Top 10 rivalries in tennis history

Every sport in the world has witnessed outstanding rivalries between teams or individuals vying for the top spot. Real Madrid vs Barcelona, Celtics vs Lakers, Senna vs Prost – the list is almost endless.Tennis presents a different proposition due to the amount of physical and mental strength it demands of the players. It is one sport where the duration of a match is not fixed; the longest tennis match lasted for 11 hours and 5 minutes between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.There have been so many fierce rivalries over the years that it is difficult to narrow down just 10 of them. Let us look at players who were involved in some classic rivalries over the years. We have considered their head-to-head records in Grand Slams, Masters 1000 events, and other tournaments along with the sheer longevity of their rivalry.

#10 Ivan Lendl vs Mats Wilander

Lendl and Wilander faced each other 22 times over a span of 14 years. The former dominated their rivalry,winning 15 of the contests.

Their first meeting was a memorable one in the quarterfinals of the 1982 French Open, with Wilander edging out Lendl in a 5-set thriller. The rivalry was a see-saw battleuntil the finals of the 1985 French Open where the Swedewon in 4 sets. Lendl dominated their next nine matches, winning 8.

The duo met each other in 9 Grand Slam matches and Lendl got the better of Wilander by the margin of 5-4. They also took on each other in 5 Grand Slam finals and Lendl won 3 of those. Although Wilander didnt show much of a fight during the latter stages of their rivalry, battling each other for a period of 12 years is no joke either!

Best match: 1988 US Open Final Mats Wilander beat Ivan Lendl64, 46, 63, 57, 64.

#9 Steffi Graf vs Monica Seles

Steffi Graf and Monica Seles were involved in many epic matches for close to a decade. Their first match was the 1989 French Open semifinal when Graf beat Seles in 3 sets. The duo met again in the 1990 French Open final when Seles reversed the tide to win her first Grand Slam, the youngest to do so at just 16.

These two players had contrasting styles of play. While Seles had precise shot-making abilities, Graf was good with her serve and forehand.

Graf was No. 1 between 1987 to 1990 and Seles was on top of the rankings in 1991 and 1992. They facedeach other 15 times, with Graf winning 10 of them. They met in three of four consecutive Grand Slam finals between the 1992 French Open and the 1993 Australian Open, with Seles winning the 1992 US Open.

The tennis world was shocked when Seles was stabbed by a Graf fan during her match againstMagdalena Mageevain Hamburg. She did not return to the game for two years.

Their last meeting was the semifinals of the 1999 French Open, where Graf prevailed in 3 sets.

Best match: 1992 French Open final Monica Seles beat Steffi Graf 6-2, 3-6, 10-8.

#8 Serena Williams vs Venus Williams

The most unique rivalrythat makesthis list is the one between the Williamssisters. Venus and Serena have battled each other 27times with the younger sister Serena winning on 16occasions. Another remarkable stat about their rivalry is the fact they have fought in 8 Grand Slam finals, with Serena winning six of those. In Grand Slam matches, Serena leads 9-5.

Starting with the 2002 French Open, they played each other in the finals of four consecutiveGrand Slam events. They are the only two women in the Open era to feature in four straight Grand Slam finals.

Venus has been ranked No. 1 for 11 weeks, whereas Serena has occupied the top spotfor over 250 weeks. Their most recent meeting was in the 2015 US Open quarterfinalwhere Serena triumphed in 3 sets.

Best match:2009 Qatar Open (Round Robin stage) Serena Williams beat Venus Williams 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(4).

#7 Boris Becker vs Stefan Edberg

A rivalrythat spanned from the mid-80s to the mid-90s witnessed several entertaining matches between Becker and Edberg. While Becker leads Edberg 25-10 in their overall head-to-head series, Edberg won three out of their four meetings in Grand Slams.

They featured in three successive Wimbledon finals.In the 1988 meeting, Becker was the huge favourite, and stormed to the first set 64. But the second set was to be one of the most memorable ever; displaying immensecourage and tennis acumen Edberg won a tight tiebreaker 72. The Swedewent on to win the next two sets 64, 62 to win his first Wimbledon title and deny Becker a third title in four years.

Roger Federer was inspired by their rivalry, and he even tried to imitatehis idols to perfect his technique. The Swiss has publicly stated that their rivalry was one of the reasons that made him choose tennis over football.

Best match: 1990 Wimbledon final Stefan Edberg beat Boris Becker62, 62, 36, 36, 64.

#6 John McEnroe vs Bjorn Borg

McEnroe and Borg had completely different demeanours on the court. While Borg was cool and calm, McEnroe would not hesitate to indulge in courtside tantrums. Due to this, their rivalry was described as Fire and Ice.

The duo fought each other 22 times, with results split 11-11 between the two. They met four times in Grand Slam finals, with McEnroe winning three of them. Borg was aiming to win his sixth consecutive Wimbledon in 1981, but McEnroe defeated him in four sets.

