Best tennis match ever played

Tennis Fanatic 070

Tennis Fanatic 070

Banned
Since many full-length matches are on you tube these days, I decided to watch them all this year. I can think of 5 matches myself, but probably I'm forgetting a few.

So I would like to hear other peoples views on what they think is the best match ever played. Both drama and quality of the tennis should be a facor IMO.
I think the Agassi-Blake QF match US Open 2005 was amazing!! They both were smacking the ball incredibly hard! It certainly was high quality stuff (both the full match and the summary are available on youtube, summary; (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VASqsQFovW0)
The Nadal-Verdasco match SF AO 2009 was also memorable to me. Then off course we had both the Wimbledon Final of 2008 (Federer-Nadal) with plenty of drama and the Wimbledon final of 2009 (Federer-Roddick). I think the US open SF 2011 Federer-Nole was also sick!!

So what do you think?
 
Do you mean the most enjoyable matches or the ones where the tennis quality shown by one or both players was the highest?

If it's the latter then look no further than Edberg's destruction of Jim Courier in the 1991 US Open final.
 
Sampras-Agassi 2001 QF is the best match I've ever seen in terms of overall quality. (3 tiebreaks or something)

Highest level is either Nadal 2008 French OPen final or Sampras 99 Wimbledon final
 
Bobby Jr said:
Do you mean the most enjoyable matches or the ones where the tennis quality shown by one or both players was the highest?

If it's the latter then look no further than Edberg's destruction of Jim Courier in the 1991 US Open final.
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I could be both, doesn't matter, they both define what could be the best match ever to me.
I would like to make a top 10 and start watching the 'least good contest' and then end up watching the very best match.
Thanks for the Edberg tip, I couldn't have watched that one because I was too young. I will look that one up for sure :)
 
90's Clay said:
Sampras-Agassi 2001 QF is the best match I've ever seen in terms of overall quality. (3 tiebreaks or something)

Highest level is either Nadal 2008 French OPen final or Sampras 99 Wimbledon final
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Arafel said:
Borg-McEnroe 1980. Accept no substitutes.
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On second hand, I think the 'one way traffic matches' aren't very exciting to watch again. so the RG 2008 final won't be on my list. Thanks for the other suggestions though.
Even though I wasn't even born in 1980, I heard a lot about the Borg-McEnroe contest and I watched a summary once. That one is going to be on my list for sure!!
 
Some matches of very high level that come to my mind are the ao semifinal between nadal and verdasco, wimbledon 2004 final federer vs roddick, rome 2006 final and wimbledon 2007 final. As in highest level played by someone in a match federer vs roddick ao 2007 and federer vs hewitt uso 2004 are up there. (these matchesi listed are some of the best i have seen)
 
My favourite match is Federer-Djokovic SF RG 2011. From what I saw, the Nadal-Federer F Wimby 2008 is held in quite high standards.
 
90's Clay said:
Sampras-Agassi 2001 QF is the best match I've ever seen in terms of overall quality. (3 tiebreaks or something)

Highest level is either Nadal 2008 French OPen final or Sampras 99 Wimbledon final
Click to expand...

The Sampras Agassi 2001 QF was very high quality tennis from both players, maybe the highest quality match ever if you don't count the tiebreaks where Agassi seemed to blink. Andre was playing the best tennis of anyone in the tournament destroying his other opponents in the draw and thrashed Roger Federer in straight sets and said the 20-year-old Swiss ought to consider the result a compliment.
"Roger should take it as a big compliment that I played so well today," Agassi said after his 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 romp to the quarterfinals. Agassi was playing some of the best tennis of his life in my opinion and Sampras had to step up his serve first and second as needed to get through because Agassi was playing at such a high level. The 99 final I think might have been the highest level of tennis played by one player in the history of Wimbledon but there has been some great matches played there in recent years maybe played at the highest level by 2 players maybe Federer/Nadal 08?
 
I can't think of many things better than an epic tennis match. Nothing like being up at 4 in the morning posting on TTW, hanging off the edge of your seat, wondering how the match will end of if your favorite player can complete a comeback. No sarcasm. I'll never forget some nights/some matches.
 
MichaelNadal said:
I can't think of many things better than an epic tennis match. Nothing like being up at 4 in the morning posting on TTW, hanging off the edge of your seat, wondering how the match will end of if your favorite player can complete a comeback. No sarcasm. I'll never forget some nights/some matches.
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Which one is the most unforgettable to you?

