Best GS Tournament Run Ever?

What is the highest level of play at a single Tournament?

  • Total voters
    42
JaoSousa

JaoSousa

Hall of Fame
Here are my rankings(included olympics because it is a big tournament as well):
1. Evert 1976 US. Open (83.4% games won)
2. Borg 1978 RG (79.87% of games won) (Credit to Lew II for Stat)
3. Serena Olympics 2012 (83% of games won)
4. Nadal 2008 RG (75.60% games won(credit Lew II)) , Graf 1988 RG (81% of games won)
5. Navratilova 1983 US Open (81.6% games won)
6. Mcenroe 1984 Wimbledon
7. Djokovic AO 2011
8. Nadal RG 2017 (76.82% games won)
9. Federer AO 2007 (64.7% games won)

1. Evert 1976 US. Open
Evert beats Stevens 6-1 6-0
Evert beats Coles 6-0 6-0
Evert beats Barker 6-1 6-0
Evert beats Chmyreva 6-1 6-2
Evert beats Jausovec 6-3 6-1
Evert beats Goolagong 6-3 6-0

2. Borg 1978 RG
Borg beats Deblicker 6-1 6-1 6-1
Borg beats Fagel 6-0 6-1 6-0
Borg beats Bertolucci 6-0 6-2 6-2
Borg beats Tanner 6-2 6-4 7-6 (5)
Borg beats Ramirez 6-3 6-3 6-0
Borg beats Barazzutti 6-0 6-1 6-0
Borg beats Vilas 6-1 6-1 6-3

3. Serena Olympics 2012
Serena beats Jankovic 6-3 6-1
Serena beats Radwanska 6-2 6-3
Serena beats Zvonareva 6-0 6-1
Serena beats Wozniacki 6-0 6-3
Serena beats Azarenka 6-1 6-2
Serena beats Sharapova 6-0 6-1

4. Nadal 2008 RG
Nadal beats Belucci 7-5 6-3 6-1
Nadal beats Devilder 6-4 6-0 6-1
Nadal beats Nieminen 6-1 6-3 6-1
Nadal beats Verdasco 6-1 6-0 6-2
Nadal beats Almagro 6-1 6-1 6-1
Nadal beats Djokovic 6-4 6-2 7-6 (3)
Nadal beats Federer 6-1 6-3 6-0

5. Graf 1988 RG
Graf beats Guerree 6-0 6-4
Graf beats Reis 6-1 6-0
Graf beats Sloane 6-0 6-1
Graf beats Tauziat 6-1 6-3
Graf beats Fulco 6-0 6-1
Graf beats Sabatini 6-3 7-6(3)
Graf beats Zvereva 6-0 6-0


Edit: I am missing some of Evert's and King's best runs, so feel free to post them along with the draw and I will add them.



Discuss...
 
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2017-French-Open-Dominant-Rafael-Nadal-moves-into-fourth-round.jpg
 
To clarify, this is all in chronological order.

From Fred:

W 2003
AO 2004
USO 2005
W 2006
AO 2007

From Ned:

RG 2007
RG 2008
RG 2010
RG 2012
RG 2017

From Noel:

AO 2008
AO 2011
W 2011
USO 2015
AO 2016

I haven't seen many others from past players, but 1978 RG and 1994 Wimby looked really solid from Borg and Sampras.
 
DjokoGOAT said:
Most pros and experts say Novak is the highest level of play ever. I voted AO 2011 but I think 2016 or 2019 may be higher with stronger opponents too.
Click to expand...
2011 had the toughest competition. It's not even really that debatable. It's simply due to Fed playing better in 2011 than he did in 2016 and Nadal did in 2019 (by a mile, lol)
 
Third Serve said:
To clarify, this is all in chronological order.