Borg reached the US Open finals on four occasions, but could neverhold the winner's trophy. McEnroe neat him in the 1980 and 1981 US Open finals, andBorg retired shortly after that.

Best match: 1980 Wimbledon final Bjorn Borg beat John McEnroe16, 75, 63, 67(16), 86.

#5 Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras

Two Americans Agassi and Sampras were constantly aiming for the top spot and their rivalry was nothing short of magical. These twoplayers facedeach other 34 times between 1989 to 2002, and Sampras won 20 of those 34 meetings.

Sampras held the No. 1 spot for a then-record 286 weeks, while Agassi was on No. 1 for 101 weeks.They played each other in five Grand Slam finals with Sampras winning four.

Agassi got the better of Sampras in the 1995 Australian Open final in four sets. Inthe 1995 US Open final, Sampras won in four sets and Agassi went on to describe this loss as a powerful blow that took him years to recover from. Amid this and other psychological issues he subsequently plummeted to World No. 141, and it marked a significant shift in their rivalry.

Their last meeting was the 2002 US Open final, which Sampras won in four sets.

Best match: 1993 Wimbledon quarterfinals Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi62, 62, 36, 36, 64.

#4 Ivan Lendl vs John McEnroe

Lendl and McEnroe met each other 36 times in what was a riveting rivalry which Lendl lead 21-15 at the end of their careers. This was again a battle between two players with different temperaments.

Their first meeting in a Grand Slam was at the quarterfinals of the 1980 US Open, which McEnroe won in four sets. The following year, Lendl avenged his loss by beating McEnroe in the quartersof the French Open in straight sets.

They met each other in three Grand Slam finals, with the Czech winning twoof them. Their rivalry tapered off in the late 90s with Lendl winning their last six encounters.

Beat match: 1984 French Open final Ivan Lendl beat John McEnroe36, 26, 64, 75, 75.

#3 Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal

One of the most thrilling rivalries in recent times is that of Roger Federer andRafael Nadal. Federers first Grand Slam victory was in the 2003 Wimbledon Championships and he started to dominate the sport from that point.

Federer became the No. 1 ranked player in 2004 and held it for 237 weeksuntil Nadal took it away from him. Nadal then was No. 1 for 46 weeks,until Federer regained it, and Nadal took the top spot back from Federer 48 weeks later.

Federer and Nadal have played each other 33times, with Nadal winning 23of those. Their last meeting was in the semifinals of the 2014 Australian Open where Nadal won in straight sets.

A few notable features of the rivalry:

Federer and Nadal are the only pair in Open Era history to have met 8 times inGrand Slamfinals. (Nadal leads 6-2)
They are the only pair in Open Era history to have met 4 times in finals at one Slam (at theFrench Open-Nadal leads 4-0.)
Best match:2008 Wimbledon final Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer64, 64, 67(57), 67(810), 97. John McEnroe commented that it was the best final he had ever seen.

#2 Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal took their rivalry to a whole new level with both players not ready to give an inch to their opponent. Nadal dominated the early stages of their head-to-head matches, but Djokovic started to get the better of Nadal later.

Their first meeting in a Grand Slam final was at the 2010 US Open, which Nadal won in four sets. The Serb struck back in 2011 where he won all their 6 meetings including the finals of Wimbledon and theUS Open.

They met for their third straight Grand Slam final at the 2012 Australian Open and it entered the record books as the longest Grand Slam ever played, lasting 5 hours and 53 minutes.Their most recent meeting was the finals of the Beijing Open, which Djokovic won in straight sets.

They have played each other 45times, the most in the Open era, with Nadal leading 23-22.

A few records of their rivalry:

Most finals played against each other in the Open Era (23)

Second most matches played at Grand Slams (13, just behind theDjokovic-Federer rivalry)
Most matches played against each other in Masters 1000 (23)
Most finals played against each other in Masters 1000 (12)
Holders of all Masters 1000 titles simultaneously between them
Only male pair in Open Era history to have met in each of the fourGrand Slamfinals
Only male pair in Open Era history to have met in four Grand Slam finals in a row
Most consecutive seasons with Grand Slam final (5)
Most matches played against each other at any single Grand Slam event (7)
Most matches played against each other at the French Open (7)
Most different ATP Masters Series tournaments played (9/10) (played in Hamburg but missing Shanghai)
Doubles team made up of singles No. 1 and No. 2 (shared with Connors-Ashe)

Best match: 2012 Australian Open final Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal57, 64, 62, 67(57), 75.

#1 Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova

Evert and Navratilova met each other a staggering 80 times between 1973 and 1988.It is considered to be one of the greatest in women's tennis history and in sports in general. Navratilova leads their head-to-head 43-37.

Grand Slammatches: Navratilova 148
Grand Slam finals: Navratilova 104
Grand Slam semifinals: Tied 44
Non-Grand Slam finals: Tied 1919
Three-set matches: Evert 1614

No other pair have played more matches against each other in the Open era than Evert-Navratilova. Their last meeting was at the 1988 Chicago Open final which Navratilova won in straight sets.

Results on each surface: