Federer vs Djokovic
Djokovic leads Federer 27–23, and 11–6 at the majors. The strange part is that Federer won more points across their charted matches, 4,817 to 4,757. He won the short points and lost the long rallies, and Djokovic won the matches that went the distance.
The split
| Federer | Djokovic | |
|---|---|---|
| Hard | 18 | 20 |
| Grass | 1 | 3 |
| Clay | 4 | 4 |
| Grand Slams | 6 | 11 |
| Grand Slam finals | 1 | 4 |
| All finals | 6 | 13 |
How the rivalry is played
Across all 50 matches, Federer won the points of three shots or fewer, 51.5 %, but lost the long rallies: 44.8 % of seven-to-nine-shot points and 47.7 % of ten-plus.
Match Charting Project, our tally of the charted matchesDjokovic neutralised Federer's backhand: of the 27 charted Federer matches where it rated worst, nine were against Djokovic.
Jeff Sackmann, Tennis AbstractDjokovic said he read the wide serve on the 2011 match point because it was Federer's go-to serve against him under pressure.
Tennis365
The matches that defined it
- 2011 · Roland-Garros semi-finalFederer 7–6 6–3 3–6 7–6
Ended Djokovic's 43-match winning streak and his 41–0 start to 2011.
ESPN - 2011 · US Open semi-finalDjokovic 6–7 4–6 6–3 6–2 7–5
From two match points down at 3–5 in the fifth, with a cross-court forehand return winner off a wide serve.
Tennis365 - 2019 · Wimbledon finalDjokovic 7–6 1–6 7–6 4–6 13–12
Federer won more points, 218 to 204, and held two championship points. Djokovic won all three tiebreaks.
Tennis.com
Questions
What is the Federer vs Djokovic head-to-head?
Djokovic leads 27–23 in 50 matches.
Did Federer ever beat Djokovic in a Grand Slam final?
Once, at the 2007 US Open. Djokovic won their other four major finals.
How did Federer win more points but lose more matches to Djokovic?
He won the short points, often on serve, but lost more of the long rallies and the deciding moments.
What we don't claim
- The 2014 ATP Finals final was a walkover and isn't counted. Surface and finals splits come from Wikipedia.