Most significant match in tennis history?

[Phoenix1983]

What do you consider to be the most significant match in tennis history?

Note: this is not a question about the *greatest* match, although the two things can of course overlap. It is about the match which helped the development and popularity of tennis the most.

For me, it must be the Laver-Rosewall encounter in the WCT Final of 1972. This match was watched by millions of Americans, and led to a spectator and competitor boom in the early years of the Open Era. Later players like Connors, Borg and McEnroe of course built on the popularity, but it was Muscles and The Rocket who lit the spark...

 

[KG1965]

We have to understand exactly what you mean by " most significant " .

As I understand I have no doubts.
Semifinal of Stockholm in 1973 : Borg (17 years ) vs Connors (21 years ) .

No one had ever seen play the Tennis 2.0 .
Another sport, an alien sport.

I can imagine the astonished faces of the spectators who wonder " but from what planet are these two ? "

 

[Gary Duane]

What do you consider to be the most significant match in tennis history?

Note: this is not a question about the *greatest* match, although the two things can of course overlap. It is about the match which helped the development and popularity of tennis the most.

For me, it must be the Laver-Rosewall encounter in the WCT Final of 1972. This match was watched by millions of Americans, and led to a spectator and competitor boom in the early years of the Open Era. Later players like Connors, Borg and McEnroe of course built on the popularity, but it was Muscles and The Rocket who lit the spark...

That match, and the one between BJK and Riggs, in terms of bringing tennis popularity to an all-time high.

Obviously talking about the best matches in terms of competitiveness and level of play is a different discussion.

 

[NatF]

Good choices.

Another significant (not the most significant) might the 1994 Wimbledon Final - which most likely led to the slowing of the courts. In another decade we might look back on that match as the day the slow death of tennis began...

Just kidding with that last part.

 

[dgold44]

What do you consider to be the most significant match in tennis history?

Note: this is not a question about the *greatest* match, although the two things can of course overlap. It is about the match which helped the development and popularity of tennis the most.

For me, it must be the Laver-Rosewall encounter in the WCT Final of 1972. This match was watched by millions of Americans, and led to a spectator and competitor boom in the early years of the Open Era. Later players like Connors, Borg and McEnroe of course built on the popularity, but it was Muscles and The Rocket who lit the spark...

Are u in Phoenix Arizona ???

 

[dgold44]

I find watching old Connors matches far more exciting that almost all of today's matches

I miss the great variety in the old days
The diverse styles and personalities

 

[dgold44]

80s tennis like NBA and maybe NFL was the best

 

[PMChambers]

Good choices.

Another significant (not the most significant) might the 1994 Wimbledon Final - which most likely led to the slowing of the courts. In another decade we might look back on that match as the day the slow death of tennis began...

Just kidding with that last part.

Really! Sounds like a tennis myth generated by TW Forum. Wimbledon was changed prior and after to make it more even and consistent in bounce, better on TV, more exciting to the genral public. Not sure you can put a specific point on the calendar and say that. They played another final 4 years latter so could not have been a very pro-active decision. Poly effected the game more than anything the ground curators have done.

 

[BorgCash]

80s tennis like NBA and maybe NFL was the best

Yes, for sure, also 70's NHL.

 

[Frankc]

Culturally and maybe tennis wise, perhaps Mac-Borg ' 80 at W...

 

[hoodjem]

1937 Davis Cup Inter-Zone final: Don Budge of the USA defeats Hitler and Na$i Germany at Wimbledon.

http://www.dw.com/en/germany-vs-the-us-in-1937-the-greatest-tennis-match-ever-played/a-4455340

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/tennis/04/08/tennis.greatest.match.cramm/

http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/the-greatest-match-ever-2008-or-1937/?_r=0

https://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014130.html

 

[Phoenix1983]

^ That is a great one from a symbolic perspective, sure.

I should point out in the interest of fairness that Von Cramm was by no means a Na$i sympathiser though.

