Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic: Rivalry Will Go Down as Greatest of Its Era

For the next Grand Slam, can we just skip to the final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic?

The two met in the final of the 2013 U.S. Open, and Nadal came out on top in four sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. It was the kind of match tennis is all about. Two guys who claimed to be the best in the world decided it on the court.

Even though the result was somewhat one-sided in favor of Nadal, the match was enthralling from start to finish. It's another entry into what has become the defining rivalry of its era.

Aside from being immensely talented, Nadal and Djokovic are also very good foils of each other on the court.

Nadal possesses crazy, uncontrolled fury with enormous power and an ability to track down just about any shot. You didn't see the things he can do from anybody who came before him. Djokovic is a more classical player, with polish and an all-around game that could fit in just about any era. He's what you would think of when envisioning the ideal player.

Plenty of people will argue Nadal's rivalry with Roger Federer was much more memorable and legendary. That's a fair viewpoint. Any rivalry following Federer/Nadal will inevitably be compared to it. There's no doubting that when Federer was in his prime, he was a challenger for Nadal.

However, the five-year age difference between Federer and Nadal meant Federer had a much smaller window for success. There wasn't a lot of time before Nadal got the edge on an aging Fed and didn't let up.

Overall, Nadal has the 21-10 advantage over Federer. It's a great rivalry that has been diminished a bit by the way Nadal has dominated since about 2008, winning 15 of the last 19 matches between the two. Once the Spanish star went into Federer's domain—Wimbledon—and walked away with a five-set victory, you could see the end coming for Fed.

With Nadal and Djokovic, you've got two guys who are separated in age by less than a year. Essentially, it's the Federer and Nadal rivalry—if Federer were six years younger.

Neither Rafa nor Nole has demonstrated a period of sustained superiority over the other. Sure, Nadal has now won six of the last seven matches between himself and Djokovic. But before that, Djoker won seven in a row.

Djokovic looked a little hesitant in the U.S. Open final and rushed his shots. He was clearly the second-best player on the night. That happens.

He now has a lot of time to think about that loss and how to adjust his game to beat the force of nature that is Nadal. If anybody can do it, it's Djokovic. He's got the game, and his fitness level is insane.

2014 should be a great year, as fans will likely see plenty more chapters in this historic rivalry.