Great rivalries like those we’ve witnessed between Djokovic and Nadal (45 head-to-head matches), Sampras and Agassi (34 matches) and Connors and McEnroe (34 matches) are the product of two players remaining at the highest level of the game simultaneously for many years. Rivalries are the lifeblood of the pro game, as they result in the sort of allegiances and rivalries between fans of the players that are typically only seen in team sports. This in turn results in extra media attention and interest from non-tennis fans. Just try to find me someone who lived through the McEnroe/Borg era, had access to a TV, and never watched one of their matches!
Two young guns... have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the pack
The three all-time greats that are currently playing on the ATP Tour - Federer, Nadal and Djokovic - are responsible for much of the success of the tour over the past decade. But if you think about it, it’s more than their pure skill that draws most fans in, it’s how they fare when they match up against each other that intrigues us. But the luck involved in having two or more highly-skilled players’ careers overlap means these drawcard match-ups can’t be manufactured. Unfortunately the WTA Tour knows this all too well at the moment.
Serena Williams has been more successful than every male player in the history of the game. But with no one able to challenge her supremacy for years now, the result has been waning interest in the women’s game and a nightmare for the marketing department. The WTA are desperately looking for their next Navratilova/Evert rivalry, which featured a mind-boggling 80 matches. So far there are no obvious candidates. But for the ATP the good times may just keep on rolling with potential successors to the Nadal/Djokovic show having already made their mark.
Two young guns, who finished 2014 as the only two teenagers in the Top 100, have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the pack of next generation players. Nick Kyrgios, 21, famously defeated Nadal (World No 1 at the time) in the fourth round on his Wimbledon debut in 2014. He has since gone on to notch up another six wins against Top 10 players, including Federer, and he claimed his first ATP World Tour title earlier this year. Last month he reached a major milestone when he cracked into the Top 20 after reaching his first Masters 1000 semi-final in Miami. For his part, Borna Coric, 19, also scored a win against Nadal in 2014 to reach his first ATP semi-final at just 17. He continued his ascent in 2015, reaching a career-high ranking of 33. So far this season he has reached his first ATP World Tour final in India and was a finalist in Morocco last month.
The pair recently met in their first tour level match which Kyrgios won quite comfortably. Only time will tell what the duo have in store for us. But barring injuries or other unexpected mishaps, a decade from now, when we speak about the greatest rivalry in the history of men’s tennis we may very well be talking about Coric/Kyrgios. The new guard is finally arriving!