25 Greatest Tennis Rivalries of the Open Era

More so than any other professional sport outside of perhaps boxing, tennis thrives on rivalries. As an individual sport, tennis can produce some of the most intense rivalries in all of sports, which is what draws in fans. Since computer rankings began, there have been 25 different players that have reached the pinnacle of the sport. These 25 players have spanned across 46 years of tennis now, meaning many of those 25 players reached their primes at the same time, creating rivalries of epic proportions. Many rivalries are between two of the all-time greats, who peaked at the same time. However, many great rivalries have been created by a world No. 1 preventing a challenger from ever claiming the top ranking. Since tennis is so driven by rivalries, I put together a list of the 25 best rivalries in the last 46 years, since there have been 25 different world No. 1s.

25. John Newcombe vs. Ken Rosewall - These two Aussies met 15 times in the last 46 years, but many of their best meetings came before 1968, which is why they aren't higher on the list.

24. Roger Federer vs. David Nalbandian - This is the only rivalry on the list that never met in a grand slam. However, Nalbandian's eight wins against the greatest player of all time is the fifth most of any of his rivals.

23. Stefan Edberg vs. Michael Chang - These two contested one grand slam final, but their best match came a round earlier, producing one of the best matches of 1992 in the US Open semifinals.

22. Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin del Potro - Del Potro pulled off one of the biggest surprises at a grand slam final in the last decade with his five-set win over Federer at the 2009 US Open final.

21. Bjorn Borg vs. Guillermo Vilas - Both of these players are two of the best clay courters in tennis history. Of their 22 meetings, 13 were on clay, including the 1975 and 1978 Roland Garros finals.

20. Pete Sampras vs. Goran Ivanisevic - These are two of the greatest servers in tennis history. Ivanisevic never reached the top ranking, largely because of his 12 losses to Sampras.

19. Pete Sampras vs. Jim Courier - They met at least three times on every surface except grass, where their only meeting was at the 1993 Wimbledon final, which Sampras won 7-6(3), 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-3.

18. Rod Laver vs. Ken Rosewall - This is another rivalry amongst Australians that would be higher on the list if their best matches hadn't come before 1968. They did play two grand slam finals in the Open Era.

17. Roger Federer vs. Lleyton Hewitt - These two had great careers, an exciting rivalry, and amazing matches, but even if they only played one point against each other, they would still make the list. The point they played at Indian Wells remains one of the greatest single points of all time.

16. Andy Murray vs. Roger Federer - The Brit is one of only two players on this list with a favorable record against Federer. After losing his third grand slam final to Federer, Murray won the Olympic Gold Medal in front of his home crowd with a straight-set victory over his rival.

15. Roger Federer vs. Andy Roddick - There are many players who can claim that they would have had amazing careers if not for Federer, but none more so than Roddick. The former world No. 1 had his top ranking stolen by the Swiss, who never gave it back and went on to beat him in four grand slam finals.

14. Stefan Edberg vs. Ivan Lendl - This rivalry played a big part in putting the Australian Open on the same tier as the rest of the grand slams with three five-set epics down under. However, their most famous match may be the last one they ever played, which Edberg won in a fifth set tiebreaker at the 1992 US Open quarterfinals.

13. Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray - This rivalry took a back seat in the tennis world while Federer and Nadal dominated, but it finally took center stage in 2011. In the last three and a half years, four grand slam finals have been between these two, including Murray's win at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships that ended the British drought.

12. Ivan Lendl vs. Jimmy Connors - These two met 35 times, which is tied for the third most of any rivalry in the Open Era. Connors may have won the first 17 sets these two played and consecutive US Open titles in 1982 and 1983 over Lendl, but the Czech still finished with 13 wins in the rivalry that spanned three decades.

11. John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg - Their 14 meetings is the least of any rivalry on this list, but that didn't stop them from playing some of the most memorable matches in tennis history. Their most memorable was the 1980 Wimbledon final, which Borg won 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(16), 8-6.

10. Ivan Lendl vs. Mats Wilander - These two met in five grand slam finals, which was the Open Era record at the time. They also battled each other for the No. 1 ranking in tennis throughout their careers. Wilander won their first meeting in five sets, which was the 1982 Roland Garros fourth round. Wilander went on to win his first grand slam title that fortnight.

9. Ivan Lendl vs. Boris Becker - Lendl is the greatest tennis player to have never won Wimbledon and he gets that distinction thanks to Boris Becker, who beat him three times at Wimbledon, including an epic five-set match in the 1989 semifinals. Also, their meeting in the 1988 Masters final, which Becker won 5-7, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 ended that season with arguably the greatest match of the year.

8. Bjorn Borg vs.  Jimmy Connors - This is one of the few rivalries in tennis history that spans across all surface types. The head to head record on hard courts was 3-3 and on clay courts was 3-3. Borg led 5-2 on carpet and 4-0 on grass courts, but Connors took him to five sets twice at Wimbledon, including the 1977 final.

7. Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic - Federer won the first four matches of this rivalry and has never let the lead slip even though Djokovic had two chances to tie the head-to-head this season. These two met in five straight US Opens, and after Federer won the first three, Djokovic won in 2010 and 2011, coming back from down two match points in both matches. The pair met in 20 semifinals, which is an Open Era record.

6. Boris Becker vs. Stefan Edberg - These are two top 10 players all time that peaked at the same time, creating the perfect conditions for an incredible rivalry. They met in three consecutive Wimbledon finals and played 19 finals against each other in total. The draws pitted them against each other frequently early in their careers and when their rankings rose, they were frequently the last two left in the draw. It may be the second most lopsided rivalry on the list with 15 more wins by Becker, but there was rarely a lopsided match in their 35 meetings. Their six meetings at the year-end finals event remains tied for the record.

5. John McEnroe vs. Jimmy Connors - This pair was the first rivalry that battled for the No. 1 ranking with each other on almost a weekly basis. Connors was the third player to be ranked No. 1 by a computer and McEnroe was the fifth as the pair exchanged the rankings between each other 10 times. The most famous match between the two Americans came in their home country as they met in the 1980 US Open semifinals, which was decided by a fifth set tiebreak. In total, the two played five five-set matches.

4. Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi - This is the second all-American rivalry in the top five, and is one of the most dominant duopolies in the history of the sport with a combined 387 weeks at world No. 1 and 22 grand slam titles. The two produced several of the best matches in American tennis history with 16 of their meetings coming on home soil, including three US Open finals. However, arguably their best match came in the US Open quarterfinals of 2001. After Agassi won the first set 9-7 in a tiebreaker, Sampras won three consecutive tiebreak sets, 7-2, 7-2, 7-5. The following year, Sampras got the final title of his career with a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over Agassi in the US Open final.

3. Ivan Lendl vs. John McEnroe - In just 13 seasons these two met 36 times, which was the record for the most meetings in a rivalry until last year. Their 20 finals contested against each other also was a record until just a year ago. The one record they do still have is the 11 times that they traded the top ranking in the world between each other. Until just a few years ago, this was the best rivalry in tennis history because they met more times than anybody else and with more on the line in each one of their matches than any other rivalry. In every match, they battled for both titles and the No. 1 ranking. At the end, they finished with a combined 440 weeks at No. 1 and 171 titles. Both men were one title away from a career grand slam. Ivan Lendl was missing the Wimbledon title, and in their one match at SW19, McEnroe won in three sets. Meanwhile, McEnroe needed the Roland Garros title, but lost to Lendl three times in Paris, including the 1984 final, which McEnroe led by two sets to love before Lendl came roaring back for a narrow 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 victory. That is the essence of a great rivalry: having to go through your rival to get what you want most.

2. Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer - This was my top rivalry just a couple weeks ago. When these two have both retired, they will likely be the greatest players in all of the Open Era. Even though their peaks weren't exactly at the same time, these two had several incredible matches in their 33 meetings, including a record eight grand slam finals. Their 2008 Wimbledon final is considered by many to be the greatest tennis match ever played. Like 22 other matches they played, Nadal won this one. After taking a two-set lead, 6-4, 6-4, Federer fought back into the match with two incredible tiebreak sets. However, Nadal claimed the fifth set in fading light for a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 win and his first Wimbledon crown after losing the final in five sets to Federer the previous year. For several years, Nadal prevented Federer from winning Roland Garros, but a fourth-round upset to Nadal in 2009 gave Federer an open path to the title and a career grand slam. Though Nadal dominated much of the rivalry, Federer's accomplishments still outnumber Nadal's. However, the Spaniard just turned 28 and still has plenty of time to catch a few of Federer's records.

1. Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic - After setting their seventh grand slam final between the two, this rivalry moved up to No. 1 on my list. They have met 42 times and in 22 finals, both of which are records. Djokovic's 19 wins against Nadal are the most against any single player while not leading the head-to-head. This is the only rivalry that has completed the career grand slam: meeting in the final of all four majors. Djokovic's four wins over Nadal in clay-court finals are the most wins against the King of Clay on his surface of any player. However, the Spaniard is still a perfect 6-0 at Roland Garros against Djokovic, who lacks only that trophy for the career grand slam. The two have already traded the No. 1 ranking twice and could do so for a third time as soon as Wimbledon. This rivalry has already met six more times than any other rivalry in the Open Era and the two players are 28 and 27 years old, meaning this could keep going for a long time. The pair averages about five or six meetings every year, so they should have well over 50 meetings when they both decide to retire.

2014 YTD Power Rankings by Country

These are the rankings of how each country has done since the end of the 2013 tennis season. Rankings are based mainly on the year-to-date ranking of the individuals from that country from before Memphis, Rotterdam, and Buenos Aires began.

1. Switzerland - When two of the three best players in the world come from the same country, it's a safe bet that that country is the best in the world. Stanislas Wawrinka and Roger Federer have been on fire to start 2014. Wawrinka won the Australian Open and Chennai, while Federer reached the final of Brisbane and semifinals in Melbourne. The next week, the two worked together to send Switzerland to the Davis Cup quarterfinals. The country finished 2012 in my top four, but dropped down to No. 7 in 2013. Switzerland could challenge for a top three finish in 2014 thanks to poor starts from Argentina and Serbia.

