Biggest choke of 2009?

[Anaconda]

Nalbandian didn't choke. He didn't make any UEs. Nadal saved all 5 MPs fair and square.

Rubbish. There is no excuse for failing to take 1/7 match points (indian wells). But i guess because Nadal is soooooo mentally tough he just cannot lose tonutjobs.

 

[mandy01]

1 point is a choke? Espesially when 90 % of the tour would have screwed up that volley as well.

The only other choke was the slice when Roddick was serving at 6-2. He hit an agressive FH, Fed got it back softly, and Roddick sliced it right back to Fed. But even that could have just been misexecuted strategy

Does anyone have the second set tie-break video because last time I checked Federer also served extremely clutch to hold on in that set.

 

[MuseFan]

It's never a choke against Federer, because he's THAT GOOD. But Nalby's choke in IW was just horrificly bad.

 

[MuseFan]

Easily Nalbandian vs. Nadal, IW. Having watched all the matches I can say that none of the 'chokers' were dominating their opponents as much as Nalbandian was dominating Nadal before his mental breakdown.

That was just painful to witness. I mean one minute he was dominating him the WHOLE match, and then suddenly BOOM Nalby was mentally wiped out.

 

[namelessone]

Roddick's is a semi-choke because he didn't lose it after that point unlike all the chokers on the list. He fought on and pushed it to a decider and barely lost whereas the other guys in the list went away after their key moments. Federer remembered he had something else to do and let tsonga come back and win,Nalbandian's head checked out after Nadal saved those MP's and Almagro did the artist's choke,by choking twice,once in the second and then in the third.

But first place goes to Nalbandian who was playing a in-form at the time Nadal and was schooling him up until then. Then Nadal held on,saved those MP's and David simply went away mentally.

 

[Telepatic]

Nalbandian didnt really choke against Nadal, Nadal played perfect to save all those MPs, take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW858OWOoNc

Fed didnt choke against Tsonga because Tsonga was fired up and was blasting winners.

But Roddick/Almagro did choke big time..

Roddick was playing perfect through out whole match but that one volley of his in tie break was massive choke really, I was stunned when I saw it.

Almagro was even worse then Roddick, he blew 5MPs and all on his serves and later on blew his lead when he was serving for match and Nadal wasnt playing anything special so I vote for him.

 

[CMM]

Nalbandian didnt really choke against Nadal, Nadal played perfect to save all those MPs, take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW858OWOoNc

Fed didnt choke against Tsonga because Tsonga was fired up and was blasting winners.

But Roddick/Almagro did choke big time..

Roddick was playing perfect through out whole match but that one volley of his in tie break was massive choke really, I was stunned when I saw it.

Almagro was even worse then Roddick, he blew 5MPs and all on his serves and later on blew his lead when he was serving for match and Nadal wasnt playing anything special so I vote for him.

Roddick's choke is 1000000 times worse than Almagro's because that was a Wimbledon final, one that he should have won.

 

[Telepatic]

Roddick's choke is 1000000 times worse than Almagro's because that was a Wimbledon final, one that he should have won.

So so, even if he didnt choke that 1 hit and took lead 2-0, it wasnt guarantee at all that Fed wouldnt comeback, he almost won that match against Nadal at Wimbledon 2008 and plenty of other matches while being 0-2 down. I'm not defending Fed but having 2-0 lead is not same as having MPs or having lead like break or double break in third set.

 

[CMM]

So so, even if he didnt choke that 1 hit and took lead 2-0, it wasnt guarantee at all that Fed wouldnt comeback, he almost won that match against Nadal at Wimbledon 2008 and plenty of other matches while being 0-2 down. I'm not defending Fed but having 2-0 lead is not same as having MPs or having lead like break or double break in third set.

I know, but there was a difference between the way played at W2008 and the way he played the last one. I don't think he would have won, but who knows...

 

[Baikalic]

i think people are voting for roddick because he had so many set points to lead two sets to one in the biggest stage in tennis. The drama of the occasion magnifies the perception of choking.

Add to the fact that no man in the Open Era has ever come back from 0-2 sets down to win the Wimbledon final, and it makes those set points in the second set tiebreak hurt even more.

 

[FELAND123]

Roddick's wonderful backhandvolley

 

[welcome2petrkordaland]

interesting how noone mentions fed's disappearance in fifth of aussie open final. maybe it's b/c we're all so desensitized from fed's choking against nadal:

rome final '06, dubai final '06, french open final '06, monte carlo final '08, hamburg final '08, aussie open final '09, just to name a few!

THE GOAT? Uh . . . no.

one of the GOATs? Absolutely.

Sorry for the digression; it has to be mentioned.

Roddick missed the bh volley due to tentativeness/hesitation. then again roddick sucks and was playing one of the GOATs.

Nalbandian apparently has an affinity for fatty foods and/or he's not putting in the hard yards. But yes, that was quite a choke.

Almagro should just slit his wrists. That's the worst I've never seen Nadal play; I'm shocked Nadal actually raised his level so much vs. tsonga

 

[edmondsm]

Roddick in the second set tiebreak of the Wimbledon final.

This one still burns

 

[Carsomyr]

Federer serving for the second set (and a 2-0 set lead) at 5-4 30-0 against DelPo in the US Open final.

To have that lead, in that match against a guy that had never been to a slam final, that was the biggest choke of the year to me.

4-4 0-40 Nadal serving in the 3rd set AO final is a close second to me, and it was really what made the difference between prime Federer and this new, mentally fragile, proceed with caution Federer.

Yep. If he properly serves out the set in both cases (after breaking Nadal at the AO), I think he wins the match.