I know exactly what u mean btw, let's hope this years' RG (probably not) and Wimbledon will bring some new classics!!
 
RNadal vs RFederer, Roland Garros 2008 is one of the best tennis matches of all time. RNadal and RFederer were both playing their absolute best tennis, and RFederer was only able to take 4 games off of RNadal. That final win was RNadal's 28th consecutive win at Roland Garros, his 4th consecutive title, and he'd go on to become the first player to win the channel slam since Bjorn Borg. :-P
 
Tennis Fanatic 070 said:
1,3,0, I can see u posted in my thread, you know I have put you on ignore. I can guess what u posted, which makes the fact I have put you on ignore all the more justified.
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I cracked up because of your very accurate assessment. don't even need to read to know it's the same old biased garbage.

on topic, I remember watching blake-agassi live. man, what tension! thought agassi would lose for sure after going down 2 sets.. little did I know. electric atmosphere and of course blake's annoying yet amusing J-block cheer section.

one of my favorites, which I also watched live, was the djokodal madrid 2009 semi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqHOQF6Rpa4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

maybe not the highest quality tennis, but amazing to watch for nadal's absolute determination to win, with that sick fearhand dtl to save mp.
 
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EnigmaticPragmatic said:
I cracked up because of your very accurate assessment. don't even need to read to know it's the same old biased garbage.

on topic, I remember watching blake-agassi live. man, what tension! thought agassi would lose for sure after going down 2 sets.. little did I know. electric atmosphere and of course blake's annoying yet amusing J-block cheer section.
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:)

Yeah I think the Agassi-Blake QF USO 2005 is the best I have ever seen. Not only because of the way the match developed, but also because of the high quality strokes and the amount of winners they produced. It was a top class in hard hitting IMO. I really think it elevated the game to a higher level.
I remember Blake was very pleased with his performance and he was very happy when they shook hands at the net after his loss, loved that!!
I think they both played the match of their lives, too bad the fifth set was a tie-break, I wonder what would have happened if there wasn't a tie-break in the fifth.......
 
Thank you for sharing the highlight, I haven't followed tennis that time. It's the kind of match I'd like to enjoy: intensely aggressive - hardly stand more than a metre behind the baseline.

Out of the matches I watched on TV I choose Rafa vs Roger at Wimbledon 2008.
 
In terms of destruction always got to mention Tsonga def. Nadal at 2008 AO and Gonzalez def. Haas in the 2007 AO, both semifinals
 
EnigmaticPragmatic said:
one of my favorites, which I also watched live, was the djokodal madrid 2009 semi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqHOQF6Rpa4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

maybe not the highest quality tennis, but amazing to watch for nadal's absolute determination to win, with that sick fearhand dtl to save mp.
Click to expand...

That is also one of my favourite matches of all time. RNadal won the match 3-6 7-6 7-6, and RNadal won the longest 3-tiebreak-set match in open era history. That record still stands today. It's easily the greatest match at Madrid in world history (and RNadal also came back from 2 sets down in Madrid to beat Ljubicic in 2005). :-P
 
tacou said:
In terms of destruction always got to mention Tsonga def. Nadal at 2008 AO and Gonzalez def. Haas in the 2007 AO, both semifinals
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Yeah the Tsonga vs Nadal match was special, off course it was one way traffic, but the other way around from what you expected :) Also nice that this match is available in 1080p on Youtube. The Gonzalez vs. Haas match was a big upset but they both lack the 'drama factor'.
 
Bobby Jr said:
Do you mean the most enjoyable matches or the ones where the tennis quality shown by one or both players was the highest?

If it's the latter then look no further than Edberg's destruction of Jim Courier in the 1991 US Open final.
Click to expand...

Good choice since Edberg played perfect attacking tennis
Likewise Mc Enroe did against Lendl at the 84 Masters, against Connors at 84 W

Other perfect play shows were Hoad at the 1957 Wimbledon final against next yr champ Ash Cooper, Laver three final sets against Ashe at W 69 and of course Nastase demolition of Borg at Stockholm Masters final in 75
BTW some experts consider that Mc Enroe never played any better than in Luxemburg 84 when he trult broke prime indoor Lendl into pieces
I think John himself agrees
 
Sampras vs Becker ATP Year end Championships 1996 Final.

Amazing tennis throughout.


Mini spoiler: Becker serves 4 straight aces to start the match.
 