2. Spain- Doha champion and Australian Open semifinalist Rafael Nadal alone has done enough to earn Spain a top three spot on this list. Add on the effort of 10 other players in the top 140 for the year-to-date rankings, and the Spaniards are in a good position to start the season. Spain has been No. 1 in every 52-week Power Rankings list. With the clay season just over a month away, it won't be long before the country is No. 1 in the year-to-date Power Rankings list.

3. France- Strength in numbers is a phrase that is exemplified by French tennis. The country lacks a clear No. 1, with the spot being shared by Gilles Simon, Gael Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Richard Gasquet over the past few years. However, it has always remained on of the top three countries simply because there are so many Frenchmen at the top of the game. Both at the end of 2012 and 2013, France was the most well-represented country in the top 140. There are already 14 Frenchmen in the top 140 in the world so far in 2014, which is three more than any other country.

4. Germany- After starting the season as the top country in the world, has cooled off a bit. However, Germany still finds itself at No. 4. Despite poor starts from Tommy Haas and Philipp Kohlschreiber, the rest of Germany has picked up the slack. Florian Mayer has already racked up a country-best 310 ranking points in 2014 and led the country to a Davis Cup win over No. 2 Spain. Peter Gojowczyk started the year 14-2 in all matches and cracked the top 100 for the first time in his career. 33-year old Michael Berrer has come up through qualifying and advanced to the second round of two different tournaments, including the Australian Open.

5. United States- Aside from John Isner's title in Auckland, it has been all about the young Americans, who put the United States in the top five. The US just missed out on top five finishes in 2012 and 2013, finishing No. 6 this year. Staying ahead of Serbia seems unlikely, but the possibility of jumping Germany is there if Sam Querrey and Isner can return to form. The US is tied with Spain for second best representation in the year-to-date rankings with 11 different players in the top 140. Bradley Klahn has already claimed two challenger titles this year, while Steve Johnson has one of his own. Donald Young also reached the third round of the Australian Open.

6. Argentina- Leonardo Mayer has reached the final in Vina Del Mar and won a challenger title already. The 26-year old is now near a career-high ranking. This could be a breakthrough kind of year for him. Juan Martin del Potro also has a 250 title of his own, but a disappointing performance at the Australian Open overshadowed his success. Once the clay season comes, Argentina will rise in the rankings with players like Guido Pella, Carlos Berlocq, Juan Monaco and Martin Alund typically playing their best tennis on clay.

7. Czech Republic- Although two-time defending Davis Cup champions, Czech Republic has never done too well in the Power Rankings. The Czechs usually stay between eight and 10 in the rankings, but a semifinal performance at the Australian Open by Tomas Berdych has gotten the country to a good start. These rankings were made before Berdych's title in Rotterdam, so the Czech Republic will continue to rise in the rankings as the season goes on.

8. Australia- Since the start of each season is in Australia, the country always starts better than it finishes. Australia won't continue to benefit from teenagers, who took advantage of wildcards, so their ranking will drop several starts by the end of June. However, Lleyton Hewitt defeated Roger Federer to win Brisbane, which proves that he still can compete with anyone on tour. We also got a look at just how good the teenagers in Australia are, so even though they won't be on tour for a few more years, the future of Australian tennis is very good. Players like Nick Kyrgios, Luke Saville, and Thanasi Kokkinakis will join Bernard Tomic to form a very solid group of Australians that all be future top 50 players.

9. Japan- Kei Nishikori has carried Japan's ranking for a few years now, keeping them at around 15. However, Japan's depth is growing quickly with four other players in the top 100 of the year-to-date rankings. Taro Daniel, who trains in Spain could be the most promising of all of them. Daniel reached the quarterfinals through qualifying in Vina del Mar. The 21-year old, who was born in New York, cracked the top 200 for the first time and has 57 ranking points that aren't going anywhere for the next 12 months.

10. Italy- Fabio Fognini is among one of the hottest players on tour with his form right now. However, the rest of Italy hasn't been enjoying his level of success. Despite winning its first round of Davis Cup, there are only five other players in the top 200, and they don't combine for half as many points as Fognini.

11. Great Britain- Normally Great Britain's ranking is based solely on Andy Murray. This year though, he has some support from Daniel Smethurst, James Ward, and Daniel Evans, who reached the semifinals in Zagreb. Great Britain knocked off the United States in Davis Cup play and will face Italy next. The Brits still need Murray to perform if they want to finish in the top 10 in 2014. The second half of the season is where he is at his best.

12. Serbia- Last year's Davis Cup runner-up has gotten off to a brutal start in 2014. Serbia has already been eliminated from Davis Cup, Novak Djokovic failed to reach a major semifinal for the first time since 2010, and Viktor Troicki and Janko Tipsarevic haven't even stepped on the court yet. The bright spots for Serbia have come from the young players. Laslo Djere and Nikola Milojevic have made quick transitions from the junior tour onto the futures. Also, Dusan Lajovic and Pedja Krstin have both earned career-high rankings. If Djokovic, Troicki, and Tipsarevic all return to form Serbia could get back to being a top-two nation.

