With Rafael Nadal (38) now retired, the world will never again be treated to a match between tennis’ Big Three, but of the 150 matches that saw two of himself, Novak Djokovic (37) and Roger Federer (43) do battle, which were the very best?

The importance of the match and the drama of the narrative have been taken into account for this list, but the quality of the tennis on display has been the biggest factor, hence what may be some surprise omissions and inclusions to you.

So, without further ado, these are the 10 greatest matches between the three greatest players of all time.

Coming in at number 10 is a clash that saw Djokovic’s historic 43-match winning streak – the fourth-longest winning streak in the history of men’s tennis – be brought to an end by Federer.

The two had never met at Roland Garros before but it proved to be worth the wait with the Parisian crowd being treated to four sets of stunning quality which ended with an iconic finger-wagging celebration from Federer.

It was a huge match in the era of the Big Three, confirming that the Swiss master would continue to challenge his two rivals even as he entered his 30s, and given most of their clashes took place when Djokovic had yet to reach his best or Federer was past his, it was perhaps the closest we ever got to seeing the two legends facing off on the biggest stage in their absolute primes.

An even better French Open semi-final came two years later when Djokovic came up against the ‘King of Clay’ and so nearly dethroned him, only for the Spaniard to remind the world why he’s known by such a title.

Aside from one shock defeat to Robin Soderling in 2011, Nadal had barely been challenged by a competitor at Roland Garros let alone beaten since winning the title for the first time in 2005, but Djokovic changed that with some jaw-dropping tennis as he got on the end of shots nobody else could have and hit dazzling winners of his own.

Nadal was every bit as good though, rising to the challenge when forced perhaps for the first time to produce his very best on his stomping ground as he battled his way to a gruelling victory in just over four and a half hours.

This match wouldn’t make it into this list based on quality alone, but it made for such an incredible story that it just couldn’t be left out.

Ranked ninth and 17th, both Nadal and Federer were at their lowest point in years heading into the 2017 Australian Open after being plagued by injuries. Djokovic and Andy Murray both seemed a long way ahead of them, but the two elder members of what was at the time the sport’s Big Four fought their way back into the limelight with shock runs to the final in Melbourne, where Federer claimed one of the biggest wins of his career.

Rarely, if ever, has a match been as hotly anticipated as that one was with the two facing off in a Grand Slam final for the first time in six years, and Federer ultimately managed to beat the Spaniard at a major for the first time in a decade and end his five-year wait for an 18th Grand Slam title.

Narrative aside, things weren’t half bad on the court either with the match lasting five sets and the fifth set treating us to some of the best tennis the two have produced against one another.

This is the polar opposite of the match above in that it wasn’t a hugely important one all things considered but makes it into the top 10 thanks to its sheer quality alone. 

In perhaps their first real epic, Djokovic and Nadal battled it out for four brutal and breathtaking hours in the Spanish capital during which the Serb showed the world that he could be more than just the third wheel to his two greatest rivals. Roared on by a raucous home crowd though, Nadal managed to crawl across the finish line in a match so exhausting that he had nothing left in the tank and thus lost to Federer for the first time in two years in the final.

At the time, it was the longest three-set match in the history of tennis, and to this day is widely and rightfully considered the best.

The greatest non-Grand Slam match of all time, however, has got to be Roger and Rafa’s rumble in Rome from three years prior, the longest clash that the two ever played against one another.

Back when the finals of most Masters tournaments were best-of-five affairs, this one lasted just over five hours and swung back and forth between the two as they both played to the best of their abilities.

It looked as if Federer had figured out how to beat his rival on the red dirt with the sport’s dominant force at the time producing the best clay-court tennis of his career, but for all of his stunning shotmaking, he couldn’t convert the ones that mattered most; showing incredible mental fortitude even by his standards, Nadal saved two match points and came from behind in the final tie-break to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. 

Pitting the beauty of Federer’s tennis against the brawn of Nadal, it was a match that perfectly encapsulated what would go on to be one of the greatest sporting rivalries of all time.

