Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer, the Best Rivalries in Tennis

Any sport—to maintain interest of the viewing masses—needs rivalries, where the fans take sides, cheer for their heroes and ultimately see a vastly improved level of the sport.

A major reason for the rise of men's tennis has been the existence of such rivalries right through the Open Era, which has helped in keeping the audiences glued and eventually raised the stature of the game.

A shining example has been the rivalry between the two stalwarts since 2005—Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer—when almost all the fans took a side. 

With the rise and the domination of men's tennis by Novak Djokovic this year, many people are questioning whether the era of Nadal and Federer is over. 

One should not assume it's over, but as the past has seen, when one rivalry comes to an end, another one starts brewing.

The following list looks at the top five rivalries men's tennis has seen over the years.

Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe

Though this rivalry was not as stretched out as some of the other great rivalries in tennis, this was certainly one of the most exciting.

The two players could not be any more different in their temperaments, with Borg earning the title of the "Ice Man" and McEnroe famous for his outbursts on the court.

The two great faced each other 14 times, with the spoils being equally shared at seven apiece. 

In a short span of time, the two met in four Grand Slam finals—the finals of the US Open and Wimbledon in 1980 and 1981. 

Borg beat McEnroe in perhaps their best match in the finals of Wimbledon in 1980 when McEnroe beat Borg in an epic 20-minute tie-breaker in the fourth set, only to be beaten in the fifth set.

However, McEnroe was able to prevail in the other three finals, coming out on top in the head-to-head at 3-1.

Borg, however, retired the following year and the rivalry was prematurely cut short. 

McEnroe later admitted he was never quite able to recover mentally and did not enjoy the game as much after Borg's retirement.

Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe

When John McEnroe's rivalry with Bjorn Borg was at its peak, there was another rivalry the young American was sharing with his compatriot Jimmy Connors, which did not come to the fore until the retirement of Borg.

This was a special rivalry as both the players were very similar in their approaches—very entertaining, non-gentlemanly styles on court with neither afraid to begin confrontations and argue with the chair regarding line calls, which was something that pulled the crowds to see their matches.

Though the two met in only two Grand Slam finals, they battled on court 34 times with McEnroe holding the advantage 20-14.

Even in the Grand Slams, McEnroe holds the edge 6-3 over Connors. 

Both of them brought a level of intensity and competitiveness on the court that was almost unheard of and almost all their matches were events in themselves with some of their greatest matches coming in their five-set thrillers in the US Open in 1980 and 1984.

In an interview with The Independent in 1999, Connors said, "Something like that never goes away, especially between Mac and myself...To have carried on this rivalry for so many years, and for you still to be talking about it, must mean that we made our mark somewhere."

Very true.

Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg

Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker had taken the mantle over from McEnroe and Connors.

Edberg and Becker played each other 35 times over a period of 12 years. 

Although Becker came up on top a dominant 25 times out of 35, it was Edberg who held the advantage in the Grand Slams, winning three of four, of which two were in the finals of Wimbledon.

Of their 35 meetings, a record 18 were in the finals of tournaments, where Becker again held the advantage 13-5.

During the course of their rivalry, it was always the maturity and calmness of Edberg against the brilliance of Becker. 

Their three successive Wimbledon finals between 1988 and 1990 are still remembered as some of the best matches played.

Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras

The rivalry between two greats of American tennis was one to cherish for all the fans.

Pete Sampras, the reserved, methodical nice guy, went about his game in elegant business-like style.  

Right at the other end of the spectrum was the flamboyant, fashionable and stylish-game player Andre Agassi. 

They played each other 34 times over a period of over 10 years, with Pistol Pete holding the advantage, winning 20 of the engagements.

Sampras undoubtedly held the edge in Grand Slam finals, with Sampras winning four of the five they competed in, but they also played in Grand Slams four more times, both winning two apiece to take the head-to-head in Grand Slams to 6-3.

One of the greatest matches they played was in the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2001, when Sampras beat Agassi in four sets, each of the sets going into a tie-breaker. 

Sampras, the most successful Grand Slam player before Federer overtook him, gave Agassi the greatest acknowledgement when he said, "Andre always brought out the best in me."

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Since the departure of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras from the tennis scene, it was Roger Federer who started dominating the men's tennis circuit. 

Then Rafael Nadal arrived in 2004 and slowly started what would turn out to be a total domination of the tennis world by the two greats. 

Initially, Nadal was thought of as only a clay court player, but slowly he started matching up to the brilliance of Federer on other surfaces as well.

The two players have completely contrasting styles on court. Federer—always the elegant, calm and skillful player on the court—is completely opposite of the hard-hitting, court-covering and fit Nadal. 

Head-to-head, the statistics are heavily skewed in favor of Nadal, with an overall record of 17-8 in favor of the Spaniard.

Nadal leads Federer 7-3 in Grand Slams and 13-6 in all finals. 

However, of the 25 matches, 14 have been on clay, where Nadal is considered by many to be the best ever, hence leading 12-2.

The other surfaces give a more realistic picture of their rivalry with a 4-4 record on hard courts and a 2-1 record in favor of Federer on grass. 

They have played some of the most epic matches over the course of their rivalry—none better than the Wimbledon final in 2008, which is considered by many to be the greatest final ever played. 

Though both the players are fierce rivals on court, off the court both of them share a friendship and admiration for each other with neither of the players letting go of an opportunity to praise the other. They have also played for each others' charities and one sincerely hopes that the rivalry continues for several more years.