13. Russia- Mikhail Youzhny has struggled so far in 2014. Russia can only go up.

14. Croatia- Marin Cilic has been incredible this year, but the rest of the country hasn't helped him. Ivan Dodig's only wins have come against fellow Croat Ivo Karlovic, who struggled after upsetting Tomas Berdych. Cilic and Karlovic each reached the finals of their respective tournaments this week, so they will rise in the rankings later this year.

15. Columbia- Alejandro Gonzalez earned a career-best 74 after reaching the final of his first challenger of the year. Along with Alejandro Falla and Santiago Giraldo, the Colombians are always dangerous from Miami to Roland Garros.

16. Canada- It has been a slow start for the Canadians, and Milos Raonic isn't playing in February this year, which is when he is normally at his best. Vasek Pospisil has established himself as a mainstay on tour. He will be key if Canada continues to rise.

17. Chinese Taipei- After Switzerland, Taiwan has had the most surprising start to the 2014 season. Yen-Hsun Lu is ranked 28 in the year-to-date rankings thanks an incredible week in Auckland. He also did very well this week in Memphis. At 30 years-old, he is playing the best tennis of his career.

18. Bulgaria- Grigor Dimitrov is the 10th ranked player in the world in the Race to London. BabyFed reached the quarterfinals in Australia erasing some doubt that he couldn't win best-of-5 matches.

19. Slovenia- 23-year old Blaz Rola came up through qualifying to reach the second round of the Australian Open, earning a career-high ranking of 152. Along with Blaz Kavcic and Aljaz Bedene, those three carry Slovenia's ranking.

20. Ukraine- Considering the brutal start to the season for Alexander Dolgopolov, Ukraine in the top 20 seems surprising. However, there is no other team left that has three players with at least 70 ranking points so far in 2014. Sergiy Stakhovsky reached the semifinals in Sydney as a qualifier.

21. Finland
22. India
23. Brazil
24. Netherlands
25. Kazakhstan
26. Slovakia
27. South Africa
28. Uzbekistan
29. Poland
30. Romania
31. Israel
32. Bosnia & Herzegovina
33. Hungary
34. Latvia
35. Lithuania
36. Austria
37. Tunisia
38. Belarus
39. Portugal
40. Venezuela

It's Fognini's Fault

Whenever there is a big upset in sports, the fans of the player or team that got upset always look for something or someone to blame. After Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7, (and even during the match) everyone had something to blame for the massive upset.

The most popular scapegoat has been Djokovic's new head coach, Boris Becker for his inexplicable standing during the match. Another popular one has been Jim Courier for asking Djokovic to do another impression. There have been plenty of other outrageous accusations for who is to blame for Novak's first loss at a slam to a player ranked lower than four since 2010. But let's identify the real culprit for who he is - Fabio Fognini.

Let's look at the evidence:

In 2011, Djokovic started the season riding a 43-match winning streak. Djokovic reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals where he was one win away from tying John McEnroe's record for best winning streak to start a season. The opponent awaiting him was none other than Fabio Fognini, who limped his way through an epic victory over Albert Montanes.

After stealing the quarterfinal spot away from Montanes, Fognini elected to not even use it and withdrew from the tournament. Because of the withdrawal, Djokovic went three days without playing any tennis on a television. After three days of collecting rust, Djokovic had his 43-match winning streak snapped by Switzerland's Roger Federer.

Overall, in the first five tournaments in which Djokovic and Fognini played each other, Djokovic didn't win a single title. That includes 2010 Belgrade, where after defeating Fognini in straight sets, Djokovic went on to lose to 319th ranked Filip Krajinovic in the following round. Coincidence? Doubtful.

Fast forward 32 months to the 2014 Australian Open. Now, Djokovic has a 27-match winning streak as he meets Fognini in the fourth round. While Fognini didn't withdraw officially this time, he withdrew mentally. Fognini won a total of five games and 55 points over the course of three pathetic sets. All the while, Fognini's antics distracted the three-time defending champion and broke his focus. The match took away Djokovic's mental edge.

As a result, Djokovic tried to serve and volley on match point down. The cost: another loss to a Swiss man with a one-handed backhand after Fognini failed to properly prepare Djokovic for an important grand slam match.

Verdict:
Fabio Fognini traitorously sabotaged Djokovic by refusing to give him a proper warm-up before his crucial match against the Stanimal. As a result, Fognini is the scapegoat.

Return of the Big Four

At its peak in 2011, the Big Four of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer owned the ATP World Tour. In 2011, the four players combined to win all four slams, all nine 1000 events, the year-end Finals, along with eight other titles, and Nadal was part of the Davis Cup Champion team.