From Fred:

W 2003
AO 2004
USO 2005
W 2006
AO 2007

From Ned:

RG 2007
RG 2008
RG 2010
RG 2012
RG 2017

From Noel:

AO 2008
AO 2011
W 2011
USO 2015
AO 2016

I haven't seen many others from past players, but 1978 RG and 1994 Wimby looked really solid from Borg and Sampras.
Click to expand...
Your lists for Nole and Fedr don't make much sense to me. USO 04 behind USO 05. I think 05 might be Fed's worst USO. Wimbledon 05 should also be on there imo. For Novak your choices are odd as well. W 11 but not 15? AO 08 is also an odd choice though it is a great run. I agree with your choices for Nadal though.
 
Mac in 1984. Lost one tiebreak set in the 1st round, then waltzed through the rest of the tournament without dropping a set, and only got taken to a tiebreak once more for the rest of the tournament (by Cash in the SF). Humiliated Connors 1, 1 and 2 in the final. Did it all with inspirational genius rather than pushing.
 
Phoenix1983 said:
Mac in 1984. Lost one tiebreak set in the 1st round, then waltzed through the rest of the tournament without dropping a set, and only got taken to a tiebreak once more for the rest of the tournament (by Cash in the SF). Humiliated Connors 1, 1 and 2 in the final. Did it all with inspirational genius rather than pushing.
Click to expand...

I think what made McEnroe's performance even more legendary was the fact he had just suffered his worst ever loss a few weeks earlier at RG, to then turn it around so quickly and tear everyone apart at W was nothing short of outstanding.
 
DjokoGOAT said:
Faced stronger Federer and Murray in 2016 and one of strongest Nadal on HCs in 2019.
Click to expand...
Good points here. However, I want to compare the most dominant runs overall. 2019 saw Djokovic drop sets to Shapovalov and Medvedev. 2011 was better imo. 2016 had the highest peak level in the SF, but again his level dropped significantly after.
 
DjokoGOAT said:
Faced stronger Federer and Murray in 2016 and one of strongest Nadal on HCs in 2019.
Click to expand...
As a fellow Novak fan I feel the need to educate you. Here is a strong Nadal on HCs:


As far as Murray and Fed. Fed was better in 2011 but he's underrated in 2016 he was actually in pretty good form. Murray didn't bring his best stuff to the final in 2016. He was about to have a kid and his mind wasn't 100% there. They've had way better matches.
 
golden chicken said:
In no particular order:
09 Del Potro USO
09 Clijsters USO
17 Federer AO
91 Connors USO
02 Sampras USO
01 Ivanisevic WIM
Click to expand...
How is this in any way dominant? He was taken to 5 by Nishikori, Wawrinka, and Nadal. It was an epic run, and one of the best ever, but not dominant by any stretch.
 
The Guru said:
Your lists for Nole and Fedr don't make much sense to me. USO 04 behind. I think 05 might be Fed's worst USO. Wimbledon 05 should also be on there imo. For Novak your choices are odd as well. W 11 but not 15? AO 08 is also an odd choice though it is a great run. I agree with your choices for Nadal though.
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Really? I think 2007 and 2008 were weaker USO runs (USO 2007 might have been one of Fed's least impressive Major wins during 2004-2007). I would throw in 2004 if not for the match against Agassi which went to five. Granted, Agassi played really well and the win kinda messed things up, but I went with the safe bet and picked one of 2005 and 2006. Though that match with Hewitt in 2004 is better than anything he did in those two. Wimbledon 2005 is another good one, but imo 2003 and 2006 were just slightly better. Between 2003-2006 there’s not a lot to separate.

As for Novak, I’ll confess that I haven’t watched as much of him so my list could use some ironing out. However, I’ll defend my pick of AO 2008 to the death. Novak was stunning that tournament against some pretty decent opposition, too. Also put up better stats than his other AO runs except 2011. AO 2016 was actually the one I considered leaving out because of how his form varied over the tournament, but I kept it anyway.
 
