Isn't the whole point of sports the story? At an individual, and team level (when there is a team involved). The quest for glory!
Nice list. Look at all of those 2001 matches! Didn’t Agassi also play another Wimby SF with Rafter in 2000? Also, I would include the Wawrinka-Gasquet 2015 QF. Excellent match, though not as good as their French Open encounter two years prior.
Nice list. Of course the top 4 can be rearranged however you want. I think a lot of it comes down to the tennis you prefer. Personally, the 2012 final is not my kind of tennis, which is why I rated it fourth, but for that particular brand of tennis, it’s the highest-quality for sure.Some of these lists....
Ok I'll give it a go
1) AO 2012 - Djokovic vs Nadal (clear #1 for me and would be for every serious sportswriter if they combined a list. It had everything: quality, drama, longest Slam final in history, epic peak to peak gladiator battle, and the fact that it was a final made it even more noteworthy.)
2) AO 2005 - Safin vs Federer (not as good in quality as #1 but an epic battle nonetheless which decided the winner of this Slam. Safin taking on peak Federer and beating him in one of these best 5th sets I've seen when nobody else could touch him on hardcourt makes this one stand out for me.)
3) AO 2013 - Djokovic vs Wawrinka (quality at its peak is probably #1 but Djokovic wasn't great in the 1st set and a half so it brings it down. Still a very quality 4th round clash that we will never forget.)
4) AO 2009 - Nadal vs Verdasco (epic match quality wise and brutal hitting from Verdasco for 90% of the match and epic countering and defense to offense from Nadal.)
5) AO 2009 - Nadal vs Federer (brought down by a rather anticlimatic 5th set but doesn't deter from the intensity in the middle of the match. One of the most memorable AO finals)
6) AO 2003 - Roddick vs El Aynaoui (one of the best 5 set matches from the previous era and a 5 hour classic)
7) AO 2004 - Safin vs Agassi (one of Agassi's best matches later in his career and a great effort from Safin. Too bad he didn't bring that performance in the final)
8) AO 2017 - Nadal vs Federer (quality is not as great as the others and probably last or close to it in quality out of all of Fedal's 5 set matches, but the importance of it puts it on my list since it shaped the outlook of the Slam race, and it was their 1st Slam final in 6 years)
9) AO 2000 - Agassi vs Sampras (one of the best matches I've ever seen these two play in a Slam and you had to watch it in real time to really get the impact of it. Sampras all but had this one before Agassi turned this match on its head late in the 4th)
10 AO 2008 - Federer vs Tipsarevic (very underrated classic between Federer and his somewhat unknown challenger at the time. Some of the hitting in this was pretty insane, and one of the few times Federer hit 40 aces (39 actually but close enough)).
Only way I could see it getting pushed out of the top 5 is if someone really dislikes that type of tennis. Or if they are partial to the 2009 and 2017 finals (I.e. as a Federer and Nadal fan).
Wimbledon 2001 was just an absolute classic of a tournament. Wimbledon 2018 up there too, although the final was a (long-awaited) Djoker masterclass.
Wonder who that would be
But it isn't just about the story.
You really should! It's worth every minute, the ultimate David vs Goliath match.
Again, it depends on what kind of tennis you like. When Navratilova and Mcenroe were asked which they prefer, 2009 Final over 2012 Final, they both said 2009. Almost all the other commentators said 2012. The first 4 sets of the 2009 final were some of the most high quality HC sets I have ever seen. The fifth is what brings it down.2009 final over 2012 final? On what planet? The planet where Nadal always wins?
Awesome list man.Some of these lists....
Ok I'll give it a go
1) AO 2012 - Djokovic vs Nadal (clear #1 for me and would be for every serious sportswriter if they combined a list. It had everything: quality, drama, longest Slam final in history, epic peak to peak gladiator battle, and the fact that it was a final made it even more noteworthy.)
2) AO 2005 - Safin vs Federer (not as good in quality as #1 but an epic battle nonetheless which decided the winner of this Slam. Safin taking on peak Federer and beating him in one of these best 5th sets I've seen when nobody else could touch him on hardcourt makes this one stand out for me.)
3) AO 2013 - Djokovic vs Wawrinka (quality at its peak is probably #1 but Djokovic wasn't great in the 1st set and a half so it brings it down. Still a very quality 4th round clash that we will never forget.)
4) AO 2009 - Nadal vs Verdasco (epic match quality wise and brutal hitting from Verdasco for 90% of the match and epic countering and defense to offense from Nadal.)
