Andy Murray: Epic rivalries against Federer, Djokovic, Nadal and more | ATP Tour

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Andy Murray: Epic rivalries against Federer, Djokovic, Nadal and more

We review the most outstanding ATP Head2Head series of the British

July 28, 2024

Over the course of his iconic career, Andy Murray has gone from a flashy Scottish rising star to an ATP Tour legend. In that time, the 37-year-old Briton has been involved in all manner of Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalries against some of the oldest rivals, also against the youngest and many others with his contemporaries.

His biggest rivalries were undoubtedly his fellow Big Four players Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Murray has faced each of them at least 24 times, including the 36 times he played Djokovic.

ATPTour.com looks back at these clashes and other classic head-to-heads such as the one with Stan Wawrinka, which marked Murray’s competitive career.

Murray vs. Djokovic (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 11-25)
Murray and Djokovic are contemporaries in the most literal sense, with Murray just a week older than the Serbian. Their long-running rivalry was built on ATP Masters 1000 territory, where nine of their first 10 Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings took place (including the first seven between 2006 and 2009).

Murray lost his first four matches but then won two of their 19 finals, winning in Cincinnati and Miami before Djokovic won their first Grand Slam meeting in the 2011 Australian Open final.

While Djokovic dominated the rivalry, Murray had three straight wins between 2008 and 2009, including those finals in Cincinnati and Miami, and two straight matches in 2012, including the Olympic semi-finals before winning gold in London, plus the five-set final at the US Open, where he won his first Grand Slam. Those are the only two periods in which the Briton had back-to-back wins against Djokovic.

Murray defeated Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title in 2013. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.

Two of the most significant wins of Murray’s career came against Djokovic, whom he beat to lift his first Wimbledon crown in 2013, and in the title match at the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals (then known as the ATP World Tour Finals). The latter was held in London and allowed the home player to finish the year as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“It’s a very special day,” Murray said after beating the Serbian 6-3, 6-4 at the season-ending tournament, ending a 24-match winning streak. “It’s been a tough rivalry (Djokovic). I’ve lost a lot of matches, but obviously I’m happy to have won today. To finish the year as No. 1 is very special. It’s something I never expected.”

The pair met five times in 2016, each time in a final, with Murray winning in Rome, while Djokovic won at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Madrid.

Murray and Djokovic are the only ATP Tour players to have met in the final of every Grand Slam, joining Djokovic and Nadal. The Serbian has an 8-2 record against Murray in such tournaments, including a 5-2 record in Grand Slam finals.

Djokovic also owns an 11-8 record in ATP Tour finals and is 14-6 ahead on ATP Masters 1000 territory. But he has never beaten Murray on grass, where the Brit has a perfect 2-0 record. The rivalry has always been based on mutual respect, as evidenced by the fact that they partnered as a doubles partner at the 2006 Australian Open when they were both 19.

Murray vs. Federer (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 11-14)
Murray dominated the rivalry with Federer for a long time, until the Swiss won their last five meetings to turn it around. Murray has a 6-3 record in ATP Masters 1000 events, with back-to-back wins in Toronto and Shanghai 2010, while Federer leads 5-1 in Grand Slam events.

Murray beat Federer in the 2010 Rolex Shanghai Masters final. Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.

Murray’s frustration at Grand Slams against the Swiss came in the 2012 Wimbledon final, when he lost in four sets despite a bright start on home soil. “I’m getting closer,” he said through tears at the trophy ceremony, a statement that was as much about Federer’s Grand Slam career as his quest for a title at the level. At the time, Murray was 0-3 against the Swiss in major finals.

But a month later, back on Centre Court, Murray dominated Federer in three sets to win Olympic gold at the 2012 London Games.

“For me it’s number one, the biggest win of my life,” Murray said. “I’ve had a lot of tough defeats in my career and this is the best way to bounce back from the Wimbledon final.”

The confidence from that victory helped the Briton step up at the All England Club the following year, beating Djokovic to become the first Briton to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.

Murray and Federer have also played each other five times at the Nitto ATP Finals, most notably the Briton’s comeback win in 2008 before Federer took their 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014 meetings at the tournament. All of their meetings have been in the group stage, barring the 2012 semi-finals in London.

Since the 2009 season-ending tournament, seven of their last 16 matches have been played in London.

Murray vs. Nadal (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 7-17)
Murray lost his first five meetings with Nadal but broke his streak in the 2009 US Open semi-finals to reach his first Grand Slam final. Despite the distance in the Lexus ATP Head2Head, Murray holds a 3-1 edge in finals against the Spaniard, having claimed titles in Rotterdam 2009, Tokyo 2011 and Madrid 2015.

Murray and Nadal in 2009 after the Rotterdam final. Photo: Hamish Blair/Getty Images.

The rivalry reached its peak with five meetings on the ATP Tour’s biggest stages in 2011. Nadal won the first four – semi-finals at Monte Carlo, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open – before Murray ended the drought in the Tokyo final.

Nadal holds an 8-3 lead in ATP Masters 1000 events and a 7-2 lead in Grand Slams. The pair have played just one five-set match: their first meeting at the 2007 Australian Open, where Nadal came back from two sets to one down. The Spaniard also dominated Murray 2-0 at the Nitto ATP Finals, in the 2010 semi-finals and the group stage in 2015.

Their 2010 match at the year-end tournament was one of the most dramatic of their 24 meetings, with Nadal winning 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6). After three hours and 11 minutes of incredible tennis in London, Nadal came back from 1-4 down in the tie-break to reach the final.

“It was a great match,” said Murray, his head held high after the defeat. “Days like this are why I play tennis. I probably played one bad game the whole match, or maybe a couple of bad points. Whether it’s the best match I’ve ever played and lost, I don’t know.”

Murray vs. Wawrinka (Lexus ATP Head2Head: 13-10)
Both are three-time Grand Slam champions. Murray and Wawrinka are only two years apart in age, with the Swiss 26 months older. The pair have shared 20 years on the ATP Tour, from 2005 to 2024.

Their duels have pitted two opposing styles against each other: on the one hand, Wawrinka’s aggressive tennis and power; on the other, Murray’s tactical and defensive ability. These different points of view have added an attractive dynamic to their encounters, an irresistible narrative on the big stages of the circuit.

Murray and Wawrinka last met at Roland Garros 2024. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.

Murray won the only two finals in which he faced Wawrinka, one at the start of their rivalry in Doha 2008 and another near the end in Antwerp 2019. The title in Antwerp was the last one the Briton has in his showcase so far, following hip surgery.

“It means a lot,” said an emotional Murray. “The last few years have been extremely difficult. Stan and I have had a lot of problems with injuries over the last few years. It’s incredible to have played against him in a final like that.”

They have met at every Grand Slam event except the Australian Open, with a 5-3 record for the Swiss. They have split each of the consecutive semi-finals they played at Roland Garros in 2016 and 2017. They have gone 3-3 at ATP Masters 1000 events, with four of those matches decided in three sets.

In 2023, they took their rivalry to the ATP Challenger Tour, where Wawrinka defeated Murray in the first match between former Grand Slam champions in more than 40 years.