1999 US open

I don't know who these people are who keep putting my favorite matches
up on youtube...but god bless them

here's another gem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJdrudFp9Uk

points to note>

Martin = seriously underated player...top notch volley technique..the problem is he is not agile due to his height when ball is low...good exmple in the clip.

agassI = just epic quality from him around this 1999-2001 period.
both technique and tactics wise....

Todd Martin's win over Greg Rusedski in the Round of 16 was memorable. Rusedski won the first two sets and served for the match at 5-4 in the third set. Martin battled back to take the third set in a tiebreak and then squared the match by winning the fourth set.

Rusedski still managed to take a 4-1 lead in the fifth set, but then an extraordinary thing happened. Martin won 20 of the next 21 points to take the match by 5-7, 0-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Martin had some stomach bug during that tournament as well.

Sampras could have had 15 slams...

Todd Martin was very similar to Del Potro in my opinion.

the pioline-kuerten QF was nice too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBT0Hsrz6Yw
(pioline's first round against rafter was also entertaining... until the non-happy end for pat) :-?

BeHappy said:

Sampras could have had 15 slams...

Click to expand...

likely.
he was really playing great since wimbledon (beating agassi 3 times without losing a set), until this unfortunate injury against ain't afraid of ya spadea...

BeHappy said:

Todd Martin was very similar to Del Potro in my opinion.

Click to expand...

ummm... but delpo's groundstrokes are more consistent and powerful while todd martin was a far better net player.

It was a huge shame when the two time defending champion Rafter had to retire from his 1st round match against Pioline, due to a shoulder injury. He was leading by 2 sets to love but Pioline fought back to level things up and at the start of the 5th set Rafter was in too much pain to continue.

That shoulder injury sidelined him until late February the next year. He left the court to a chorus of boos from the crowd which was out of order.

It was sad that in those circumstances, he became the first defending US Open champion, man or woman, to fall at the 1st round in the tournament's history (Kuznetsova then suffered that fate in 2005).

It was also a shame that Sampras missed the tournament altogether because of his herniated disc. His run of form that summer was stunning, winning 24 matches and 4 titles in a row, playing the best tennis of his career since 1993-1994, and beating Agassi in straight sets 3 times along the way, before retiring in his QF at Indianapolis.

There's no doubt that he would have been the overwhelming title favourite at the tournament had he played in it.

Then again during his time off from tennis he first met Bridgette Wilson and the rest became history, so missing one grand slam event along the way didn't seem so important any more.

vive le beau jeu ! said:

the pioline-kuerten QF was nice too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBT0Hsrz6Yw
(pioline's first round against rafter was also entertaining... until the non-happy end for pat) :-?

likely.
he was really playing great since wimbledon (beating agassi 3 times without losing a set), until this unfortunate injury against ain't afraid of ya spadea...

ummm... but delpo's groundstrokes are more consistent and powerful while todd martin was a far better net player.

Click to expand...

I don't think so, apart from that great USO run Del Potro's ground strokes aren't better than Todd Martin's. I never saw Del Potro hit his forehand that hard before that tournament and I haven't since either (the wrist injury was years ago).

BeHappy said:

I don't think so, apart from that great USO run Del Potro's ground strokes aren't better than Todd Martin's. I never saw Del Potro hit his forehand that hard before that tournament and I haven't since either (the wrist injury was years ago).

Click to expand...

Well if you never saw it, it clearly never happened before or after the us open, so he just got a lucky hot streak that fortnight. :-?