Rivalries that people predicted to become huge, which never really materialized

[kiki]

I wish we had seen more Borg vs Lendl big finals...it is the one really missing rivalry of the big band of the 80´s.We had an appetizer with their 1981 FO final...but that was it.

Only Lendl and Mac were able to beat prime Borg in 5 sets.That must say something about how great that could have been.

[Dan Lobb]

Originally Posted by kiki

Any HTH between both pairs?

There was the potential for that in 1968 and 1970.

[kiki]

Originally Posted by Dan Lobb

There was the potential for that in 1968 and 1970.

But Rosewall teamed up with Stolle and not Hoad those years.Hoad would possibly cut down his doubles schedule because of his severe injuries and poor shape.Pitfully,IMO.

[Dan Lobb]

Originally Posted by kiki

But Rosewall teamed up with Stolle and not Hoad those years.Hoad would possibly cut down his doubles schedule because of his severe injuries and poor shape.Pitfully,IMO.

Hoad continued to play good doubles, and won the 1970 Barcelona final with Santana against Laver and Stolle.
Hoad and Rosewall only played a few years together as a doubles team yet captured 15 major doubles titles, more than any other doubles team, even the Bryans.
Hoad won innumerable doubles titles with partners other than Rosewall, and must have been the most prolific doubles titleist ever.

[CyBorg]

Originally Posted by BauerAlmeida

Coria-Nadal

Yup.

After that great final in Rome Coria fell apart.

[Pebbles10]

Wilander vs Connors.....wilander never lost in a real competition against Jimmy

[pc1]

Two really old women's rivalries

One is Suzanne Lenglen against Helen Wills. Two women who were virtually unbeatable but only met once in their super famous match of 1927.

Second one is Helen Wills against Alice Marble. Marble did not like Wills and I'm not sure if they ever met in competition but if Wills continued to play it would have been interesting. Marble probably would have won most of the matches considering how much younger she was.

[pc1]

Originally Posted by drakulie

For me, this one was very, VERY dissapointing.

Especially when one looks at their back-to-back matches at the year end championhips in 2004, followed by the AO semis (2005). The quality of tennis in those matches was unreal.

Yes to see Safin at his best against a top Federer was incredible to watch. The Australian semi was shocking good. Safin is one of the players that really annoys you because he never fulfilled his truth potential.

[Mustard]

Safin still achieved a lot for an underachiever. He won 2 majors, 5 masters series, 2 Davis Cups with Russia, 15 tournaments in all and spent 9 weeks as world number 1.

[BobbyOne]

Originally Posted by Dan Lobb

Hoad continued to play good doubles, and won the 1970 Barcelona final with Santana against Laver and Stolle.
Hoad and Rosewall only played a few years together as a doubles team yet captured 15 major doubles titles, more than any other doubles team, even the Bryans.
Hoad won innumerable doubles titles with partners other than Rosewall, and must have been the most prolific doubles titleist ever.

Rosewall has won more doubles titles than Hoad.

In that Barcelona tournament Laver played with Gimeno, not Stolle.

[urban]

Von Cramm vs. Nüsslein would be a fine rivalry. The only pro-am match at Blau-Weiss Berlin was won by von Cramm in four sets. From all the pre WW II players i have seen on clips, von Cramm had imo the most modern style, alongside Vines. I must say, that i haven't seen much of Nüsslein. In Germany, most experts like Menzel or Kleinschroth rated von Cramm as the best German pre WW II. In the 30s i find it extremely difficult to rank amateurs and pros combined, since the mid 50s it is easier to rate the top pros over the top amateurs. Von Cramm and Nüsslein would have been a fine Davis Cup team, to challenge the Brits and the US: von Cramm other companions had quite short careers, Daniel Prenn went into exile very soon, and Henkel, who died on the Eastern front, wasn't yetl at his peak, when the war began.

[BobbyOne]

Originally Posted by urban

Von Cramm vs. Nüsslein would be a fine rivalry. The only pro-am match at Blau-Weiss Berlin was won by von Cramm in four sets. From all the pre WW II players i have seen on clips, von Cramm had imo the most modern style, alongside Vines. I must say, that i haven't seen much of Nüsslein. In Germany, most experts like Menzel or Kleinschroth rated von Cramm as the best German pre WW II. In the 30s i find it extremely difficult to rank amateurs and pros combined, since the mid 50s it is easier to rate the top pros over the top amateurs. Von Cramm and Nüsslein would have been a fine Davis Cup team, to challenge the Brits and the US: von Cramm other companions had quite short careers, Daniel Prenn went into exile very soon, and Henkel, who died on the Eastern front, wasn't yetl at his peak, when the war began.

Yes, some experts ranked von Cramm over Nüsslein but others did it reverse.

Ferdinand Henkel, brother of Henner, said after the match of von Cramm against Nüsslein that Nüsslein would win 8 out of 10 matches. Ferdinad was the general secretary of German tennis Federation.

[kiki]

Originally Posted by Pebbles10

Wilander vs Connors.....wilander never lost in a real competition against Jimmy

That is also a good non developed big rivalry.Great contrast of styles and personalities, although Wilander was climbing while Connors was declining, but still 3 or 4 years of a possible great rivalry (1982 to 1985)