5 most intense rivalries in Wimbledon

There have been many intensely ferocious rivalries in tennis over the years, especially at the grandest stage of them all, the Wimbledon.With everyone are trying to give their best to be at the pinnacle of tennis by winning the Wimbledon title, quite a few fiery duel between players who went on to become legends of the game have taken place.Let us now look at 5 of the most compelling rivalries of the Wimbledon in the Open Era.

#1 Martina Navratilova Vs Chris Evert

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert

Probably the most intense and talked about rivalry of all time is the one between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, who are widely considered to be the best female players to have ever graced the sport of tennis. They have faced each other 22 times, and 9 times out of those have been at Wimbledon.

Evert was the better player in their first encounter in the semi-final of Wimbledon ’76, but Navratilova went on to win 7 of their next 8 encounters. Evert managed to defeat her only once in the next 8 matches that they played together, and it was in the semi-final of Wimbledon ’80. They played 5 Wimbledon finals against each other, and Navratilova emerged victorious in all of them.

The players are also known to be great friends off the field.

#2 Jimmy Connors Vs John McEnroe

John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, both legends of the game, had very similar playing styles, and often gave each other a run for their money, which was a visual treat for the fans. They faced each other four times in Wimbledon, twice in the ’77 and ’80 semi-finals and twice in the ’82 and ’84 finals.

Their match in the final of Wimbledon in 1982 has gone down in the history books as one of the most intensely fought matches, with a lot of aggression and drama. A marathon 5-setter, at one point in the match the players got into an agrument and the officials had to separate them.

The match was won by Connors in the end, and McEnroe got his revenge two years later in the final of Wimbledon ’84.

#3 Bjorn Borg Vs Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg

The perfect example of fire clashing with ice, the rivalry between Borg and Connors has achieved legendary status by now. They faced each other four times in Wimbledon, twice in the semi-finals in 1979 and 1981, and twice in the finals in 1977 and 1978. Borg emerged victorious is all four matches.

Borg, known for his ice cold demeanour and Connors known for being hot tempered, gave amazing performances in the matches that they played against each other. Their most memorable match was the first encounter in the ’77 Wimbledon Final, a 5-setter which was won by Borg.

#4 Roger Federer Vs Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Two of the most consistent players of the last decade, Federer and Nadal have had some amazing performances in the grand finale of Wimbledon. The two have faced each other thrice in the finals of Wimbledon – from 2006 to 2008.

Federer emerged victorious in the first two finals in 2006 and 2007, and was widely expected to complete a hat-trick of titles in 2008. But the final of 2008 was a once in a lifetime match. The epic 5-setter had fans on the edge of their seats.

The players went toe to toe against each other, and in a final filled with drama and emotions, Nadal was able to beat Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 to clinch his maiden Wimbledon title in 2008.

#5 Steffi Graf Vs Gabriela Sabatini

Gabriela Sabatini and Steffi Graf

Before Monica Seles, Gabriela Sabatini was one of the first challengers to the reign of the great Steffi Graf in the late 1980’s. The rivalry was so popular that the fans used to taunt Gabriella by saying “Oh Oh Oh Gabby is dying” whenever Graf had the upper hand in their match.

They faced each other thrice in Wimbledon, once in the quarterfinal of 1987, once in the semi-final of 1992, and their most epic encounter was the final of 1991. Graf was victorious in all of their three matches. They even teamed up once to win the 1988 Wimbledon Ladies’ Doubles title once.