Okay, now we’re on to the really good ones, first of which is a clash that marked the return of the real Novak Djokovic and the start of his final period of dominance.

He headed into Wimbledon in 2018 as the 12th seed having not won a Grand Slam in over two years but knew that he’d have a huge chance to end that drought if he could just get past Nadal given that Kevin Anderson waited in the final. The Spaniard was the favourite given his superior form but he was somewhat fatigued after a gruelling quarter-final against Juan Martin Del Potro and Djokovic’s game was far more suited to grass, making for a more level playing field.

There was indeed nothing to choose between the two in the five-hour, two-day epic that followed. The match was halted due to the 23:00 curfew on Friday night with Djokovic leading two sets to one but Nadal came back with a bang the next day to take the semi-final into a decider that lasted 91 minutes. After both squandered break points and Djokovic a match point, the Serb finally won it 10-8 to move into the final that he’d go on to win.

That set and the third-set tiebreak in particular make this undoubtedly one of the greatest matches of all time.

The 2009 Australian Open final tends to be slightly overlooked due to the fact that it took place shortly after what’s widely considered the greatest match of all time (more on that in a second), but it’s right up there with the best contests ever itself.

Nadal entered it looking to truly establish himself as the world’s best player after beating Federer at Wimbledon half a year earlier and the Spaniard did just that, but the Swiss maestro didn’t make it easy for him as he tried to equal Pete Sampras’ record tally of 14 Grand Slams.

There was precious little to choose between the two throughout the contest with Nadal getting ahead and Federer then reigning him back in in a battle that left both mentally and physically depleted. 

Nadal prevailed after just under four-and-a-half hours to gain an upper hand in the rivalry that he’d maintain until the two met Down Under again eight years later.

You may have been expecting the 2019 Wimbledon final between Djokovic and Federer to be on this list – after it all, it was the longest Wimbledon final ever and one of the most dramatic with the Serb saving two championship points on his way to victory. However, I’d argue that the first final they contested on Centre Court five years prior was of much higher quality. 

Whereas the 2019 final saw Federer dominate two sets and the two comfortably hold serve all the way to tie-breaks in two others, every single set of the 2014 final was an epic contest with both at their very best from start to finish.

After countless thrilling rallies, Djokovic looked set to win the title in four sets but Federer fought back from 5-2 down and both were near-flawless in the decider, where the Serb seized on a rare double fault from his opponent to prevail.

“No doubt this has been the highest level of a grand slam final that I was ever part of,” said Djokovic afterwards.

Wimbledon 2014 may have been the highest-level final Djokovic competed in, but it wasn’t quite as special as the one he played with Nadal two years earlier.

The longest Grand Slam final of all time, it lasted a whopping five hours and 53 minutes and left both players literally unable to stand up by the end, such was the physical intensity. 

Both were putting everything they had into every ball, displaying otherworldly physical and technical abilities to stay in touch with one another and leaving themselves bruised and bloodied by the time they entered the decider, which Nadal had made it to by winning an unforgettable tie-break. 

Djokovic clinched the title after a 75-minute set that was remarkably only the third longest of the match; there will most likely never again be a match as physically brutal as this one.

It was a close-run thing between the top two but ultimately the greatest match ever to be played between two of the Big Three is the 2008 Wimbledon final.

Federer had beaten Nadal in each of the previous two Wimbledon finals and had won the tournament five times in a row, but while he was as good as ever, the Spaniard raised his game considerably for this rematch, and it led to something sensational. 

Nadal stormed to a two-set lead with some remarkable play but Federer bounced back to win the next two, saving multiple championship points including with a stunning passing shot in arguably the greatest tie-break ever.

Both were at their very best in a decider taking place in darkness thanks to numerous rain delays that had only added to the spectacle, and Nadal ultimately came out on top 9-7 in the fifth.

It’s hard to put into words just how good this encounter was, so treat yourself and watch some highlights if not the whole thing. In terms of both quality and drama, this was the greatest tennis match of all time.