Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have been part of some of the biggest matches in Grand Slam history.
Federer and Djokovic are two of the greatest men’s tennis players of all time, sharing a combined 44 Grand Slam titles between them.
The two players were big rivals for many years until Federer officially announced his retirement from tennis in 2022.
Djokovic and Federer played a total of 50 matches against each other, and five of these battles were in Grand Slam finals.
Novak Djokovic dominated his Grand Slam finals vs Roger Federer
Djokovic leads the head-to-head against Federer 27-23, and also won all four of the five Grand Slam finals they played. The first of those took place at the US Open in 2007.
US Open 2007 – Federer beat Djokovic, 7-6(4) 7-6(2) 6-4
Djokovic reached his first ever Grand Slam final at the 2007 US Open, when he was 20 years old, after beating the likes of Juan Martin del Potro, Carlos Moya and David Ferrer en route to the final.
This is where he would play against Federer, who was the three-time defending US Open champion at the time and had dropped just one set en route to the 2007 final. Federer had also won four of his five previous matches against Djokovic at the time, but it was the latter who had won their most recent meeting in the Canadian Open final.
Federer showed his experience in this final, as he beat Djokovic 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-4 to win his fourth consecutive US Open title.
Djokovic was yet to win a Grand Slam at this point, and in his press conference after the match, Federer was asked if he thinks the Serbian could create a rivalry in the future with both himself and Rafael Nadal.
“Very possible, you know,” Federer answered. “Honestly I’ve enjoyed the challenge of young guys challenging me. This is probably my biggest motivation out there. You know, seeing them challenge me, beating them in the final, it’s really for me the best feeling, to be honest (smiling).
“If a rivalry comes along, great. So far we haven’t played many times in finals of tournaments. It’s always been quarterfinals, last 16. Now we’ve had two finals back to back. That always helps the rivalry. But I still obviously consider the one I have with Nadal much more serious at the moment.”
As Federer originally stated that Nadal was a more serious rival at the time, he was then asked if he thinks Djokovic can step up to this level.
Federer added, “Yeah, I mean, he’s been very consistent. I think if I would have played him twice in the semis of the French and Wimbledon then I would have had maybe more of a rivalry with him, but he landed on Rafa’s side. They kind of got it going at the moment actually.”
Wimbledon 2014 – Djokovic beat Federer, 6(7)-7 6-4 7-6(4) 5-7 6-4
It would be seven years until Djokovic would play Federer in a Grand Slam final again, as they faced off once again for a major title at Wimbledon in 2014.
During the time between Djokovic’s first Grand Slam final and facing Federer in the 2014 Wimbledon final, he had won six Grand Slam titles, three ATP Finals tournaments and had been world number one for 101 weeks.
Djokovic’s growth was also being manifested in his head-to-head against Federer, as he won a five set thriller against the Swiss to claim his second Wimbledon title.
This was one of a number of thrilling matches Djokovic had already been a part of, including his near six-hour victory over Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open final. Despite this, Djokovic believed that this was actually the best quality major final he had been part of up to this point.
“I was just overwhelmed with the emotions, positive emotions, that I was experiencing in the match,” said Djokovic, when asked about his reaction after winning the title. “I was not surprised, I was just trying to enjoy the moment, rethink what I’ve been through during the match.
“Sincerely, this has been the best quality Grand Slam final that I ever been part of. I’ve had a longest final against Nadal in the Australian Open 2012. But quality‑wise from the first to last point, this is definitely the best match.
“Roger played very well, I thought, in a very high level. He showed why he’s a champion. He showed a fighting spirit, composure in important moments when he was a break down. When I was serving for the match, he came in and played his best game. I didn’t think I did much wrong there.
“Was disappointing losing the fourth set after being so close to win it and match point. But the only way I could have won the match today is by believing that I can make it all the way until the end and staying mentally strong. That’s what I’ve done.
“I didn’t allow my emotions to fade away, as it was probably the case in Roland Garros final a couple, three, four weeks ago. Just very glad to win a Grand Slam final after losing the last three out of four.”
Djokovic would return to world number one after winning Wimbledon in 2014, a position he would hold for 122 consecutive weeks.
Wimbledon 2015 – Djokovic beat Federer, 7-6(1) 6(10)-7 6-4 6-3
Djokovic and Federer would meet once again in the Wimbledon final the following year, showcasing themselves as the two dominant forces on grass courts.
