tennis_pro
Bionic Poster
Nadal-Youzhny in 2008 Chennai. Still can't believe Youzhny lost that game.
The match that hurts you but you can never stop watching again and again
ForehandRF
Legend
@BeatlesFan The Rome loss should have made him even more motivated to beat Nadal in BO5 and I truly believe that he had the game to win at least one of those finals at the French. Easier said than done and unfortunately from that point his confidence went down.
BeatlesFan
Bionic Poster
It should have, but it didn't. Fed was basically unbeatable in 2006, but Nadal owned him mentally from the Rome match until AO 2017. A long drought and lots of chokes from Roger in those subsequent years.
vive le beau jeu !
Talk Tennis Guru
you guys are crazy masochists... i prefer to watch highlights that put me in a good mood ! 
such as the tsonganization, the delpotring, the solderingement day, the rosol incident, etc.
such as the tsonganization, the delpotring, the solderingement day, the rosol incident, etc.
Your Hero
Professional
Why in the world watch a match that pains you? As a Fed fan if I ever go back
to the Wimbledon 2008 final it's to watch the 3rd and 4th set TBs. The rest of that
one can go (expletive) itself. FO final 2008? I've never watched a single second
of that trainwreck. I knew going in it was going to be bad and I was wrong. It
was worse than bad. I'll watch Alize Lim lose to anyone though. In HD. Freeze
framed where necessary.
to the Wimbledon 2008 final it's to watch the 3rd and 4th set TBs. The rest of that
one can go (expletive) itself. FO final 2008? I've never watched a single second
of that trainwreck. I knew going in it was going to be bad and I was wrong. It
was worse than bad. I'll watch Alize Lim lose to anyone though. In HD. Freeze
framed where necessary.
NicoMK
Hall of Fame
Muster-Becker at the 1995 Monte Carlo final. Boris has a match point in the 4th set and has the occasion of wining his first title on clay. He double faulted (serving a second ball at nearly 200 km/h).
He was playing great tennis during this tournament. Played three finals there and never won one.
He was playing great tennis during this tournament. Played three finals there and never won one.
vive le beau jeu !
Talk Tennis Guru
massive match... one of the best MC finals !Muster-Becker at the 1995 Monte Carlo final. Boris has a match point in the 4th set and has the occasion of wining his first title on clay. He double faulted (serving a second ball at nearly 200 km/h).
He was playing great tennis during this tournament. Played three finals there and never won one.
(becker was usually on the other hand of such scenarios...)
muster was a mental giant in 1995... winning 6 tournaments (out of 12) after saving match point(s) !
NicoMK
Hall of Fame
Having said that, the match that REALLY broke my heart is the 1995 RG second round between my forever idol Mats Wilander and Wayne Ferreira. That's a more personal point of view of course because at that time Mats was my tennis hero (and still is), my model as a player and as a man (at least from what I knew about him).
That year, he was trying to make a comeback and he was starting to play really good tennis again. RG was his garden and Wayne was seeded like #8.
A great five setters. 4h50 and 8-6 in the fifth, Mats serving at 6-5 in the fifth and Wayne breaking back to finally win the match.
I was young at that time and that defeat broke my heart for a few days really.
A few years later, I had the opportunity to talk with Wayne about it and he said to me: "sure I remember that match. I still feel tired". Nice chap.
It still hurts me when I think about this match.
That year, he was trying to make a comeback and he was starting to play really good tennis again. RG was his garden and Wayne was seeded like #8.
A great five setters. 4h50 and 8-6 in the fifth, Mats serving at 6-5 in the fifth and Wayne breaking back to finally win the match.
I was young at that time and that defeat broke my heart for a few days really.
A few years later, I had the opportunity to talk with Wayne about it and he said to me: "sure I remember that match. I still feel tired". Nice chap.
It still hurts me when I think about this match.
DerekNoleFam1
Hall of Fame
2013 USO final. Some epic rallies, but Nadal was clutch.
2015 RG final also stung, but was an out of the box performance by Stanimal.
By contrast the 2016 USO final is the one I can never bring myself to watch again.
2015 RG final also stung, but was an out of the box performance by Stanimal.
By contrast the 2016 USO final is the one I can never bring myself to watch again.
Stretchy Man
Professional
Any of those 5 set Wawrinka Djokovic classics. Amazing stuff.
JerseyDevil
New User
Absolutely agree with 2016 USO Final...surprised nobody mentioned 2012 USO final. Those first two sets were totally up for grabs and Murray took them both.
Also 2010 AO QF....Djoker wins the third set easily to take a 2-1 set lead over Tsonga but completely collapses and gets demolished.
Vincent Wang-Bouchard
New User
Wimbledon 2009 Finals, I loved Roddick so much. It was very sad to see Roddick lose that match, but I keep going back to watch highlights because I think it may be one of Roddickś best matches ever.
