2014 US Open when Djokovic lost to Kei Nishikori and Federer lost to Marin Cilic in the semifinals.^[65] but they quickly recovered by reaching the final in 2015.

Hard court surfaces vary widely in terms of court speed. Federer is dominant on fast hard courts such as Dubai, Cincinnati, and the US Open where he leads 9–4. Djokovic has had most success on gritty, slow hard courts such as the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Miami where he has a 7–1 advantage.

In their most recent meeting on hard courts, Djokovic defeated Federer in four sets in the 2016 Australian Open semifinal.

Early history at the Australian Open and US Open

Federer is the most prolific hard court player of the Open Era with a record 60 titles. He won five consecutive US Open tournaments from 2004 to 2008.

In their first meeting at a major, Federer defeated Djokovic in the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2007 on his way to winning the tournament.^[66] In the North American hard court season, Djokovic and Federer met again in the Montreal final. Federer was serving for the first set but Djokovic saved six set points to come back and claim the set in a tiebreak. Federer responded by quickly winning the second set to draw level. The third set went to another tiebreak which Djokovic won to claim the match. It was Djokovic's first career win over Federer and it in turn prevented Federer from ever winning in Montreal.^[29] Djokovic reflected after the win, "To win two tiebreaks against the world No. 1, probably the strongest player mentally on the tour, it's another achievement, it's another success so I'm really, really happy."^[67]

As of 2014, Federer has not won the Canadian Open when it was held in Montreal. Federer's loss in Montreal was also his first career loss in a US Open series final, but he responded by winning Cincinnati the next week.^[68] Djokovic's win in Montreal solidified his number three ranking and allowed him to enter the US Open as the third seed. At the 2007 US Open, the strong play of both men continued as they met for a rematch in the final. Djokovic advanced to the first major final of his career where Federer defeated Djokovic in a memorable encounter. This time, it was Federer would come back to win the first set in a tiebreak. Federer saved a total of seven set points in both the first and second sets to go on and win the match in straight sets. The win saw Federer claim his fourth consecutive US Open title.^[69]

Five months later they met in the semifinals of the 2008 Australian Open, where Djokovic defeated Federer in straight sets^[5] and went on to win the first major of his career when he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.^[6] Federer's loss at the time caused widespread shock and uproar, and Federer referred to having 'created a monster' due to the expectations from the media at the time that Federer must win everything. Federer commented after the loss, "I've created a monster, so I know I need to always win every tournament. But semis is still pretty good. Winning every other week, you know, lose a set and people say I'm playing bad."^[70] The loss ended Federer's streak of ten straight appearances in Grand Slam finals which began at Wimbledon in 2005.^[71] It was also Federer's first straight sets loss in any Grand Slam since Gustavo Kuerten beat him in the third round of the 2004 French Open.^[72]

Clay court

On clay courts, they are tied with a head-to-head record of 4–4 with six of their eight meetings taking place in semifinals. Due to the dominance of Rafael Nadal on clay, it's rare for Federer and Djokovic to encounter each other on the surface and have only once faced each other in a clay final, in the 2015 ATP Internazionali BNL d'Italia finals, with victory of Djokovic in straight sets. When they do meet on clay, it's still often an unpredictable encounter. They've split their two French Open semifinals with Federer winning in 2011^[9] and Djokovic winning the rematch in 2012.^[12] In addition, Federer has beaten Djokovic three times in Monte Carlo,^[28][30][31] and Djokovic has beaten Federer three times in Rome.^[35][45]

Of the three surfaces, clay is considered to be the least successful surface for both Federer and Djokovic, despite the fact that both players are highly proficient on clay as all-court players. Over the years, Federer and Djokovic have more often than not advanced deep into the important clay tournaments only to lose to Rafael Nadal. Federer and Djokovic have a combined record of just 9–27 against Nadal on clay. From 2005 to 2009, Federer was considered to be Nadal's only formidable opponent on clay. Nadal went undefeated on clay in 2010; and as of 2011, Djokovic has since become the main adversary for Nadal on the dirt. To date, Federer has beaten Nadal twice on clay and has 11 clay titles, while Djokovic has beaten Nadal seven times on clay and has 12 clay titles.^[73]

History at the French Open

Court Suzanne Lenglen at the French Open. Red clay is the least successful surface for both Federer and Djokovic.