2001 mens Wimbledon final was exciting..fairly close match and amazing finish with 'bad goran' hitting loads of double faults on or near championship point, before 'good goran' wins.

u s open 1984 semi McEnroe vs Connors, and 1980 u s open final borg-mcenroe where borg comes from two sets down to be 4-4 in the 5th set before being broken.
 
Goosehead said:
2001 mens Wimbledon final was exciting..fairly close match and amazing finish with 'bad goran' hitting loads of double faults on or near championship point, before 'good goran' wins.

u s open 1984 semi McEnroe vs Connors, and 1980 u s open final borg-mcenroe where borg comes from two sets down to be 4-4 in the 5th set before being broken.
Click to expand...

Hahaha, yeah loved that match, winning Wimby with a wildcard, don't think that will ever happen again.
 
I'd say Roddick-El Aynaoui. At least it is for me. Great all-court tennis for like five hours and both players embracing the spirit of the game.
 
Not the best match, but the true essence of the Golden Days of tennis: 1980 Wimbledon final with Mac and Bjorn.
 
Tennis Fanatic 070 said:
Thanks..What happened to Coria? He got injured, saw him play one more match against Robredo after that, where he wasn't even able to strike the bal properly, and after that complete radio silence....
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After his loss to to Gaudio in the French Open final, that was mentally the end of Coria. He must have had nightmares of that match, likely still does.

BTW...what happened to Gaudio? I think he just faded away...maybe still playing some tournamens in S. America?
 
Younes- roddick, and of course federer- safin AO 2005, with the obvious greats, fed nadal Wimby 2008, mcenroe borg wimby 1980, there are a lot of matches but these 4 are outstanding
 
Tennis Fanatic 070 said:
Since many full-length matches are on you tube these days, I decided to watch them all this year. I can think of 5 matches myself, but probably I'm forgetting a few.

So I would like to hear other peoples views on what they think is the best match ever played. Both drama and quality of the tennis should be a facor IMO.
I think the Agassi-Blake QF match US Open 2005 was amazing!! They both were smacking the ball incredibly hard! It certainly was high quality stuff (both the full match and the summary are available on youtube, summary; (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VASqsQFovW0)
The Nadal-Verdasco match SF AO 2009 was also memorable to me. Then off course we had both the Wimbledon Final of 2008 (Federer-Nadal) with plenty of drama and the Wimbledon final of 2009 (Federer-Roddick). I think the US open SF 2011 Federer-Nole was also sick!!



So what do you think?
Click to expand...

Tennis Fanatic,

Bud Collins said that the Laver vs. Rosewall 1966 US Pro final (The Rocket won in five sets) was the best of the probably 182 (!!!) matches of these two giants. Therefore I guess this was the best match ever played. I believe that Rod and Ken are the two all-time greatest.
 
Roddick 2003 vs. El-Alyanoui
Ivaniesveic 2001 vs. Rafter (wimbledon 2001 final)- i was glued to the TV on this match
Agassi vs. Sampras QF 2001
Roddick vs. Federer Wimbledon F 2009 / 2004 (The second one is probably not regarded as one of the best matches ever played but I think it was Roddick's best match in his career despite losing)
Miami Nadal vs. Federer 2004- I remember looking on the internet asking myself who is this kid?!?
Safin vs. Federer AO 2005- watched it my friend's place, his father was going nuts, was a huge Safin fan before the injury bug bit.
 
Goosehead said:
2001 mens Wimbledon final was exciting..fairly close match and amazing finish with 'bad goran' hitting loads of double faults on or near championship point, before 'good goran' wins.

u s open 1984 semi McEnroe vs Connors, and 1980 u s open final borg-mcenroe where borg comes from two sets down to be 4-4 in the 5th set before being broken.
Click to expand...

I actually think the 1980 Connors-McEnroe was even better, as McEnroe came back from a break down in the fourth and won in a fifth set tiebreak. The match ended after midnight, and then the next day, McEnroe beat Borg in five. Still one of the better displays of stamina I've seen.
 
there have been many matches that have had quite a bit of drama, but in terms of pure tennis quality i have to go with:

Sampras Agassi 2001 quarterfinal at the open:
A classic match up between a great counter puncher/baseliner vs. a pure serve and volleyer. Nothing but high quality tennis for four tie break sets.

