Novak Djokovic vs Stanislas Wawrinka: Another fierce yet unique rivalry

Novak Djokovic had just lost another Grand Slam final against Stanislas Wawrinka. It meant his hopes of a career slam and a calendar slam were shattered. The French Open final was yet another scintillating contest between the two players. While it was entertaining, it was nowhere close to their Australian Open 2013 fourth round meeting, where Djokovic emerged victorious in an exhausting, epic contest that lasted for over five hours.

The players advanced towards each other and something unusual happened. These two embraced each other and it appeared as if Wawrinka was really sorry for ruining Djokovic's party. In an era of cut-throat competition, we hardly see players interacting with each other at the nets apart from the customary handshake. But this was no ordinary conversation. Like any other player, Wawrinka could have shook hands with the Serb for the sake of it and could have followed it with an animated celebration. But the 30-year-old chose to stay at the net and express his feelings, something which made the final very very special.

That one gesture from the Swiss would have healed Djoker's wounds to an extent, because Wawrinka gave him the respect he thoroughly deserves. What is extremely likeable about Djokovic's play is his sportsmanship, where irrespective of whether he is winning or losing, irrespective of who the opponent is, Nole never hesitates in applauding a good effort from his opponent.

When Wawrinka stood for the post-match interview, he once again went to Djokovic, probably to check if he was all right post the loss. These gestures from Wawrinka showed that he has become a more mature player of late.

Djokovic too, was mighty impressed from his opponent's humbleness which was evident when he said, “In life some things are more important than victories: character and respect. I have a great respect for you Stan.”

There is something very strange about Stanislas Wawrinka's game. In not-so-popular tennis tournaments, he is not the player who will go full throttle against his opponents and is often knocked out in early stages. But when it comes to Grand Slams, he probably saves his best tennis to enthrall the tennis fans across the world. And whenever he sees Novak Djokovic on the other side of the net, he makes sure to unleash his A game.

While Djokovic is undoubtedly the most formidable tennis player in world tennis at the moment, the Swiss has certainly made life miserable for the champion Serb.

The tennis fraternity has witnessed several renowned rivalries in the past. Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf vs Monica Seles, Bjorn Borg vs John McEnroe, Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer. While most of the players who turned rivals on court had enormous respect for their opponents, a loss was something which would infuriate them and they would not like to share their fondness for each other on court, barring a few exceptions.

Djokovic vs Wawrinka, is a rivalry that has infused fresh energy into the men's tennis circuit. With Federer no more being the genius he used to be, with Nadal struggling from injuries, with Murray still being inconsistent with his performances, the tennis world needed someone like Wawrinka, who could at least give a fight to Djokovic, if not stop him from winning Grand Slam titles. The Swiss has delivered much more of what was expected from him.

Djokovic vs Wawrinka rivalry is not just delightful to watch, but also quite unique. Their camaraderie at the French Open final is reason enough for tennis fans to look forward to more intense duels between the game's two most likeable stars.