Elite sports can be a lonely place. The glare of the limelight, the pressure of expectations, and the relentlessness of the schedule can combine to create a suffocating existence, even for those seemingly at the top of their game. While rivals, sometimes turning into enemies, are all too common on the pitch, a good friend in the heat of battle is a precious possession. Often forged across countries, cultures and competitions, friendships in sports give athletes the much-needed outlet to be in touch with their emotions without being overwhelmed by victory or defeat. They also humanise sportspersons for their fans, showing the world how a personal connection can often complement or transcend intriguing professional dynamics.
This Friendship Day, My Kolkata pores over the world of sports to identify seven special bonds between great players, whose careers, even lives, are difficult to imagine without one another.
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova share the most prolific individual rivalry in sports Getty Images
No two individuals have gone head-to-head more often in the history of professional singles sports than Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. With 18 Grand Slams singles titles to each of their names, Evert and Navratilova met a staggering 80 times on court between 1973 and 1988, 60 of which were finals! Having seen one another confront triumph and disaster from the closest quarters, the two eventually got over their love-hate equation to consolidate a friendship that has long surpassed tennis. From dressing together to going on double dates, from being neighbours in Florida to travelling the world, two of the most decorated women in tennis have proved that the most bitter rivals can become best friends, not least because there is nobody else who knows the other better. While Evert claims to be “the guy in the relationship” (since she buys jewellery for Navratilova!), it is the Czech-American who has often been more vocal about Evert and their unique rapport. Now in their 60s, Evert and Navratilova’s friendship reached an unexpected note of profundity last year when they both found out that they had cancer. In fighting the disease, they became confidantes and soulmates, seeing off illness together, not from opposite ends but by being next to one another.
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson defined an entire era of the NBA with their goodness as much as their greatness Getty Images
Six years after facing off at the 1979 NCAA Championship, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson became friends. On the sets of a Converse commercial. But being pals did little to stem the tide of their storied rivalry, with Bird’s Boston Celtics and Johnson’s LA Lakers clashing for supremacy repeatedly in the 1980s. While Bird’s position as a versatile forward and Johnson’s role as a point guard meant that they were destined to be rivals on court, their similar temperaments ensured they stayed friends off it. Marked by mutual respect, empathy, and, of course, frequent banter, Bird and Johnson defined an entire era of basketball with their goodness as much as their greatness. When the Lakers retired Johnson’s jersey in 1992, Bird was present as a guest of honour. A year later, Johnson paid his own tribute to Bird by wearing a Celtics shirt underneath his Lakers kit.
Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini
Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini were teammates during their playing days as well as colleagues during their coaching days Getty Images
On the surface, Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini had nothing in common. The former was a late-blooming, no-nonsense model of consistency, not built to please the eye. The latter was a flamboyant prodigy whose style often eclipsed his substance. And yet, they clicked almost immediately, first with the junior teams for Italy and then, gloriously, at Sampdoria. Known as the “goal twins”, Vialli and Mancini’s friendship translated into a scintillating strike partnership, guiding Sampdoria to a string of titles in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Their professional jugalbandi was halted when Vialli moved to Juventus, but three decades later, the two best friends joined hands to coach Italy to the European Championship crown in 2021. Mancini was a constant source of support during Vialli’s protracted issues with cancer and was devastated when Vialli passed away in January. “Gianluca told me that we (Italy) must win the World Cup in 2026 and that he’ll be with us,” said Mancini after losing “my brother”.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have just the 42 singles Grand Slam titles between them Getty Images
“There will never be a rivalry like ours,” believes Roger Federer about his duels with Rafael Nadal, of which there have been 40 instances overall, including 14 unforgettable ones at Grand Slams. It is fair to say that there might also never be a friendship like theirs. For rare are the occasions when two of the most talented players in the game not only duopolise their profession, but do it with the grace and felicity that the Swiss and the Spaniard have managed. In spite of countless moments of pain inflicted on one another over the years, Federer and Nadal, lovingly called Fedal, have not only forged an extremely public friendship of utmost grace and compassion, but also used their bond to emerge as global ambassadors of tennis. No surprise then that Nadal was the first person Federer called when he wanted a farewell showing at last year’s Laver Cup. The image of the two men crying, hand in hand, in London’s O2 Arena after Federer had played his last match captured their friendship better than any Grand Slam final ever could.
AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli
AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli became friends after ABD’s move to RCB in 2011 TT Archives
When AB de Villiers left Delhi to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL in 2011, he was already among the best in the world. In a couple of years, his RCB teammate, Virat Kohli, had upgraded his game to belong in the same league. Soon enough, the two put aside any speculation of interpersonal tension to form the most delectably destructive batting duo in the IPL. The first pair to put up 10 century-plus stands in T20s, Kohli and de Villiers peaked in 2015-16, twice crossing 200-run partnerships. Their camaraderie was evident not just in their goofy chats off the field, but in how they ran, planned and rejoiced on it. To this day, even with de Villiers no longer active, the two remain close, and their natural chemistry, where one never fails to compliment the other, continues to take social media by storm.
Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams
Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams were two of the most dominant women in tennis in the 2010s Getty Images
Caroline Wozniacki was one of the few who could hold a candle to Serena Wiliams’s dominance during the latter’s peak years. Even then, Williams led their individual record 10-1. That, however, did not stop tennis’ leading ladies from being there for one another. Be it the Dane helping the American during depression or Williams being in Wozniacki’s corner during her ugly break-up with golfer Rory McIlroy, the two women never let their intensity on court get in the way of a healthy, mutually empowering friendship. Successfully undermining narratives of catfight at the highest level, Williams and Wozniacki have been setting friendship goals for more than a decade by acknowledging the simple fact that perennial competitors do not have to despise one another.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez played together at Barcelona for six years and could join forces once more at Inter Miami Getty Images
Nobody has set up more goals for Lionel Messi than Luis Suarez. Nobody has set up more goals for Suarez than Messi. That alone speaks of the telepathic understanding between two of the most complete forwards of their generation. But the Messi-Suarez friendship is not limited to setting records for Barcelona between 2014 and 2020, when the two were virtually inseparable day in and day out. The South Americans, who prefer a muted private life as compared with their other amigo, Neymar, were neighbours in Catalonia and still vacation together. Their wives and children are close, too, which has fuelled rumours about Suarez leaving Gremio in Brazil to join Messi in Inter Miami soon. Whether it is linking up to take apart the finest defences, sipping mate on a quiet beach in Ibiza or explaining to a journalist how to sit on the toilet (yes, they have done that, too!), Messi and Suarez are buddies for life.
