Near upsets that you wish had happened

[BauerAlmeida]

This one would have been epic.

Federer had just won 6 of the last 7 Wimbledons and made the final in the other one. Had just ended a 23-slam semifinal streak but was still carrying the QF streak. Losing on his turf against an unseeded claycourter in the 1st round would have been one of the biggest upsets ever.

 

[TheNachoMan]

 

[nolefam_2024]

Soderling and Isner.

 

[Biotic]

Kendrick, Petzschner and the whole crew of clowns that failed where Rosol and co succeeded, just so we wouldn't have to listen to Srchaphan era devotees' grass fairytales.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

juan peaking pico monaco vs. the nadal, RG 2012

Spoiler

 

[MichaelNadal]

AO12, Wimby 07, Wimby 18. Doha 2010

 

[junior74]

40-15, 2019 edition.

 

[Kralingen]

Agassi-Sampras Wimbledon 1993/99

Agassi-Sampras USO 2001

Cleveland Cavaliers-Golden State Warriors 2017

 

[RelentlessAttack]

Agassi-Sampras Wimbledon 1993/99

Agassi-Sampras USO 2001

Cleveland Cavaliers-Golden State Warriors 2017

Hell no, would never take Agassi prevailing over PETE as a positive thing

 

[NAS]

Even Rafa fans and Agassi fans know that defeating Novak and Sampras in their best slam is upset for their favorite player , normally in prime they will always fail.

 

[NAS]

40-15, 2019 edition.

Lol you even have to write which 40-15

 

[junior74]

Lol you even have to write which 40-15

Exposure therapy... there has been so little 40-15 on TT lately

 

[Poisoned Slice]

United beating Liverpool at Anfield last season.

 

[beltsman]

Mathieu vs Nadal at RG
Federer vs Nadal at their last RG match

 

[The_Order]

Mathieu vs Nadal at RG
Federer vs Nadal at their last RG match

How were those near upsets? Especially the RG19 match lmfao...

 

[NeutralFan]

Argentina vs Germany 1990 wc final . Germans cheated their way to the trophy with help of a Mexican referee , gave red card for a dive, gave a nonexistent penalty, didn't give Argentina penalty. They needed fake penalty to score against 10 man Argentina team, shame.

 

[alogic]

Federer beating Djokovic at Wimbledon 2019

 

[Mustard]

How were those near upsets? Especially the RG19 match lmfao...

As amazing as Mathieu played for so long, Wilander was laughing on commentary in the second set that Mathieu would have to keep it up and improve further if he was to actually win the match.

Even the 2011 Isner match saw Nadal take command early in both the fourth and fifth sets. I was only worried, briefly, after the third set ended.

 

[The_Order]

As amazing as Mathieu played for so long, Wilander was laughing on commentary in the second set that Mathieu would have to keep it up and improve further if he was to win.

Even the 2011 Isner match saw Nadal take command early in both the fourth and fifth sets. I was only worried, briefly, after the third set ended.

Yep. 2011 after going down 2-1 Nadal went to a level that Isner couldn't believe. He even said so after the match.

PHM played really well but it was never a near upset. More a worthy challenge.

 

[Thundergod]

It ultimately worked out for him in the long run, but 2013 AO 4R Stan vs Djokovic.

 

[ibbi]

2006 Australian Open Final. If that had happened, it would probably be the greatest thing in the history of tennis. I guess it wasn't THAT near, but at 7-5, 5-5 0-30 it wasn't that far either.

 

[helterskelter]

juan peaking pico monaco vs. the nadal, RG 2012

Spoiler

Anyone versus TN, of course, but if we are picking one that at least was relatively close to happening but didn't and might have made a difference to the course of subsequent events, I'm going with Paul-Henri Mathieu in 2006.

 

[helterskelter]

AO12, Wimby 07, Wimby 18. Doha 2010

Wimbledon 18 wouldn't have been an upset, though. Definitely could have changed subsequent events a great deal, for sure.

 

[fedfan24]

2011 Isner. It’s criminal that 2011 Fed’s level only bagged him a plate, when you see the level required to win there since 2021.

 

[kevin qmto]

Hell no, would never take Agassi prevailing over PETE as a positive thing

I would.

 

[jl809]

• Isner - Prime Nadal, French Open 2011 (Isner is one of only 4 men to take Nadal to 5 sets at RG, being up 2 sets to 1. John Isner.)
  
