What were the top 10 "rivalries" of the 2010s (2010-2019)?

clout

Hall of Fame
Continuing on the "best of 2010s" threads to close out this decade of tennis, let's talk rivalries/matchups. There were a ton of great rivalries/matchups this decade, with a few of them being among the most prolific in tennis history. IMO, I'd rank them:

1. Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic (IMHO, the greatest rivalry in modern men's tennis. It's also the most prolific in terms of matches played and the most physical of battles)
2. Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic (Perhaps the most evenly matched rivalry in men's tennis, wish Fed was a few years younger or Nole was a few years older as it would've been even greater)
3. Novak Djokovic vs Stan Wawrinka (Exhilarating match-up that no one at the beginning of the decade would've imagined to appear on this list)
4. Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal (The most iconic tennis rivalry in modern men's tennis, and to this day, their match-ups are still must watch TV. With that said, it's pretty obvious this rivalry's halycon days peaked in the 2000s in comparison to the 2010s)
5. Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray (Can get a bit boring/repetitive at times, but nonetheless, Murray and Djokovic's names have been tied to each other for pretty much their entire careers and they've competed in some very important matches with plenty of history on the line)
6. Rafael Nadal vs Juan Martin Del Potro (Always a close match-up with tons of great shot-making, defense and drama. Could've been much higher on this list had Delpo not missed so much time, but they've still competed in several tight and high-profiled matches)
7. Roger Federer vs Juan Martin Del Potro (Ditto Nadpo)
8. Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem (one of the top rivalries over the last 2-3 years as many see Thiem as Nadal's heir on clay, while Rafa has done his best to fend off Thiem's onslaught as shown in their RG trilogy and USO '18 epic)
9. Roger Federer vs Andy Murray (One of the stranger match-ups in recent memory. Murray was a very difficult opponent for Rog during his mid/late 20's, before proceeding to own Sir Andeh in his early/mid 30s; nonetheless, they've engaged in a few important match-ups but it's been a minute)
10. Rafael Nadal vs Andy Murray (Played a ton of important matches late in slams earlier this decade but it's fallen off a cliff in the second half)

LOL matchups including:
Medvedev vs Stefanos
Kyrgios vs everyone
Shapo vs umpires


Agree, Disagree or Agree to Disagree?
 
Last edited:

fundrazer

G.O.A.T.
You forgot Novak vs US Open crowd and Rafa vs Bernardes. Gulbis vs vampires is another good one.

Nadal Thiem shouldn't be on list imo.
 

clout

Hall of Fame
Last edited:

MichaelNadal

Bionic Poster
Continuing on the "best of 2010s" threads to close out this decade of tennis, let's talk rivalries/matchups. There were a ton of great rivalries/matchups this decade, with a few of them being among the most prolific in tennis history. IMO, I'd rank them:

1. Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic (IMHO, the greatest rivalry in modern men's tennis. It's also the most prolific in terms of matches played and the most physical of battles)
2. Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic (Perhaps the most evenly matched rivalry in men's tennis, wish Fed was a few years younger or Nole was a few years older as it would've been even greater)
3. Novak Djokovic vs Stan Wawrinka (Exhilarating match-up that no one at the beginning of the decade would've imagined to appear on this list)
4. Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal (The most iconic tennis rivalry in modern men's tennis, and to this day, their match-ups are still must watch TV. With that said, it's pretty obvious this rivalry's halycon days peaked in the 2000s in comparison to the 2010s)
5. Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray (Can get a bit boring/repetitive at times, but nonetheless, Murray and Djokovic's names have been tied to each other for pretty much their entire careers and they've competed in some very important matches with plenty of history on the line)
6. Rafael Nadal vs Juan Martin Del Potro (Always a close match-up with tons of great shot-making, defense and drama. Could've been much higher on this list had Delpo not missed so much time, but they've still competed in several tight and high-profiled matches)
7. Roger Federer vs Juan Martin Del Potro (Ditto Nadpo)
8. Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem (one of the top rivalries over the last 2-3 years as many see Thiem as Nadal's heir on clay, while Rafa has done his best to fend off Thiem's onslaught as shown in their RG trilogy and USO '18 epic)
9. Roger Federer vs Andy Murray (One of the stranger match-ups in recent memory. Murray was a very difficult opponent for Rog during his mid/late 20's, before proceeding to own Sir Andeh in his early/mid 30s; nonetheless, they've engaged in a few important match-ups but it's been a minute)
10. Rafael Nadal vs Andy Murray (Played a ton of important matches late in slams earlier this decade but it's fallen off a cliff in the second half)

LOL matchups including:
Medvedev vs Stefanos
Kyrgios vs everyone
Shapo vs umpires


Agree, Disagree or Agree to Disagree?

:-D:X3:
 
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