Roger Federer was the first, soon followed by Nadal, and then Djokovic, as the trio battled it out for supremacy at the sport’s biggest tournaments.

The latter pair engaged in several legendary clashes, competing against one another 60 times during their professional careers.

Djokovic narrowly edged their rivalry, winning 31 times, while Nadal secured 29 victories, as momentum swung back and forth over 18 years of action.

Both players endured tough losses over the years, with Djokovic suffering a particularly devastating defeat in 2013.

Novak Djokovic said the best was yet to come when he lost to Rafael Nadal at the US Open 12 years ago

Djokovic traveled to New York 12 years ago having reached the final of the US Open in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

Determined to do so for a fourth year running, the number one seed made an impressive start to his campaign at Flushing Meadows.

Taking down Stan Wawrinka in a five-set semi-final thriller, Djokovic advanced to Sunday’s showpiece match on Arthur Ashe.

It was there that he would face off against his rival Nadal once more, having lost his previous two contests with the Spaniard in 2013.

Form showed during the first set, as Nadal broke early on and never looked back, taking the advantage, 6-2, making just four unforced errors, to Djokovic’s 14.

Looking to bounce back, Djokovic won one of the tournament’s greatest-ever points in the sixth game of the second set, eventually breaking Nadal’s serve after an exhausting 54-shot rally.

Exchanging breaks, Djokovic held firm to level proceedings at 1-1, as he looked primed to become just the second player in 20 years to win the US Open final having dropped the first set.

An early break for the Serb in the third made that all the more likely before Nadal’s level rose again, edging closer to victory at 2-1.

A dominant fourth set saw Nadal take home his second US Open title with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, victory over Djokovic.

After such a tough defeat, Djokovic was asked in his post-match press conference how he planned to turn the frustration into motivation for 2014.

“I have to, it’s part of my life,” he said.

“I mean, many times you fall as an athlete, and, you know, you have to learn the lesson and keep on going, keep on fighting, keep on improving.

“That’s what we are here for, I’m still 26, and I believe [the] best time for my career is about to come.

“As long as I believe it, the fire of the love towards the game is inside of me and as long as that’s present, as long as I feel it, I’m going to play this sport with all my heart, as I did in last 10 years.”

Novak Djokovic never lost to Rafael Nadal on hard or grass courts again after the 2013 US Open

Djokovic certainly had the ‘fire’ inside of him, as he pushed on to achieve great things on the ATP Tour, turning over a new leaf in his rivalry with Nadal.

His defeat to the Spaniard at Flushing Meadows in 2013 was remarkably the final time Djokovic lost to Nadal on hard or grass courts, as the now 24-time Major champion began to dominate away from the clay.

Djokovic won their final ten meetings away from clay courts, with arguably his most impressive victory coming at Wimbledon in 2018.

In a true epic, Djokovic prevailed 10-8 in the fifth set, as the pair put on an instant classic the Centre Court crowd won’t soon forget.

While his performances on hard and grass were impeccable during the latter stages of their rivalry, Djokovic also began to enjoy more success on the clay.

In their final 13 matches, Djokovic narrowly trailed the Spaniard 6-7 on the surface, securing his first French Open victory over Nadal in the 2021 semi-finals.

They played one final time at the 2024 Olympic Games, as Djokovic won his 31st match against Nadal, en route to the Gold Medal.

When Nadal retired from tennis last year, their rivalry came to a close, having entertained fans in each of their 60 classic matches.