Djokovic (24) - Nadal (22) - Federer (20)

[K]

'Roger Federer will not be losing any sleep over whether rival Rafael Nadal can match his men's record of 20 grand slam singles titles, according to his long-term coach Severin Luthi.
...

"No, I don't think he stresses," said Swiss Luthi, who has toured with Federer since 2007.

"He focuses on himself. He has a lot of respect for Rafa and knows what it takes to win that many titles.

"I don't see him in any way stressed. He won't be completely destroyed if Rafa makes the 20." '

(Reuters)

[K]

https://twitter.com/GracenoteLive/statu ... 0721090560

[K]

Nadal Clinches Davis Cup Title For Spain

"Nadal, who is now a four-time Davis Cup titlist, won all eight of his matches this week in Madrid, including five singles victories in which he did not drop a set. The 33-year-old has now won 29 consecutive Davis Cup singles matches, improving his singles record in the event to 29-1."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/davis-c ... nal-report

[K]

Even last year, there were claims...

Nadal’s Record Proves He Is The Greatest Davis Cup Player of His Era

https://lastwordontennis.com/2018/04/13 ... f-his-era/

April 13, 2018

"Of course, there is nothing new in Nadal winning Davis Cup ties. His twin victories in Valencia meant that he has now set a remarkable Davis Cup record for combined singles and doubles victories of 24 wins in a row. In fact, he has only ever lost one Davis Cup singles match (to the Czech Republic’s Jiri Novak in 2004, when he was making his Davis Cup debut) and one Davis Cup doubles match (in 2005, when he was paired with Feliciano Lopez and they lost another five-set epic 9-7 in the fifth set to the Italian pairing of Daniele Bracciali and Giorgio Galimberti). Nadal may no longer play Davis Cup doubles, but he remains virtually unbeatable in the premier team tournament of men’s tennis.
...

The other three have all won Davis Cups for their countries, but those were isolated victories (Djokovic winning with Serbia in 2010, Federer with Switzerland in 2014 and Murray with Great Britain in 2016) rather than part of a sustained period of success. By contrast, Nadal has been absolutely instrumental in making Spain arguably the pre-eminent men’s tennis nation in the early 21st century, which is all the more remarkable given that the country’s first ever Davis Cup success only came in the year 2000.
...

However, none of the complaints and concerns about the Davis Cup’s decline detract from Nadal’s reputation as the greatest Davis Cup player of his era, and arguably of any era: only the likes of Rod Laver, who won the Davis Cup five times with Australia, can legitimately contest that status."

[K]

[Jezza]

"Less beloved".

That's the understatement of the century. That's precisely why I prefer Djokovic over Federer.

[Jezza]

50th meeting tonight between Djokovic and Federer, and a 17th in Slams.

[Jezza]

UPDATE!

Grand Slam Head to Head Records:

Nadal 10-4 Federer
- 1). French Open 2005 (Semi Final) = Nadal (4 sets)
- 2). French Open 2006 (Final) = Nadal (4 sets)
- 3). Wimbledon 2006 (Final) = Federer (4 sets)
- 4). French Open 2007 (Final) = Nadal (4 sets)
- 5). Wimbledon 2007 (Final) = Federer (5 sets)
- 6). French Open 2008 (Final) = Nadal (3 sets)
- 7). Wimbledon 2008 (Final) = Nadal (5 sets)
- 8]. Australian Open 2009 (Final) = Nadal (5 sets)
- 9). French Open 2011 (Final) = Nadal (4 sets)
- 10). Australian Open 2012 (Semi Final) = Nadal (4 sets)
- 11). Australian Open 2014 (Semi Final) = Nadal (3 sets)
- 12). Australian Open 2017 (Final) = Federer (5 sets)
- 13). French Open 2019 (Semi Final) = Nadal (3 sets)
- 14). Wimbledon 2019 (Semi Final) = Federer (4 sets)

AUSTRALIAN OPEN = Nadal 3-1 Federer
FRENCH OPEN = Nadal 6-0 Federer
WIMBLEDON = Nadal 1-3 Federer
US OPEN = Nadal 0-0 Federer

