Rafael Nadal v Novak Djokovic: Who could break Roger Federer's one-surface title record of 71?

When Roger Federer announced his retirement it was an opportunity to review the many records he held and wonder which of them might never be broken. Most consecutive weeks as world No. 1? 237 is a very, very high bar.

Five US Open titles in a row? Difficult to top. Most titles on one surface? Maybe doable... Federer’s record currently stands at 71 titles on hard courts.

Ad Until last week, that was eight clear of Rafael Nadal’s 63 on clay and nine clear of Djokovic’s 62 on hard courts. But Djokovic is now level with Nadal and a step closer to Federer after winning in Tel Aviv. TennisSix matches we want to see before end of 2022 tennis season19 HOURS AGO Is another Federer record now destined to fall to one of his great rivals? It is possible that both Nadal and Djokovic could break it.

A few years ago, it probably would have seemed more likely than not that Nadal would surpass Federer's 71 given his dominance on clay. But even though he is still a force on the surface, Nadal is not hoovering up titles on it as he once did. Injuries limited him to just three clay tournaments this year, while wins in Monte Carlo and Madrid have been a little harder to come by (Nadal has one title from his last seven combined appearances in Monte Carlo and Madrid).

There is still Barcelona — where Nadal holds an incredible 66-4 record — Rome and Paris, but clay is no longer the one-man show it once was. Plus, there remains some uncertainty over how much longer Nadal will continue for, having had several injury issues this year and admitting he came close to retirement at this year’s French Open. Alcaraz shocked in first round in Astana Mischa Zverev unsure if Djokovic will get back to No.