Can Djokovic pass Nadal for the most slams won on a single surface?

[servebottingonclay]

Most slams won on a single surface:

Nadal (clay) - 14
Djokovic (hard) - 13
Federer (hard) - 11
Emerson (grass) - 10
Tilden (grass) - 10
Laver (grass)- 9
Federer (grass) - 8
Perry (grass) - 7
Newcombe (grass) - 7
Sampras (grass)- 7
Sampras (hard) - 7
Djokovic (grass) - 7
Nadal (hard) - 6
Agassi (hard)- 6
Rosewall (grass) - 6
Borg (clay) - 6
Borg (grass)- 5
Lendl (hard) - 5

 

[LetWinner]

I think he’s got 1 more AO in him and no more USOs, so he can tie but not pass

 

[socallefty]

Even if he does, it is not the same when there is 1 Slam on clay and 2 on hard courts. 14 FOs is just phenomenal.

 

[Torben]

14 FOs is just phenomenal.

It’s other worldly.

Djokovic’s success at winning the Australian Open 10 times is amazing in itself but Nadal has won three other tournaments, aside from the French Open, 10 times or more. I know there aren’t slams but the best players all usually play them.

12 – Barcelona Open
11 – Monte-Carlo Masters
10 – Rome Masters (Italian Open)

I don’t think we’ll see this kind of dominance on any surface, yet alone clay, for a very long time, if ever.

 

[servebottingonclay]

Yeah amazing to think that Rafa is the all time leader for slams on a single surface when he only gets 1 chance a year!!! compared to 2 slams on hard every year, or in the old days, 3/4 of the slams were on grass!

 

[BauerAlmeida]

They are two different slams so it obviously wouldn't mean much. However, he would have a somewhat small chance to tie his RG tally with AO titles if:

- He wasn't banned from 2022.
- He had won ONE of 2017-2018. That slump cost him two titles at his pet slam, if he had managed to win one of these years it would be a different story. In 2018 he was already playing well for the USO and Wimbledon, and maybe even RG, but he was just returning at the AO.

In this scenario, he'd be at 12 vs Nadal's 14. Not easy to do and probably unlikely given his age but not that far.

Even with just the first one (2022), he'd be at 11, winning the next one would leave him at 12. If Nadal doesn't win RG again he would be somewhat close.

 

[servebottingonclay]

They are two different slams so it obviously wouldn't mean much. However, he would have a somewhat small chance to tie his RG tally with AO titles if:

- He wasn't banned from 2022.
- He had won ONE of 2017-2018. That slump cost him two titles at his pet slam, if he had managed to win one of these years it would be a different story. In 2018 he was already playing well for the USO and Wimbledon, and maybe even RG, but he was just returning at the AO.

In this scenario, he'd be at 12 vs Nadal's 14. Not easy to do and probably unlikely given his age but not that far.

Even with just the first one (2022), he'd be at 11, winning the next one would leave him at 12. If Nadal doesn't win RG again he would be somewhat close.

I mean you can go the other way also... he could have easily lost in 2012 (down 2-1 SF, down a break 5th set F), 2013 down a break 5th set vs Wawrinka, and even 2020 final down 2 -1 F vs Thiem.

Surprised you didn't mention 2014, this was one Djokovic easily should have won but blew it against Stanimal.

Whats amazing about Nadal's record is he basically was never in danger of losing in almost all his title runs (was only pushed to 5 sets twice, he was never gonna lose to Isner in 2011 who luckboxed 2 tiebreaks), so only the 2013 SF was in danger.

 

[Julius Caesar]

I think its more likely that Rafa extends his lead 15>10+3

 

[MichaelNadal]

I mean you can go the other way also... he could have easily lost in 2012 (down 2-1 SF, down a break 5th set F), 2013 down a break 5th set vs Wawrinka, and even 2020 final down 2 -1 F vs Thiem.

Surprised you didn't mention 2014, this was one Djokovic easily should have won but blew it against Stanimal.

Whats amazing about Nadal's record is he basically was never in danger of losing in almost all his title runs (was only pushed to 5 sets twice, he was never gonna lose to Isner in 2011 who luckboxed 2 tiebreaks), so only the 2013 SF was in danger.

So epic

 

[LaVie en Rose]

Even if he does, it is not the same when there is 1 Slam on clay and 2 on hard courts. 14 FOs is just phenomenal.

