The Rivalry: Andy Murray vs. Novak Djokovic

Published 11/21/2016, 2:14 AM EST

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Most sports are team efforts, devaluing individual stars and shifting focus to the coach, manager, or unit as a whole.

With tennis, there are only one or two players on each side, making stars of the top competitors. The most compelling eras of tennis involve a few stars battling for dominance, trading Grand Slam wins in their quest to be ranked No. 1 in the world. Long-time fans will speak fondly of John McEnroe battling Bjorn Borg, or the most recent dominance of Americans Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Women’s tennis fans can point to their own two person rivalries, most recently between the Williams sisters.

The last decade was no exception. Roger Federer was the top player, hardly ever losing at Wimbledon and winning a fair number of majors outside of that. He still had to battle Rafael Nadal almost every step of the way, and never beat the “King of Clay” at the French Open. This rivalry ensured that every Grand Slam final would be a compelling drama as the two competitors faced off against a familiar foe once again.

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This back and forth battle couldn’t last forever. Novak Djokovic began to challenge the two after only a few years of their dominance. The Djoker started primarily as a concrete champion, winning his first major at the 2008 Australian Open to break a Federer-Nadal stranglehold on the sport. Over the next couple of years, he would fail to win a major tournament, falling to Federer several times and losing in the finals of the 2010 U.S. Open to Nadal. However, his close calls proved Djokovic was likely the next to assume the tennis throne.

In that same time, Andy Murray began to climb the ranks without actually breaking through. He reached the finals of the 2008 US Open but was demolished in straight sets by Federer. Over the course of 2009, Murray combined strong performances in smaller tournaments with respectable finishes in most majors to achieve a No. 2 world ranking in May, pushing Nadal to third for a short time. He, too, was set to challenge the previous duo.

2011 and 2012 marked the arrival of the “Big Four,” with Djokovic winning three of the four 2011 Grand Slams (while Nadal remained almost unbeaten in the French Open) Andy Murray taking gold in the London Olympics and finally winning a major in the 2012 US Open.

While some might point to 2012 (when each of the Big Four won a separate major) as a sign that two players won’t dominate anymore, consistent injury issues for the aging Federer and Nadal have turned the sport into a battle between Djokovic and Murray, continuing the tennis tradition of a No. 1 vs. No. 2 rivalry.

A pairing like this creates compelling drama, bringing fans back for more in major after major. Just like Federer-Nadal, Djokovic-Murray won’t last forever, something Djokovic himself has pointed out. It’s still the kind of rivalry that defines an era, and one we should all be watching.

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Written by:

Bill Adams

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