Slightly D1
Professional
Wimbledon 2015, Nadal vs Dustin Brown.
Absolutely crazy match and Brown played with a style that requires 100% perfect execution and he did it.
Absolutely crazy match and Brown played with a style that requires 100% perfect execution and he did it.
B
BrokenGears
Guest
2013 RG semi and 2014 AO quarters come to mind
I think the RG final 2006 itself did much damage because it was a regress compared to Rome. There were 3 decisive moments, and I would say had only one of them a different outcome, Federer could have won RG 2006.
1) Losing serve at 0-1 in the 2nd set after 40-0. The missed oppurtunities included an act of fair play by Federer who overruled a call after he seemed to have already won the game and an easy forehand volley into the net.
2) Squandering 4 break points including 0-40 at 2-1 in the 3rd set and then losing his own serve in the next game.
3) Not using the momentum after breaking back in the 4th set when Nadal served for the match. Federer had a minibreak lead later in the tiebreak and would have mentally been the favourite going into a possible 5th. (I admit that this doesn’t mean too much with Nadal though, remember Wimbledon 2008).
Also while talking about this match I’m also very much on topic here, because this (and the 2007 final) is the match that hurts me as a fan until today. It would have given Federer the CYGS. For sure, he would have had more pressure than at Wimbledon and US Open, but he was way to good to not convert there those years.
TheGhostOfAgassi
Talk Tennis Guru
I dont hate myself that much I would do something over and over again that hurts me.
Meles
Bionic Poster
Well historic in that they both effectively took themselves out of RG with this ridiculously long match and handed title to Federer (handed him the Madrid final as well). Not so sure about best clay match ever status given the ramifications and loss of Madrid final. One can easily say this was not peak Djokovic because of his slam results, but on clay Nole had the stats before 2009 to call this part of his clay prime. Kind of cringe giving this greatest ever three set clay match given their relative weakness on serve, but can't think of a tighter, more grueling affair that is for sure.
Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil
Talk Tennis Guru
I usually avoid most matches that didn't have the outcome I wanted. In a few years I imagine I will go through most of them again though.
Agree with your post. Just one thing - this ha been mentioned a numerous times. But the reason we got to that point was that it started raining which turned the momentum in Novak's favour. The balls got wet which had Nadal complaining. Until then Nadal had been dominant.
So it was Djokovic who was lucky to stretch Nadal because of rain. In the end, justice was served when he touched the net.
You are right it luck evens out.
The Green Mile
Bionic Poster
None, only revisit random highlights on recommended videos. I'm always watching stuff I haven't seen, I've got matches that I've been meaning to watch for years and years...
TheAssassin
Legend
Agassi-Pete 2001 US Open
It never rained in their 2013 match.
Steve0904
Talk Tennis Guru
Lots of "young posters" here apparently
Mine would be the 1984 FO final between Mac and Lendl. I have nothing against Ivan and I have a huge respect for him, but when I rewatch this match (a TRUE classic btw...), I still believe that Mac is going to win it in the end. But it never happens...
Amazing how the mind does that isn't it? It's like you think that if you watch something heartbreaking for long enough you can change the outcome to a happy one.
More on topic, not sure what to say here. Fed has so many heartbreakers. I've rewatched Federer winning the 4th set TB at Wimbledon 2008 in highlights a great number of times since the match, and I keep expecting him to win the 5th, but it never happens.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
Towser83
G.O.A.T.
I'm actually more annoyed BECAUSE he seems decent and not a troll, so I sort of expect a bit better from him than a lot of other posters
NicoMK
Hall of Fame
Ah yes. Thanks for pointing out. The point still stands though - luck evens out most of the times as in the case I've highlighted as well.
flanker2000fr
Hall of Fame
Stefan Edberg's defeat to Michael Chang in the 1989 French Open final. He should never have lost that game.
EllieK
Hall of Fame
But Fed backed up his AO win of 2017 by beating Rafa every meeting of that year.
Agreed, and its actually a great match to watch. Great tennis.
Username_
Hall of Fame
You forgot that uninjured, non-tired Nadal never loses
Respect for big 5
Rookie
Wimbledon 09
TennisFan3
Talk Tennis Guru
Wimbeldon 2018 SF.
One of those matches in which Nadal played an attacking brand of tennis, he took chances and had more flair than his opponent. But he still managed to lose to Djokovic.
That match could be pivotal to the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry. As we saw in the AO2019 Final, Djokovic is firmly in Nadal's head.
I'd be surprised if Nadal beat Djokovic in a grand slam ever going forward. Regardless of surface.
One of those matches in which Nadal played an attacking brand of tennis, he took chances and had more flair than his opponent. But he still managed to lose to Djokovic.
That match could be pivotal to the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry. As we saw in the AO2019 Final, Djokovic is firmly in Nadal's head.
I'd be surprised if Nadal beat Djokovic in a grand slam ever going forward. Regardless of surface.
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