Masters 1000 wins without a single Top-10 win

[Fedeonic]

Since 2004, these players won a Masters 1000 title without beating a Top-10 player in the course:

-Nadal: Rome 2005, Madrid 2005, Montecarlo 2010, Rome 2010, Montecarlo 2017
-Federer: Toronto 2006
-Djokovic: Rome 2008
-Murray: Shanghai 2016, Paris 2016*
-Robredo: Hamburg 2006
-Roddick: Cincinnati 2006
-Dimitrov: Cincinnati 2017
-Sock: Paris 2017

*Murray was due to play 5th ranked Raonic in SF, but the latter withdrew.

 

[Gazelle]

Clearly shows again that Nadal has been the most lucky player when it comes to cupcake draws.

That said, are you sure Coria (who Nadal defeated in Rome 2005 final) wasn't top 10 at the time? That would surprise me.

 

[Tennis_Hands]

Clearly shows again that Nadal has been the most lucky player when it comes to cupcake draws.

That said, are you sure Coria (who Nadal defeated in Rome 2005 final) wasn't top 10 at the time? That would surprise me.

Coria was ranked 11.

 

[PeteD]

Clearly shows again that Nadal has been the most lucky player when it comes to cupcake draws.

That said, are you sure Coria (who Nadal defeated in Rome 2005 final) wasn't top 10 at the time? That would surprise me.

Coria
Rome May 2-9, 2005
2005.05.09 rank = 8
2005.05.02 rank = 11
Seems that by making the final he was top 10
fine point but as to Nadal, absolutely. Which continued in Monte Carlo to a ridiculous degree

 

[Tiki-Taka]

Nobody else was beating Coria in that Rome final. Absolutely insane tennis in that one. Maybe best ever, at least on clay.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Clearly shows again that Nadal has been the most lucky player when it comes to cupcake draws.

Probably rigged to compensate for his steroid use and lack of sportsmanship.
Damn ATP.

 

[r2473]

Since 2004, these players won a Masters 1000 title without beating a Top-10 player in the course:

-Nadal: Rome 2005, Madrid 2005, Montecarlo 2010, Rome 2010, Montecarlo 2017
-Federer: Toronto 2006
-Djokovic: Rome 2008
-Murray: Shanghai 2016, Paris 2016*
-Robredo: Hamburg 2006
-Roddick: Cincinnati 2006

*Murray was due to play 5th ranked Raonic in SF, but withdrew.

I bet this was more common in the past when surfaces played differently. Clay court specialists in the top 10 would get crushed on hard/grass and vice-versa.

 

[Rafa the King]

It proves that clay-court specialist aren't always in the top 10 which has been so forever. Rafa has won like 22 Clay Masters, no doubt that some are gonna be without top 10 wins. The season is HC dominated so the players who are great on clay and meh on hc suffer from it in their ranking.
+ @Tiki-Taka is right, nobody else was beating Coria in 05 in Rome

 

[Noelan]

KOC is KOED

 

[Mainad]

Since 2004, these players won a Masters 1000 title without beating a Top-10 player in the course:

-Nadal: Rome 2005, Madrid 2005, Montecarlo 2010, Rome 2010, Montecarlo 2017
-Federer: Toronto 2006
-Djokovic: Rome 2008
-Murray: Shanghai 2016**, Paris 2016*
-Robredo: Hamburg 2006
-Roddick: Cincinnati 2006

*Murray was due to play 5th ranked Raonic in SF, but withdrew.

**He was due to play top-ranked Djokovic in the Shanghai final but had to play Bautista Agut for some strange reason.

 

[Gary Duane]

It proves that clay-court specialist aren't always in the top 10 which has been so forever. Rafa has won like 22 Clay Masters, no doubt that some are gonna be without top 10 wins. The season is HC dominated so the players who are great on clay and meh on hc suffer from it in their ranking.
+ @Tiki-Taka is right, nobody else was beating Coria in 05 in Rome

Even Nadal has been seeded #2 many years at RG. Ranking tends to go on results on mostly HCs.

