And nothing can take away from the brilliant tennis provided in those clashes, including the most recent - the 2015 Indian Wells final.
What is not revealed too often is how Novak Djokovic has dominated the results in the second half of the 38 matches, those played from 2011 onwards. The heavy spin which Federer supporters place on the Swiss performances over the past five or six years cannot hide the Serbian world number one's ability to win where and when it matters most.
Djokovic has won 12 of the past 19 matches against Federer, broken down as follows:
He has won 4 of 6 at Grand Slam level, including the only final between the two in that period.
Of the Masters Series matches Djokovic has prevailed in 5 of 8, with success in 2 of the 3 finals.
And in the 2 matches between the two at the season ending ATP Finals, Djokovic has won both, one of those a final.
In other tournaments, Federer leads 2-1, with one win apiece in finals.
Even allowing for Federer winning four of the last seven between the pair, the fact that Djokovic's three wins were all finals, including Wimbledon and two Indian Wells, puts that into better perspective.
While winning the H2H clearly over the second half of their rivalry, Djokovic has also racked up impressive Grand Slam statistics - seven titles from twelve finals, compared with Federer's one title from two finals in that time.
This is not an attempt to belittle the achievements of Roger Federer over the course of his legendary career - rather we should be more willing to celebrate the outstanding work of the current best player, Novak Djokovic, and there is no better measuring stick than his performances against Federer.
