Nadal vs. Djokovic: Why Tennis Has the Best Individual Rivalry in Sports

There is nothing that makes watching a big game that much better than when it puts two rivals up against one another. That desire to win suddenly goes through the roof.

No matter what, each competitor is going to step up their game and take it into an extra gear.

Seeing some of the best athletes in the world playing to the height of their potential is the reason we watch sports.

Seeing the unbelievable is what it is all about.

Those are the moments that will be remembered. Where you were, what you were doing, on that exact moment when that something special happened.

Not always, but often these things happen in big games, when more is on the line and when the players need to actually go 110 percent.

When these situations also include rivals pitted against each other, that 110 suddenly turns into 120 percent and you get the chance to see some of the fiercest competition—and talent—that the world of sports can produce.

With so many great rivalries present at the moment, there is one that particularly stands above the rest.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are the two best players in the tennis world right now and currently have the best rivalry in all sports between individual athletes.

Before looking at their rivalry, here are some other notable rivalries from the world of sports.

NBA: LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant

Although it is tough to create a rivalry with two players that have such an age gap between them, it is still easy to see how this one came about in the NBA.

You have two of the best, most dynamic players in the game playing against each other, each wanting to be the best.

Although it is not a standout rivalry like some of the past ones that may have been around in the NBA, there is no doubt that each wants to be better than the other.

Although Kobe plays off any rivalry with James as cool as can be, as told by ESPN Los Angeles (via Sports Illustrated), you know it has to be present.

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"Not for me," Bryant said. "I get up for everybody just the same, to be honest. It's hard for me to turn my meter up any higher than it normally is."

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Kobe even goes further to say that there is no player in the league right now that has a competitive edge like he does, with the exception of both Derrick Rose and Chris Paul, Israel Gutierrez of the Miami Herald is able to show.

There is no mention of LeBron James by Kobe in that statement. Which only helps fuel the thoughts of a strong, and present, rivalry between two of the NBA's biggest stars.

PGA: Phil Mickelson vs. Tiger Woods

A rivalry that has been going on for years.

Two of America's top golfing talents have been squaring off against each other for as long as one can remember.

It does not get any better than this when it comes to classic rivalries.

This rivalry has died down in the past couple of years, however. Whether it's because both players have showed signs of slowing down or because other rivalries have been taking its place (such as McIlroy and Fowler), it does not look like it is about to go away completely anytime soon.

The Tiger and Phil rivalry got a boost this past week when they were paired together at the US Open.

What makes this rivalry even better is the two ways that each player looks at it. Mickelson adores the competition that comes with it, as told by Antonio Gonzalez of The Associated Press (via The Winnipeg Free Press).

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"It's fabulous," Mickelson said. "First of all, I get excited to play with Tiger, I love it. I think we all do. He gets the best out of me. I think when it's time to tee off on Thursday I'll be ready to play."

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As for Tiger it is business as usual, as he also tells Antonio Gonzalez that:

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"I don't think we're going to talk about a lot," he said. "This is a major championship. We've got work to do. Any extra motivation? No. I'm just trying to get out there and position myself for Sunday."

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No matter how each player reacts and plays it off, this rivalry is still in good form. With so many fans supporting either Tiger or Phil, do not expect this rivalry to lose any lustre in the coming years.

Soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi

Although Messi seems to hold the top spot on the world soccer stage right now, Ronaldo is chasing him down with all his might.

After both players were able to do individual wonders for each of their clubs this season, with Messi scoring 50 goals in 37 games and Ronaldo putting in 46 in 38 games, these two are hands down the best in the world.

What makes this rivalry even better is the fact that they both play their club soccer in the same league, meaning that all year they are being compared against each other in La Liga.

Soccer, being such a huge game worldwide, can sometimes set up rivalries very quickly, but also dispose of them just as fast.

If players do not play in the same league then they will not get as much comparison.

Ronaldo, however, is not the fondest of the rivalry that has been created between the two, he tells CNN World Sport (via the United Kingdom Independent):

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"Sometimes it makes me tired...for him too because they compare us together all the time," says Ronaldo. "You cannot compare a Ferrari with a Porsche because it's a different engine. You cannot compare them. He does the best things for Barcelona, I do the best things for Madrid..."

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With him taking a clear-cut stand on not being able to compare the two as players, he is leaving it open for suggestion that he believes himself to be the best player in the world, ahead of Messi.

I wonder how Messi would react to that?

NHL: Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin

This rivalry has taken some recent hard times in the past couple of years.

