Cabeza del Demonio
Hall of Fame
Happy New Year, fellow tennis heads! I hope you all are doing great and looking forward to hopefully a much better year than whatever the hell 2020 was supposed to be 
As we await the new tennis season in anticipation, let's continue to look back on some of the greatest Wimbledon classics the last 2 decades have given us.
Coming in at #17 is this instant classic between two of the game's finest grass courters. The legendary Swiss maestro had entered his 11th Wimbledon semifinal with plenty of confidence and a pristine 10-0 record at this stage, while the rising Canadian star, picked by many to be a future World #1, was enjoying a breakthrough season with no intention of slowing down. The battle of youth vs experience would prove a significant turning point in the trajectory of their seasons and for tennis history itself.
Raonic burst out of the gates hot, overpowering the 7-time champion with his trademark old-school brand of attacking tennis to grab the opening set. But the champion raised his level to imperious heights in response, turning the tide and claiming the next 2 sets. Federer continued to apply pressure on the Raonic serve, testing the young Canadian's mental fortitude, but Raonic was up to the challenge. He served his way out of trouble at 5-5, and with his opponent serving to stay in the set, he seized the initiative with a series of jaw-dropping volleys to clinch the 4th set and take this clash of the generations, fittingly, to a decider.
Many analysts and fans had already begun to compare Raonic to the great Pete Sampras, and 2016 seemed to be the year he finally began living up to the lofty expectations. He continued to dominate in the 5th with his booming serve that had earned him the nickname "Missile Milos", and showed the mental maturity, composure, and cool confidence of a seasoned champion. He earned the decisive break of serve on a cat-and-mouse exchange at the net to go up 3-1, and did not look back, calmly serving it out 6-3 6-7(3) 4-6 7-5 6-3 to send the great man packing.
This match, perhaps disappointingly given the potential he had shown that day, would go down as the performance of Raonic's career. The win sent him into his first Wimbledon final and drew the eyes of the tennis world onto him. He would go on to finish the year World #3 to cap off a breakthrough season. Meanwhile Federer had sustained a knee injury from taking a hard fall in the 5th set. He decided to undergo surgery and skip the rest of the 2016 season, dropping to #17 and retreating into the shadows of the tennis world, poised to strike once again.
Enjoy!
As we await the new tennis season in anticipation, let's continue to look back on some of the greatest Wimbledon classics the last 2 decades have given us.Coming in at #17 is this instant classic between two of the game's finest grass courters. The legendary Swiss maestro had entered his 11th Wimbledon semifinal with plenty of confidence and a pristine 10-0 record at this stage, while the rising Canadian star, picked by many to be a future World #1, was enjoying a breakthrough season with no intention of slowing down. The battle of youth vs experience would prove a significant turning point in the trajectory of their seasons and for tennis history itself.
Raonic burst out of the gates hot, overpowering the 7-time champion with his trademark old-school brand of attacking tennis to grab the opening set. But the champion raised his level to imperious heights in response, turning the tide and claiming the next 2 sets. Federer continued to apply pressure on the Raonic serve, testing the young Canadian's mental fortitude, but Raonic was up to the challenge. He served his way out of trouble at 5-5, and with his opponent serving to stay in the set, he seized the initiative with a series of jaw-dropping volleys to clinch the 4th set and take this clash of the generations, fittingly, to a decider.
Many analysts and fans had already begun to compare Raonic to the great Pete Sampras, and 2016 seemed to be the year he finally began living up to the lofty expectations. He continued to dominate in the 5th with his booming serve that had earned him the nickname "Missile Milos", and showed the mental maturity, composure, and cool confidence of a seasoned champion. He earned the decisive break of serve on a cat-and-mouse exchange at the net to go up 3-1, and did not look back, calmly serving it out 6-3 6-7(3) 4-6 7-5 6-3 to send the great man packing.
This match, perhaps disappointingly given the potential he had shown that day, would go down as the performance of Raonic's career. The win sent him into his first Wimbledon final and drew the eyes of the tennis world onto him. He would go on to finish the year World #3 to cap off a breakthrough season. Meanwhile Federer had sustained a knee injury from taking a hard fall in the 5th set. He decided to undergo surgery and skip the rest of the 2016 season, dropping to #17 and retreating into the shadows of the tennis world, poised to strike once again.
Enjoy!
