Biggest Upsets in a GS Final (Men)

[jane-hawkEye]

from past 20 years

1 Gaudio over Coria FO 04
2 Gomez over Agassi FO 90
3 Becker over Lendl USO 89
3 Chang over Edberg FO 89
5 Nadal over Federer W 08

 

[matchmaker]

For me it would be Gomez def. Agassi. No one even remotely thought that would happen. I think that match had a negative effect on the first years of Agassi's carreer. Had he won it he might have found it easier to finish big matches.

In the other cases all are big champions so no one would be amazed they win a big match.

Even the Gaudio-Coria match did not surprise me that much.

Chang was a surprise but not that much his victory against Edberg. The logic of things: retriever wins against SV on clay.

 

[Jack Romeo]

1. bruguera def courier fo 93
2. costa def ferrero fo 02
3. johansson def safin ao 02
4. safin def sampras uso 00
5. hewitt def sampras uso 01
6. sampras def agassi uso 90
7. stich def becker w 91
8. kuerten def bruguera fo 97
9. ivanisevic def rafter w 01
10. courier def agassi fo 91

 

[quest01]

I went with Gomez beating Agassi in the 89 FO final because Agassi was expected to win this match. I don't think Nadal beating Federer in the 08 Wimbledon final was an upset because he came close last year to beating him.

 

[!Tym]

1. bruguera def courier fo 93
2. costa def ferrero fo 02
3. johansson def safin ao 02
4. safin def sampras uso 00
5. hewitt def sampras uso 01
6. sampras def agassi uso 90
7. stich def becker w 91
8. kuerten def bruguera fo 97
9. ivanisevic def rafter w 01
10. courier def agassi fo 91

I don't really think matches where one player would eventually go on to prove that their "day in the sun" wasn't a fluke should be considered as biggest upsets. So, strike Bruguera-Courier, Hewitt-Sampras, Safin-Sampras, Stich-Becker, Bruguera-Kuerten, Ivanisevic-Rafter, and Courier-Agassi, etc. These are all top notch quality talents and guys I think history has shown. To me, someone like Stich or Kuerten laying the smackdown on Becker and Bruguera on their court isn't really that much of an upset, as those guys really are that good when they're on and in the zone. Likewise with Hewitt if he's facing a serve and volleyer like Sampras, who he was basically designed as the perfect counter to by God. A motivated Ivanisevic beating Rafter to me isn't really an upset. Courier vs. Agassi doesn't say much to me either, when Courier would go on to prove he really was the better clay court player, and so on and so forth.

To me, a big upset is not when you have two big names, but when you have but a mere PSEUDO name player like a Costa, Gaudio, Gomez, or Johansson in the finals (and unlike say a Stich-type, you KNOW that's all the talent they have in them...they don't truly have the talent to ever be considered among or vie with the elites of the game, i.e. say a top 5 ranking level standard) against a REAL name player, and they lay the smackdown.

 

[Feña14]

I'd have to say Johansson beating Safin in 2002.

 

[Shaolin]

Ferrero d. Verkerk, French Open Final 03

 

[Gemini]

I went with Gomez beating Agassi in the 89 FO final because Agassi was expected to win this match. I don't think Nadal beating Federer in the 08 Wimbledon final was an upset because he came close last year to beating him.

That's actually '90 and I'd pick this one as well.

 

[superman1]

Nadal beating Federer wasn't much of an upset, seemed like most people were expecting it. Fed's worst year in a long time, and last year when he was playing much better he was lucky to win it. Not really an upset.

Agassi/Gomez was considered a big upset but Moose Malloy has said many times that it shouldn't be considered such a big upset, since Gomez was very hot that clay season and young Agassi, as usual, wasn't playing much. But it was considered an upset.

 

[tbonegas]

How anybody can be surprised that Nadal beat Federer at SW19 this year is beyond me

 

[Deleted member 25923]

I think Medvedev v.s Agassi FO 99.

 

[PERL]

Agassi/Gomez was considered a big upset but Moose Malloy has said many times that it shouldn't be considered such a big upset, since Gomez was very hot that clay season and young Agassi, as usual, wasn't playing much. But it was considered an upset.

I agree with that. Gomez was n°7 in the world and Agassi n°5 in ’90 before the French Open. If it is an upset it is by a very thin margin. Gomez winning over Agassi was an upset for those who overhyped Agassi at the time. Gomez was a gifted left handed and he had much more experience. Actually he won the match because of his superior experience. He had a big forehand, good serve, could take the ball early, had great touch, angles and pace variations. He was just a little bit slow at 30 years old and managed the last games of the final by focusing on his serve after he broke Agassi to end the match in 4. He won Roma twice and other clay tournaments in his career but also he was not the usual latin clay courter since he won many events on the U.S. hardcourts. Agassi could have won if he had been more relaxed maybe because of his youth and forehand but I definitely rate Gomez over Albert Costa or Gaudio for instance. It was his last chance to win a major and he did. The French was his Everest and he disappeared slowly but surely after that. His only weakness was Lendl who destroyed him on a regular basis.

 

[Tomaz Bellucci]

Coris lost to Gaudio