Poor Novak

What is with Nadal fans minutes after registering, opening Djokovic threads every 2 seconds Don't we already have VB fierce soldiers doing the same?

 

[Hitman]

Even if he does, Nadal's carries more weight in that he managed to get that number at just one slam, while Djokovic needed two.

This is one thing Nadal will always have over the others, the insane single surface dominance. Hats off to him for that, he deserves it.

 

[jl809]

I reckon so, I can see 1 more USO (unlike a lot of people on the forum apparently), plus maybe 1 more AO

 

[jl809]

- He had won ONE of 2017-2018. That slump cost him two titles at his pet slam,

You could say this about anyone at their pet slam tbh. Nadal with 2015-16 at the FO, Fed at Wimbledon in 2013 or 2016, etc… 2016 in particular was a what if for Fed, and I say this as a Murray fan. He had no idea how to beat Fed towards the end of their rivalry for some reason

 

[NeutralFan]

They are two different slams so it obviously wouldn't mean much. However, he would have a somewhat small chance to tie his RG tally with AO titles if:

- He wasn't banned from 2022.
- He had won ONE of 2017-2018. That slump cost him two titles at his pet slam, if he had managed to win one of these years it would be a different story. In 2018 he was already playing well for the USO and Wimbledon, and maybe even RG, but he was just returning at the AO.

In this scenario, he'd be at 12 vs Nadal's 14. Not easy to do and probably unlikely given his age but not that far.

Even with just the first one (2022), he'd be at 11, winning the next one would leave him at 12. If Nadal doesn't win RG again he would be somewhat close.

If Nadal didn't play like sht in 2015 , if if if , it happens only if you see if from only one side.

 

[LaVie en Rose]

Even if he does, Nadal's carries more weight in that he managed to get that number at just one slam, while Djokovic needed two.

This is one thing Nadal will always have over the others, the insane single surface dominance. Hats off to him for that, he deserves it.

Nadal ,best clay courter is undeniable truth .If anything this tells about strenght of clay court field (basicaly one player that is not even clay specialist was main competition ,unlike on HC ,former GOAT&some very good HC players) which VB soldiers don’t like to talk.In fact while yapping about weak field because Djokovic is winning,they avoid clay court field discussions like plaque.Hypocrisy is off the charts.But hey

 

[Hitman]

Nadal ,best clay courter is undeniable truth .If anything this tells about strenght of clay court field (basicaly one player that is not even clay specialist was main competition ,unlike on HC ,former GOAT&some very good HC players) which VB soldiers don’t like to talk.In fact while yapping about weak field because Djokovic is winning,they avoid clay court field discussions like plaque.Hypocricy is off the charts.But hey

Well yes, there is that.

 

[CoolCoolCool]

I reckon so, I can see 1 more USO (unlike a lot of people on the forum apparently), plus maybe 1 more AO

You know how that works here, he can never win another title at a particular slam ever again if he didn't win the last one.

 

[platypus50]

I don't think so, I think Djoker will equal 14 by winning 1 more AO but that will be it for him.

Agree with @Hitman that Nadal's 14 slams won on a single surface trumps all

 

[BauerAlmeida]

You could say this about anyone at their pet slam tbh. Nadal with 2015-16 at the FO, Fed at Wimbledon in 2013 or 2016, etc… 2016 in particular was a what if for Fed, and I say this as a Murray fan. He had no idea how to beat Fed towards the end of their rivalry for some reason

Those (Federer's) are three-year apart, it's like bringing up Djokovic's defeat to Tsonga in 2010. Nadal was on a drought for 3-years from RG 2014 to RG 2017, so it didn't cost him that much, it cost him two titles there, same as Djokovic who's slump period was one year shorter (RG 2016 - Wimbledon 2018).

 

[jl809]

Nadal ,best clay courter is undeniable truth .If anything this tells about strenght of clay court field (basicaly one player that is not even clay specialist was main competition ,unlike on HC ,former GOAT&some very good HC players) which VB soldiers don’t like to talk.In fact while yapping about weak field because Djokovic is winning,they avoid clay court field discussions like plaque.Hypocrisy is off the charts.But hey

Well yes, there is that.

