Every Star Needs a Foe
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by user MetsJetsDevils
On June 11, Rafael Nadal once again beat Roger Federer on Roland Garros' famed clay courts. Roger Federer is perhaps the most dominant athlete in any sport today, but his legacy is truly plagued by his inability to beat Nadal at the French Open. While Federer dominates the sport of tennis on every other surface, Nadal has proven to be an insumountable foe at the clay Grand Slam.
Tennis has always created great rivalries. MacEnroe/Connors, Agassi/Sampras, Everett/Navratilova. This got me thinking about some of the great star/foe rivalries I have witnessed in my lifetime.
Federer/Nadal is my #1, here are the others on my short list. Feel free to add your own. (I am only doing ones I actually witnessed)
2) Kerrigan/Harding - I hate to put figure skating so high on the list, but it fits the theme so damn well. Kerrigan was the darling of skating. Harding was white trash on sharp blades. Kerrigan was better than Harding so Harding had her boyfriend bash Kerrigan's knee with a pipe. Classic, Classic, Classic
3) Claude Lemieux vs the Detroit Red Wings - I know that there is a high level of Hockey ignorance around, but the Lemieux/Red Wings rivalry was terrific. Lemieux, a 4 time cup winner (with 3 different teams), checked Detroit's Kris Draper into the boards from behind, breaking Draper's face into many many pieces. The Red Wings vowed retaliation and every Avalanche/Red Wings game for a year after that turned into a blood bath (although Lemieux always refused to fight). The Red Wings were not alone in their hatred of the man nicknamed "Pepe." ESPN ranked him as the most NHL player of all time.
4) Woods/Mickelson - The foe in this scenario hasn't really lived up to his billing. The fact of the matter is that no one beats Tiger Woods. If he does get beat, its because he beat himself. Still, golf lends itself to this kind of rivalry.
5) Piazza/Clemens - These guys didn't have much experience against each other, but a plunk in the head and a thrown bat made this a charming rivalry to watch. Plus, I loved witching Shawn Estes throw at Clemens and miss. Estes was visibly angry with himself for failing to plunk Clemens but didn't try again. He stayed in the game and pitched a 1 hit shutout if I remember correctly.