 

[70sHollywood]

I've often thought the 1927 Davis Cup must have been highly significant, so I''ll suggest either Lacoste beating Tilden in the 4th rubber or Cochet beating Johnston in the 5th.

Among other reasons, Roland Garros was built specifically for the defense of their title.

 

[70sHollywood]

Here is an article that some might find interesting:

http://www.tennisnow.com/News/Matches-That-Changed-The-Course-Of-Tennis-History.aspx

 

[meltphace 6]

Del Potro vs Köllerer, USO 2009

 

[boredone3456]

Well...in terms of major media impact it's hard to argue against the Riggs vs King battle of the Sexes. Yes it was a giant media circus and by some accounts hard to consider a REAL tennis match but even more than 40 years later everyone knows about it. It also helped promote the women's side of the game and of all the battle of the Sexes matches it's the only one people easily remember.

Another would be Soderling defeating Rafa. All the born Comparisons and the streak and all that jazz. Add in that Fed couldn't stop him at the French, the near feeling of invulnerability that Rafa displayed, it all ended there.

Another, on the women's side, could be all of the Serena vs Venus major finals. I can't really peg one, but they met in 4 straight finals and that alone was pretty impressive. For a time they were unbeatable, no one could stop them essentially.

There are others but I can't really say they have that ability to have Long last in impact.

 

[hoodjem]

^ That is a great one from a symbolic perspective, sure.

I should point out in the interest of fairness that Von Cramm was by no means a Na$i sympathiser though.

Absolutely correct. He was gay and had a Jewish lover.

Hitler (or Goebbels) was using him for propaganda purposes. So, as long as he kept winning . . .

 

[hoodjem]

Here is an article that some might find interesting:

http://www.tennisnow.com/News/Matches-That-Changed-The-Course-Of-Tennis-History.aspx

Excellent article! Thanks.

Some great candidates there for Most Significant Match.

 

[urban]

All good choices. I would add the Lenglen-Wills classic in 1926 at Cannes, The Diva vs. The Ice Maiden in their one and only meeting. Had all the ingredients: two alltime greats, old champ vs. Young gun, press coverage, kings, lords, sultans and all High Society in attendance, controversy, bad calls, nervous breakdowns, lots of flowers and tears, and even some romance. I think, Helen found her first husband that day. I doubt, that there were written more books and articles about another match.

 

[Phoenix1983]

All good choices. I would add the Lenglen-Wills classic in 1926 at Cannes, The Diva vs. The Ice Maiden in their one and only meeting. Had all the ingredients: two alltime greats, old champ vs. Young gun, press coverage, kings, lords, sultans and all High Society in attendance, controversy, bad calls, nervous breakdowns, lots of flowers and tears, and even some romance. I think, Helen found her first husband that day. I doubt, that there were written more books and articles about another match.

Good choice. I certainly think this is the most significant women's match ever played.

I think the story about Helen Wills meeting her husband here is quite sweet. If I recall correctly, the story is that after Lenglen won, virtually everybody in the stadium crowded around her, leaving Wills all alone. Then a lone man approached her with flowers, and he eventually became her first husband.

 

[boredone3456]

Good choice. I certainly think this is the most significant women's match ever played.

I think the story about Helen Wills meeting her husband here is quite sweet. If I recall correctly, the story is that after Lenglen won, virtually everybody in the stadium crowded around her, leaving Wills all alone. Then a lone man approached her with flowers, and he eventually became her first husband.

This is a truly sweet moment in tennis history. Wills is always portrayed as cold and heartless but she found love in a truly vulnerable moment in her career and went on to rebound and become a superstar in her own right. Certainly that match deserves mention here as well.

 

[I am the Greatest!]

If what you mean by 'significant' is 'the match that changed tennis' history', then it has got to be the 1994 Wimbledon Finals. That match alone marked and started the end of the fast courts era. Not instantly, but you know, that match had the world thinking, 'we need to slow the courts down'.

