Nadal Claws Closer To Djokovic In 'Big Titles' Race
Rafael Nadal clawed closer to Novak Djokovic in the ‘Big Titles’ race on Sunday when he beat Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 to win his 10th Internazionali BNL d’Italia title.
The legendary lefty now has 57 ‘Big Titles’, moving to within two of the World No. 1’s record 59. Nadal also tied Djokovic’s record of 36 ATP Masters 1000 title with his triumph at the Foro Italico. A ‘Big Title’ is a trophy at a Grand Slam championship, the Nitto ATP Finals, an ATP Masters 1000 tournament or an Olympic singles gold medal.
The Spaniard has now won at least one ‘Big Title’ in 16 of the past 17 seasons. This is Nadal’s second trophy of the year after emerging victorious at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
Nadal has won four of his 10 championship matches in Rome against Djokovic. This was their sixth clash for a title at this tournament (4-2 Nadal).
Djokovic still has the best ‘Big Titles’ win-rate at one title won per 3.3 events played (59/197). Nadal has triumphed once for every 3.4 tournaments played at this levels (57/196). Only two other players have converted more than once per five events: Roger Federer (4.4, 54/237) and Pete Sampras (4.9, 30/147).
Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990)
| Player | Grand Slams | Nitto ATP Finals | 1000s | Total^ (Avg) |
| Novak Djokovic | 18/63 | 5/13 | 36/118 | 59/197 (3.3) |
| Rafael Nadal | 20/61 | 0/10 | 36/123 | 57/196 (3.4) |
| Roger Federer | 20/79 | 6/17 | 28/138 | 54/238 (4.4) |
| Pete Sampras | 14/52 | 5/11 | 11/83 | 30/147 (4.9) |
| Andre Agassi | 8/61 | 1/13 | 17/90 | 27/164 (6.1) |
| Andy Murray | 3/50 | 1/8 | 14/100 | 20/161 (8.0) |
| Boris Becker* | 2/26 | 2/6 | 5/51 | 9/84 (9.3) |
| Thomas Muster | 1/29 | 0/4 | 8/53 | 9/87 (9.7) |
| Stefan Edberg** | 3/28 | 0/4 | 4/45 | 7/79 (11.3) |
| Gustavo Kuerten | 3/33 | 1/3 | 5/67 | 9/105 (11.6) |
| Jim Courier | 4/38 | 0/4 | 5/71 | 9/114 (12.6) |
| Marcelo Rios | 0/26 | 0/1 | 5/56 | 5/84 (16.8) |
| Marat Safin | 2/41 | 0/3 | 5/87 | 7/133 (19) |
| Michael Chang*** | 0/50 | 0/6 | 7/86 | 7/144 (20.6) |
| Andy Roddick | 1/46 | 0/6 | 5/75 | 6/129 (22.5) |
^ Includes Olympic Games gold medals and tournament participations
* Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
*** Chang’s one Grand Slam title came before 1990
Did You Know?
Nadal has now won at least 10 titles at four tour-level events. In addition to his 10 Rome victories, the Spaniard has also triumphed at Roland Garros 13 times, lifted 12 Barcelona trophies and won 11 Monte-Carlo titles.