During Rafael Nadal's ten-year run at the French Open from 2005 to 2014, Federer and Djokovic were a combined 0–11 against the Spaniard at Roland Garros. Federer lost to Nadal in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2011^[14] winning four sets in the process, while Djokovic as well lost to Nadal in 2006,^[74] 2007,^[75] and 2008^[76] without winning a single set.

From 2005 to 2008, Federer was Nadal's only considerable test at Roland Garros, as he was the only man at the time even capable of winning sets against Nadal on clay. Federer lost three close finals to Nadal on clay in 2006, winning a set in Monte Carlo,^[77] another two sets in Rome,^[78] and a fourth set at the French Open.^[79] Federer lost his first French Open final to Nadal while Djokovic had also lost to Nadal earlier on in the quarterfinals.^[74]

Federer beat Nadal in the Hamburg final in 2007, putting an end to Nadal's unprecedented 81-match winning streak on clay.^[80] At the French Open, Nadal defeated Djokovic and Federer back-to-back in the semifinals^[75] and final to win his third straight title at Roland Garros.^[81] In 2008, Federer played a solid match against Nadal at Monte Carlo before Djokovic emerged as a force on clay as well. He pushed Nadal to three sets in the Hamburg semifinals and won his first clay set against Nadal.^[82] Federer then lost the Hamburg title to Nadal in a close rematch.^[83] The progress against Nadal was short-lived. At Roland Garros, Djokovic and Federer both soundly lost to Nadal for the third straight year which saw Nadal steamroll to his fourth French Open win without losing a set in the tournament.^[84]

Djokovic won his second clay set against Nadal at Monte Carlo in 2009^[85] and then pushed him even further to three match points in their epic semifinal in Madrid.^[86] Although Djokovic lost that semifinal to Nadal, Federer defeat Nadal in the Madrid final for his second win over Nadal on clay which saw Nadal lose a clay final for just the second time in his career.^[36] In 2010, Djokovic and Nadal never met on clay. Federer lost the Madrid title to Nadal in a rematch.^[87] At the French Open, both Federer and Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals and thus neither man advanced to face Rafael Nadal that year.^[88][89] It was the only year that Nadal won Roland Garros without facing Djokovic or Federer. Djokovic later entered his prime and gained confidence upon winning the Davis Cup at the end of the year.^[90]

In early 2011, Djokovic became the primary challenge for Nadal after beating him in Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back.^[44][91] As the clay season began, Djokovic's winning streak continued as he beat Nadal for the first time on clay in Madrid, ending Nadal's second streak of 37 straight wins on clay.^[92] As such, Djokovic became the second man in tennis history after Roger Federer to ever defeat Rafael Nadal in a clay final.^[93] Djokovic beat Nadal again a week later in Rome.^[94] Djokovic was a legitimate contender going into the 2011 French Open and was perceived by many tennis analysts as capable of dethroning Nadal.^[95] Djokovic and Federer met in the semifinals, where Federer's win put an end to Djokovic's best opportunity to win the French Open.^[9] Djokovic had been on a 43-match winning streak, including four straight wins over Rafael Nadal up to that point.^[96] Federer's win also prevented Djokovic from winning the Calendar Grand Slam.^[97]

Roger Federer won the French Open in 2009 and completed the Career Grand Slam.^[37] Djokovic won his first French Open set against Rafael Nadal in 2012 and won another two sets in 2013. At the 2014 French Open, Djokovic equaled Federer's record of four sets won against Nadal at Roland Garros. The 2013 French Open semifinal is considered to be Djokovic's most devastating career loss, losing 9–7 in the fifth despite being up a break in the final set (when he ran into the net to get broken).^[98] From 2005 to 2014, Federer's final in 2011^[14] and Djokovic's semifinal in 2013 were the best efforts that each man had been able to give in their attempts to beat Nadal at Roland Garros.^[99]

The 2015 season saw a sharp decline from Rafael Nadal who was struggling with his form even during the clay season.^[100] The Spaniard entered the 2015 French Open without having won a Masters 1000 on clay for the first time in his career. Federer and Djokovic had met in the final of the Italian Open prior to Roland Garros, with Djokovic winning in straight sets. Djokovic then entered the French Open undefeated on clay for the season after winning back-to-back titles in Monte Carlo and Rome. At Roland Garros, Djokovic was drawn to meet Nadal in the quarterfinals where he was considered the favorite to win. Djokovic finally defeated Nadal by winning in straight sets on his way to the final. It was only Nadal's second ever loss at Roland Garros. Federer was defeated soundly in the quarterfinals by Stanislas Wawrinka who proceeded to reach the final as well.^[101] Djokovic's victory over Nadal would end up for naught as he lost the final to Wawrinka in four sets.^[102] Djokovic managed to win the French Open the next year by beating Andy Murray in four sets.

