10 Best Australian Open Matches of the Century

[King No1e]

What are your 10 best AO matches starting 2000?
Here's mine:
1. 2012 Final, Nadal vs Djokovic
2. 2013 4R, Djokovic vs Wawrinka
3. 2009 SF, Nadal vs Verdasco
4. 2005 SF, Federer vs Safin
5. 2003 QF, Roddick vs El Aynaoui
6. 2009 Final, Federer vs Nadal
7. 2008 3R, Hewitt vs Baghdatis
8. 2017 SF, Nadal vs Dimitrov
9. 2000 SF, Agassi vs Sampras
10. 2017 Final, Federer vs Nadal

Post your top 10 AO epics of the decade. Would you include some other great matches like Federer vs Haas 2002, Safin vs Agassi 2004, Federer vs Murray 2013, and Djokovic vs Istomin 2017?

 

[ibbi]

Honourable Mentions:-
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Denis Shapovalov, 2018
Nick Kyrgios vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 2018
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Nick Kyrgious, 2018
Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal, 2012
Marcos Baghdatis vs. David Nalbandian, 2006

Top 10:-

10. Nicolas Kiefer vs. Sebastien Grosjean, 2006
09. Andre Agassi vs. Pat Rafter, 2001
08. Marat Safin vs. Andre Agassi, 2004
07. Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer, 2009
06. Tommy Haas vs. Roger Federer, 2002
05. Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal, 2017
04. Rafael Nadal vs. Grigor Dimitrov, 2017
03. Novak Djokovic vs. Stan Wawrinka, 2013
02. Rafael Nadal vs. Fernando Verdasco, 2009
01. Marat Safin vs. Roger Federer, 2005

 

[AnOctorokForDinner]

Best is fake because everyone is biased, let me name my favourites:

10. Djokorinka 2014
9. Haaserer 2002
8. Agpras 2000
7. Fedoll 2009
6. Safassi 2004
5. Joedoll 2012
4. The Botfest 2003
3. Nadasco 2009
1b. Saferer 2005
1a. Djokorinka 2013

 

[MichaelNadal]

Honourable Mentions:-

01. Marat Safin vs. Roger Federer, 2005

Best is fake because everyone is biased, let me name my favourites:

1b. Saferer 2005
1a. Djokorinka 2013

 

[AnOctorokForDinner]

Does this light mocking of opeens you lol at get you off? I notice you do it all ze time.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Does this light mocking of opeens you lol at get you off? I notice you do it all ze time.

I just keep it 100

 

[AnOctorokForDinner]

I just keep it 100

You think of yourself too highly.

 

[Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil]

Murrovic haven't played ten times at the AO so I'm afraid I can't make a top 10 yet.

 

[RF-18]

Djokovic-Murray AO 2012.

 

[Third Serve]

I'll take the question as favorite rather than best overall.

1. Safin vs Federer 2005 SF
2. Nadal vs Verdasco 2009 SF
3. Nadal vs Federer 2009 F
4. Djokovic vs Wawrinka 2013 4R
5. Djokovic vs Nadal 2012 F
6. Roddick vs El Aynaoui 2013 QF
7. Safin vs Agassi 2004 SF
8. Federer vs Nadal 2017 F
9. Agassi vs Sampras 2000 SF
10. Haas vs Federer 2002 4R

The last two on the list and Safin-Agassi are matches I've only seen a few parts of.

Honorable Mentions:

Wawrinka vs Djokovic 2014 QF
Nadal vs Dimitrov 2017 SF
Hewitt vs Nalbandian 2011 1R

 

[metsman]

Fed-Safin, Verdasco-Nadal, Nadal-Federer 09, Safin-Agassi are my favorites, Sampras-Agassi close behind. Probably put Roddick-El Aynaoui up there too for sheer entertainment even if it's a tad below the others level-wise. Nadal-Djokovic, Wawrinka-Djokovic obviously up there too even if it's not my cup of tea stylistically. In terms of non-epic matches, would be remiss not to mention the last 3 sets of the 05 final for Safin's sheer brilliance. Roddick-Hewitt for the first 3 sets that year were really good too.

Haas-Safin 02 was also really good the first 3 sets, too bad Haas' shoulder gave out the last couple sets. Others: Nalbandian-Baghdatis was just a great shot of ballstriking, and yeah I guess 17 SF/F for sheer geriatric power (but those matches were a lot of fun).

 

[MichaelNadal]

You think of yourself too highly.

