Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer: Who Is the Tennis GOAT?

February 28, 2025

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Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer: The “Big Three” in tennis refers to Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, who are considered some of the greatest players ever. They dominated men’s tennis for 20 years, winning a total of 66 Grand Slam titles: Djokovic with 24, Nadal with 22, and Federer with 20. Together, they were ranked world number 1 for a total of 947 weeks, with Djokovic holding the record for 428 weeks.

Federer became famous after winning Wimbledon in 2003 and Nadal followed by winning the French Open in 2005. Djokovic joined them in dominating the sport by 2011. Despite some injuries, the Big Three continued to win major titles until 2023. However, younger players started winning more often in recent years.

At Grand Slam tournaments, Djokovic has the most titles (24), followed by Nadal (22) and Federer (20). All three have won each of the four major tournaments at least once, completing a Career Grand Slam. Djokovic also holds the record for the most Masters titles (40).

The Big Three also represented their countries in team events, winning titles in the Davis Cup, ATP Cup, and the Olympics, adding to their legendary status in tennis history.

Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer: Who Is the Tennis GOAT?

In this article, we compare Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer to determine who is the Tennis GOAT (Greatest of All Time).

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is a Serbian tennis player, born on May 22, 1987, in Belgrade. He has finished a record eight seasons as world No. 1 and holds the record for the most weeks at No. 1. Djokovic has also won seven ATP Finals titles and 99 singles titles.

In Grand Slam tournaments, he ranks first with 24 titles. He is the only player to win each Grand Slam at least three times. He has won the Australian Open 10 times, Wimbledon 7 times, the US Open 4 times, and the French Open 3 times. In 2016, he became the third player in history to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a row.

Djokovic has also won 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles and helped Serbia win the Davis Cup in 2010 and Gold Medal at Paris Olympic 2024. He is the only player to win all Masters tournaments at least twice and the first to earn over $100 million and $150 million in prize money.

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal, born on June 3, 1986, in Manacor, Mallorca, is a Spanish tennis player. He finished five seasons as world No. 1 (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017, and 2019) and spent a total of 209 weeks at the top of the rankings. Nadal has won 92 singles titles and 11 doubles titles in his career.

He has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second only to Novak Djokovic. Nadal holds the record for the most French Open titles with 14 victories. He has also won the US Open four times, Wimbledon twice, and the Australian Open twice, making him one of only four players to win each Grand Slam tournament at least twice.

Nadal won a singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics and a doubles gold medal in 2016. He has also helped Spain win the Davis Cup five times. Nadal holds the record for the longest winning streak on clay, with 81 consecutive wins between 2005 and 2007. He is widely considered the greatest clay-court player in tennis history and is often called the “King of Clay.”

Roger Federer

Roger Federer, born on August 8, 1981, in Basel, Switzerland, is a retired Swiss tennis player. He was ranked world No. 1 for a total of 310 weeks, including a record 237 consecutive weeks. Federer finished five seasons as the year-end No. 1 (2004-2007, 2009).

Federer won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, placing him third behind Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. In his 25-year career, he claimed 103 singles and eight doubles titles. Federer is the only player to win three Grand Slam titles in a single season three times (2004, 2006, 2007). He also won all four Grand Slam tournaments at least once, holding a record eight Wimbledon titles, six Australian Open titles, five US Open titles, and one French Open title.

He won the ATP Finals six times, 28 Masters tournaments, and a record 24 ATP Tour 500 titles. Federer was named World Sportsman of the Year five times (2005-2008, 2018).

Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer – A Major Records Analysis

The “Big Three” rivalry is one of the greatest in sports history, and their records are amazing. Here are the all-time records for the Big Three.

Major Record	Djokovic	Nadal	Federer
Grand Slam	24	22	20
ATP Finals	7	—	6
ATP Masters	40 (9/9)	36 (7/9)	28 (7/9)
Olympics	—	1	—
Weeks as No. 1	428	209	310
Year-End No. 1	8	5	5
Big Titles	72	59	54
Overall Titles	99	92	103
Top 10 Victories	258	186	224
Head to Head	27–23 (F), 31–29 (N)	29–30 (D), 24–16 (F)	23–27 (D), 16–24 (N)

Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer: Head-to-Head Battle

The rivalries between Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer are among the greatest in tennis history. They have played each other 150 times, including 49 Grand Slam matches, and 71 finals with 23 Grand Slam finals, a record for any trio. Here are their head-to-head records.

Player	Djokovic	Nadal	Federer	Win %	Finals Win %
Djokovic		31–29	27–23	58–52 (52.7%)	28–19 (59.6%)
Nadal	29–30		24–16	53–46 (53.5%)	27–25 (51.9%)
Federer	23–27	16–24		39–51 (43.3%)	16–27 (37.2%)

Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer Records on Grass, Clay, and Hard Courts

In head-to-head results by court surface, Djokovic leads on hard courts, Nadal dominates on clay, and Federer excels on grass.

Hard:

On hard courts, Novak Djokovic has the best record. He has won 40 matches, while Roger Federer has won 16 and Rafael Nadal has 29. Their winning percentages are 62% for Djokovic, 34% for Federer, and 50% for Nadal. Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer have played 65, 47, and 58 matches, respectively.

