Tennis, because of its head-to-head nature, and the way players’ quirks and frailties are exposed on court, is a game that lends itself to rivalries. The greatest have tended to be between players with contrasting personalities and techniques. Fierce rivalries have produced many high-quality matches, and there is no better sight in tennis than two champions slugging it out in a grand slam final. The best rivalries seem to occur when the two players are at different points in their careers – one on their way up, the other past their very best. In such circumstances, tennis matches can resemble Shakespearean dramas, becoming complex narratives about endurance, bravery, and the battle between old and young.

Björn Borg and John McEnroe

The ice-cool Swede dominated the game in the late-1970s, winning five straight Wimbledons and six French opens with his defensive, topspin game. He looked unassailable until McEnroe – a brash, petulant New Yorker – came along. In 1980, the two fought what has often been described as the greatest Wimbledon final, which Borg won in five sets, despite losing the fourth set tiebreak 18-16. McEnroe got his revenge next year, beating Borg in both the Wimbledon and US Open finals. Borg retired from the game soon afterwards, a spent force at only 26.

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert

The intense, often fractious rivalry between these two spanned much of the 70s and 80s. Their playing styles were like chalk and cheese: Evert was the graceful, unflappable all-American; Navratilova the muscled, aggressive Czech (though she became a US citizen in 1981). In many ways, their rivalry was a battle of competing visions of what women’s tennis should be. The more conventional Evert may have been the crowd’s favourite, but it was Navratilova who won most matches, and who set the template for the future of the game.

Steffi Graf and Monica Seles

The rivalry between the languid, fluent German and the pugnacious, grunting Serb – two of the greatest ever women players – was tragically interrupted in 1993 when Günter Parche, a deranged Graf fan, stabbed Seles during a tournament in Hamburg. Seles was world No 1 at the time. When she returned to the game, two years later, she wasn’t the player she was, and in the meantime Graf had come to dominate the game once more.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Is this the greatest rivalry of them all? It may prove to be. The pair have played some incredible matches, most notably last year’s Wimbledon final, which Nadal won in five sets. There is much to relish: the contrast between their styles (Federer’s classic and effortless, Nadal’s bullish and muscular); the way that the Spaniard seems to worm his way into the Swiss’s head; their opposing dress senses. But above all, it is the spectacle of two of the best players of all time taking the game to new heights of quality and drama.

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