JaoSousa said:
How is this in any way dominant? He was taken to 5 by Nishikori, Wawrinka, and Nadal. It was an epic run, and one of the best ever, but not dominant by any stretch.
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The poll title is "highest level of play" which I interpreted as a player getting in a zone and living in the zone for basically the entire tournament. And the most memorable ones are those sort of improbable runs that I listed. I agree they are not necessarily the most dominant complete tournament runs. I would choose any of the examples of a grand slam win without dropping a set for "most dominant".

Delpo's forehand punishing the field all the way to a title.

Clijsters' comeback from becoming a mom.

"Washed up" Federer making his weakness (backhand) into a weapon.

"Washed up" Connors' run to the semis.

"Washed up" Sampras' last hurrah.

Goran finally getting his mental game to match his physical game.
 
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A little bit of research and I like Marion Bartoli Wimbledon 2013, for being the lowest seed to win a grand slam without dropping a set. Improbable and impressive. And at Wimbledon, no less.
 
As much as I dislike her I think Serena does have a case here for olympics. She crushed 2 of the best players in the semis (Azarenka the 1 seed and Sharapova the 3 seed) and only lost 4 games between them. She also beat two other top 15 seeds and only lost 4 games in those two matches as well. The most games someone got was 5 games over 2 sets and the closest set was 6-3
 
Fridge said:
As much as I dislike her I think Serena does have a case here for olympics. She crushed 2 of the best players in the semis (Azarenka the 1 seed and Sharapova the 3 seed) and only lost 4 games between them. She also beat two other top 15 seeds and only lost 4 games in those two matches as well. The most games someone got was 5 games over 2 sets and the closest set was 6-3
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She went hyper agressive that tournament and everything she touched was gold. I remember every time Sharapova was about to serve and Serena was 2 feet inside the baseline, I was bracing myself for another monster winner.

A gif that puts the match in perspective:

tenor.gif
 
Third Serve said:
2011 had the toughest competition. It's not even really that debatable. It's simply due to Fed playing better in 2011 than he did in 2016 and Nadal did in 2019 (by a mile, lol)
Click to expand...
The Guru said:
As a fellow Novak fan I feel the need to educate you. Here is a strong Nadal on HCs:


As far as Murray and Fed. Fed was better in 2011 but he's underrated in 2016 he was actually in pretty good form. Murray didn't bring his best stuff to the final in 2016. He was about to have a kid and his mind wasn't 100% there. They've had way better matches.
Click to expand...
2011 Federer sets lost before SF: 3
2016 Federer sets lost before SF: 1
 
DjokoGOAT said:
2011 Federer sets lost before SF: 3
2016 Federer sets lost before SF: 1
Click to expand...
Fred played better in the actual match in 2011, though. I might remind you that Hewitt dropped no sets before the US Open final in 2004. His actual match performance in the final was pretty craptastic, though, at least in sets 1 and 3.

 
Third Serve said:
Fred played better in the actual match in 2011, though. I might remind you that Hewitt dropped no sets before the US Open final in 2004. His actual match performance in the final was pretty craptastic, though, at least in sets 1 and 3.

Click to expand...
2016 Federer hit more winners and same UFE vs a stronger Djokovic and also won a set. Federer himself in 2015 said he was playing his best tennis ever.
 
DjokoGOAT said:
2016 Federer hit more winners and same UFE vs a stronger Djokovic and also won a set. Federer himself in 2015 said he was playing his best tennis ever.
Click to expand...
Lol don’t get me started on Fed’s 2015 statements. You seem like you’ve been on the forum before since these arguments are regular talking points ‘round these parts.
 