Ovechkin just has not been playing like the superstar he is supposed to be.

He has struggled at times with his production, and the fire he used to play with on the ice seems to be fizzling away.

As for Crosby, not much needs to be said here, but he may never be able to play hockey like he used to again.

Who knows the toll his injuries will take on him, or if he happens to get another concussion?

There are a lot of maybes and what ifs surrounding the availability of this rivalry in the seasons to come. Hopefully it can renew itself, because when you have the top players in the game not liking each other, it provides some great entertainment.

Rocky Bonanno, an NHL.com staff writer, shows a quote by each player that shows the dislike each has for the other:

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"What I can say about him? He is a good player, but he talks too much," Ovechkin says of Crosby's chatter on the ice.

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Bonanno then goes on to show Crosby saying this about Ovechkin's goal celebrations:

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"Like it or lump it, that's what he does. Some people like it, some people don't. Personally, I don't like it."

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This stuff between the two of them is priceless. Hopefully this rivalry can renew itself to the status it was once at, for us and the NHL.

NFL: Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning

This rivalry may be slowly starting to lose its status as the best in the NFL, but if Peyton can come back and return to form with the Denver Broncos then it could be revived for a couple more years.

Two of the greatest players to ever play the game at their given position have always brought debates on who is better. This is how a rivalry usually starts.

While it is to tough to decide on an actual winner, it is easy to say that these guys made games between their respective teams national affairs.

Both being what seem like great guys makes this much different than the Crosby/Ovechkin rivalry. Brady and Manning seem to like each other, as much as athletic opponents can, and always respect each other.

Both are huge for the NFL, and they both realize that.

Brady simply fortifies this by telling Alex Marvez of Fox Sports:

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“The NFL is a better place with Peyton Manning in it.”

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They certainly could trash talk each other, but they are both better than that.

Having a rivalry between these two is a given. How many times has the question Brady or Manning been asked?

The Brady and Manning rivalry is a football classic that looks like it could get a reboot this upcoming year.

ATP: Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal

As compared to the other rivalries above, this one may be the most recent, but it has now become the most entertaining to watch and follow.

Both of these players just do magic once they get onto a tennis court.

Every game turns into a great match where every point matters.

What makes this rivalry the best is that it seems to play out at the biggest moments. Djokovic and Nadal always seem to meet up in the finals of Grand Slam tournaments.

It is like meeting in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Super Bowl or the World Series year after year.

These two players have met in the past four Grand Slam tournament finals, with Djokovic getting the best of Nadal every time except at the recent French Open.

This type of consistent matchup on such a grand stage is amazing. If they are able to keep this up, then this rivalry will just keeping getting better.

Djokovic realizes just how intense this rivalry is, and that it is only just the beginning, he tells The Associated Press (via the Washington Post).

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"We are very young, and we played over 30 times against each other," said Djokovic, who trails 19-14 overall in their series, "and hopefully we can have many more battles in the next years."

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What makes it great, too, is the fact each of them are evenly matched. This year, Djokovic won the first major title in Australia, and then Nadal was able to take the next one in France.

Come Wimbledon, if they are able to make it into the finals and play other, that will mean five straight Grand Slam finals matchups. In comparison, no two other players have ever matched up in two straight final appearances.

These guys are the real deal when it comes to a rivalry.

Is It the Best Rivalry Ever?

After looking at some very tough and intense rivalries in the world of sports, it looks like the Djokovic and Nadal rivalry has the top spot—with a very close second being given to Messi and Ronaldo.

The way Djokovic and Nadal match up to each other is incredible, and how they are always battling it out for top spot in the world makes things interesting.

The sport of tennis is definitely one that plays to the advantage of creating strong rivalries because you can meet your opponent in almost every tournament you play in—as is the case for many between Djokovic and Nadal.

The competition they had at the French Open, and what was at stake for each of them, only made this one more intense.

Djokovic will be looking to return the favor at Wimbledon, should they both make it into the finals. If that is able to happen, this rivalry will present us with a great tennis match—one where each player is competing at 110 percent.

Where does the Djokovic and Nadal rivalry stand in terms of the best rivalry in sports ever?

Does it make it into your top 10, or is it even the top rivalry to come out of the tennis world?

There is no denying it is great right now for tennis and provides much entertainment. In the end, though, is it a rivalry that we will look back on and just say "WOW," as we do with, say, the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rivalry?

Time will tell, but for now lets enjoy the best rivalry in sports by hoping Djokovic and Nadal can meet up in the finals at Wimbledon.