Safin vs. Federer 2005 Australian semi:
In an era where federer was gaining a reputation of being unbeatable, Safin had the honest belief that he could do it. The match turned out to be worthy of the hype surrounding it. the two guys were in the zone with out of this world ball striking and stunning winners. Safin saved match points in the fourth before eventually prevailing in the fifth. Lasting image that will stay with me from that match was Mats Wilander in the stands shaking his head at the quality of tennis that was on display that evening...a great great match.
 
NLBwell said:
May not be on YouTube, but the two WCT Finals matches between Laver and Rosewall were perhaps the best ever.
Click to expand...

NLBwell, Of course you are right that these two finals were great (Rosewall considers his two wins as his greatest victories at all) we should not forget that both players were rather old then. I doubt that a player of 36 to 37, the other of 32 to 33, reaches his best level. The two Aussies met in several big finals when they were in their peak or nearly there:Wembley 64 and 67, French Pro 63, US Pro 66, all of them five set matches.
 
DunlopDood said:
there have been many matches that have had quite a bit of drama, but in terms of pure tennis quality i have to go with:

Sampras Agassi 2001 quarterfinal at the open:
A classic match up between a great counter puncher/baseliner vs. a pure serve and volleyer. Nothing but high quality tennis for four tie break sets.

Safin vs. Federer 2005 Australian semi:
In an era where federer was gaining a reputation of being unbeatable, Safin had the honest belief that he could do it. The match turned out to be worthy of the hype surrounding it. the two guys were in the zone with out of this world ball striking and stunning winners. Safin saved match points in the fourth before eventually prevailing in the fifth. Lasting image that will stay with me from that match was Mats Wilander in the stands shaking his head at the quality of tennis that was on display that evening...a great great match.
Click to expand...

Yeah you're absolutely right, from that day on it was clear that Safin could beat anyone when he was in form. Too bad that due to his (lack of) mental ability he wasn't able to show that more often...That match was great, I must watch it again!!
 
BobbyOne said:
Tennis Fanatic,

Bud Collins said that the Laver vs. Rosewall 1966 US Pro final (The Rocket won in five sets) was the best of the probably 182 (!!!) matches of these two giants. Therefore I guess this was the best match ever played. I believe that Rod and Ken are the two all-time greatest.
Click to expand...

It's not on youtube :(
 
Bobby Jr said:
Do you mean the most enjoyable matches or the ones where the tennis quality shown by one or both players was the highest?

If it's the latter then look no further than Edberg's destruction of Jim Courier in the 1991 US Open final.
Click to expand...

That was Clinnical SandV....I have never seen Edberg play better. riduclous net gets.
 
sepidoel said:
Thank you for sharing the highlight, I haven't followed tennis that time. It's the kind of match I'd like to enjoy: intensely aggressive - hardly stand more than a metre behind the baseline.

Out of the matches I watched on TV I choose Rafa vs Roger at Wimbledon 2008.
Click to expand...

I'm saddened that we'll probably never see a match like that again. The pace at which the match took place is breathtaking and keeps you at the edge of your seat

Courts are way too slow for this to ever happen again. In comparison the Blake-Tsonga match at IW this year was known as a heavy hitting match and if u watch the highlights compared to blake-agassi it looks like they played in slow mo.

Back on topic, I remember taping and watching chang-edberg 1989 French open like a zillion times.
 
Arafel said:
I actually think the 1980 Connors-McEnroe was even better, as McEnroe came back from a break down in the fourth and won in a fifth set tiebreak. The match ended after midnight, and then the next day, McEnroe beat Borg in five. Still one of the better displays of stamina I've seen.
Click to expand...

I meant to put that one in but I forgot (somehow) :)
 
"Miami Nadal vs. Federer 2004- I remember looking on the internet asking myself who is this kid?!?"

I was lucky to be at that one as well and I thought, wow, this kids 17 (I think he was 17, right ?) and he just beat the #1 player in the world. Imagine that happening today.
 
"Del Potro Nadal USO 2009 is one of the biggest **** kickings I've ever seen."

Yes it was. People were ****ed too. They wanted a Federer-Rafa USO final. Which we will likely never see.

Do you know who was at that match ? Client #9.
 
I suspect the best tennis match ever played might have been played in a different era. But from the ones I do remember, the obvious suspects are AO 09 SF (Nadal - Verdasco), Rome 06 F (Nadal - Federer), and to a lesser extent Wimbledon 08 F (Nadal - Federer). Nadal has been in the center of some of the most memorable epic tennis battles of our time. Which is ironic, since he is often accused of being an unidimensional, uninteresting, and dull player.
 
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