Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - five of the best matches from their rivalry ahead of French Open showdown

As Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic prepare to meet each other once again on the biggest stage, we have been sifting through the 58 previous occasions the giants of tennis have gone head-to-head in singles matches. World No.

1 and defending French Open champion Djokovic has the edge in the statistics department, leading 30-28 over Nadal, whose love affair with Roland-Garros has seen him crowned champion on 13 occasions. Ad/> It would have been fitting to start our look back at this great rivalry with the first ever meeting, but that ended in something of a damp squib, with Djokovic retiring from their 2006 French Open quarter-final with Nadal two sets ahead.

Roland-Garros‘Oh dear’ – Blow for Nadal as Djokovic showdown confirmed as night match3 HOURS AGO In the early years, Nadal had the upper hand, winning five of their seven meetings in 2007, including in the semi-finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon — where Djokovic once again retired. However, the Serbian did take his first victory over Nadal, winning at the Miami Masters.

Onto 2008, and we reach our first classic clash between the pair, but we step away from the tour to do so… ‘Oh dear’ – Blow for Nadal as Djokovic showdown confirmed as night match 'Witnessing history' — Why Nadal fans must cherish every point amid retirement talk Beijing Olympics semi-finals, 2008 — Nadal wins 6-4 1-6 6-4 Making their Olympic debuts, Nadal and Djokovic collided in the semi-finals in Beijing — a match that marked their sixth and final meeting of the year. At 22, Nadal was starting to dominate the sport, playing with power and a service game many were finding too difficult to match.