JaoSousa said:
Here are my rankings(included olympics because it is a big tournament as well):

1. Borg 1978 RG
2. Serena Olympics 2012
3. Nadal 2008 RG, Graf 1988 RG
4. Navratilova 1984 Wimbledon
5. Mcenroe 1984 Wimbledon
6. Djokovic AO 2011
7. Nadal RG 2017
8. Federer AO 2007

1. Borg 1978 RG
Borg beats Deblicker 6-1 6-1 6-1
Borg beats Fagel 6-0 6-1 6-0
Borg beats Bertolucci 6-0 6-2 6-2
Borg beats Tanner 6-2 6-4 7-6 (5)
Borg beats Ramirez 6-3 6-3 6-0
Borg beats Barazzutti 6-0 6-1 6-0
Borg beats Vilas 6-1 6-1 6-3

2. Serena Olympics 2012
Serena beats Jankovic 6-3 6-1
Serena beats Radwanska 6-2 6-3
Serena beats Zvonareva 6-0 6-1
Serena beats Wozniacki 6-0 6-3
Serena beats Azarenka 6-1 6-2
Serena beats Sharapova 6-0 6-1

3. Nadal 2008 RG
Nadal beats Belucci 7-5 6-3 6-1
Nadal beats Devilder 6-4 6-0 6-1
Nadal beats Nieminen 6-1 6-3 6-1
Nadal beats Verdasco 6-1 6-0 6-2
Nadal beats Almagro 6-1 6-1 6-1
Nadal beats Djokovic 6-4 6-2 7-6 (3)
Nadal beats Federer 6-1 6-3 6-0

3. Graf 1988 RG
Graf beats Guerree 6-0 6-4
Graf beats Reis 6-1 6-0
Graf beats Sloane 6-0 6-1
Graf beats Tauziat 6-1 6-3
Graf beats Fulco 6-0 6-1
Graf beats Sabatini 6-3 7-6(3)
Graf beats Zvereva 6-0 6-0



Discuss...
Click to expand...

That OG run by Serena is insane.

A breadstick or bagel set in every match except one and four of her opponents were either major winners or former No. 1s :oops:
 
In terms of pure statistical dominance, Borg.
In terms of playing level, probably Federer at AO07.

Nadal at RG08 was more statistically dominant than Fed AO07 but I wouldn't say quite the same playing level.
Nadal at RG12 deserves a mention here. Close to, if not equal to his 08 win.
 
King No1e said:
In terms of pure statistical dominance, Borg.
In terms of playing level, probably Federer at AO07.

Nadal at RG08 was more statistically dominant than Fed AO07 but I wouldn't say quite the same playing level.
Nadal at RG12 deserves a mention here. Close to, if not equal to his 08 win.
Click to expand...
That's because when you dominate on clay, you dominate bigger in numbers.

I wish we had the chance to see a tournament between;
Federer AO '07, Nadal RG '08 and Djokovic AO '11.

I agree though, in terms of playing level Federer's AO performance in 2007 takes the cake for me.
Though Nadal RG '08 was the most one-sided tournament I've ever seen.
 
Odinn21 said:
That's because when you dominate on clay, you dominate bigger in numbers.

I wish we had the chance to see a tournament between;
Federer AO '07, Nadal RG '08 and Djokovic AO '11.

I agree though, in terms of playing level Federer's AO performance in 2007 takes the cake for me.
Though Nadal RG '08 was the most one-sided tournament I've ever seen.
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Easy to look dominant vs gonzalez, Robredo, Roddick and baby Djokovic. See a year later when an improved novak easily beat 26 years old federer or 2011 when he straight setted a better version of federer with 4 years more practice.
 
"However, the documents released also showed that Williams had been given special permission to take some of the drugs. The authorization was given by Dr. Stuart Miller from the International Tennis Federation (ITF). "
 
Subway Tennis said:
That OG run by Serena is insane.

A breadstick or bagel set in every match except one and four of her opponents were either major winners or former No. 1s :oops:
Click to expand...
True. The Graf one is arguably even better, but how many of those opponents have you even heard of? And Zvereva doesn't count because she is mostly famous for getting double bagelled in a slam final.
 
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