5) AO 2009 - Nadal vs Federer (brought down by a rather anticlimatic 5th set but doesn't deter from the intensity in the middle of the match. One of the most memorable AO finals)
6) AO 2003 - Roddick vs El Aynaoui (one of the best 5 set matches from the previous era and a 5 hour classic)
7) AO 2004 - Safin vs Agassi (one of Agassi's best matches later in his career and a great effort from Safin. Too bad he didn't bring that performance in the final)
8) AO 2017 - Nadal vs Federer (quality is not as great as the others and probably last or close to it in quality out of all of Fedal's 5 set matches, but the importance of it puts it on my list since it shaped the outlook of the Slam race, and it was their 1st Slam final in 6 years)
9) AO 2000 - Agassi vs Sampras (one of the best matches I've ever seen these two play in a Slam and you had to watch it in real time to really get the impact of it. Sampras all but had this one before Agassi turned this match on its head late in the 4th)
10 AO 2008 - Federer vs Tipsarevic (very underrated classic between Federer and his somewhat unknown challenger at the time. Some of the hitting in this was pretty insane, and one of the few times Federer hit 40 aces (39 actually but close enough)).
Great list! AO has had so many classics over the years, hard to choose just 10 for me.Some of these lists....
Ok I'll give it a go
1) AO 2012 - Djokovic vs Nadal (clear #1 for me and would be for every serious sportswriter if they combined a list. It had everything: quality, drama, longest Slam final in history, epic peak to peak gladiator battle, and the fact that it was a final made it even more noteworthy.)
2) AO 2005 - Safin vs Federer (not as good in quality as #1 but an epic battle nonetheless which decided the winner of this Slam. Safin taking on peak Federer and beating him in one of these best 5th sets I've seen when nobody else could touch him on hardcourt makes this one stand out for me.)
3) AO 2013 - Djokovic vs Wawrinka (quality at its peak is probably #1 but Djokovic wasn't great in the 1st set and a half so it brings it down. Still a very quality 4th round clash that we will never forget.)
4) AO 2009 - Nadal vs Verdasco (epic match quality wise and brutal hitting from Verdasco for 90% of the match and epic countering and defense to offense from Nadal.)
5) AO 2009 - Nadal vs Federer (brought down by a rather anticlimatic 5th set but doesn't deter from the intensity in the middle of the match. One of the most memorable AO finals)
6) AO 2003 - Roddick vs El Aynaoui (one of the best 5 set matches from the previous era and a 5 hour classic)
7) AO 2004 - Safin vs Agassi (one of Agassi's best matches later in his career and a great effort from Safin. Too bad he didn't bring that performance in the final)
8) AO 2017 - Nadal vs Federer (quality is not as great as the others and probably last or close to it in quality out of all of Fedal's 5 set matches, but the importance of it puts it on my list since it shaped the outlook of the Slam race, and it was their 1st Slam final in 6 years)
9) AO 2000 - Agassi vs Sampras (one of the best matches I've ever seen these two play in a Slam and you had to watch it in real time to really get the impact of it. Sampras all but had this one before Agassi turned this match on its head late in the 4th)
10 AO 2008 - Federer vs Tipsarevic (very underrated classic between Federer and his somewhat unknown challenger at the time. Some of the hitting in this was pretty insane, and one of the few times Federer hit 40 aces (39 actually but close enough)).
Navratilova and McEnroe are fans of The Good Tennis, no?
Ah yes, the match where Djokovic probably shattered several records for most errors in a match
You've obviously never seen Cilic play a lengthy match on clay
I don't watch Cilic play unless I have toYou've obviously never seen Cilic play a lengthy match on clay
Well, I agree with a lot of their points. I think Mac generally loves agressive tennis, and Navratilova loves Federer, so there you go!
2009 final over 2012 final? On what planet? The planet where Nadal always wins?
So in the Sampras-Agassi match, neither player commited an UE in that tiebreak?
I forgot about this match.
What is the story with Nadal winning? Hmmm? Is it "anything is possible"? "Hard work perseveres"? Lies. Neither of those stories are true. Federer winning would have been "None shall pass", which holds much more truth.
www.telegraph.co.uk
I'm only joking lol. Half joking I guess. For me AO17 really just top all story wise. But I haven't witnessed too many grand slam final matches.This is your perspective and I'm fine with that, but I don't agree.
Also, the quality of the match is not increased or decreased by who won.
The 2008 Wimbledon Final is not only one of the best tennis matches in history, it is already part of the iconic moments of world sport.
Rafael Nadal's 2008 Wimbledon victory voted sporting moment of the decade
Rafael's Nadal's epic victory over Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon's men's final has been voted by www.telegraph.co.uk readers as the sporting moment of the decade.
By that metric the GOAT match has to be Wimbledon 01 final. Can't really top that for the story behind it.
Wasn't that Goran vs Pat Rafter?
Yep. The drama of that match was something special. Ivanisevic had beaten Moya, Roddick, Rusedski, Safin, and Henman to get to the final, including surviving a 3-day 5-set thriller against Henman (and against 15,000 fans). Then came up against Pat in a Monday final, had to deal with a raucous crowd packed with pro-Rafter Aussie fans. Up 2 sets to 1 but then lost the 4th on a 1st serve foot fault and a bad call on the 2nd.
