Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are among the two modern giants who have been sensational in indoor tennis tournaments. The Indoor tournaments are usually played towards the end of the ATP calendar. In the calendar, the two biggest tournaments are the Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals. Some of the greats who have ruled indoor tennis are Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, and Pete Sampras.
There is no doubt that the Big Three have ruled the world of tennis for the last two decades. Federer has proved that he is the best player on grass courts, while Nadal is immaculate on clay, and Djokovic is tough to compete against on hard courts. While the debate about who among the three is the greatest of all time continues, Nadal does not feature in the indoor tennis debate. The 21-time Grand Slam champion has never won the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals. He has only won one indoor title throughout his career. However, Djokovic and Federer have been really good in the indoor tournaments. So, who is a better indoor tennis player among the two tennis giants? Keep reading further to find out!
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is one of the finest tennis players the world has ever seen. While he has received a lot of success on different courts, the world no. 1 is also one of the best indoor tennis players. The 24-year-old has a win percentage of 76% with a win-loss record of 167-46 in indoor tournaments. Moreover, the Serb has lifted 14 indoor titles so far in his career.
Nole has won the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals on five occasions and the Paris Masters 1000 title a record six times. Meanwhile, Novak has a head-to head 5-5 record against Roger Federer on indoor hard courts. In addition, the Serbian giant has reached the semifinals of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals ten times in his career.
Roger Federer
The Swiss tennis giant has won 81% of indoor tennis games, with a record of 298-70. Federer has won 26 indoor titles in his career, with six wins at Nitto ATP World Tour Finals and the Paris Masters 1000 title once. The forty-year-old has also won the Swiss Indoor tournament, Basel, a record ten times. Moreover, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has made 16 semifinals appearance at Nitto. The Swiss maestro‘s last win came in the group stages of the 2019 Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at the age of 38.
While two rivals have won five matches against each other, Federer seems to have been more consistent in indoor tournaments. Both the players have proved their worth on the unique court. However, ultimately, Roger Federer has emerged to be a superior player over Novak Djokovic in indoor events as per the stats.