  
• Anderson - Peak Djokovic, Wimbledon 2015 (Anderson was 2 sets up FFS)
  
  
• Brokeback Agassi - Peak Federer, US Open 2005 (35 year old Agassi had come off 3 consecutive 5 setters and was still leading by a break at 1 set all against Peaky "HiGhEsT PeAk in TeNniS" Federer, who was helped by a shank on a crucial point iirc that Agassi even talks about in his book)
  
  
• Ramos-Vinolas - Alcaraz, RG 2022 (I know becoming Zverev's first top 10 slam win is arguably funnier, but c'mon, it's ARV ffs)
  
  
• Roddick - Federer 2x, Wimbledon 2004 or 2009 (the rain screwed Andy in 04, and he just deserved one in 09. Just one!)
  
  
• Baby Nadal - Peak Federer, Miami 2005 (the line call screwed Nadal, who had been 2 sets up anyway, and we would have had the neat story of Peak Fed being 0-3 on outdoor HC vs tinydal)
  
  
• Groin injury Federer vs Djokovic, AO 2020 (the first 20 minutes of that first set. Bedlam.)
  
  
• Henman vs Coria, RG 2004 SF (TIM! He'd reached the SFs of RG with S&V. And he took the first set here and only narrowly lost the second..)

 

[RS]

Argentina vs Germany 1990 wc final . Germans cheated their way to the trophy with help of a Mexican referee , gave red card for a dive, gave a nonexistent penalty, didn't give Argentina penalty. They needed fake penalty to score against 10 man Argentina team, shame.

Argentina needed help to get past England in 1986 so some balance?

 

[NeutralFan]

Argentina needed help to get past England in 1986 so some balance?

Not quite the same , Argentina were 2-0 up when England scored and would have played differently with 1-0 than with 2-0, moreover, Playing 30 minutes with a player down with a blatantly wrong straight red card for a dive and even then Germans needed a nonexistent penalty in the dying minutes to win. Not same by any means, moreover their star players were suspended for laughable fouls in semis.

 

[kevin qmto]

I’ll say an obscure one. How many professional players play their final career match against the world No.1? Not many I’m guessing, and even fewer who stood a chance at beating them.

In 2001, nearly retired Haitian #1 Ronald Agénor, weeks shy of his 37th birthday and having hardly played all year, went through qualifying and made the main draw of the Montreal masters. In his first round, he drew reigning #1 Kuerten… who in his prime wasn’t just a clay courter, but could dominate on hard as well.

And Agénor played quite well. Showing he still had something left in the tank, he broke Guga and won the 1st set 6/4, and promptly went up a break early in the 2nd. It honestly looked like he was destined for one of the biggest upsets of the decade before Guga righted himself and took the set and then the match: 4/6, 6/4, 6/3. But as a last match a think Ronald did exceedingly well all things considered, I do wish he’d have gotten that win, though I still love Guga. He’ll always have that 3-0 H2H against Agassi to be proud of.

 

[Nole_King]

Argentina vs Germany 1990 wc final . Germans cheated their way to the trophy with help of a Mexican referee , gave red card for a dive, gave a nonexistent penalty, didn't give Argentina penalty. They needed fake penalty to score against 10 man Argentina team, shame.

Football is the last game to look for sportsman spirit. I am yet to see one team that doesn't fake dives. Argentines are no saint themselves. Maradona himself did a handball inside penalty area against Russia denying Russia a penalty.

 

[djokovic the conqueror]

Dan Evans had a match point against Wawrinka at the 2016 US Open and he failed to convert. I'll never forgive him for that.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

I’ll say an obscure one. How many professional players play their final career match against the world No.1? Not many I’m guessing, and even fewer who stood a chance at beating them.

In 2001, nearly retired Haitian #1 Ronald Agénor, weeks shy of his 37th birthday and having hardly played all year, went through qualifying and made the main draw of the Montreal masters. In his first round, he drew reigning #1 Kuerten… who in his prime wasn’t just a clay courter, but could dominate on hard as well.

And Agénor played quite well. Showing he still had something left in the tank, he broke Guga and won the 1st set 6/4, and promptly went up a break early in the 2nd. It honestly looked like he was destined for one of the biggest upsets of the decade before Guga righted himself and took the set and then the match: 4/6, 6/4, 6/3. But as a last match a think Ronald did exceedingly well all things considered, I do wish he’d have gotten that win, though I still love Guga. He’ll always have that 3-0 H2H against Agassi to be proud of.

i remember that match... good one!
PS: he also has a 3-1 record vs. stich... not bad either