Hard	Novak Djokovic	Rafael Nadal	Roger Federer
Matches	65	47	58
Win	40	16	29
Lost	25	31	29
%	62%	34%	50%
Finals Win %	19–9 (68%)	5–16 (24%)	16–27 (37%)

Clay:

On clay courts, Rafael Nadal stands out the most. He has won 34 matches. Novak Djokovic has won 13 matches, and Roger Federer has won 6. Here are their records on clay courts.

Clay	Novak Djokovic	Rafael Nadal	Roger Federer
Matches	37	45	24
Win	13	34	6
Lost	24	11	18
%	35%	74%	25%
Finals Win %	5–9 (36%)	20–6 (77%)	2–12 (14%)

Grass:

On grass courts, Novak Djokovic has a slight edge over Rafael Nadal. Djokovic has won 4 matches, while Nadal has won 3. Here are their records on grass courts.

Grass	Novak Djokovic	Rafael Nadal	Roger Federer
Matches	8	8	8
Win	5	3	4
Lost	3	5	4
%	63%	38%	50%
Finals Win %	4–1 (80%)	2–3 (40%)	2–4 (33%)

Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer – Who Excels at Each Tournament Level?

Each player has his strengths: Djokovic excels in the ATP Masters 1000, ATP Finals, and Grand Slams. Federer shines in the Olympics and on grass courts. Nadal, known as the King of Clay, dominates on clay courts. Their head-to-head results highlight their unique tennis achievements.

All Tournaments:

Here are the records of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer across all tournaments.

Hard	Novak Djokovic	Rafael Nadal	Roger Federer
Matches	110	100	90
Win	58	53	39
Lost	52	47	51
%	53%	53%	43%
Finals Win %	28–19 (60%)	27–25 (52%)	16–27 (37%)

Grand Slams:

Here is Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer record in Grand Slams.

Hard	Novak Djokovic	Rafael Nadal	Roger Federer
Matches	35	32	31
Win	18	21	10
Lost	17	11	21
%	51%	66%	32%
Finals Win %	8–6 (57%)	11–7 (61%)	4–10 (29%)

ATP Masters:

Here is the records of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer in ATP Masters events.

Hard	Novak Djokovic	Rafael Nadal	Roger Federer
Matches	49	48	39
Win	27	25	16
Lost	22	23	23
%	55%	52%	41%
Finals Win %	12–10 (55%)	14–12 (54%)	8–12 (40%)

ATP Finals:

Here is the records of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer in the ATP Finals.

Hard	Novak Djokovic	Rafael Nadal	Roger Federer
Matches	11	10	11
Win	6	3	7
Lost	5	7	4
%	55%	30%	64%
Finals Win %	3–0 (100%)	0–2 (0%)	1–2 (33%)

Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer Who Holds the Most Titles?

In ATP Masters 1000 events, Djokovic leads with 40 titles, Nadal has 36, and Federer has 28. Djokovic’s versatility, Nadal’s clay dominance, and Federer’s early success define their achievements in these tournaments.

Tournament	Djokovic	Nadal	Federer
Indian Wells Masters	5	3	5
Miami Open	6	0	4
Monte-Carlo Masters	2	11	–
Madrid Open	3	5	3
German Open	–	1	4
Italian Open	6	10	–
Canadian Open	4	5	2
Cincinnati Masters	3	1	7
Shanghai Masters	4	0	2
Paris Masters	7	0	1
Total	40	36	28

Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer: National and International Impact

Novak Djokovic led Serbia to its first Davis Cup win in 2010 and won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

Rafael Nadal is a hero in Spain for his tennis success, helping Spain win the Davis Cup five times and earning gold in singles and doubles at the Olympics.

Roger Federer Switzerland’s top athlete won a gold medal in doubles and a silver in singles at the Olympics. He helped Switzerland win its first Davis Cup in 2014.

	Djokovic	Nadal	Federer
Olympic Games	22–10	19–6	20–7
Davis Cup	46–16	37–5	52–18
Hopman Cup	20–8	–	27–9
Laver Cup	2–3	3–4	8–4
ATP Cup	11–1	6–2	–
United Cup	3–1	0–2	–
Overall	104–39	62–17	107–38
Win %	72.7%	78.5%	73.8%
Years	2004–2024	2004–2023	1999–2022
Titles	4	8	8

Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer’s Career Prize Money

Here is a comparison of the career prize money for Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.

Big Three	Prize Money
Novak Djokovic	$184,480,269
Rafael Nadal	$134,640,719
Roger Federer	$130,594,339

Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer: Olympic Medal Records Showdown

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have all achieved remarkable success in their careers, proudly representing their countries in top-level competitions.

Big Three	Prize Money
Novak Djokovic	Bronze – 2008 Beijing Singles
Rafael Nadal	Gold – 2008 Beijing Singles Gold – 2016 Rio De Janeiro Doubles
Roger Federer	Gold – 2008 Beijing Doubles Silver – 2012 London Singles

Djokovic vs Nadal vs Federer: Honors & Awards

Comparing Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer in terms of honors and awards is fascinating due to their incredibly successful careers. Here’s a detailed breakdown: