Terry Tibbs
Hall of Fame
Some epic finals, certainly in recent times. Which was the most memorable?
Best Slam Final?
- Thread starter Terry Tibbs
- Start date
fed_da_man
Rookie
obviously murray djokovic '12
boredone3456
G.O.A.T.
I voted for Ivanisevic-Rafter
Maybe quality wise its not totally tops but the emotional energy and desire from both guys was off the charts. I remember watching it not knowing who I wanted to win because both were guys who had tools so perfect for Wimbledon. The emotion and hunger, and the refusal to give in...from both men...just stands out.
Maybe quality wise its not totally tops but the emotional energy and desire from both guys was off the charts. I remember watching it not knowing who I wanted to win because both were guys who had tools so perfect for Wimbledon. The emotion and hunger, and the refusal to give in...from both men...just stands out.
It's the 2009 Australian Open final for me. Both Federer and Nadal were at the peak of their powers, killing the ball off both sides, hitting incredible angles, moving each other around, making unthinkable retrievals, etc. Federer fell apart in the end, which kind of mars it as far as "greatest match of all time" status goes, but for sheer quality, I haven't seen a match as good as those first four sets.
NatF
Bionic Poster
The AO 09 final was extremely high quality, but as previously said the finish ruins it a bit. The first 4 sets were incredible, no one could produce that but Fedal.
The Wimbledon 2007 match should be on the list IMO. The quality was atleast as good as the 08 final but it didn't have the drama. It's also got a much happier ending for us Federer fans.
The Wimbledon 2007 match should be on the list IMO. The quality was atleast as good as the 08 final but it didn't have the drama. It's also got a much happier ending for us Federer fans.
Defensive Tennis
Rookie
As a Goran fan, I had to vote for his match against Rafter. I was on pins and needles that entire match. It was great to see him finally break through and win Wimbledon
Terry Tibbs
Hall of Fame
Have to agree quality wise. Ive never seen such impossible retrieving of balls, particularly from Nadal which as a federer fan was particularly irritating. Like you say, incredible shot making throughout the first 4 sets. Federer's tears in defeat said a lot. He knew he could not have played any better but still lost.
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Terry Tibbs
Hall of Fame
Interesting that Federer was involved in 4 of them and only won 1 of those.
abmk
Bionic Poster
federer played brilliantly from the ground, but he could've served a LOT better .
tipsa...don'tlikehim!
Talk Tennis Guru
thinking about it, I have to vote NOVAK-RAFA 'AO 2012
Why ?
not because of the rallies, we all know how it can get boring between these two, but the scenario was incredible, i honestly can't remember any final that thrilling!!
And for all the Nadal fans, it's probably the most heartbreaking final ever!
Why ?
not because of the rallies, we all know how it can get boring between these two, but the scenario was incredible, i honestly can't remember any final that thrilling!!
And for all the Nadal fans, it's probably the most heartbreaking final ever!
tipsa...don'tlikehim!
Talk Tennis Guru
but let's face it, the 5th set was just c rap, so many stupid UE from Federer.
AO 2012 final is way above IMO
tipsa...don'tlikehim!
Talk Tennis Guru
honestly, who remember wimbledon 2007 ? nearly nobody...
Del Potro final was amazing,
my ranking would be
- AO 2012
- US open 2009
- Wimbledon 2008
- French open 2008 :lol: :lol:
tipsa...don'tlikehim!
Talk Tennis Guru
I agree that US 2012 was quite boring, so windy during 2/3 of the match
zagor
Bionic Poster
Not an option but 2011 Wimbledon final, Nadal playing the best grasscourt tennis of his career, serving better than ever but just being hopelessly outmatched by peak Novak with his thunderous return of serves, impossible ball retrieving and fearless play on the big points.
As a Nadal fan, it was very painful to watch as it signaled the change off the guard, my hero Rafa's reign being cut short in such a brutal fashion and in what were supposed to be the best years of his career to boot, it was a tough pill to swallow but I had to accept reality, Novak is just better.
Because OP is yet another JV account.
As a Nadal fan, it was very painful to watch as it signaled the change off the guard, my hero Rafa's reign being cut short in such a brutal fashion and in what were supposed to be the best years of his career to boot, it was a tough pill to swallow but I had to accept reality, Novak is just better.
Because OP is yet another JV account.
zagor
Bionic Poster
Sorry, but even as a big Nadal fan I have to disagree, Fed could have served a lot better.
As a big Rafa fan I have no problem admitting my hero Rafa was very lucky that Fed had a poor serving day and had the added pressure of matching Pete's slam count.
