IF you could change the outcome of 3 Open Era Tennis Matches, what would they be ?

[Biotic]

2018 Wimbledon is up there with the most legendary slams ever. The defending champion Federer losing after failing to convert a MP, Anderson and Isner playing for nearly 7 hours setting the stage for a two day match between Djokovic and Nadal, Djokovic winning the whole thing in an unforgettable fashion after a 2 years slump. It was destined to happen, and no one is changing that.

 

[Razer]

Djokovic loses this and maybe he doesn't win the USO and arrives at the AO without having won a slam in a long time and with a lot of pressure. Maybe he never joins the slam race with Federer having a huge advantage and Nadal making it bigger while being almost the same age. Winning that 3rd and 5th set changed his career.

I doubt that, maybe he might lose the USO, or maybe not, but he will definetly destroy Nadal in AO2019 and then onwards the show would begin.
The quote of Thanos is applicable for Novak "I am inevitable" ... he is too strong to go down, see how many slams he lost to Non ATGs (unline Fedal) and to freak DQs, Bans, still he is on 22.... He is just unstoppable.

 

[Herald]

This is one of the matches that has potential to have huge ramifications if changed. Same as, say, Wimbledon 2008.


Djokovic loses this and maybe he doesn't win the USO and arrives at the AO without having won a slam in a long time and with a lot of pressure. Maybe he never joins the slam race with Federer having a huge advantage and Nadal making it bigger while being almost the same age. Winning that 3rd and 5th set changed his career.

Novak's power to troll would always keep him as a slam contender. I think half the reason he plays is to drink the tears of the crowd willing him to fail, despite his boobs' statements to the contrary.

 

[Razer]

Novak's power to troll will always keep him as a slam contender. I honestly think half the reason he plays is to drink the tears of the crowd willing him to fail, despite his boobs' statements to the contrary.

His will is too strong.
A man who was on 1 slam when his 2 rivals were on 16 and 9 has reached so far, no wonder he triumps in adversity, he is just too driven and too hungry for success despite everything.

 

[thrust]

Novak's power to troll would always keep him as a slam contender. I think half the reason he plays is to drink the tears of the crowd willing him to fail, despite his boobs' statements to the contrary.

LOL!

 

[hoodjem]

I would change

- 2008 Wimbledon final
- 2009 Aus Open final
- 2019 Wimbledon final

What about you ?

- 2008 AO final
- 2011 USO final
- 2019 Wimbledon final

 

[Herald]

- 2008 AO final.
- 2019 Wimbledon final.

2019 Wimbledon final has just 2 outcomes: Novak and Novak, because once Federer gets a match point the outcome is sealed.

 

[Razer]

- 2008 AO final
- 2011 USO final
- 2019 Wimbledon final

So you are anti Novak ? Why you want to change finals of 2008AO and 2011USO ? Surely you are not a Tsonga fan.

 

[hoodjem]

So you are anti Novak ? Why you want to change finals of 2008AO and 2011USO ? Surely you are not a Tsonga fan.

Tsonga was awesome in the 2008 AO semis. Best S&V tennis I've seen in decades! I would have wanted more to influence the game.

Yes, I am anti-pyramid boy. I am also anti-"you can caress with your tongue my intromittent organ."

 

[Sephiroth]

This is one of the matches that has potential to have huge ramifications if changed. Same as, say, Wimbledon 2008.


Djokovic loses this and maybe he doesn't win the USO and arrives at the AO without having won a slam in a long time and with a lot of pressure. Maybe he never joins the slam race with Federer having a huge advantage and Nadal making it bigger while being almost the same age. Winning that 3rd and 5th set changed his career.

yes if you look at 2019 Djokovic wasn't all that apart from the AO but by that time he was back to slam winning ways

Confidence does a lot for the Big 3 but Djokovic gets a 10x boost and goes on a roll when he's confident, 2018 Wimbledon - 2019 AO went like a blur.

Wimb 08 wasn't as big of a turning point, Federer rebounded with USO and won more slams in 2009 than Nadal so it wasn't that big. Nadal was eventually going to win there and Federer was in slam winning form anyway. Djokovic wasn't in contention for anything in 2018 until Nadal let the door open.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

Nothing from the 21st century.

I do imagine how McEnroe winning the 1984 French Open (three majors for the year) would have changed the trajectory of men's tennis, or his own momentum (in an already legendary year) going into 1985.

 

[ChrisRF]

1. It was 6-3, 4-2 to Henman, with Henman executing a near perfect serve and volley game
2. Coria then won 13 games in a row to lead 3-6, 6-4, 6-0, 3-0
3. Henman then won 5 games in a row to lead 5-3 in the fourth set
4. Coria then won 4 games in a row to win the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-0, 7-5.

Now that you say it, this was very similar to Federer vs Davydenko at the 2010 Australian Open:
- Davydenko totally dominated the beginning, leading by a set and a break
- Then Federer also won 13 games in a row
- But it also was close in the end with Davydenko breaking back and having more BPs before Federer barely came through to keep his Slam SF streak alive one more time.

