It started, as Roger Federer pointed out on Sunday, as a “semi-final rivalry”, or rather a side note to that captivating duel between the Swiss and his nemesis Rafael Nadal.
"Me and Rafa were ranked No 1 and No 2 or No 2 and No 1 for a long time" and Novak Djokovic "was always No 3 or No 4," Federer said after his straight-sets win over the top-ranked Serb in the Dubai final on Sunday.
The change, according to Federer, came when Djokovic ascended to the No 1 ranking for the first time in July 2011. Until then, they had played each other 22 times on the ATP Tour – 13 of these clashes took place in the semis and six were finals.
The Swiss was leading the head-to-head (13-9) at that stage and, by winning the last two duels, is still ahead 20-17 in what perhaps is the most compelling rivalry in tennis history.
The Federer-Nadal rivalry, for all its allure, has been predictable, with the Spaniard leading 23-10. Nadal v Djokovic, the longest-running match-up in the Open era, is much closer with the Serb trailing 23-19.
However, it has been a tale of two surfaces – Nadal is 14-4 on clay and Djokovic 14-7 on hard courts; Nadal was 14-4 in their first 18 matches and Djokovic has won 15 of the 24 since.
Federer and Djokovic, on the other hand, have been neck-and-neck on every surface: the Swiss leads 4-3 on clay and 15-13 on hard courts, while they are tied 1-1 on grass.
Neither player has won more than three matches in a row since Federer triumphed in their first four meetings. The two are tied 6-6 in grand slams; Djokovic has a slender 6-5 lead in finals, while Federer leads 11-10 in semis.
Statistics aside, there are plenty of other intangibles that put this rivalry ahead of the rest. They inevitably bring out the best in the other, both knowing they cannot play safe.
The winner is usually the more aggressive and cannier of the two, with a bigger share of luck. Remember Federer’s between-the-legs winner to set up match point in the 2009 US Open semis, or Djokovic’s stunning forehand two years later on the same court to trigger a staggering turnaround, when Federer held two match points?
To add to the spectacle, there have been a few edgy moments between the two as well; in 2006, Federer was upset with Djokovic for “calling the trainer out for no obvious reason against my buddy, Stan [Wawrinka], in a five-setter” Davis Cup clash.
In 2008, Federer was heard telling Djokovic’s parents to, “Be quiet, OK” in Monte Carlo. Earlier that same year, after Djokovic beat Federer in the Australian Open semis, the Serb’s mother Dijana, infamously boasted: “The king is dead, long live the king.”
The king is still alive, though, and so is the rivalry. Do not be surprised if the match-up between these two great champions ultimately goes down in history as the greatest rivalry in men’s tennis.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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