 

[mike danny]

I certainly wouldn't put Rome 2005 and MC 2017 in the same boat just because neither title came against a top 10 player. Rome 2005 was tougher because Coria played better than anyone Nadal faced in MC this year.

Yes, Coria wasn't top 10 at that time but he became top 10 the following day. Doesn't that count for something?

 

[Mainad]

Murray was due to play 5th ranked Raonic in SF, but withdrew.

It was Raonic's withdrawal from that match that automatically handed Murray the #1 ranking. I don't suppose Andy was complaining but I'll bet Novak had a few choice words for him when he heard the news!

 

[Mainad]

I certainly wouldn't put Rome 2005 and MC 2017 in the same boat just because neither title came against a top 10 player. Rome 2005 was tougher because Coria played better than anyone Nadal faced in MC this year.

Yes, Coria wasn't top 10 at that time but he became top 10 the following day. Doesn't that count for something?

Not for us Stats Nerds!

 

[mike danny]

Also when you win so many masters titles as these guys have, you are bound to win one without facing a top 10 player.

Check their slam stats. I am absolutely certain they have won all their slams beating at least 1 top 10 player

 

[6-3 6-0]

Doesn't matter in the long run. All of them had to beat whoever advanced deep enough to meet them and they did exactly that to win the title which is the only thing that matters

 

[KINGROGER]

Don't rate this stat when you have guys like Raonic and Nishikori mugging up the top 10 since 2014.

 

[Mainad]

Doesn't matter in the long run. All of them had to beat whoever advanced deep enough to meet them and they did exactly that to win the title which is the only thing that matters

Exactly and if they didn't beat a top 10 guy themselves I'm sure they all beat at least 1 guy who had beaten 1 for them!

 

[Fedeonic]

It was Raonic's withdrawal from that match that automatically handed Murray the #1 ranking. I don't suppose Andy was complaining but I'll bet Novak had a few choice words for him when he heard the news!

Jajaja, bad choice of word of mine, thanks for the "correction".

 

[Fedeonic]

Check their slam stats. I am absolutely certain they have won all their slams beating at least 1 top 10 player

Actually the Big 4 + Wawrinka/Del Potro/Cilic won all of their Slams beating at least a Top-10 player.

 

[Goosehead]

despite his rank coria was the bloke you had to beat to win on clay..was winning or finalist a lot esp in masters in mid 2000s

 

[BGod]

Canadian Open tends to produce some big outliers for champions and draws in general.

I am in agreement that ranking, especially a couple decades back wasn't as important since you had guys skip big portions of the season due to surface and have their points slip or coming back from injury, etc. Not to mention deeper talent pool. I agree, in today's field to win a title without facing a Top 10 player is a joke but not in the 90s or early 00s.

Anywho, some other notes prior to 2004:

1985 Miami Open (Lipton International Players Championships)
16 Seed Format sees Tim Mayotte, unseeded himself face nobody of note on his way to the title except a young 17 year old Becker before he won Wimbledon later that year. Some top players were absent but Lendl, Wilander (both losing in 4th), Curren, Noah, Edberg and Gerulaitisn were present losing before the semifinals.

1992 Indian Wells
12th seeded Michael Chang didn't face a single seeded player in the tournament. With big names such as Sampras, Courier, Goran, Korda, Agassi and Forget all losing early. Michael Stich was in the opposite semifinal losing to Andrei Chesnokov.

 

[Fate Archer]

Nobody else was beating Coria in that Rome final. Absolutely insane tennis in that one. Maybe best ever, at least on clay.

+ @Tiki-Taka is right, nobody else was beating Coria in 05 in Rome

Eh...

Rodge's game seemed to match rather well with Coria's. I don't disagree that Coria was of the utmost value as a clay court opponent and he played out of his mind.

