Top 10 matches on each surface

[TheAssassin]

Have your say. I am sure all lists will be excellent.

 

[NatF]

Have your say. I am sure all lists will be excellent.

GOAT performances or quality from both?

 

[TheAssassin]

GOAT performances or quality from both?

From both.

 

[Tiki-Taka]

Clay:

Lendl-McEnroe FO 1984
Chang-Lendl FO 1989
Courier-Agassi FO 1991
Kuerten-Ferrero FO 2000
Nadal-Coria Rome 2005
Nadal-Federer Rome 2006
Federer-Del Potro FO 2009
Federer-Djokovic FO 2011
Wawrinka-Gasquet FO 2013
Nadal-Djokovic FO 2013

 

[73west]

Have your say. I am sure all lists will be excellent.

I think the Federer-Roddick Wimbledon final was the best tennis match I have ever seen on any surface. The quality was consistent, from the first point to the last, both players were outstanding and the drama lasted until match point was in the books. I know Borg-McEnroe and Nadal-Federer have captured more of the world's imagination, because those were both ATGvsATG, but just on quality of tennis I think Federer vs Roddick has them beat.

 

[Hawaiian grip]

I feel the 2007 Wimbledon final is an EXTREMELY underrated match. The 2008 epic overshadowed it but quality wise it was great.

 

[TheAssassin]

I think the Federer-Roddick Wimbledon final was the best tennis match I have ever seen on any surface. The quality was consistent, from the first point to the last, both players were outstanding and the drama lasted until match point was in the books. I know Borg-McEnroe and Nadal-Federer have captured more of the world's imagination, because those were both ATGvsATG, but just on quality of tennis I think Federer vs Roddick has them beat.

It was excellent.

Safin-Federer AO semifinal and Nadal-Coria Rome final are right up there too IMO. Personally I liked these more than the 2009 Wimbledon final.

 

[Waspsting]

Limit this to stuff I've seen

(High Quality) From both (players)

Grass is tough by this parameter


If both players are firing, it tends to become a servebotting exhibition... like the Sampras-Ivanisevic matches or even Federer-Roddick 2009 (hereafter, all years refer to Wimbledon)


I'd take Agassi-Rafter 10/10 over that type of stuff... but think "quality" of a big server doing his thing has to be higher (more efficient to breeze through your service games than to hit great groundstrokes, volleys, passes, lobs etc)


Which leaves us with a bit of a paradox ... Higher the quality of play, duller the match... how can a dull match be "great"?


Anyway, Sampras-Ivanisevic 95 was the best between those two, high quality stuff from the 2 best at that type of thing


My favourites are Agassi-Rafter 00 and 01


Federer-Nadal 07-08... I actually preferred 07, with the see saw momentum shifts interspersed with even stevens stuff... both great matches


I want to add Edberg-Stich 91, frankly I don't remember it too well.


Even more so Becker-Edberg 90... all I remember is a ridiculous double fault by Edberg - he missed both serves by feet - and a stunning backhand lob for the decisive break (Becker was completely stunned)


Federer-Tsonga 11 was a fine match of the servebot mode


Prefer Federer-Roddick 04 to 09... more counter-play on return, more variety, dashing death-or-glory stuff from the American


Mueller-Nadal this year was a fantastic match

Agassi-Ivanisevic 92 was great - world's greatest server versus returner on world's fastest court


Agassi-Wheaton the year before was up and down, fine drama. Wheaton the deserving winner but the ending - the decisive feature of which was Agassi being out of gas - was a bit disappointing (blame Agassi for that)

Clay:

Lendl-McEnroe FO 1984
Chang-Lendl FO 1989
Courier-Agassi FO 1992
Kuerten-Ferrero FO 2000
Nadal-Coria Rome 2005
Nadal-Federer Rome 2006
Federer-Del Potro FO 2009
Federer-Djokovic FO 2011
Wawrinka-Gasquet FO 2013
Nadal-Djokovic FO 2013

Nice list. I hear the Chang-Edberg French final was high quality stuff too


Loved the Agassi-Courier... I think you meant 1991? That was an awesome match. 1992 was an out and out drubbing as I recall... and everyone seemed to know it was going to be beforehand


Didn't like the del Potro-Federer 09 one... Some really below par stuff from both guys for large parts of it

 

[damniel]

From highlights, I'd say Sampras vs. Becker in Hannover (1996), what a match

 

[BlueClayGOAT]

Great thread.

I'm amazed nobody brought up the AO 2012 final yet. Utter epic of endurance and baseline consistency.

The 2005 USO final between Fed and Agassi was awesome to watch. I've rarely if ever seen such a high quality of sustained ballstriking brilliance from 2 guys. Probably two of the best ballstrikers ever and experts at taking the ball early on the rise.

 

[Tiki-Taka]

Grass:

Borg-McEnroe W 1980
Agassi-Ivanisevic W 1992
Sampras-Ivanisevic W 1995
Rafter-Agassi W 2000
Ivanisevic-Rafter W 2001
Federer-Nadal W 2007
Nadal-Federer W 2008
Federer-Roddick W 2009
Djokovic-Del Potro W 2013
Djokovic-Federer W 2014

Nice list. I hear the Chang-Edberg French final was high quality stuff too


Loved the Agassi-Courier... I think you meant 1991? That was an awesome match. 1992 was an out and out drubbing as I recall... and everyone seemed to know it was going to be beforehand


Didn't like the del Potro-Federer 09 one... Some really below par stuff from both guys for large parts of it

Yes of course I meant 1991. Didn't have 1992 on my mind at all, weird typo.