The four players didn't just win the events - they dominated them. Both finalists at all four slams were members of the Big Four. In fact, only three players ranked below four even reached the semifinals, and only four reached a final at a 1000 event. However, since Nadal lost to Lukas Rosol in the second round of Wimbledon in 2012, the members of the Big Four have not all been at their best at the same time.

After that loss, Nadal was out for seven months and didn't make his return until after the Australian Open. As soon as Nadal returned, Federer instantly began to struggle, starting with a loss in Rotterdam to Julien Benneteau. Federer's struggles continued all the way through to the US Open where he lost to Tommy Robredo.

After the US Open, Murray announced his season would end with back surgery, and Federer almost instantly began to improve. He reached the final in Basel, and semifinals of Bercy and the year-end Finals, beating Richard Gasquet and Juan Martin del Potro twice in the process.

Now, at the Australian Open, Murray is back from his injury, Nadal's knee issues seem to be a thing of the past, Djokovic is extrememly motivated, and Federer appears to be back to a high quality of tennis. So is the Big Four back?

From what we have seen at the Australian Open through one week, the answer would be a resounding yes! Not a single one of the four has so much as dropped  set on their straight-forward paths to the second week. With Del Potro falling out of the tournament in the first round, it would be surprising if anyone outside the Big Four reaches a final, let alone win one.

However, there is still one major hurdle before I am ready to say that the Big Four is truly back, and that is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. During 2011, it wouldn't be surprising to see all four reach the semifinals. However, that's impossible in Melbourne this year since Murray and Federer are both in the same quarter. So the best the Big Four can do is make sure that none of them lose to anybody outside the Big Four. Although Djokovic will face Stanislas Wawrinka and potentially Tomas Berdych or David Ferrer, Tsonga appears to be the biggest threat in this tournament to disrupt the Big Four's dominance.

So what is unofficially on the line tonight when Federer goes toe-to-toe with Tsonga is Federer's spot in the Big Four. Can the Big Four all dominate the sport at once the way they did in 2011? Or are Tsonga, Berdych, Del Potro, Wawrinka, and Ferrer too good to be second tier players?

Federer no stranger to facing a home-favorite

Federer d. Hewitt 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in R16 of 2010 Australian Open

In a few hours, Roger Federer will play against Lleyton Hewitt in the 2014 Brisbane final. It is the pair's 27th meeting, tying them with Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl for ninth most meetings between two players in the Open Era. It will be the fifth meeting in Hewitt's home country of Australia. However, none of the previous meetings were in a final.

Federer, who will be playing in his 114th career final, has become accustomed to meeting the home-favorite in finals. This will be his 19th meeting against a player who represents the country that the tournament is held in. In the previous 18 finals, Federer holds a record of 13-5, including a nine-match winning streak that spanned from 2003 to 2009.

However, Federer's recent record in these finals should give Hewitt some hope. Federer has won just one of the last three, which includes his straight-set loss against Andy Murray in the Gold Medal match in London.

Here is a look at all of the finals in Federer's career against players on home soil:

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2002	Milan	Davide Sanguinetti	L 6-7(2), 6-4, 1-6
2	2002	Miami	Andre Agassi	L 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
3	2003	Halle	Nicolas Kiefer	W 6-1, 6-3
4	2003	Masters Cup	Andre Agassi	W 6-3, 6-0, 6-4
5	2005	Cincinnati	Andy Roddick	W 6-3, 7-5
6	2005	US Open	Andre Agassi	W 6-3, 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-3
7	2006	Indian Wells	James Blake	W 7-5, 6-3, 6-0
8	2006	US Open	Andy Roddick	W 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
9	2007	Cincinnati	James Blake	W 6-1, 6-4
10	2008	Halle	Philipp Kohlschreiber	W 6-3, 6-4
11	2009	Madrid	Rafael Nadal	W 6-4, 6-4
12	2010	Madrid	Rafael Nadal	L 4-6, 6-7(5)
13	2010	Cincinnati	Mardy Fish	W 6-7(5), 7-6(1), 6-4
14	2011	Paris	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	W 6-1, 7-6(3)
15	2012	Indian Wells	John Isner	W 7-6(7), 6-3
16	2012	Halle	Tommy Haas	L 6-7(5), 4-6
17	2012	Wimbledon	Andy Murray	W 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
18	2012	London Olympics	Andy Murray	L 2-6, 1-6, 4-6
19	2014	Brisbane	Lleyton Hewitt	??

One of reasons that Federer is so great for the sport of tennis is that he is internationally loved. However, this table shows that there are several countries that maybe shouldn't love him as much as they do. Federer has spoiled the United States' hopes of having a winner from their country nine times. He has done the same twice in Germany and one time in Italy, Spain, France, and Great Britain. Today, Federer will try to add Australia to that list for his 78th career title, which by the way, will put him ahead of John McEnroe for career titles won, moving him into third place in the Open Era.

 

Tennis Trivalries

This week, there was plenty of big news coming out of the Roger Federer camp. First he announced that he will be having another kid. Also Stefan Edberg will be joining Federer's team. With Edberg coaching Federer, he rejoins the tennis world along with Ivan Lendl (coaching Andy Murray) and Boris Becker (coaching Novak Djokovic) reigniting the some of the greatest rivalries of the 1980's.