Grass court

History at Wimbledon

Federer's best surface is considered to be grass, on which he has a win percentage of 87% - the best in the Open Era.

On grass courts Djokovic leads 2–1; their having competed against each other three times at Wimbledon: once in the semifinals in 2012, which Federer won in four sets; and again in the finals of 2014 and 2015, which Djokovic won in five sets and four sets respectively. Federer's first major title came at Wimbledon where he is naturally comfortable playing on the grass.^[103] Federer went on to reach seven continuous Wimbledon finals, from 2003 to 2009 inclusive. Federer appeared in three more finals: one in 2012, one in 2014, and one in 2015. In total he has won seven of his ten finals. Federer is one of the most successful grass court players ever and many tennis analysts consider grass to be his best surface.^[104]

Federer has 15 titles on grass with eight at Halle and seven at Wimbledon. Djokovic has 3 grass titles thus far in his career with all of them coming at Wimbledon. Federer typically plays his warm-up tournament in Halle which precedes Wimbledon.^[105] Djokovic has not played a warm-up tournament on grass since playing at Queen's Club in 2010 where he lost in the third round.^[106] Prior to that, Djokovic played Halle in 2009 where he lost the final to Tommy Haas.^[107] He also lost the Queen's Club final to Nadal in 2008, and thus he hasn't yet won a grass warm-up tournament in his career.^[108] Djokovic's quest to win Roland Garros has become his main priority in recent years,^[109][110] often leaving him too exhausted to partake in a warm-up tournament on grass. He instead prefers to rest before Wimbledon.^[111]

Both Federer and Djokovic enjoy playing on faster surfaces such as grass, but Djokovic's movement has struggled on grass courts at times especially early on in his career. On the other hand, Federer's movement on grass was considered to be unparalleled in his prime years. Grass was Djokovic's least successful surface from 2005 to 2010. Since then, Djokovic's movement on grass has immensely improved in recent years which is a key factor that enabled him to appear in the Wimbledon final four times. He won in 2011 over Rafael Nadal^[112] and again in 2014 and in 2015 over Roger Federer.^[113] Djokovic lost the Wimbledon final in 2013 after he'd won a grueling semifinal against Juan Martín del Potro—the longest Wimbledon semifinal in history.^[114]

Head-to-head tallies

Djokovic and Federer have played 45 times to date.

• All matches: Djokovic 23–22
  • Grand Slam matches: Djokovic, 9–6
  • ATP World Tour Finals matches: Djokovic 3–2
  • ATP World Tour Masters 1000 matches: Tied 9–9
  • Best of three set matches: Federer, 15–14
  • Best of five set matches: Djokovic, 9–7
  • Matches lasting five sets: Djokovic, 3–0
  • Winning the match after losing 1st set: Djokovic, 7–1
• All finals: Djokovic, 11–6
  • Grand Slam finals: Djokovic, 3–1
  • ATP World Tour Finals finals: Djokovic, 2–0
  • ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals: Djokovic, 4–3
  • ATP World Tour 500 series finals: Tied, 2–2
• All sets: Federer, 69–63
  • Deciding sets: Djokovic, 12–5
• Tiebreak sets: Federer, 12–10
  • Deciding Tiebreaks: Djokovic, 2–0

Results on each court surface

• Clay courts: Tied, 4–4
• Hard courts: Tied, 17–17
  • Outdoor: Federer, 13–12
  • Indoor: Djokovic, 5–4
• Grass courts: Djokovic, 2–1

Completed set tallies

List of all matches

ATP, Davis Cup, and Grand Slam tournament main draw results included.^[115]

Djokovic vs Federer head-to-head

Djokovic-Federer (23–22)