But well who knows, Rome is a different venue.

 

[AnOctorokForDinner]

Check their slam stats. I am absolutely certain they have won all their slams beating at least 1 top 10 player

Not anymore!

 

[TheMaestro1990]

It proves that clay-court specialist aren't always in the top 10 which has been so forever. Rafa has won like 22 Clay Masters, no doubt that some are gonna be without top 10 wins. The season is HC dominated so the players who are great on clay and meh on hc suffer from it in their ranking.
+ @Tiki-Taka is right, nobody else was beating Coria in 05 in Rome

Very good point. Didn't think of that when I saw the list.

 

[Red Rick]

Also when you win so many masters titles as these guys have, you are bound to win one without facing a top 10 player.

Check their slam stats. I am absolutely certain they have won all their slams beating at least 1 top 10 player

Murray has.

But he has sample size issues

 

[citybert]

Clearly shows again that Nadal has been the most lucky player when it comes to cupcake draws.

That said, are you sure Coria (who Nadal defeated in Rome 2005 final) wasn't top 10 at the time? That would surprise me.

Also not sure if those wins were against strong clay players who had poor HC results. would need to dig deeper

 

[WhiskeyEE]

It proves that clay-court specialist aren't always in the top 10 which has been so forever. Rafa has won like 22 Clay Masters, no doubt that some are gonna be without top 10 wins. The season is HC dominated so the players who are great on clay and meh on hc suffer from it in their ranking.
+ @Tiki-Taka is right, nobody else was beating Coria in 05 in Rome

What clay specialists have there been in the last 10 years who weren't in the top 10? Almagro? lol.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

What clay specialists have there been in the last 10 years who weren't in the top 10? Almagro? lol.

Almugro's CH is #9.

 

[WhiskeyEE]

Almugro's CH is #9.

Yeah I meant typically in the top 10 though. Thiem, for example, doesn't count. Neither does Ferrer (even though he's good on HC too).

That leaves Almagro... Fognini maybe?

Almagro is 0-3 vs Federer on Clay. 0-3 vs Djokovic on clay.

Fognini is 0-3 vs Djokovic on clay. Never played Federer on it.

Basically, the clay specialist argument isn't a good one. They are useless against top players on every surface.

Berdych beat Novak on clay in the 2013 Rome QF. Tsonga beat Federer twice on clay. Things so-called clay specialists haven't done.

 

[merlinpinpin]

Actually the Big 4 + Wawrinka/Del Potro/Cilic won all of their Slams beating at least a Top-10 player.

Might be worth a quick check, though. And you might even extend this to top 25 players.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

Yeah I meant typically in the top 10 though. Thiem, for example, doesn't count. Neither does Ferrer (even though he's good on HC too).

That leaves Almagro... Fognini maybe?

Almagro is 0-3 vs Federer on Clay. 0-3 vs Djkovic on clay.

Fognini is 0-3 vs Djokovic on clay. Never played Federer on it.

Basically, the clay specialist argument isn't a good one. They are useless against top players on every surface.

Berdych beat Novak on clay in the 2013 Rome QF. Something the so-called clay specialists haven't done.

Three initial Spaniards, Diego, Cuevas...lol

 

[abmk]

Also when you win so many masters titles as these guys have, you are bound to win one without facing a top 10 player.

Check their slam stats. I am absolutely certain they have won all their slams beating at least 1 top 10 player

apparently Nadal took this as "Challenge accepted" (ala Barney Stinson) and won a slam without beating a top 25 player !

 

[73west]

Yeah I meant typically in the top 10 though. Thiem, for example, doesn't count. Neither does Ferrer (even though he's good on HC too).

That leaves Almagro... Fognini maybe?

