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Ten years later, both men are the top two seeds in Madrid
Editor's Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 4 May 2019.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have faced off 53 times in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry, but their 2009 Mutua Madrid Open semi-final remains one of their most memorable matches.

Nadal prevailed 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(9) in what was the longest three-set match in ATP Masters 1000 history at four hours and three minutes. Djokovic won more points on the day (125 to 120), but the Spaniard bravely saved three match points at 5/6, 6/7 and 8/9 in the final-set tie-break.

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"In a game like that with so many match points I think you need luck to win,” said Nadal after the match. “But I played with great courage and I think everything went well for me.”

The pair are in opposite halves of this year's draw in Madrid as the top two seeds. World No. 1 Djokovic starts Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov or a qualifier, while Nadal will face a Canadian #NextGenATP player in Felix Auger-Aliassime or 2018 semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov.

Relive a memorable semi-final from the Foro Italico
When Novak Djokovic believes he’s playing well, that’s typically a bad omen for any opponent. But in the semi-finals of the 2018 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, that still wasn’t enough.

Rafael Nadal battled past Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3 in a tight one hour and 56 minutes, moving to 10-0 in Rome semi-finals. The match was full of thrilling points as the legends clawed for control of the rallies. It was so exciting that at one point, commentator Robbie Koenig uttered an iconic line.

“It’s tennis nearer the gods!”


Nadal emerged victorious on Court Centrale to earn his 356th ATP Masters 1000 win, breaking a tie with Roger Federer (355) for the most victories at the elite level in history. The Spaniard is in top spot today with 384 Masters 1000 victories, and Federer is right behind at 381.

"It was a tough battle, I think a good level of tennis," Nadal said. "[It was a] combination of tactics, a combination of great shots for both of us. [It's a] very important victory for me. I'm very happy."

Both Nadal and Djokovic entered the match having never lost in the semi-finals at the Foro Italico, and it was the Serbian who suffered his first defeat at that stage in Rome. However, it was not all bad news for Djokovic, who earned renewed confidence after reaching his first semi-final of the season and digging deep to challenge the Spaniard.

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Earlier in the year, Djokovic had undergone a right elbow procedure, which contributed to him losing six of nine matches leading into the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Yet suddenly, then World No. 18, he was going ball-for-ball with an in-form Nadal.

"Rafa was just better in important moments. He just managed to play [the] right shots and he deserved to win. He was the better player," Djokovic said. "I don't think that there was too much of a difference, which is great for me, great news for me. Because Rafa is, of course, the best player ever to play tennis on clay courts. And he's in great, great form. It's very difficult to play him on clay anywhere. But as I said, I thought the level of my tennis was very high."

Nadal never doubted that Djokovic would return to form. Although he beat the Serbian in straight sets, he knew it’d take his best to do so.

“I played against one of the best players of the history of this sport, you know. It's always a challenge to play against him. He has all the shots,” Nadal said. “He's always a match that when he's playing well, you're going to have to play your best if you want to have chances.”

Nadal would go on to beat defending champion Alexander Zverev for his eighth Rome title. In 2019, he retained his crown for a record ninth victory at the Foro Italico.

Spaniard entered contest with 41-2 record in 2013

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have met on seven occasions at Roland Garros, most notably in the 2012 and 2014 championship matches. But, in the year between those two final clashes, the pair contested their greatest meeting in Paris at the semi-final stage.

Less than four months after spending seven months on the sidelines with a left knee injury, Nadal returned to Paris in red-hot form. The seven-time champion had reached finals in each of his opening eight comeback events, winning six trophies with 36 wins from 38 matches.

But, as the No. 4 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, he would have to get past World No. 1 Djokovic to reach the championship match in Paris. Djokovic entered the contest with confidence, having ended Nadal’s streak of eight consecutive Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters crowns with a straight-sets final victory against the Spaniard in the Principality. The six-time Grand Slam champion was bidding to move one victory away from joining Nadal as the eighth man to complete the Career Grand Slam.

Across four hours and 37 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Nadal and Djokovic contested one of the greatest matches in their ATP Head2Head rivalry.

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On a hot, blustery day in Paris, Nadal enjoyed success with his forehand and dominated the opening 75 minutes of the contest to lead by a set and a break. Facing the possibility of a two-set deficit, Djokovic responded emphatically in the next 25 minutes. With pinpoint groundstrokes into both corners of the court, the World No. 1 controlled the baseline and pushed his rival into defensive positions to earn five straight games and level the match.

Djokovic was unable to carry any momentum through to the third set, as Nadal claimed six of seven games to quickly move one set away from the championship match. In the fourth set, Nadal twice led by a break and served for the match at 6-5, only for Djokovic to win three straight points to force a tie-break. The 2012 runner-up dictated rallies throughout the tie-break and took the match to a decider with a driven cross-court forehand passing shot.

"Serving for the match at 6-5 in the fourth, I was serving against the wind, so I knew it was going to be a difficult game,” said Nadal.

For just the second time in his career, Nadal would have to contest a fifth set at Roland Garros. Only John Isner, in the first-round in 2011, had previously gone the distance with Nadal at the clay-court Grand Slam championship.

The reigning Australian Open champion imposed himself on Nadal’s serve in the opening game of the decider and held a break advantage until a crucial moment at 4-3. Serving at deuce, Djokovic hit a high forehand volley into the open court, but failed to stop himself from touching the net before the ball had bounced for a second time. The 26-year-old went on to drop his serve with a forehand error.

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From 4-4, seven consecutive service holds followed before the match came to an abrupt end. Serving at 7-8, Djokovic’s hopes of joining Robin Soderling as the only man to defeat Nadal at Roland Garros were put on hold. The World No. 1 misjudged a passing shot from his opponent and committed three unforced errors to hand Nadal a famous 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7 victory.

"I was a little bit lucky in that game at 4-3, but I think I really fought a lot,” said Nadal. “In Australia, in 2012, it was a similar match and then he won. Today, it was me."

“It's been an unbelievable match to be part of, but all I can feel now is disappointment. That's it,” said Djokovic. “I congratulate him, because that's why he's a champion. That's why he's been ruling Roland Garros for many years, and for me it's another year.”

Nadal overcame countryman David Ferrer in the championship match to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires for an eighth time. Two years later, Djokovic became the second player to beat Nadal at Roland Garros with a straight-sets victory in the 2015 quarter-finals. The Serbian captured his maiden Roland Garros title in 2016 to become only the third player to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.