Never seen a fanbase so consistently belittle and diss their favourite player on a surface than Djokovic fans do on clay. Making out like he’s weak ass worse than Bruguera and Courier and co lol

 

[LaVie en Rose]

Nadal ,best clay courter is undeniable truth .If anything this tells about strenght of clay court field (basicaly one player that is not even clay specialist was main competition ,unlike on HC ,former GOAT&some very good HC players) which VB soldiers don’t like to talk.In fact while yapping about weak field because Djokovic is winning,they avoid clay court field discussions like plaque.Hypocricy is off the charts.But hey

Correction , VB fierce slodiers like to discuss but only if Nadal is winning , otherwise he is injured and is in worst spell of form.

Never seen a fanbase so consistently belittle and diss their favourite player on a surface than Djokovic fans do on clay. Making out like he’s worse than Bruguera and Courier and co lol

I have rarely seen so many trolls like on here . Do I need to quote some of the threads they opened , just recently?

 

[MichaelNadal]

Never seen a fanbase so consistently belittle and diss their favourite player on a surface than Djokovic fans do on clay. Making out like he’s weak ass worse than Bruguera and Courier and co lol

Drag em

 

[Hitman]

Never seen a fanbase so consistently belittle and diss their favourite player on a surface than Djokovic fans do on clay. Making out like he’s weak ass worse than Bruguera and Courier and co lol

Saying that Djokovic isn't a clay specialist, or that clay isn't his best surface isn't belittling him, that is the actual truth. Of course he is good on clay, but it is not his ideal surface, HC is. We all know this.

 

[BauerAlmeida]

Surprised you didn't mention 2014, this was one Djokovic easily should have won but blew it against Stanimal.

Yeah, he could have won in 2014 but he could have lost in 2013. In the end, they had two very close matches and both got one. So can't really think much about that one.

 

[jl809]

Saying that Djokovic isn't a clay specialist, or that clay isn't his best surface isn't belittling him, that is the actual truth. Of course he is good on clay, but it is not his ideal surface, HC is. We all know this.

Sure, I totally agree with all of this. But he can be not a clay specialist and still be formidable competition at his best on clay (particularly from 2011-2016) because he is probably the most versatile surface player in the modern era and is the GOAT.

My comment was aimed at people suggesting guys like Bruguera, Kafelnikov and Courier are strong competition (or even Moya, Costa etc from the early 00s) but 2011-2016 Djokovic isn’t. When those people are also Djokovic fans, that’s what’s strange to me

You wouldn’t see Nadal fans trying to talk down Nadal’s level at Wimbledon as a way of saying Fed had weak competition at Wimbledon in the 00s, for example

 

[MichaelNadal]

Sure, I totally agree with all of this. But he can be not a clay specialist and still be formidable competition at his best on clay (particularly from 2011-2016) because he is probably the most versatile surface player in the modern era and is the GOAT.

My comment was aimed at people suggesting guys like Bruguera, Kafelnikov and Courier are strong competition (or even Moya, Costa etc from the early 00s) but 2011-2016 Djokovic isn’t. When those people are also Djokovic fans, that’s what’s strange to me

You wouldn’t see Nadal fans trying to talk down Nadal’s level at Wimbledon as a way of saying Fed had weak competition at Wimbledon in the 00s, for example

Novak would literally be clay GOAT without Nadal lol

 

[LaVie en Rose]

One who manifested Murray is winning every next t’nt he enters disqualified himself from any serious discussion about tennis. Not to even mention the rest body of work here

 

[Hitman]

Sure, I totally agree with all of this. But he can be not a clay specialist and still be formidable competition at his best on clay (particularly from 2011-2016) because he is probably the most versatile surface player in the modern era and is the GOAT.

My comment was aimed at people suggesting guys like Bruguera, Kafelnikov and Courier are strong competition (or even Moya, Costa etc from the early 00s) but 2011-2016 Djokovic isn’t. When those people are also Djokovic fans, that’s what’s strange to me

You wouldn’t see Nadal fans trying to talk down Nadal’s level at Wimbledon as a way of saying Fed had weak competition at Wimbledon in the 00s, for example

Djokovic is the most versatile tennis player of all time, I even made a thread that said he has a case to be top 3 on clay in the open era. Believe me, many Djokovic fans praise his tennis skills on all surfaces, there is absolutely no way a guy who cannot play on clay beat Nadal multiple times at RG and in the finals of all three clay masters.