The surprising one, and I'm not going to label him a clay court specialist (he's too good on hard courts for that), is Fernando Verdasco. He has 3 wins over Djokovic and a win over Nadal at Masters events on clay. He also has wins over Soderling, Ferrer and Thiem on clay, all when those guys were in the top 10.

 

[Cfidave]

I believe Sock won Paris without beating a top 10 player. Not sure he even beat a top 20 player.

 

[Fedeonic]

Updated.

Might be worth a quick check, though. And you might even extend this to top 25 players.

I know what you did there.

I believe Sock won Paris without beating a top 10 player. Not sure he even beat a top 20 player.

True to that, highest ranked player was Pouille (25), also Dimitrov won Cincinnati 2017 without beating a Top-10 (redeemed himself at the Masters, though).

 

[Boom-Boom]

Nobody else was beating Coria in that Rome final. Absolutely insane tennis in that one. Maybe best ever, at least on clay.

Coria is a doper. Who was able to outrun him in that final??? oh wait ...

 

[Tiki-Taka]

Coria is a doper. Who was able to outrun him in that final??? oh wait ...

It's 2018 and instead of appreciating one of the best matches ever you are being very insecure. What a surprise.

 

[Boom-Boom]

It's 2018 and instead of appreciating one of the best matches ever you are being very insecure. What a surprise.

Coria is a doper and a cheater (but you are free to admire him, revealing your moral values)

as for the man who ran longer than him in that final....guess what

 

[Tiki-Taka]

Coria is a doper and a cheater (but you are free to admire him, revealing your moral values)

as for the man who ran longer than him in that final....guess what

Cringeworthy baiting just as I expected. Keep it up.

 

[N01E]

Murray has.

But he has sample size issues

So does Djokovic (he has also beaten at least one big 4 member in each of his wins).

 

[Red Rick]

Coria is a doper and a cheater (but you are free to admire him, revealing your moral values)

as for the man who ran longer than him in that final....guess what

If you think testing negative or being protected makes you morally superior, I would advise you to think again.

 

[Boom-Boom]

Cringeworthy baiting just as I expected. Keep it up.

I don’t blame you - in Spain, judges order to destroy doped blood bags to avoid the embarassment of revealing the names of doped Spanish sportsmen

 

[Tiki-Taka]

I don’t blame you - in Spain, judges order to destroy doped blood bags to avoid the embarassment of revealing the names of doped Spanish sportsmen

And the guy you target 24/7 has criticized that, years before the reversal. Isn't that marvelous. If it helps you sleep better at night, continue believing that your favorite is the only clean guy, swimming in ocean of dopers. Nobody is stopping you.

 

[Boom-Boom]

And the guy you target 24/7 has criticized that, years before the reversal. Isn't that marvelous. If it helps you sleep better at night, continue believing that your favorite is the only clean guy, swimming in ocean of dopers. Nobody is stopping you.

lol what reversal?

 

[Red Rick]

And the guy you target 24/7 has criticized that, years before the reversal. Isn't that marvelous. If it helps you sleep better at night, continue believing that your favorite is the only clean guy, swimming in ocean of dopers. Nobody is stopping you.

If everyone dopes, the surely Federer is as clean as a diaper

Spoiler

of a baby with diarrhea

 

[Tiki-Taka]

nvm

A bit more research, a bit more knowledge.

 

[Deon Sanders]

Ned the vulture

Most overrated athlete perhaps of all time

Needs a surface old women know to hate to get any success

Yikes at Ned

 

[Mainad]

Murray has.

But he has sample size issues

Say what?

 

[Towser83]

**He was due to play top-ranked Djokovic in the Shanghai final but had to play Bautista Agut for some strange reason.

Yeah cos Djokovic lost lol. Not that I'm taking anything away from a player because they didn't beat a top 10 player, but the Raonic case is different as Raonic had advanced to the meeting with Murray but pulled out. If you count Djokovic losing before he could play Murray you could make that case for every one of these tournamants, player who won would have faced a top seed if they didn't lose.