Sid_Vicious
G.O.A.T.
Very limited choices.
Sid_Vicious
G.O.A.T.
Us Tennis fans remember it well. The first 3 sets were absolutely fantastic. The shotmaking was vastly superior to AO 2012.
Sid_Vicious
G.O.A.T.
zagor
Bionic Poster
Makes one appreciate (or be less annoyed with) honest Nadal fans more, even the ones that can't stand Fed (like say Vero for example) compared to a coward who makes a duplicate account in which he claims he's a Fed fan while constantly crapping on Fed and kissing Rafa's behind.
Sid_Vicious
G.O.A.T.
Thank you for your honesty.
I feel your pain now. I am a bigger Djokovic fan than Dijana, but the 2013 Wimbledon final showcased some of Novak's most brilliant tennis. Regardless of Novak 3.0 showing up, Murray beat him down in straight sets. Murray displayed mastery over Novak in every aspect of the game. After the match, the dejected look on Novak's face as Andy sent him to his fancy Gala dinner just said it all: Murray was the new king and Novak had to get used to his place among scrubs like Federer or make a career out of running restaurants and hotels in Serbia.
zagor
Bionic Poster
Indeed, all hail sir Andrew Murray, when he's in full flight (urged on by the loving crowd and the mean stare of his mentor Lendl) he can even make legends like Novak (who as I already grudgingly admitted is a much better player than Nadal) look downright ordinary and question their career choice (should I have taken golf? Or skiing? Donkey cheese?).
Reality is that another change of the guard has transpired this year, we're in Murray's era now, the only one capable of challenging him is Tomic but he's too busy getting into random brawls and getting speeding fines.
DragonBlaze
Hall of Fame
Honestly the first 4 sets of the AO final were far more fun to watch than Wimbledon 2008 final.
Too bad the 5th sucked.
Too bad the 5th sucked.
Terry Tibbs
Hall of Fame
Just wondering why you have highlighted some of my comments in bold?
tipsa...don'tlikehim!
Talk Tennis Guru
lol, to be honest the most thrilling and interesting matches federer has played are the ones he lost IMO (no provocation here):
- Safin 2005
- Nalbandian 2005
- Wimbledon 2008
3 fantastic matches
- Safin 2005
- Nalbandian 2005
- Wimbledon 2008
3 fantastic matches
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zagor
Bionic Poster
I'm guessing because those showcase how much of a lying BSer you are?
It's true though isn't it? Federer has been the standard for such a long time, beating him required a Herculean effort when he was at his best.
Terry Tibbs
Hall of Fame
Limited choices? Not really. These are the classic finals of recent times. The poll only allows 10 options and there are 8 there. If you can think of better options, please enlighten us.
romeo8880
G.O.A.T.
Emiliano55
Professional
There are many epic finals, but I will always remember the first 3 sets of the USO 2005 final (Federer def. Agassi in 4). Few times I've seen better blasting and fast tennis than those first 3 sets.
Emiliano55
Professional
Lol. Sad but true. He was THAT big in his prime that the only way he could lose was by an Herculean effort from his rival, and of course, in a really close 5 setter.
abmk
Bionic Poster
nalbandian 2005 YEC ? one of federer's best matches ? LOL, highly dramatic one for sure, but won't even come near the 100 best matches he's played. He had just recovered from a serious ankle injury for the YEC and it hampered him big time from the 3rd set onwards. after he won the 2 breakers, he lost 16 games while winning only 3 games ... nalbandian won the 3rd set 6-2, 4th set 6-1 and was up 4-0 in the final set. Only federer made a final push at the end and came close to winning at 6-5, 30-0 ....
safin AO 05 is the best federer has played in a loss, no question - IMO, the best match ever
wimby 07 final quality wise was better than wimby 08 final
abmk
Bionic Poster
lol, so USO 12 final and USO 09 final are more classic ones than 2007 wimbledon final ????? in which world !?
tipsa...don'tlikehim!
Talk Tennis Guru
sorry i read my post again and when i said best i meant "thrilling" to watch, sorry for that. I agree he was not playing his best tennis, but Nalbandian himself was playing just fantastic.
Emiliano55
Professional
What ? Federer might have been recovering from that ankle slight injury, but he was in his totally peak on that YEC, not doubt about it. Nalbandian beat a Roger playing at his BEST that day, the ankle injury is no excuse on this one.
zagor
Bionic Poster
Oh really now? And what makes you the authority on which player can use what excuse and when? Also, it wasn't a "slight" injury, he was on crutches for 2 weeks prior to the tourney IIRC, this might surprise you but other players than Nadal also get injured from time to time.
