Tennis News: Biggest rivalries in the sport between men's players

Given how crazy their matches with each other used to be, it developed a sense of on-court rivalry among them, both for their motivation and the audience's entertainment.

For over a decade now, we have seen an on-court rivalry between the Big Three: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Though many have speculated about when the three will retire, there hasn't been any confirmation from the three legendary players on this subject. 

Given how iconic some rivalries have been in Tennis history, here we will discuss some of the most exciting and celebrated rivalries of the Open Era. 

John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors

McEnroe and Connors, both Americans, had one of the most long-lasting and volatile rivalries in tennis history. They were equally talented and short-tempered, making the perfect recipe for a memorable rivalry in tennis. 

Their rivalry lasted from 1977 to 1991. While Connors was doing a lot better than McEnroe in the first few years of their rivalry, McEnroe jumped right ahead after winning 11 matches in a row between 1983 to 1986.

They both hold one Grand Slam title each won against each other, while McEnroe has an advantage of 6-3 in their Grand Slam meetings. 

John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg 

Though the rivalry between McEnroe and Borg only lasted four years, this list shall be incomplete without taking their mention. 

One reason why this rivalry became so popular and loved was that the two had entirely different personalities. While McEnroe was a showman who always remained energetic, aggressive and excited on the court, Borg stayed calm and composed throughout all matches.

Out of 4 times that the two met in Grand Slam finals, McEnroe won 3; however, the one that Borg won was iconic. Despite winning the fourth-set tie-break, McEnroe lost the final.

The victory of Borg in the 1980 Wimbledon final was followed by another fascinating final where the two legends met again in the US Open final, only two months later. This time McEnroe defeated Borg and, after that, won the subsequent Wimbledon and US Open final of 1981 against Borg.

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi

Sampras and Agassi didn't let the tradition that McEnroe and Connors had started of US champions dominating the tennis field die. As McEnroe and Connors were on the verge of retirement, two more American superstars emerged, Sampras and Agassi.

Though Sampras had the upper hand between the two, Agassi wasn't bad at his game either. Their rivalry continued for 13 years; they met 34 times, and Sampras had a 20-14 edge. 

Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic

Starting from 2004, the rivalry between three of the greatest players of all time, the Big Three, continues. 

While Federer has 20 Grand Slam titles in his name, Djokovic has 21, and Nadal is leading with 22 grand slam titles in his career. With Roger Federer not playing for a year now, it is possible that Federer may not be able to beat Nadal's record, but honestly, when it comes to the Big Three, nothing is ever off the table. 

Federer holds the record for the oldest player to have ATP world rank 1. Nadal is next in line to beat that record if he continues to play well. Meanwhile, Djokovic will try to beat Nadal's record of most Grand Slam wins.