Significant achievements

• Only pair in men's tennis history to have met 15 times in Grand Slam tournaments.
• Only pair in the Open Era to have met 10 times in Grand Slam semifinals.
• Only pair in the Open Era to have met 34 times on hard courts.
• Only two players to win at least 50 matches at each Grand Slam tournament.
• They are the two players with the highest win percentage on hard courts.
• Both players have the highest number of hard court Masters 1000 titles between them. Djokovic has an open era record of 22 such titles, Federer is second with 18.
• Federer and Djokovic have the two highest number of major titles on hard courts. Federer has an all-time record of 9 majors from the Australian Open (4) and US Open (5). Djokovic has 8 major titles from the Australian Open (6) and US Open (2), he is second on the all-time list. Both players are the only two players in the open era to win at least 8 grand slam titles on hard courts.
• They are the only pair in the Open Era to have met 6 times at the US Open, from 2007– 2011, 2015.
• Open Era record of 5 consecutive matches played against each other at one Slam (at the US Open) from 2007–2011.
• From 2003–2015, Federer and Djokovic have won a combined 11 ATP World Tour Finals, including an open era record 6 consecutive titles from 2010–2015. Both have dominated the tournament and both have the highest number of titles. Federer has 6 titles which is the open era record and Djokovic is tied second with Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl at 5.
• Federer and Djokovic have the most hardcourt titles. Federer has 60 overall hard court titles which is the highest in the open era and Djokovic is ranked second and has 50 titles.
• At least one of them was represented in 48 out of the last 49 Grand Slam semifinals (2004 Wimbledon – 2016 Wimbledon).
• Federer and Djokovic have won the most Laureus Awards for Sportsman of the Year, with four and three (tied with Usain Bolt), respectively.

Exhibitions

Djokovic—Federer (1–1)

^Note 1 : Federer won the set, but according to International Premier Tennis League rules Djokovic needed to win one more game for his team to officially win the match. He did, and the game had no effect on the set that they played.

Performance timeline comparison

Grand Slam tournaments

• Bold = players met during this tournament

By Year

2005–2010

Player	2005				2006				2007				2008				2009				2010
	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA
Novak Djokovic	1R	2R	3R	3R	1R	QF	4R	3R	4R	SF	SF	F	W	SF	2R	SF	QF	3R	QF	SF	QF	QF	SF	F
Roger Federer	SF	SF	W	W	W	F	W	W	W	F	W	W	SF	F	F	W	F	W	W	F	W	QF	QF	SF

2011–Present

Player	2011				2012				2013				2014				2015				2016
	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA
Novak Djokovic	W	SF	W	W	W	F	SF	F	W	SF	F	F	QF	F	W	SF	W	F	W	W	W	W	3R	F
Roger Federer	SF	F	QF	SF	SF	SF	W	QF	SF	QF	2R	4R	SF	4R	F	SF	3R	QF	F	F	SF	A	SF	A

By Age

18–22

Player	18				19				20				21				22
	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA
Novak Djokovic	1R	2R	3R	3R	1R	QF	4R	3R	4R	SF	SF	F	W	SF	2R	SF	QF	3R	QF	SF
Roger Federer	Q1	1R	1R	Q2	3R	4R	1R	3R	3R	QF	QF	4R	4R	1R	1R	4R	4R	1R	W	4R

23–27

Player	23				24				25				26				27
	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA
Novak Djokovic	QF	QF	SF	F	W	SF	W	W	W	F	SF	F	W	SF	F	F	QF	F	W	SF
Roger Federer	W	3R	W	W	SF	SF	W	W	W	F	W	W	W	F	W	W	SF	F	F	W

28–32

Player	28				29				30				31				32
	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA
Novak Djokovic	W	F	W	W	W	W	3R	F
Roger Federer	F	W	W	F	W	QF	QF	SF	SF	F	QF	SF	SF	SF	W	QF	SF	QF	2R	4R

33–37

Player	33				34				35				36				37
	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA	AUS	FRA	WIM	USA
Novak Djokovic
Roger Federer	SF	4R	F	SF	3R	QF	F	F	SF	A	SF	A

ATP Rankings

Year-end ranking timeline

Player	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Novak Djokovic						679	186	78	16	3	3	3	3	1	1	2	1	1	2
Roger Federer	301	64	29	13	6	2	1	1	1	1	2	1	2	3	2	6	2	3	16

ATP Year-end ranking timeline by age

Year End Ranking	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35
Roger Federer	301	64	29	13	6	2	1	1	1	1	2	1	2	3	2	6	2	3	16
Novak Djokovic	186	78	16	3	3	3	3	1	1	2	1	1	2

