One of the most gripping rivalries in Open Era tennis will draw to a close on Saturday evening, when Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic clash for the final time at the 6 Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia.
Boasting just the 46 Grand Slam singles titles between them, the two all-time greats will vie for the consolation prize of third place at the lucrative exhibition event, having both been beaten by much younger foes earlier in the tournament.
In his first match since announcing his impending retirement, Nadal fell to compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, while Djokovic briefly fought back against Jannik Sinner before going down in three.
Ahead of Saturday's last dance, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between Nadal and Djokovic.
Nadal vs. Djokovic head-to-head record
© Imago
Played: 60
Nadal wins: 29
Djokovic wins: 31
Want to feel old? The first time Djokovic and Nadal clashed racquets, the Spaniard had celebrated his 20th birthday just four days beforehand, and the Serbian was still a teenager. That battle came in the 2006 French Open quarters, where Nadal triumphed thanks to Djokovic's retirement.
Fast-forward 18 years, and the two titans of tennis have posed for photos and embraced each other at the net a staggering 60 times, and in keeping with their extraordinarily close tally of Grand Slam victories, it is only fitting that the head-to-head record is almost exactly split down the middle.
However, the most marginal of advantages belongs to Djokovic, who has beaten Nadal in 31 of their 60 battles, with the 14-time French Open winner therefore boasting 29 successes in a rivalry that has spanned a full 18 years.
With the 6 Kings Slam only being an exhibition event, the final competitive meeting between Nadal and Djokovic came at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the latter made light work of his ailing foe before finally achieving his lifelong goal of becoming a Games gold medallist.
The last-ever Grand Slam matchup between Nadal and Djokovic went the way of the Spaniard, though - a four-set success in the 2022 French Open quarter-finals - prior to which he also bagelled Djokovic in the 2020 Roland-Garros championship match.
That was one of nine major finals that Nadal and Djokovic have contested over the years, and the former has prevailed in five of them compared to Djokovic's four, although the Serbian won one of their most epic battles in the 2012 Australian Open final, a five-hour and 53-minute marathon.
The surface has always made a big difference in previous matches between Djokovic and Nadal, as the Serbian has won 20 of their 27 showdowns on hard courts, while Nadal boasts 20 victories from 29 meetings on clay, and they each have two wins apiece on grass.
In terms of streaks, Nadal's best sequence against Djokovic was a five-match winning run between 2008 and 2009, but the Serbian has beaten the Spaniard seven times in a row on two occasions, firstly from 2011 to 2012 and then again from 2015 to 2016.
Last 20 meetings:
Paris Olympics (2024) - Second Round: Djokovic wins 6-1 6-4
French Open (2022) - Quarter-final: Nadal wins 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6[4]
French Open (2021) - Semi-final: Djokovic wins 3-6 6-3 7-6[4] 6-2
Italian Open (2021) - Final: Nadal wins 7-5 1-6 6-3
French Open (2020) - Final: Nadal wins 6-0 6-2 7-5
ATP Cup (2020) - Final: Djokovic wins 6-2 7-6[4]
Italian Open (2019) - Final: Nadal wins 6-0 4-6 6-1
Australian Open (2019) - Final: Djokovic wins 6-3 6-2 6-3
Wimbledon (2018) - Semi-final: Djokovic wins 6-4 3-6 7-6[9] 3-6 10-8
Italian Open (2018) - Semi-final: Nadal wins 7-6[4] 6-3
Madrid Open (2017) - Semi-final: Nadal wins 6-2 6-4
Italian Open (2016) - Quarter-final: Djokovic wins 7-5 7-6[4]
Indian Wells Masters (2016) - Semi-final: Djokovic wins 7-6[5] 6-2
Qatar Open (2016) - Final: Djokovic wins 6-1 6-2
ATP Finals (2015) - Semi-final: Djokovic wins 6-3 6-3
China Open (2015) - Final Djokovic wins 6-2 6-2
French Open (2015) - Quarter-final: Djokovic wins 7-5 6-3 6-1
Monte-Carlo Masters (2015) - Semi-final: Djokovic wins 6-3 6-3
French Open (2014) - Final: Nadal wins 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4
Italian Open (2014) - Final: Djokovic wins 4-6 6-3 6-3