 

[Mustard]

This is one of the matches that has potential to have huge ramifications if changed. Same as, say, Wimbledon 2008.


Djokovic loses this and maybe he doesn't win the USO and arrives at the AO without having won a slam in a long time and with a lot of pressure. Maybe he never joins the slam race with Federer having a huge advantage and Nadal making it bigger while being almost the same age. Winning that 3rd and 5th set changed his career.

A Nadal win in that match would have kept Djokovic in the genie's bottle. I sensed it at the time. Djokovic had gone over 2 years without winning a major. And as it was the only match in the tournament played indoors during a big heatwave, one would almost suspect a divine conspiracy.

 

[Djokovic2011]

hola... nadal o'connor?

I just burst out laughing in front of everyone on the train after seeing this gif. You're dynamite vive!!

 

[Mustard]

I remember that match, it was pretty crazy. Coria showed shades of the choking he would do in the final. He played a flawless tournament until the QF but in the SF he was a different player. Similar to what happened in 2003 where he was playing brilliantly and lost in the SF to a much inferior player.

I wouldn't say that Coria was choking against Henman when Henman went 6-3, 4-2 up. It was more the fact that Henman's serve and volley style was just very different with what Coria was used to at the time, and Henman was executing it so well. Coria actually changed his shoes on a changeover early in the second set, to grass-court shoes with soles on them.

 

[BauerAlmeida]

His will is too strong.
A man who was on 1 slam when his 2 rivals were on 16 and 9 has reached so far, no wonder he triumps in adversity, he is just too driven and too hungry for success despite everything.

Yup, it's crazy how he tied Nadal when he had a huge advantage and they are almost the same age. Federer too given the difference was huge but there's also a six-year gap there.

When Djokovic won the AO Nadal was only 3-1 up so it looked like it would be a rivalry, but then Nadal went on a roll (RG 2008-AO 2009), a slump (AO 2009-RG 2010) and a roll again (RG 2010-USO 2010) without Djokovic doing anything and took a 9-1 lead, beating him in the final for that last slam no less. At that point it looked like they wouldn't go down in history in the same tier but Djokovic managed to tie him.

Wimb 08 wasn't as big of a turning point, Federer rebounded with USO and won more slams in 2009 than Nadal so it wasn't that big. Nadal was eventually going to win there and Federer was in slam winning form anyway. Djokovic wasn't in contention for anything in 2018 until Nadal let the door open.

Nadal was going to win Wimbledon but Federer blocking him again would have probably affect him, just like it affected Federer being blocked by Nadal at RG time and time again, although it was probable that he was going to win it eventually and he did. Federer wins that and it's another defeat in the final there for 3rd straight year, another year without winning a non-RG slam, Federer doesn't get the mental block and maybe wins the AO. He keeps dominating outside clay while Nadal keeps winning on clay. Maybe he keeps #1 ranking, Nadal keeps stuck at #2 for longer, etc. That match was a bit of a "changing of the guard" moment.

 

[BauerAlmeida]

I wouldn't say that Coria was choking against Henman when Henman went 6-3, 4-2 up. It was more the fact that Henman's serve and volley style was just very different with what Coria was used to at the time, and Henman was executing it so well. Coria actually changed his shoes on a changeover early in the second set, to grass-court shoes with soles on them.

Maybe not choking since he wasn't in a winning position, but not playing at the level he was before. The pressure of being close to the title affected him, he said later that since he arrived in Paris he was basically being asked how was he going to celebrate the title and that affected him when he was winning so easily in the final. In the SF he was also playing below what he could, it happened in 2003 vs Verkerk too, especially after he almost gets DQed that match.

 

[_phantom]

1. Wimbledon 2019 final
2. Wimbledon 2019 final
3. Wimbledon 2019 final

1. AO 2014 final
2. AO 2014 final
3. AO 2014 final

This has been confirmed by Toni and Rafa.

 

[Sudacafan]

1. AO 2014 final
2. AO 2014 final
3. AO 2014 final

This has been confirmed by Toni and Rafa.

I don't think so, that final included a non relevant player.

 

[Matrix968]

Just 2011 FO SF, nothing else...

 

[StrongRule]

AO 2012, AO 2014, Wimbledon 2018.

 

[Sudacafan]

Prehistoric era:

US Open 1980 final
Davis Cup 1981 finals at Cincinnati, doubles match rubber.
RG 1982 final

Things really not going as per my wishes in those years.

 

[uscwang]

I know it's not Open Era, but 1877 Wimbledon final

You probably CAN change that and nobody would notice the difference.

 

[Gizo]

On the men's side:

1981 Masters final - Gerulaitis led Lendl by 2 sets to love and had a match point in the 3rd set tiebreak (Lendl saved it with some excellent play but he could have played it more aggressively) - that would have been the biggest title of his career and in his home city. While he could have beaten Borg in their 1977 Wimbledon SF classic (he had a game point to go 3-1 ahead in the 5th set though still no guarantee that he holds on), and IMO should have beaten McEnroe in their 1981 US Open SF (but failed to convert any of the 9 break points he had in the 5th set), it's difficult to picture him going on to win either final (especially vs. Borg at the 1981 US Open).