Nadal 9-6 Djokovic
- 1). French Open 2006 (Quarter Final) = Nadal (2 sets up) - Djokovic retired early from injury
- 2). French Open 2007 (Semi Final) = Nadal (3 sets)
- 3). Wimbledon 2007 (Semi Final) = Nadal (2 sets up) - Djokovic retired early from injury
- 4). French Open 2008 (Semi Final) = Nadal (3 sets)
- 5). US Open 2010 (Final) = Nadal (4 sets)
- 6). Wimbledon 2011 (Final) = Djokovic (4 sets)
- 7). US Open 2011 (Final) = Djokovic (4 sets)
- 8]. Australian Open 2012 (Final) = Djokovic (5 sets)
- 9). French Open 2012 (Final) = Nadal (4 sets)
- 10). French Open 2013 (Semi Final) = Nadal (5 sets)
- 11). US Open 2013 (Final) = Nadal (4 sets)
- 12). French Open 2014 (Final) = Nadal (4 sets)
- 13). French Open 2015 (Quarter Final) = Djokovic (3 sets)
- 14). Wimbledon 2018 (Semi Final) = Djokovic (5 sets)
- 15). Australian Open 2019 (Final) = Djokovic (3 sets)

AUSTRALIAN OPEN = Nadal 0-2 Djokovic
FRENCH OPEN = Nadal 6-1 Djokovic
WIMBLEDON = Nadal 1-2 Djokovic
US OPEN = Nadal 2-1 Djokovic

Djokovic 11-6 Federer
- 1). Australian Open 2007 (4th Round) = Federer (3 sets)
- 2). US Open 2007 (Final) = Federer (3 sets)
- 3). Australian Open 2008 (Semi Final) = Djokovic (3 sets)
- 4). US Open 2008 (Semi Final) = Federer (4 sets)
- 5). US Open 2009 (Semi Final) = Federer (3 sets)
- 6). US Open 2010 (Semi Final) = Djokovic (5 sets)
- 7). Australian Open 2011 (Semi Final) = Djokovic (3 sets)
- 8]. French Open 2011 (Semi Final) = Federer (4 sets)
- 9). US Open 2011 (Semi Final) = Djokovic (5 sets)
- 10). French Open 2012 (Semi Final) = Djokovic (3 sets)
- 11). Wimbledon 2012 (Semi Final) = Federer (4 sets)
- 12). Wimbledon 2014 (Final) = Djokovic (5 sets)
- 13). Wimbledon 2015 (Final) = Djokovic (4 sets)
- 14). US Open 2015 (Final) = Djokovic (4 sets)
- 15). Australian Open 2016 (Semi Final) = Djokovic (4 sets)
- 16). Wimbledon 2019 (Final) = Djokovic (5 sets)
- 17). Australian Open 2020 (Semi Final) = Djokovic (3 sets)

AUSTRALIAN OPEN = Djokovic 4-1 Federer
FRENCH OPEN = Djokovic 1-1 Federer
WIMBLEDON = Djokovic 3-1 Federer
US OPEN = Djokovic 3-3 Federer

[K]

"But Federer has not beaten Djokovic in a major for more than seven years (2012 Wimbledon) and has slid behind to 23-27 in their head-to-head matches." -- Niall.


Yes, but have they ever played peak against peak? The age difference is huge. Federer has not been 30 or younger "for more than seven years". At least with Federer and Nadal, some sort of roughly peak against peak appraisal is possible.

[Donny]

Djocko wins his 17th.

[Donny]

This is a fascinating 3 way go.

[K]

N. Zaccardi:

"Number of Grand Slam titles on their 33rd birthday

Roger Federer: 17 (won No. 18 two and a half years later)
Rafael Nadal: 17 (won No. 18 six days later)
Novak Djokovic: 17 (turns 33 on May 22)"

https://twitter.com/nzaccardi/status/12 ... 3298980864

[Jezza]

Djokovic! 8 Australian Open Championships!

Undisputed AO GOAT!

[K]

"Updated ELO strengths of opponents faced by the BIG 3 in grand slam finals"

https://twitter.com/LiyanageShane/statu ... 0103964677
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EPxcY8jU8AA ... name=large

Average opponent elo in final:
Djokovic 2133.4
Nadal 2139.8
Federer 1995.8.


[If he's got the numbers right, this looks like Federer has had easier opponents. Two things need to be considered, though: i) possible ratings inflation (which would make more recent opponents look harder); ii) if you have the highest elo, the others gain more beating you than you do beating them (since they have lower elo). Point i) is a matter of furious and never-ending debate. If inflation is real, then Nadal is still looking good, as his titles will be on average older than Djokovic's.]

[Jezza]

17 slams

1. Australian Open 2008
2. Australian Open 2011
3. Wimbledon 2011
4. US Open 2011
5. Australian Open 2012
6. Australian Open 2013
7. Wimbledon 2014
8. Australian Open 2015
9. Wimbledon 2015
10. US Open 2015
11. Australian Open 2016
12. French Open 2016
13. Wimbledon 2018
14. US Open 2018
15. Australian Open 2019
16. Wimbledon 2019
17. Australian Open 2020

BREAKDOWN

Australian Open = (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020)
French Open = (2016)
Wimbledon = (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019)
US Open = (2011, 2015, 2018)