Federer vs. Djokovic — The Rivalry That Never Had a Quiet Match

Fifty matches over more than a decade, and Djokovic came out ahead 27-23 — 13-6 when it mattered most, in finals. At the majors specifically, Djokovic leads 11-6, with a 4-1 edge in Grand Slam finals. But those numbers undersell how often this rivalry came down to a handful of points.

The longest final Wimbledon has ever seen

Their 2019 Wimbledon final ran four hours and 57 minutes — the longest final in the tournament's history. Djokovic won it 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12, saving two championship points along the way at 40-15 in the deciding set. It was also the first Wimbledon final ever decided by a fifth-set tiebreak. Djokovic called the win "unreal" — and still acknowledged afterward that "Federer was the better player for most of the match."

The other final that could've been the headline anywhere else

Five years earlier, the same two players produced a different five-set classic in the 2014 Wimbledon final, Djokovic winning 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 in just under four hours. Federer saved a championship point before Djokovic closed it out.

The streak that got broken on clay

Not every big match here went to Djokovic. In the 2011 French Open semifinal, Federer beat him in four sets — and in doing so, ended a run of 43 straight wins and an undefeated 41-0 start to Djokovic's season. It's the kind of result that, against anyone else, would define an entire year. Against Federer, it was just one entry in a rivalry that produced classics on demand.