Surprised I didn't mention Chang-Edberg instead of Fed-Delpo since Chang's match with Lendl was the first of my list. It was quite good. Shame Edberg never won that Coupe des Mousquetaires.

 

[mike danny]

My own lists now, in no particular order each:

HC:

Federer vs Safin AO 2005
Federer vs Nadal AO 2009
Djokovic vs Nadal AO 2012
Nadal vs Dimitrov AO 2017
Nadal vs Murray WTF 2010
Federer vs Nadal AO 2017
Nadal vs Verdasco AO 2009
Djokovic vs Wawrinka AO 2013
Sampras vs Agassi USO 2001
Nishikori vs Wawrinka USO 2014

Grass:

Borg vs McEnroe Wimb 1980
Federer vs Nadal Wimb 2008
Federer vs Nadal Wimb 2007
Federer vs Djokovic Wimb 2014
Djokovic vs Del Potro Wimb 2013
Federer vs Del Potro Olympics 2012
Ivanisevic vs Rafter Wimb 2001
Federer vs Cilic Wimb 2016
Nadal vs Muller Wimb 2017
Federer vs Sampras Wimb 2001

 

[mike danny]

Clay:

Nadal vs Djokovic FO 2013
Federer vs Nadal Rome 2006
Federer vs Djokovic FO 2011
Nishikori vs Djokovic Rome 2016
Davydenko vs Nadal Rome 2007
Djokovic vs Nadal Madrid 2009
Federer vs Nadal MC 2006
Wawrinka vs Murray FO 2017
Federer vs Del Potro FO 2009
Nadal vs Coria Rome 2005

 

[EdSWright]

Great thread.

I'm amazed nobody brought up the AO 2012 final yet. Utter epic of endurance and baseline consistency.

The 2005 USO final between Fed and Agassi was awesome to watch. I've rarely if ever seen such a high quality of sustained ballstriking brilliance from 2 guys. Probably two of the best ballstrikers ever and experts at taking the ball early on the rise.

AO 2012 final was an enhanced performance alright.

 

[ibbi]

Grass
Borg-Gerulaitis // Wimbledon 1977
Borg-McEnroe // Wimbledon 1980
Edberg-Lendl // Australian Open 1985
Cash-Lendl // Australian Open 1987
Edberg-Cash // Australian Open 1987
Becker-Stich // Wimbledon 1993
Rafter-Agassi // Wimbledon 2000
Ivanisevic-Rafter // Wimbledon 2001
Nadal-Federer // Wimbledon 2008
Haas-Cilic // Wimbledon 2009

Honourable mentions - agassi-ivanisevic wimbledon 1992, sampras-rafter wimbledon 2000, roddick-hewitt wimbledon 2009, roddick-gasquet wimbledon 2007, djokovic-baghdatis wimbledon 2007, dimitrov-lopez queens 2014, kohlschreiber-brown halle 2014, federer-murray wimbledon 2015.

Clay
Borg-Vilas // Rome 1974
Borg-Lendl // Roland Garros 1981
Lendl-McEnroe // Roland Garros 1984
Chang-Lendl // Roland Garros 1989
Agassi-Medvedev // Roland Garros 1999
Kuerten-Safin // Hamburg 2000
Nadal-Coria // Rome 2005
Nadal-Federer // Rome 2006
Nadal-Djokovic // Madrid 2009
Wawrinka-Gasquet // Roland Garros 2013

Honourable mentions - borg-panatta rome 1978, bruguera-becker monte carlo 1991, bruguera-courier roland garros 1993, sampras-chesnokov davis cup 1995, nadal-mathieu roland garros 2006, federer-haas roland garros 2009, soderling-berdych roland garros 2010, nadal-djokovic roland garros 2013.

Hard
McEnroe-Borg // US Open 1980
Lendl-Cash // US Open 1984
Wilander-Lendl // US Open 1988
Edberg-Chang // US Open 1992
Sampras-Corretja // US Open 1996
Sampras-Agassi // US Open 2001
Safin-Federer // Australian Open 2005
Nadal-Verdasco // Australian Open 2009
Djokovic-Wawrinka // Australian Open 2013
Nishikori-Wawrinka // US Open 2014

Honourable mentions - agassi-rafter australian open 2001, mcenroe-conners us open 1984, lendl-edberg australian open 1991, hewitt-gasquet us open 2006, safin-agassi australian open 2004. dimitrov-anderson rogers cup 2014, del potro-nadal olympics 2016, del potro-murray davis cup 2016.

Carpet
Borg-McEnroe // WCT Finals 1979
Borg-McEnroe // Masters 1979
Borg-McEnroe // Masters 1980
Borg-Connors // Masters 1980
McEnroe-Lendl // WCT Finals 1983
Lendl-Connors // Masters 1984
Becker-Lendl // Masters 1988
Edberg-Agassi // RR Masters 1990
Becker-Edberg // Masters 1994
Sampras-Becker // Masters 1996

Honourable mentions - stich-ivanisevic masters 1993, federer-nalbandian masters 2005,