Novak Djokovic overtakes greatest rival Rafael Nadal in another major tennis aspect

After his clay-court triumph over Rafael Nadal at this year's French Open, Novak Djokovic has trumped his eternal rival to yet another tennis milestone. Having started his career a couple of years after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Dj was for long deemed to be the outsider or newcomer who would never really break through the dominance of the popular duo. However, after a shaky start to his career which took more than a few tries to get off the ground, Novak Djokovic found himself not just getting into the big leagues but dominating them from 2011 onwards.

Novak Djokovic gets better with age?

At 34, 35 and 39 years old respectively, it could be safe to say that Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer are almost at the fag end of their careers. With the Rafael Nadal Wimbledon 2021 withdrawal and Federer pulling out of the French Open halfway through to preserve his strength for Wimbledon, it has become increasingly clear that age and injuries are becoming a concern for at least two in the trio. However, as they struggle and cherry-pick tournaments, it will be World No.1 Novak Djokovic who gets a boost and a chance to end his career with the most significant wins.

Djokovic has been the most consistent of the three players since hitting the age of 30. The Serb has won seven of his 19 Grand Slam titles - three Australian Opens, one French Open, two Wimbledons, and a sole US Open - after his 30th birthday, giving him a slight edge over Rafael Nadal, who has won six titles - four French Opens and two US Open. The next people on the list, Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and Roger Federer won 4 each in their 30s. 

Novak Djokovic vs Nadal head to head

Following his gutsy defeat of Rafa in the French Open semi-finals, the Djokovic vs Nadal head to head currently stands at 30-28, just slightly in favour of the Serbian. With the Rafael Nadal Wimbledon 2021 withdrawal, Djokovic is likely to catch up to the No.3 this year. As is expected, both players dominate over each other on their surfaces of choice - with Novak Djokovic holding a massive 20-7 advantage on hard courts and Nadal having won 19 of his 27 meetings against the Serb on clay. The pair stand at an equal 2-2 on Grass Courts. 

With 36 Masters 1000 titles each and the Novak Djokovic Grand Slams count now at 19 compared to Nadal's tally of 20, the two legends are barely distinguishable in any area of the game. Rafa currently leads the pair in ATP 500 titles, with 22 to Djokovic's 14. However, the World No. 1 catches up when you take into account his 5 year-end titles and the Spaniard's zero wins in that arena. Nadal also boasts one Olympic Gold for Spain while Djokovic has a Bronze from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Image Credits: Novak Djokovic Twitter