5 pairs of tennis players who are rivals but also good friends ft. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are among the tennis pairs who are fierce rivals on court, but also good friends off of it.
Tennis has seen several top players grace the court over the decades, with many forging fierce rivalries. These include Nadal vs Novak Djokovic, Federer vs Djokovic, Pete Sampras vs Andre Agassi and John McEnroe vs Jimmy Connors.
There have been quite a few tennis rivalries where the players are not the best of friends. Djokovic stated not long back that he wasn't friends with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, adding that it was impossible for rivals to have a friendship.
However, there have also been a few instances when tennis stars have been fierce rivals on court but have maintained a friendship off it.
On that note, let's take a look at five pairs of tennis players who are rivals but also good friends.
#1 Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are two of the greatest players of all time and forged a fierce rivalry that contained several mesmerizing matchups. The two faced each other on 40 occasions, with Nadal leading 24-16 in their head-to-head.
Despite the rivalry the two tennis greats have had over the years, they have also maintained a strong friendship off the court. The extent of their bond was witnessed when Federer had his farewell at last year's Laver Cup and both were in tears.
Nadal later told reporters that a part of his life left him when Federer retired.
#2 Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova forged one of the fiercest, if not the fiercest, rivalries in women's tennis history. Both players won 18 Grand Slam singles titles each and locked horns on 80 occasions, with Navratilova leading 43-37 in the head-to-head. They faced one another in 14 Grand Slam finals.
Evert and Navratilova were also doubles partners and won two Grand Slam titles together. They also maintained a strong friendship off the court over the years, with Navratilova recently claiming that they were present for each other during their respective cancer battles.
She added that Evert was always there for her at her lowest.
"We have just been so intertwined. ... I was there for her when Chris went through it, and then she was there for me. It was amazing. There was like a (thing) where when I was really feeling at my lowest — there was Chris either a text or call," Navratilova said.
#3 John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg
John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg are two of the greatest tennis players of all time and delighted tennis fans during their heyday in the 1970s and 1980s. The two had a short yet highly competitive rivalry during which, they locked horns on 14 occasions, with their head-to-head tied at 7-7.
Borg and McEnroe had a lot of intense matches during their rivalry, especially a few Grand Slam finals, but that hardly affected their friendship off the court. McEnroe said in an earlier interview that the Swede was the only one of his rivals he got along well with.
"I think the best part for me personally is that Bjorn and I still get along. I think he is the only one of my rivals that I actually got along with. Everyone else, I was fighting all the time," the American told TV show Skavlan.
#4 Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors
Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors had a fierce tennis rivalry during the 1970s and early 1980s. They faced one another on 23 occasions, with the Swede leading 15-8 in their head-to-head. The duo also locked horns in four Grand Slam finals, winning two each.
Borg and Connors have also been friends off the court, something which might be surprising considering the American was not known to be the friendliest with his peers. The likes of John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras have often described the same in their respective autobiographies or in interviews.
Borg and Connors met one another during this season's Indian Wells Masters, with the Swede's wife Kathy sharing a picture of the two on Instagram. The caption of the post read:
"When old friends meet."
#5 Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are already tennis stars - maybe even superstars - in their own right and are expected to dominate the sport in the future. While Alcaraz is a two-time Grand Slam champion, Sinner won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto earlier this season.
The two have faced one another on seven occasions, with the Italian leading 4-3 in the head-to-head.
There has been a lot of mutual respect between the two on the court and Sinner recently said that they were good friends.
"We have a very good relationship off court. I feel like we are good friends, but still on court, you feel a little bit nervous because you want to win. You hate losing," Sinner said.