The point some speak about is that Nadal didn't have a career rival who's best surface was indeed clay. That doesn't mean Djokovic didn't get right up in Nadal's face, because he certainly did, and it only built the Djokovic's legacy that much more.

 

[Hitman]

Novak would literally be clay GOAT without Nadal lol

Doesn't work like that. Nadal made Djokovic the player he is today, you don't get that Djokovic without the existence of Nadal.

 

[Kralingen]

Sure, I totally agree with all of this. But he can be not a clay specialist and still be formidable competition at his best on clay (particularly from 2011-2016) because he is probably the most versatile surface player in the modern era and is the GOAT.

My comment was aimed at people suggesting guys like Bruguera, Kafelnikov and Courier are strong competition (or even Moya, Costa etc from the early 00s) but 2011-2016 Djokovic isn’t. When those people are also Djokovic fans, that’s what’s strange to me

You wouldn’t see Nadal fans trying to talk down Nadal’s level at Wimbledon as a way of saying Fed had weak competition at Wimbledon in the 00s, for example

I’m not convinced Djokovic or Federer are better at RG than Bruguera Courier Ferrero or Kuerten peak for peak…

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

It would be great if Djokovic does. Although it doesn’t change anything really. Nadals record at one slam is still the greatest standout achievement compared to anything else. Insane stuff from Rafa on the clay.

 

[Sudacafan]

Misleading thread.
It makes us compair two slams for Djokovic (hard) against one slam for Nadal (clay). Very unfair. Almost fraudulent and immoral.
To make things fair, the alternative for Nadal should be SOFT surfaces: clay + grass, so Nadal gets 16 soft vs Djokovic 13 hard. 2 slams each, OK?

I have preemptively reported this thread and all users who have contributed to this misrepresentation of stats.

N.B.: I am not a Nadal fan. I am not a Djokovic fan.

 

[TheNachoMan]

I’m not convinced Djokovic or Federer are better at RG than Bruguera Courier Ferrero or Kuerten peak for peak…

lol

 

[MichaelNadal]

Doesn't work like that. Nadal made Djokovic the player he is today, you don't get that Djokovic without the existence of Nadal.

It does work like that lol, he’s not clay GOAT bc he lost 74648474 times to Nadal at RG.

 

[Hitman]

It would be great if Djokovic does. Although it doesn’t change anything really. Nadals record at one slam is still the greatest standout achievement compared to anything else. Insane stuff from Rafa on the clay.

Doesn't really matter to me personally, we know Nadal is better on clay than Djokovic is on HC.

 

[Hitman]

It does work like that lol, he’s not clay GOAT bc he lost 74648474 finals to Nadal at RG.

Dude seriously. Your competition forces you to get better.

Here's a little history lesson for you. Djokovic has had three slam winning seasons, you know who beat him at RG? It wasn't Nadal in any of them, in fact, in two of them, it was Nadal who was sent packing.

Nadal forced Djokovic to up his game on clay, through all those brutal matches, remember the classic clay trilogy of 2009? The wars that Nadal and Djokovic had? Those matches helped Djokovic improve his shot tolerance, better clay tactics.

Now, take away all those big matches from Djokovic, take away all that exposure, and you will in no way have the same Djokovic who went onto dethrone Nadal so many times. The Djokovic you see is a product of the matches he primarily had against your boy, to take Nadal out, Djokovic is not the same player otherwise, he says this himself.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Ok yes that's true. But still.... Novak is clay GOAT without Rafa.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Doesn't really matter to me personally, we know Nadal is better on clay than Djokovic is on HC.

I agree. That will never change.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Ok yes that's true. But still.... Novak is clay GOAT without Rafa.

The same could be said for Fed too. Still I’m not sure how Fed or Novak would have fared against the other great RG champions prior to them. They were more clay specialists than Fedovic.

 

[MichaelNadal]

The same could be said for Fed too. Still I’m not sure how Fed or Novak would have fared against the other great RG champions prior to them. They were more clay specialists than Fedovic.

Fedovic aren’t “clay specialists“ bc Nadal beat them too much. The same way Nadal doesn’t have 3WTFs, 5AO titles and 5 Wimbledon titles bc of Fedovic. It’s not bc he isn’t great at Wimbledon and the AO, it‘s bc he had to play the AO GOAT and the Wimbledon GOAT.