No player had won more Wimbledon titles than Federer, as at this point he was equal with Pete Sampras on seven, but Djokovic was starting to assert dominance in their rivalry.
This included winning back-to-back Wimbledon finals, as Djokovic defeated Federer 7-6(1), 6(10)-7, 6-4, 6-3. Djokovic had previously called Federer the best of all time, and he was asked how he felt to now be competing against him and what he thought was in store for his future.
“I think there is no reason not to be satisfied with what I have achieved,” said Djokovic. “In contrary, I’m thrilled and very proud with all the success that I had so far in the career, everything I reached. If you would ask me as a 14‑year‑old back in Serbia trying to find my way, you know, that this is how I’m going to end up at 28, of course I would sign the deal and take it right away.
“There were a couple of Grand Slam finals that I think I could have won. But, again, having said that, everything happens for a reason. I try to learn from every experience, especially the ones that don’t end up victorious for me. I’m going to keep going.
“I’m 28. I feel good. I don’t feel old. I have hopefully many more years in front of me. I’m going to try to push my own limits and see how far I can go really with titles and with myself playing on this high level.”
US Open 2015 – Djokovic beat Federer, 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-4
Djokovic and Federer would play a Grand Slam final against each other again that year, with 2015 being the only year where that happened.
This came at the US Open, the same tournament where Djokovic reached his first Grand Slam final and lost to Federer in that final. Djokovic was able to get revenge on Federer at the 2015 US Open, as he beat him once again.
Djokovic had now won 10 Grand Slam titles, with three of his final victories coming against Federer, who was asked how many majors he thought the Serbian could win by the end of his career.
“I think he’s playing very well. Are you kidding me? I think he’s doing really well,” Federer replied. “He’s having a wonderful season, like in 2011. He’s just really consistent.
“Seems like there are not many guys that can hang with him, don’t have the tools or dare to go forward, or they aren’t dare to serve and volley against him because he’s so good on the return. Which he is. He’s perfected his game on the hard courts, no doubt about it.
“He was always a great clay-court player, and because he moves as well as he does, he’s solid and consistent now on the grass. To say the least, it’s very impressive. He’s having unbelievable career. You know, I think everybody knows that he knows that, as well. Tonight is another example of that.
“Clearly he can win many of them. He already has a ton, so obviously he’s got to stay healthy and all that stuff and hungry, but obviously you would think he will win more after tonight.”
Wimbledon 2019 – Djokovic beat Federer, 7-6(5) 1-6 7-6(4) 4-6 13-12(3)
Perhaps the most memorable of Djokovic and Federer’s five Grand Slam finals against each other was the last, which came four years later at Wimbledon in 2019.
Djokovic was twice a set up in this match, but it was Federer who had two championship points in the deciding set. This was at the time when Wimbledon had a deciding set tie-break at 12-all in games, and after fighting back from jaws of defeat, Djokovic was able to beat Federer 7-6(5), 1-6 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3).
This final lasted four hours and 57 minutes, with Djokovic and Federer holding the record for the longest Wimbledon final ever.
Djokovic’s victory over Federer in this Wimbledon final was his 15th Grand Slam title win, putting him five behind his Swiss rival and three behind Nadal at the time.
In his press conference after the match, Djokovic was asked if he ever thought about how it would be like to overtake Federer and Nadal and if he felt it was a real possibility.
“It seems like I’m getting closer, but also they’re winning slams,” said Djokovic. “We’re kind of complementing each other. We’re making each other grow and evolve and still be in this game.
“I think, I mean, those two guys, probably one of the biggest reasons I still compete at this level. The fact that they made history of this sport motivates me as well, inspires me to try to do what they have done, what they’ve achieved, and even more.
“Whether I’m going to be able to do it or not, I don’t know. I mean, I’m not really looking at age as a restriction of any kind for me at least. What I said on the court, I really meant it: Roger really inspires me with his effort at his age.
“It just depends how long I’m going to play, whether I’m going to have a chance to make historic No. 1 or slams. It depends not only on myself, it depends on circumstances in life. I’m not just a tennis player, I’m a father and a husband. You have to balance things out. Obviously you need to have the right circumstances, the right support for things to play out in the right way.”
This was the final Grand Slam final of Federer’s career, before he retired from tennis three years later.
Djokovic has since overtaken both Federer and Nadal, as he now leads the Grand Slam tally with 24 majors to his name, with the now 39-year-old still competing for more.