2017 has been a watershed year for men’s tennis. At the beginning of the year, if someone suggested that Federer or Nadal would win a Grand Slam, he would have surely been laughed at. But fast forward to the end of the year, and ‘Fedal’ has swept the Slams- it is Federer 2 Nadal 2. So who is the greater of the two? And hence, the greatest of all time?
The Federer vs Nadal match-up has been the one of the most glorious sporting rivalries of all times, certainly the biggest of the last decade. It’s Federer’s effortless natural ability vs Nadal’s grit and never-say-die attitude; Federer’s grass court ballet vs Nadal’s clay court monopoly; Federer’s poetic backhand vs Nadal’s gladiator like forehand. Who can forget that epic Wimbledon ‘08 final? Surely, one of the best matches of all times. Federer has had the rub of the green in 2017 but Nadal leads the overall head to head 23-14. Federer leads the Slam count 19-16 as of now but Nadal has age on his side to do the catching up maybe. 2017 indicates that we haven’t seen the last of them surely. So let the debates continue as these greats continue to enthrall us.
Tennis has a history of great rivalries and awesome match-ups. I grew up idolizing Becker and one of the earliest memories was a troika of Becker vs Edberg Wimbledon finals from ‘88 to ‘90. Both Becker and Edberg were grass court studs. Becker’s diving volleys, and Edberg sliced back hands- quite a treat to watch. Edberg took ‘88 and ‘90 while Becker won in ‘89. The rivalry would actually spill-over to the coaching box when Edberg would manage Federer while Boris sided with Djokovic.
Borg vs McEnroe was one from the previous era- Borg with the ‘good boy’ looks and ‘ice-cool’ attitude vs the proverbial ‘bad boy’ mercurial McEnroe. They had many a memorable match but the ‘80 Wimbledon final was one for the ages. Borg won in five sets but the fourth set tiebreak probably deserves a separate blog post in itself. McEnroe would get his revenge in the ‘81 final but Borg’s surprisingly early retirement would rob us of many more classics.
Sampras vs Agassi was a similar clash of styles- Sampras the boringly efficient cool and calm champion vs Agassi the charismatic colourful joker with a bandana. The best serve vs the best return. The two from Uncle Sam’s land would have many a memorable fight, including that magical point from the ‘95 US Open final.
On the women’s side, Navratilova vs Evert would be an enduring rivalry in the early 1980’s. Again a clash of styles, the two would dominate the world of tennis with 18 out of 19 grand slams between them from ‘82 to ‘86. Great friends off court, Martina would have the overall edge in this match up.
Graf vs Seles was the headline clash in the 1990’s- Seles would have the upper hand on clay court while Graf would mostly dominate on the other surfaces. The rivalry promised much more till an eccentric Graf fan stabbed Seles in ’93. While Monica made a comeback after two years and even won a slam, things would never be the same again.
Great sporting rivalries go beyond the game of tennis. In cricket, the Ashes is a milestone for every fan. It’s when the Aussies and the English hope they will have the bragging rights as the teams fight for the smallest cup you can imagine. It is win at all costs here- even if you have to go the ‘Bodyline’ route!
Closer home, the India vs Pakistan clash is one of the most sought after events which brings both the countries to a virtual standstill. The stakes are high- so a Sohail vs Prasad type situation is always around the corner. Too bad, that we don’t play more often nowadays.
From the world of football, there is the eternal question. Who’s the greatest? Pele or Maradona. The rivalry here transcends generations. Pele- the all-rounder, equally adept with both feet and the head, Maradona with just his left foot, but what a left foot! Pele recently joked that he has challenged his good friend Diego to continue the debate only once he crosses 1000 goals. Till then, the discussions can wait!
When it comes to club football, there is the El Classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid- also a battleground for the Messi vs Ronaldo duels of late. In EPL, there’s the Manchester Derby and the North London Derby between the Gunners and Spurs. And closer home, the Calcutta derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan which routinely house a hundred thousand crowd even now at the Salt Lake Stadium on derby days.
Moving on, the athletics track saw Ben Johnson vs Carl Lewis fighting for the sprint crown in the 80’s. Ben with his lightning starts, Lewis with the deadly sprint, to make up at the finish-line. Ben would win the all-important 100 metre dash in the Seoul Olympics in ‘88, only to be beaten by the doping ban.
The game of chess saw a clash of styles in the 80’s and 90’s- the safe and defensive Karpov vs the aggressive and charismatic Kasparov– the later had mostly the upper hand. Sebastian Coe would make Steve Ovett produce the run of his life, every time they competed. Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna drove each other wild whenever paths crossed on a Formula One track. Muhammad Ali and George Foreman and their mercurial rivalry gave us ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ in Kinshasa. NBA in the late 80’s was always about the Jordan vs Johnson debate.
We idolize champions, but what makes sports truly memorable, is great rivalries. After all, it takes two to tango!
Silly Point 