Many people say men's tennis is in a golden era right now, because of what has been called the "Trivalry" between Federer, Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal. However, Becker, Lendl,  and Edberg also made up an exciting trivalry. This got me thinking about all of the greatest trivalries in tennis history and where the current trivalry fits in historically.

Lavallcombe - The first trivalry of the Open Era was between a trio of Aussies. John Newcombe, Rod Laver, and Ken Rosewall made up that trivalry. Officially, they played 46 matches against each other, but that doesn't count the hundreds of times they played before the Open Era. In the Open Era, they contested four grand slam finals, meeting nine times in slams and 16 times in WCT tournaments.  Rosewall's win over Laver in the 1972 Dallas WCT final was one of the best matches in Lavallcombe. Rosewall won 7-6(5) in the fifth set after losing the fourth set in a tiebreaker. The trio also made up a Davis Cup team, which played a huge role in bringing titles to Australia, including in 1973, which was the country's 15th title in 24 years.

McConnorg - The next trivalry spanned over three decades, going from the late 1970's to as late as 1991. This was between Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Bjorn Borg. They played each other 71 times, which included several of the all-time greatest matches in tennis history. In 1980, McEnroe and Borg met in both the Wimbledon and US Open finals, producing some of the most memorable five-set epics in tennis history. Connors also had his share of epic encounters with his rivals. He played five five-set matches against McEnroe, which includes the 1980 US Open semifinal that was determined by a fifth-set tiebreaker. McConnorg combined for 26 grand slam titles and occupied tennis' top ranking for 547 weeks.

Bendlberg - The three coaches also are three of the greatest players in tennis history. Edberg, Lendl, and Becker played each other 83 times, including 35 times between Edberg and Becker, which was the record before last year. Of the 83 meetings, 39 were in finals, which includes seven grand slam finals. However, some of their best matches were outside the finals. In the 1985 Australian Open semifinals, Edberg defeated Lendl 9-7 in the fifth set. In their final meeting, they had the benefit of a tiebreak, when Edberg again defeated Lendl in the 1992 US Open quarterfinals. The three players completely dominated their era with 336 combined wins against their peers in the top 10.

Courassi - This is another trio of countrymen. The 1990's were dominated by players from the United States. In particular, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, and Pete Sampras. The Americans met 66 times on tour with over half between Sampras and Agassi. In fact, most fans wouldn't have considered Courier part of any trivalry, but since this post is about trivalries, I added him in. And he was part of some amazing matches and even had a winning head-to-head against Agassi. Sampras also had two of the best matches of his career against Courier. In both the 1995 Australian Open quarterfinals and the 1996 Roland Garros quarterfinals, Sampras came back from two sets down to beat Courier. The rivalry between Agassi and Sampras, however, ranks as one of the best in tennis history. The pair played 34 times, including nine times in slams and in four grand slam finals. In total, the trio had 26 grand slam titles and spent 445 weeks at No. 1.

Fedalovic - So where does the current trivalry between Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal rank? For me, it is the best of all of them. Not only are they the three greatest players to be part of a trivalry, but they consistently meet on the biggest stages in the sport. Here are the numbers: 101 meeting, 15 grand slam finals, 32 meetings in any round of a slam, and 48 finals at any tournament. Each rivalry within the trivalry has to rank as one of the top 10 rivalries in tennis history. Each rivalry has met at least 10 times in slams and 30 times in total. The three players have fought each other for the top ranking in the game for the last 514 weeks and counting. They also have 36 combined grand slams and 396 wins against top 10 players. Also since Djokovic first reached the top three in 2007, only three other players have been able to crack into the top three, and only one reached the top two. We haven't even begun to talk about the incredible matches between these players.

In 2012, Djokovic and Nadal met in the Australian Open final in a match that took almost six hours to complete with Djokovic finishing on top 7-5 in the fifth set. Then this past year, Nadal defeated Djokovic 9-7 in the fifth set at the Roland Garros semifinals on his way to a record-setting eighth title in Paris. In both 2010 and 2011, Djokovic and Federer met in the US Open semifinals, and both times,  Djokovic saved two match points to defeat Federer 7-5 in the fifth set. Then there is the rivalry between Nadal and Federer, which is widely considered the greatest in tennis history, which includes what is widely considered the greatest match in tennis history. In 2008, Nadal defeated Federer 9-7 in the fifth set of the Wimbledon final for his first title at the most prestigious event in tennis. The trivalry continues to dominate tennis today with all three players still in the top 10 and 14 of the last 16 slam titles.