 

[NeutralFan]

The same could be said for Fed too. Still I’m not sure how Fed or Novak would have fared against the other great RG champions prior to them. They were more clay specialists than Fedovic.

If you put Nadal equivalent of Clay on grass , add stan and Thiem eqavialvent there then you would be saying if Djokovic is as good as past two or three grass champions.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Fedovic aren’t “clay specialists“ bc Nadal beat them too much.

Nadal is a god on clay and they were unlucky to have to face him over and over. However, we will never know how Djokovic/Federer woukd have fared against guga Kuerten, wilander, Lendl, etc who all won multiple french opens. It would be interesting but we will never know.

 

[Hitman]

Ok yes that's true. But still.... Novak is clay GOAT without Rafa.

We will never know for sure. Nadal made Djokovic, that cannot be denied. Think of Nadal being that bad@$$ martial arts teacher from Kill Bill, if the Bride never met him, sure she would have been good because she still had potential, but no way she would reach the heights she got to without him. Nadal was that same mentor in a way, that forced Djokovic to adapt.

And as I said, Djokovic was not only vulnerable to Nadal at RG, other players hurt him there too, Federer, Wawrinka, Thiem all took him out during his three slam runs.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Nadal is a god on clay and they were unlucky to have to face him over and over. However, we will never know how Djokovic/Federer woukd have fared against guga Kuerten, wilander, Lendl, etc who all won multiple french opens. It would be interesting but we will never know.

Lol

 

[Hitman]

I agree. That will never change.

Nadal deserves this one. Best single surface player ever, even if Djokovic wins 18 HC slams.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

We will never know for sure. Nadal made Djokovic, that cannot be denied. Think of Nadal being that bad@$$ martial arts teacher from Kill Bill, if the Bride never met him, sure she would have been good because she still had potential, but no way she would reach the heights she got to without him. Nadal was that same mentor in a way, that forced Djokovic to adapt.

And as I said, Djokovic was not only vulnerable to Nadal at RG, other players hurt him there too, Federer, Wawrinka, Thiem all took him out during his three slam runs.

Exactly. He’s acting like only Nadal beat him. Djokovic lost to a range of players at the french. That’s why I’m not sure you can call him the 2nd greatest player on clay after Rafa. That is a very open debate. There are many players in the mix and other players who more french opens than Novak or matched him on the surface.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Lol

Djokovic didn’t open struggle with Nadal on clay. He struggled with a range of players just like he does at us open too.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Exactly. He’s acting like only Nadal beat him. Djokovic lost to a range of players at the french. That’s why I’m not sure you can call him the 2nd greatest player on clay after Rafa. That is a very open debate. There are many players in mid and other players who more french opens than Novak or matched him on the surface.

Again….. Novak would have at least 7 French Opens without Nadal. Anything else is irrelevant. The guy is the FO champ right NOW lol. Either he’s that good or his competition this year was bogus af, ill let you pick

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Again….. Novak would have at least 7 French Opens without Nadal. Anything else is irrelevant. The guy is the FO champ right NOW lol. Either he’s that good or his competition this year was bogus af, ill let you pick

It’s a bit of both. He’s good on clay but had a bit of luck to win this year with weaker field. I will always admit that it’s tough for Novak to win the french. It’s not his natural surface and he says he finds it harder to adapt to it. This has always been the case.

 

[Hitman]

Exactly. He’s acting like only Nadal beat him. Djokovic lost to a range of players at the french. That’s why I’m not sure you can call him the 2nd greatest player on clay after Rafa. That is a very open debate. There are many players in mid and other players who more french opens than Novak or matched him on the surface.

I get it, it's to big Rafa up, but really it's not needed, because Rafa had won too much anyway to be denied the top spot.

Clay is Djokovic's weakest surface, we know this, it's the one he is most vulnerable on, it doesn't mean he is bad on it, in fact he is fantastic on it....but there is a clear gap that can be seen in his tennis outside of clay compared to on it. That is why many other players have taken out a well playing Djokovic at RG, Federer, Wawrinka and Thiem all did it, where they basically just him off the court, and this was during periods that Djokovic was winning three slams within 12 months.

I do feel achievement wise, that now Djokovic is top 3 of the open era, it did however require help from Nadal making him the player he is today. Who knows if without Nadal he wins so much and is even more vulnerable to those Federer/Wawrinka/Thiem like performances from other players.