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Sports might be the only field where rivalries are often limited within the embellished boundaries in the name of good sportsmanship. It is also the only field where fully immersing one in another’s competitive undertakings can be legitimately enjoyed in good humor. Rivalries are of the utmost importance in sports; in fact they are the very essence of the competition. The more longstanding the so called rivalry, the better it is for contestants and spectators alike. Be it teams against a team or player against a player, people are out there on the stadium or in front of their respective television sets, screaming at the top of their lungs, complete with name calling and violent gestures, having given into their animalistic instincts. Some of the famous rivalries of yore are New York Mets vs. New York Yankees, Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins, Brazil vs. Argentina (football), Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson, Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal, Manchester United vs. Liverpool India vs. Pakistan (Cricket), Yankees vs. Red Sox, Serena Williams vs Venus Williams et al. As you can see, most of the famous rivalries worth watching, take place between teams. But a few between players have reached somewhat high voltage stances. Tennis is the hub of player to player competition, so it is not a surprise that certain games tread to a more personal level. Just when the heat between Nadal and Federer had simmered down, another momentum threatens to build between the next big things of Tennis- Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. Murray and Djokovic played against each other for the first time at the ATP 1000 Madrid Masters in 2006. Since then they have confronted each other in sixteen more matches. Though Djokovic was the winner in the first three sets, Murray soon took over by beating him in straight sets at 2008 Cincinnati Masters Final. They again met at the 2011 and 2012 Australian Opens. Djokovic won the tournament both the times. Murray is not one to take beatings sitting down, so it only seemed fair that he leveled the scores with his victory against Djokovic at the 2012 U.S.Open final to claim his first ever major title. The players again met at the 2012 Shanghai Masters Final, where Djokovic denied Murray his third Shanghai Masters title. Andy Murray profile might be a few titles short of Djokovic’s but he is slated to get there soon enough.
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