4 Most Overrated and Underrated Players going into 2014

It's always fun to discus who the most and underrated players in tennis are. And the unique thing about the conversation it is impossible to agree. If everyone thinks that a player is underrated, then they are overrating that player. For many people the definition of overrated and underrated vary. For this post, I defined overrated and underrated based on expectations for 2014. Players that are expected (by fans and analysts) to do too much are overrated, while players whose expectations are too low are underrated. With that, here are the four most overrated and underrated tennis players going into the 2014 tennis season.
Overrated
1. Stanislas Wawrinka- It is easy to overrate a guy who has his biggest results on the biggest stages in the game. The tennis world stopped during Wawrinka's incredible matches against Djokovic to see him play in two of the best matches of the year. However, when Wawrinka lost four-of-five matches to players with an average ranking of 92, nobody noticed. Wawrinka did have an incredible 2013 season, but staying in the top eight in the world for 2014 is far from a guarantee.
2. Jerzy Janowicz- Once again his ranking is balancing on one leg. If he doesn't have another huge result before Wimbledon, he could drop out of the top 40. Janowicz's incredible runs in Paris and Wimbledon have been the only times a lot of fans have gotten to see him (aside from his awesome tirade in Melbourne). Take away his two amazing results in the last 48 months and he wouldn't even be noteworthy. Consistency is the key to the top 10 and he lacks that severely. I expect him to improve in 2014, but the top 10 finish that many are predicting is very unlikely.
3. Andy Murray- Murray will always be overrated since he won Wimbledon, so I should probably just get used to it. However, the expectations for Murray in 2014 are just absurd. People don't realize just how bad of a 2013 season he had. Yes, he won Miami, Wimbledon and reached the final in Melbourne, but outside of those three tournaments, it was another poor season. Poor may be a harsh word for someone who finished the season ranked No. 4 in the world, but fans always want to put him as part of the Big Four and by Djokovic and Nadal's standards, it was a poor season. In 2014, Murray is going to lay an egg on clay, while fail to put together consecutive good results on hard courts. His longest winning streak in 2014 will be less than 15.
4. Grigor Dimitrov- BabyFed will likely crack the top 10 eventually, but not this year. His win over an injured Djokovic set the expectations unrealistically high for the Bulgarian. I want him to do well just like everyone else, but the results aren't going to come immediately. It's going to take time.

Underrated
1. Roger Federer- He is the greatest of all time, so he can't possibly be overrated, and he is quite underrated. One of the downsides of being the greatest of all time is that every match he plays is watched. He can't sneak an early round loss past anyone. Anytime he loses, there are headlines. Federer actually did have a decent 2013 season compared to what most people think, and there are a lot of reasons to think 2014 will be even better. Way too many people are predicting  that Federer won't finish in the top 10 or won't win a title. He still is Roger Federer. He might not win a grand slam, but that doesn't mean he isn't good enough to qualify for London. There is no way BabyFed or his countryman Wawrinka will outperform him in 2014.

2. Gilles Simon- Simon is by far the most underrated player of our generation. His playing style doesn't excite most fans, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work. Simon has been in the top 20 since May of 2011, but he doesn't get a lot of attention for it. Simon is one of the smartest players on the court, but also one of the smartest when it comes to scheduling. Every season Simon picks the right tournaments to play to get the maximum amount of ranking points, which is why he will stay in the top 20 in 2014 even if he doesn't get the attention he deserves.
3. Sam Querrey- No doubt it was a disappointing year for the United States' No. 2 player. Dropping out of the top 40 for the second time since he broke through was not one of his goals for the season, but that doesn't mean he is doomed in 2014. A lot of pressure is off Querrey right now, because the expectations are so low. Querrey hasn't played a match since Beijing so it will be a long off season for him to get prepared. Expect a resurgent 2014 season for the American No. 2.
4. Ryan Harrison- This is probably a surprising player to see on the list. For so long, Harrison had been so overrated. Then his 2013 season proved once and for all that he will never meet the hype surrounding him. However, what this has done is put the expectations incredibly low for one of the most competitive players on tour. He still  is just 21-years old and has a career-high ranking of 43. While I don't expect him to return to his career-high ranking, it won't be such a struggle to for Harrison to stay in the top 100. With how low expectations are for Harrison, he should have no problem surpassing them.

100 Predictons for 2014 ATP World Tour

These are my 100 predictions for the upcoming season. I only got 47 right last year, so I'm hoping I can do a little better this year. All of my grand slam predictions for finalists are at the end. I let the fan inside me come out for those predictions. I'll defend my picks a little bit at the end. Federer will finish the season in the top 10

Federer will not reach a grand slam final

Federer will win one or less 1000 event

Federer will win multiple titles

Nadal will not be No. 1 after the US Open

Nadal will defend one or less hard court title

Nadal will get at least 10,000 ranking points

Nobody besides Nadal and Djokovic will be No. 1 or 2

Nadal and Djokovic will combine for at least 3 slams

Nadal and Djokovic will combine for at least 16 finals in slams and masters

Nadal and Djokovic will combine for at least 26,000 ranking points

Djokovic will win a title in at least four of the first five months of the year

Djokovic will win multiple titles in tournaments not played on hard courts

Djokovic will win multiple titles in North America

Djokovic will have more ranking points than Wawrinka and Murray combined

Ferrer will drop out of the top five

Ferrer will earn at least 600 ranking points at one or less tournaments

Ferrer will not win his 600th career match in 2014

Ferrer will win multiple titles for the fifth consecutive year

Murray will not win a grand slam

Murray will finish with less than 8,000 ranking points

Murray will reach one or less semifinals at clay tournaments

Murray and Nadal will meet each other one or less times

Murray will get at least six top 10 wins

Del Potro will be a top four seed at Wimbledon

Del Potro will reach multiple slam semifinals

Del Potro will reach a final in a 1000 or slam before by the end of US Open

Del Potro will win more clay matches than Murray

Del Potro will earn at least $4,000,000 in prize money

Del Potro won't win a five-set match against Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray

Berdych will win a title

Berdych won't win a five-set match against Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray

Berdych will reach the semifinals of at least eight events again

Berdych will end the year ranked higher than Ferrer

Berdych will set a personal record for titles in a season

Berdych, Tsonga, and Federer will not win a grand slam

Wawrinka will never be ranked higher than seven

Wawrinka will fail to reach the quarterfinals in at least two slams

Wawrinka will not beat Djokovic or Nadal

Wawrinka will not finish in the top eight

Gasquet will reach one or less slam quarterfinal

Gasquet will not finish in the top 10

Gasquet will win a title in France

Gasquet will win a five-set match

Gasquet will win at least 42 matches

Tsonga will finish the year as the top-ranked Frenchman

Tsonga will reach the second week in Roland Garros and Wimbledon

Tsonga will defeat three former grand slam champions

Tsonga will win multiple titles

Tsonga will get at least five wins against top 10 opponents

Raonic will finish the year in the top 10

Raonic will win a title without dropping serve

Raonic will lead the tour in aces

Raonic will win at least 10 matches on grass and clay combined

Raonic will reach the quarterfinals in at least eight tournaments

Haas will drop outside the top 20 before Wimbledon

Almagro will win at least 40 matches

Almagro will win a title in South America

Isner will hit at least 900 aces

Fognini will crack the top 15 before the end of February

Anderson will drop out of top 20 before end of March and won't return

Janowicz will finish the year in the top 13

Janowicz will earn at least 500 ranking points from one event

Dimitrov will not win  title

Dimitrov will reach the top 15 for the first time in his career

Dimitrov will reach the fourth round at a slam

Gulbis will reach a career-high ranking before March

Paire will have more double faults than any player in the top 20

Pospisil will reach the top 28 by the end of Wimbledon

Cilic's year-end ranking will be at least 15 spots better than at the start of July

Tomic will not reach the top 20 at any point in the season

Dolgopolov will lose in the first or second round in at least two slams

Between Hewitt, Haas, and Robredo, at least one will retire

Nobody younger than Jiri Vesely will finish the year ranked higher than him

Vesely will win a grand slam match

Harrison will reach a final

Klahn and Young will both be in the top 10 for left-handed players

Sock will earn $500,000 in prize money

Lajovic will crack the top 100

Giraldo will make more in prize money than Seppi

Lopez will hit more aces than Karlovic

Simon's winning record will be better than his percentage of points won

Istomin will hit more aces than he will face break points

Brands will have more break points on his return than on his serve

Brands will reach a final and have a winning record

Matosevic will win a grand slam match

Verdasco will not get more than 300 points at a single tournament

Querrey & Istomin will combine for more ranking points than Haas & Seppi

Exactly four players from Spanish speaking countries will finish in the top 20

At most, 15 different countries will be represented in the top 20

Spain will have  most players in top 15, but France will have most in top 25

At least 20 tournaments will be won by players from that country

The United States will have more players in the top 100 than Germany

No player will reach the top 10 for the first time

The finalists at each slam will be players who have already reached a final

Djokovic will beat Nadal in the Australian Open final

Djokovic will beat Nadal in the Roland Garros final

Djokovic will beat Del Potro in the Wimbledon final

Djokovic will beat Murray in the US Open final

Djokovic will finish the year No. 1 in the world As I thought about my picks for the grand slams, I tried to think about which slam I thought Djokovic wouldn't win, and I couldn't think of any slam that he wouldn't win. He owns the Australian Open, and who will beat him? Murray is coming off an injury and Djokovic owns the rivalry with Nadal on hard courts since the US Open. For Roland Garros, that is going to be Djokovic's biggest goal of the year. He proved he is good enough to win it last year. I think this is the year that he finally gets it done. Wimbledon will be the tough one for Djokovic. Federer and Nadal proved that they won't ever win another Wimbledon with their disappointing performances last year, so it comes down to Djokovic, Murray, and Del Potro. It will be easier to predict a winner when the draw comes out, but a repeat would be difficult for Murray, and Del Potro has a poor five-set record in his career. At the US Open, Djokovic has always done well. His first slam final was at the US Open and he has reached four consecutive finals there. I also predicted Djokovic would win all four in 2013 and I was wrong of course. I would be shocked if Djokovic actually does win the calendar slam, but I'm not sure which one he will lose. This is certainly going to be a fun season at the slams.