Either of Clerc's semi-finals at RG in 1981 or 1982 - In 1981 he had a match point vs. Lendl in the 4th set tiebreak (though Lendl saved it with an unreturnable serve), who he beat in their other 3 matches on clay that year. In 1982 he was 5-1 down in the 4th set and levelled it at 5-5, before his momentum collapsed as he hit 4 straight UEs in the next game (before Wilander's sportsmanship to insist that a match point that went his favour due to a contested line call was replayed). He would have no chance of beating Borg in the 1981 final, and would have been the underdog vs. Vilas in the 1982 final, but regardless it would have been nice to have seen him in the final of a major.

Lapentti's 2002 Wimbledon QF vs. Nalbandian - Lapentti came from 2 sets to love down to force a decider, though he was always trailing in that 5th set going down a double break before clawing one of them back. He saved 4 match points in his R1 match vs. Jamie Delgado, came from 2 sets to love down to win his R3 match vs. Pavel in R3, and from 2 sets to 1 down to win his R4 match vs. Clement. Had he got past Nalbandian I'm not sure how much he would have had left in the tank for a SF against Malisse, but still I would have loved to have seen his Wimbledon adventure continue for longer.

El Aynaoui's 2003 Australian Open QF vs. Roddick when he had match point when leading 5-4 in the 5th set (though on Roddick's serve with he saved with an inside out forehand cross court winner) narrowly misses the cut. I find it difficult to suggest big matches where the player I supported was convincingly beaten, i.e. Gerulaitis in the 1979 US Open or 1980 RG finals, Mecir in the 1986 US Open and 1989 Australian Open finals, Mancini in his 1989 RG QF, Mantilla in the 1997 Hamburg final, Lapentti in his 1999 Australian Open SF, Arazi in the 2001 Monte-Carlo final, Calleri in the 2003 Hamburg final etc.

 

[Gizo]

On the women's side:

1973 US Open final - I wish Goolagong had won one of her 4 US Open finals, and I'd rather take a title away from Court than from King (though the 3rd set of the 1974 final was a classic with Evonne leading 3-0 and then breaking back to level it at 5-5) or Evert (she won the 1st set of the 1975 final with excellent play and the 2nd set was level at 4-4 before Evert took charge- we can forget about 1976 when she suffered a drubbing).

1991 Wimbledon final - That was Sabatini's only defeat vs. Graf in a stretch of 8 matches from their 1990 YEC SF through to their 1992 Amelia Island final, but sadly it came it by far the most important one of those 8. Had she won it (she was 2 points away), she would have been the reigning US Open and Wimbledon champion, while that would have been the 6th consecutive major that Graf failed to win.

1998 RG final - Seles winning that tournament just 3 and a bit weeks after her father's death (and given everything that she went through in general) would have been an incredible storyline.

I wish Mauresmo had done a lot better at RG - surely the biggest example of an elite female player underachieving at a particular major especially given her overall ability on clay - but she lost both of her quarter-finals (the fact that she only got that far twice was hugely disappointing) convincingly in straight sets and it's difficult to pin-point 1 match to change the outcome of (the R1 defeat vs. Kandarr in the 2001 was the most painful one though).

 

[Mkiske]

RG 1996 F Kafelnikov x Stich
WB 1997 SF Pioline x Stich
RG 1999 QF Medvedev x Kuerten
WB 1999 QF Agassi x Kuerten
USO 1999 QF Pioline x Kuerten
Miami 2000 F Sampras x Kuerten
WB 2000 F Sampras x Rafter
Sidney OG 2000 QF Kafelnikov x Kuerten
Paris 2000 SF Scud x Kuerten
USO 2001 QF Kafelnikov x Kuerten

***Auckland 2004 SF Hrbaty x Kuerten ( Kuerten x Nadal F !!!!)

RG 2004 QF Nalbandian x Kuerten
PequimOG 2008 SF
RG 2013 SF
USO 2013 F
USO 2021 F

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Australian Open 2012 semi. Murray beats Djokovic.

US Open 1995 final. Agassi beats Sampras. Andre lives up to his ''If you're watching, I'm coming'' boast.

Federer beats Djokovic at 2019 Wimbledon.

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

You can break the entire Universe if you go back and change something....ever heard of Flashpoint?

"The sensation you're feeling when I hold this bread in the same postcode as your tummy means you should eat even more gluten! Also, stay away from eggs, they will give you a 1HBH."

 

[Tennis Rules]

for sure AO 2012 final

than AO 2017 final

and US Open 2011 final

 

[ChrisRF]

One of the 2006 or 2007 RG finals to give Federer the CYGS. Maybe make it 2006 to let it be an even more perfect season than 2007 would be.

Wimbledon 2019 (I would even keep the drama of 40-15, but then let Federer win the tiebreak at 12-12 after saving a MP himself).

Australian Open 1995 (give Sampras the tournament win over Agassi after all the emotional drama and all those comebacks on the court).

And in all fairness, I would have been happy for Djokovic if he had beaten Medvedev for the CYGS, but it's barely outside my top 3 (and I think he will have another chance this year anyway).