Career evolution

Federer and Djokovic were born about six years apart. Federer's birthday is August 8, 1981, while Djokovic's is May 22, 1987. A different viewpoint of their career evolution is offered by taking the season they entered with an age of 17 as starting point. For instance, in 2004 Federer started the season being 22 years old. At the end of that season, he accumulated a total of four Grand Slam titles and 22 singles titles, with a year-end ranking of 1. By comparison, Djokovic finished the 2010 season also aged 22 years old, having won a total of 1 grand slam title and 18 total singles titles, with a year end ranking of 3. Federer's peak ended towards the end of 2007, while Djokovic's peak started in 2011 and continues to this day.^[119][120]

• () = active record (updated Monday, 21 November 2016)

Age (end of season)		18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36
Federer's season		1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Djokovic's season		2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Grand Slam titles	Federer	0	0	0	0	1	4	6	9	12	13	15	16	16	17	17	17	17	17
	Djokovic	0	0	0	1	1	1	4	5	6	7	10	12
Grand Slam match wins	Federer	0	7	20	26	39	61	85	112	138	162	188	208	228	247	260	279	297	307
	Djokovic	5	14	33	51	66	85	110	134	158	180	207	228
Masters 1000 titles	Federer	0	0	0	1	1	4	8	12	14	14	16	17	18	21	21	23	24	24
	Djokovic	0	0	2	4	5	5	10	13	16	20	26	30
Total titles	Federer	0	0	1	4	11	22	33	45	53	57	61	66	70	76	77	82	88	88
	Djokovic	0	2	7	11	16	18	28	34	41	48	59	66
Total match wins	Federer	15	51	100	158	236	310	391	483	551	617	678	743	807	878	923	996	1059	1080
	Djokovic	13	53	121	185	263	324	394	469	543	604	686	751
Total match played	Federer	35	101	171	251	346	426	511	608	685	766	839	917	993	1076	1138	1223	1297	1325
	Djokovic	27	85	172	253	350	429	505	592	675	744	832	906
Ranking	Federer	64	29	13	6	2	1	1	1	1	2	1	2	3	2	6	2	3	16
	Djokovic	78	16	3	3	3	3	1	1	2	1	1	2
Weeks at number 1	Federer	0	0	0	0	0	48	100	152	204	237	262	285	285	302	302	302	302	302
	Djokovic	0	0	0	0	0	0	26	62	101	127	179	223

Combined singles performance timeline (best result)

¹ Held as Hamburg Masters (outdoor clay) until 2008, Madrid Masters (outdoor clay) 2009–present.
² Held as Stuttgart Masters (indoor hard) until 2001, Madrid Masters (indoor hard) from 2002 to 2008, and Shanghai Masters (outdoor hard) 2009–present.

See also

• Big Four
• List of tennis rivalries
• Federer–Nadal rivalry
• Federer–Murray rivalry
• Djokovic–Nadal rivalry
• Djokovic–Murray rivalry
• Roger Federer career statistics
• Novak Djokovic career statistics
• List of Grand Slam men's singles champions

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Novak Đoković.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roger Federer.

• Djokovic–Federer head-to-head record
• Novak & Roger: The Rivalry
• Novak & Roger all matches since 2009

Novak Djokovic
Entourage	Marko Djokovic (brother) Djordje Djokovic (brother) Marián Vajda (coach) Boris Becker (coach)
Career	Achievements Statistics World No.1 Rivalry with Roger Federer Rivalry with Rafael Nadal Rivalry with Andy Murray Rivalry with Stan Wawrinka Big Four
Notable matches	2012 Australian Open final 2014 Wimbledon final 2015 Wimbledon final
Timelines	2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Seasons	2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Australian Open	2008 2011 2012 2013 2015 2016
French Open	2016
Wimbledon	2011 2014 2015
US Open	2011 2015
World Tour Finals	2008 2012 2013 2014 2015
Indian Wells	2008 2011 2014 2015 2016
Miami	2007 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016
Monte-Carlo	2013 2015
Rome	2008 2011 2014 2015
Madrid	2011 2016
Canada	2007 2011 2012 2016
Cincinnati	Finals: 2008 2009 2011 2012 2015
Shanghai	2012 2013 2015
Paris	2009 2013 2014 2015
Olympics	2008
Davis Cup	2010
Novak Djokovic Official Website