I just have God on my side you better hate though

 

[TheAssassin]

Safin vs Federer 2005
Djokovic vs Nadal 2012
Djokovic vs Wawrinka 2013
Nadal vs Verdasco 2009
Safin vs Agassi 2004
Nadal vs Federer 2009
Roddick vs El Aynaoui 2003
Safin vs Roddick 2004
Agassi vs Sampras 2000
Djokovic vs Murray 2012

Honorable mentions to Haas vs Federer 2002, Djokovic vs Wawrinka 2014, Nadal vs Dimitrov 2017...

 

[DSH]

The forgotten one:

 

[King No1e]

Safin-Federer 2005 match seems a near unanimous #1???!!!!
That's quite a shocker to me.

 

[King No1e]

I'll take the question as favorite rather than best overall.

1. Safin vs Federer 2005 SF
2. Nadal vs Verdasco 2009 SF
3. Nadal vs Federer 2009 F
4. Djokovic vs Wawrinka 2013 4R
5. Djokovic vs Nadal 2012 F
6. Roddick vs El Aynaoui 2013 QF
7. Safin vs Agassi 2004 SF
8. Federer vs Nadal 2017 F
9. Agassi vs Sampras 2000 SF
10. Haas vs Federer 2002 4R

The last two on the list and Safin-Agassi are matches I've only seen a few parts of.

Honorable Mentions:

Wawrinka vs Djokovic 2014 QF
Nadal vs Dimitrov 2017 SF
Hewitt vs Nalbandian 2011 1R

Great call on Hewitt-Nalbandian 2011! A forgotten classic, one of the best ever 1R matches. I thought Hewitt had it at MP, but Nalbandian was too clutch.

I miss both of them

 

[JoelSandwich]

Verdasco nadal
Fed Safin
Fed Nadal 09
Djokovic Wawrinka 2013/Safin Agassi 04

Not sure about the rest but these are my favorites

 

[tonylg]

Nothing after 2007 even rates.

The AO is my home tournament and although a shadow of its former self, still my favourite slam.

I grew up watching it played on grass at Kooyong and remember Newcombe, Connors and Vilas playing with such different styles. It certainly wasn't the power tennis that would come in later years, but there was variety and flair.

The 80s were dominated by Swedes, with Wilander and Edberg winning a few between them. 1987 was the last year at Kooyong and an epic final when Edberg prevented Pat Cash from winning his home town slam on grass in 5 sets. 1988 brought a change to hard court and it was Wilander who beat Cash in the final, again in 5. Both matches leave anything post 2007 for dead and the nature of Australian fans is they cheer quality tennis, even if their boy loses.

For the next 20 years, they probably had the formula about right and it showed in the tennis. Lendl, who had hands almost as wooden as Djokovic could win from the back, as did Agassi and Courier. But Sampras and Becker also did well playing more aggressive tennis, as did a young guy named Federer. This is how the AO and USO should be. Someone who can't serve and volley should never win Wimbledon and grinders should win the French. AO and USO need to be a balance of the two.

In 2008, they changed the surface to Plexicushion and in combination with "cheater strings" basically made it exclusively a slog-fest from the back. Even the years Federer has won, he's done it playing the baseline bot style rather than his natural attacking game. I know young fans of baseline players think this is great, but tennis has become one dimensional and no match since 2008 can rate against the days when if you were good enough, you won .. regardless of what style you played.

I was initially happy to hear that the Plexicushion was being replaced and hoped it may be back to something like Rebound Ace, but given who the contract has been awarded to, I don't hold out much hope that we'll see anything but slogging and grinding for years to come.

 

[KINGROGER]

Despite the result, I really enjoyed the quality of tennis in the Fedal 09/12 matches. Can’t believe how high a level Fed played but came out the loser.

 

[King No1e]

Despite the result, I really enjoyed the quality of tennis in the Fedal 09/12 matches. Can’t believe how high a level Fed played but came out the loser.

2012 match was one of the greatest 4-setters ever. That entire tournament was one for the ages.

 

[mavsman149]

Really hard to rank them all, Djokovic Nadal 2012, Fed Nadal 09 and 17, Fed Safin 2005, Nadal Verdasco 09, Roddick El Aynoui in 03, Djokovic and Wawrinka in 13 and 14 all stand out to me.

Most of those have already been mentioned, here is one that may not be as popular of a pick and was a bit of a roller coaster but I remember being thoroughly entertained by Federer vs Haas in 2006, some amazing shotmaking!