7 most one-sided tennis rivalries in the Open Era
Sporting rivalries are the most interesting part of any sport, but for an individual sport like Tennis, that's even more of a truism. Rivalries play a huge role in gathering crowds for tennis; they are the soul of any tournament.
The tennis world has seen some tremendous rivalries in Federer-Nadal, Sampras-Agassi, Nadal-Djokovic, Federer-Djokovic. However, there have been some lopsided rivalries too, with one player showing complete domination over the other.
There have been seven occasions where one player has completely dominated the other without losing a single match in the Open Era (minimum qualification: 15 matches played). Here is the list:
#7 Rafael Nadal vs Richard Gasquet (16-0)
This rivalry was forged when both men were in their younger days. The two talented youngsters joined the ATP tour in 2002 as the biggest prospects of the tennis world at that point in time.
However, their careers went in opposite directions. Nadal became one of the greatest players to have played the game with 17 Grand Slam Titles, but Gasquet's quest to cement himself as a top player never ended.
The Frenchman has not been able to solve the puzzle named Rafael Nadal even once in the 16 attempts he has had so far. The pair's first meeting came in Estoril in 2004 and the latest was at this year's Roland Garros, where the World No. 1 dispatched Gasquet in straight sets (6-3, 6-2, 6-2).