 

[Phoenix1983]

If what you mean by 'significant' is 'the match that changed tennis' history', then it has got to be the 1994 Wimbledon Finals. That match alone marked and started the end of the fast courts era. Not instantly, but you know, that match had the world thinking, 'we need to slow the courts down'.

Maybe, but it's bizarre that it took another eight years to do that (Sampras won 5 more Wimbledon titles after that point, and Goran was victorious seven years later!)

 

[BTURNER]

The most significant match in history involved me beating my older brother when I was 15 and he was twenty. The score was 6-3, 4-1 ret. He is generally a competitive jerk who lords every victory in every card game, board game and sport over his three younger siblings. On this day, history was made, because he got so frustrated he threw his racket across the net and a LOT of audible obscenities flew forth. I won. He lost. I will repeat like I did 25 times over the next week. Brian, the presumably wimpy, pudgy and unathletic nerd, beat Gary, a lettered high school wrestler and baseball player, in front of everyone in the family. I won. He lost. I won.

Nobody on this forum will beat that for history making tennis matches. And the rest of you will just have to live on each day, without seeing the clips on you-tube or any press articles. I was There!

 

[stringertom]

The 1972 WCT match was the big one as said before it put tennis on the map in the states with the TV and sports coverage..........that match bumped tennis into an almost top 4 status and honestly started the tennis boom. It also helped put the WCT on an even footing with the ITF and for a little while even bigger -

This started things but BJK-Riggs catapulted tennis into prime time in the U.S. a year later and set the table for the Connors/Evert love puppies to propel real tennis into long lasting media coverage and much larger participation levels at the amateur level.

 

[DMP]

The 1972 WCT final because it kick-started the process of projecting tennis into a mass audience sport. Other changes (eg the surface changes) have been made to try to retain that audience, but Dallas started it. The only other ones to approach it in significance are Riggs-King, because of the impact for the women's game, and maybe Graf-Seles (the stabbing) which changed how security was viewed.

 

[supineAnimation]

I think the King/Riggs match was significant for different, arguably larger reasons. But in terms of strictly the sport, I would say it would probably be a match where you see the old guard against the new guard. Sampras/Federer, Connors/Agassi, and probably more in earlier eras, too. I didn't start watching tennis until the early 90s, and I don't watch much women's tennis, but I would guess there was this kind of match at the intersection of most eras.

 

[Arafel]

McEnroe vs Borg Wimbledon 1980

Runner up would be King-Riggs.

That 1980 Wimbledon match electrified people who weren't even big tennis fans. That epic fourth set tiebreak was one for the ages. It was the first of four consecutive finals between Borg and McEnroe at the big two Grand Slams, and of course, McEnroe won the next three.

 

[pc1]

There's a few different ones for me. Lenglen and Wills in 1927 was important because of all the interest sparked around the world in tennis.

Riggs and King in 1973 of course for the same reason.

However for tennis in the Open Era the Borg and Tanner Wimbledon final was extremely important because it was the first time Wimbledon was broadcast live with their Breakfast at Wimbledon match.

Laver/Rosewall WCT 1972 was important also as well as Borg/McEnroe Wimbledon 1980 although I think that match for quality is way overrated.

 

[Phoenix1983]

However for tennis in the Open Era the Borg and Tanner Wimbledon final was extremely important because it was the first time Wimbledon was broadcast live with their Breakfast at Wimbledon match.

You probably didn't mean to do so, but this statement is very American-biased. We are not all American!

Agree with the rest of your choices though.

 

[pc1]

You probably didn't mean to do so, but this statement is very American-biased. We are not all American!

Agree with the rest of your choices though.

Actually I forgot to write it was for US tennis. I was just in a rush. I knew that and intended to write it.

 

[Diehard]

McEnroe v Borg 1980. Elevated tennis to global superstar status for which th players of today are reaping the rewards