Novak Djokovic’s dominance at the top of the men’s game has ensured he has a winning record against almost every opponent in the game.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion holds a narrow 30-29 winning record against his biggest rival Rafael Nadal, while he has a 27-23 winning record against Roger Federer.
Yet only a select few players hold a winning record against the Serbian maestro, with this list unlikely to have any new names if Djokovic continues to win matches at his current rate.
Andy Roddick – 5-4
The only way players have tended to beat Djokovic is by blasting him off the court with big serves and powerful groundstrokes.
Taking him in in a tense battle of tactics is only going to lead to defeat and former world No 1 Roddick had a weapon that Djokovic struggled to repel – a monster serve.
The American won five of his first seven meetings with Djokovic and finished with a winning record against him, even though he lost his last two contests once the Serbian became a real force on the men’s tour.
Marat Safin – 2-0
Like Roddick, Russian star Saffin had a serve that could take the game away from his opponents.
He also had explosive ground shots and when he was at his best, he was a handful for all the top players in the game.
Both of his wins against Djokovic game at Grand Slam events, with a comprehensive 60 62 61 victory against a youthful opponent in 2005 backed up by a win at Wimbledon three years later.
Jiri Vesely – 2-0
This is one of the more curious records in the game as Vesely has a perfect winning record against Djokovic during an era when he dominated the men’s game.
The Czech star beat Djokovic over three tight sets at the Monte Carlos Masters in 2016 and backed it up with a stunning win in 2022, as Djokovic returned to the game in Dubai following his deportation from Australia over his Covid vaccine stance.
The next meeting between Vesely and Djokovic will be fascinating, as Djokovic will want to correct this record before he retires.
Nick Kyrgios – 2-1
Aussie maverick Kyrgios had a 100 per-cent winning record in his first two meetings with Djokovic, with his big serve again proving to be too hot to handle for the Serbian.
Djokovic didn’t even win a set against Kyrgios in those first two meetings, but he found a way to win the match that really mattered when the two met in the 2022 Wimbledon final.
It seems increasingly likely that Kyrgios will not return to competitive action so he may hold on to his winning record against Djokovic.
Fernando Gonzalez – 2-1
Chilean Gonzalez won matches against Djokovic at Cincinnati in 2005 and Madrid in 2006, as the Serbian youngster made his first steps on the ATP Tour.
Djokovic managed to beat Gonzalez over five tough sets at the 2006 French Open, but the latter’s career came to an end with his winning record against the Serbian intact.
Ivo Karlovic – 2-1
Once again, the big server found a way to beat Djokovic.
Karlovic came through two tie-break sets to win at the 2008 Madrid Masters and he backed up that win with a victory in 2015 in Doha.
The Croatian always managed to take the game away from his opponents and even the greatest returner in the world was powerless against him.
Dan Evans 1-0
Evans pulled off one of the more surprising wins of his career as he beat Djokovic on his least favourite surface at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2022.
There was some tension between the players prior to the start of this match as Djokovic kept Evans waiting before the players went on to the court, with the feisty Brit using his annoyance to inspire him to a famous win.
Taro Daniel – 1-0
Daniel has given some of the biggest names in the game trouble with his unpredictable brand of tennis and he won his only meeting with Djokovic.
His win came at the 2018 Indian Wells event, as he ran away with the final set to seal a famous 76(3) 46 61 victory.
Antony Dupuis – 1-0
This defeat was at the start of Djokovic’s career, as Frenchman Dupuis won 6-4 7-5 on a clay court in Valencia.
Djokovic never got the chance to avenge this loss as Dupuis retired from the game in 2007.
Dennis Van Scheppingen – 1-0
Van Scheppingen did not leave a huge mark on the men’s game, but he will go down in history as one of the few players to have winning record against Djokovic.
He beat a young Novak at a tournament in Bangkok in 2004, with his 4-6 7-5 6-4 a first and last meeting with a player who would go one to become one of the game’s all-time greats.
Filippo Volandri – 1-0
Like Van Scheppingen, Italian player Volandri sneaked a win in against Djokovic early in the Serbian’s career.
He picked up his victory at an event in Umag in 2004, winning in straight sets on the red clay.