That said, Nalbandian at his best could certainly beat anyone (unlike say the current #3 Ferrer) especially indoors and Fed did still strike the ball amazingly well in that match, was definitely a legit win in my book.
Emiliano55
Professional
You didn't get my point.
Roger himself said the injury was nothing to worry about prior to the start of the tournament, and that he was using a ankle support just in case. So, everyone that says he lost to Nalbandian that final due to the "injury" is just excusing Federer.
Fact is he played amazingly the whole tournament, and he played at his best in the finals. It's just that Nalby was too good for him. Well, Nalby was too good for anyone when playing at his best.
However, funny thing is, with that last sentece you are giving me the reason.
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zagor
Bionic Poster
No, you didn't/don't get mine.
-Fed often downplays his injuries.
-Fans of every player make excuses for his losses, you don't get to tell anyone whether they can "excuse" or not, get it?
Clearly, you do not comprehend the difference between fact and opinion.
Reason for what?
Emiliano55
Professional
Oh no, I'm not buying this stupid splitting hairs games mate, I'm not 15 years old.
One guy said "won't even come near the 100 best matches he's played" stating his 'injury'.
My point was, yeah, he HAD an injury prior to that MC, but he played his best tennis on that tournament, so there are no excuses for that lose. As you did say, it was a legit win.
Quite simple, huh ?
Now, if you still wanna niggle deep about every word I write, go ahead, be happy.
One guy said "won't even come near the 100 best matches he's played" stating his 'injury'.
My point was, yeah, he HAD an injury prior to that MC, but he played his best tennis on that tournament, so there are no excuses for that lose. As you did say, it was a legit win.
Quite simple, huh ?
Now, if you still wanna niggle deep about every word I write, go ahead, be happy.
zagor
Bionic Poster
It's not about splitting hairs, it's about you acting like the authority on whether people can use an injury (or any other kind of) excuse or not.
Yes, he played his best tennis according to you which hardly makes it a fact. If I for example said Nadal played his absolute best tennis when he lost to Soderling in 2009 FO, that would merely be my opinion, not a fact.
Legit win, as in Fed certainly played well enough (to win) that tourney, considering that and Fed's stage of career at the time (peak period) it's was a very impressive win for Nalbo, now whether it was his (Fed's) very best tennis? That's open to a debate, especially the movement and serving part, his ballstriking from the baseline was indeed top notch.
Indeed.
Emiliano55
Professional
Lol, I guess you are happy now.
Anyways, I cannot blame you, I used to do the same crap when I was adolescent.
Anyways, I cannot blame you, I used to do the same crap when I was adolescent.
abmk
Bionic Poster
yeah, peak federer loses 16 games out of 19 games while being fully fit. Cool story bro !
For all Nalbandian's ferociously-hit groundstrokes, the main reason for his victory was the fatigue in Federer's legs. The Masters Cup was Federer's first event since rupturing his ankle ligaments in a training mishap last month, an accident which still had him walking on crutches three weeks ago. He never looked close to full fitness in China. His legs felt particularly heavy yesterday and, during one medical time-out, he had two trainers attending to his needs, one massaging a thigh each.
Federer's movement was clearly not what it should have been. He was unable to push off properly to serve or to put himself into striking position for his ground strokes, and his timing was off. The Swiss, who defeated Nalbandian in the group stages, faded after two sets yesterday.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=2230957
DragonBlaze
Hall of Fame
You do realise that Federer hit 72 unforced errors in that match right? Does that sound like the BEST version of Federer to you? And Nalby does not have the defense of Djok/Nadal/Murray to be able to make Federer hit all those errors due to extended rallies.
No doubt he played great, but hardly his literal BEST. He had to take an MTO in the 4th set which he ended up tanking anyway to conserve energy. How many times have you seen Fed take a MTO btw? Not many that I can remember cause he usually only does it if it's something serious. Zagor's only questioning your stance that Federer played his absolute best and still lost which sounds a bit absurd given how the match went (72 UE!).
abmk
Bionic Poster
well , if we are talking about thrilling to watch, you have the wimbledon 2009 final vs roddick as well as the tipsarevic match at the AO in 08, both of which federer won.
zagor
Bionic Poster
Nah, it's you who are acting like a child here, acting like your opinion is the gospel truth and trying to force it on others.
Once again, you saying Fed was playing his absolute best tennis doesn't make it so, it's merely your impression/evaluation of the match.
And therein lies the problem :lol:
That said I vastly prefer 2005 TMC Fed-Nalbo final to those, by far the best match-up of the modern era as far as I'm concerned.
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