2010 BEST MATCHES OF THE YEAR
ATPWorldTour.com reviews the best five matches of the 2010 season.
1. Rafael Nadal d. Andy Murray, 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6), Barclays ATP World Tour Finals SF
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray embrace
after contesting a high-quality semi-final
at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
“Today is the reason why I play tennis,” declared British favourite Andy Murray after a heart-breaking three-set defeat to the competitive titan that is Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
Both players went into the eagerly anticipated match with much to gain should they reach the final. For Murray, it was the chance to end a year of mixed fortunes with the biggest title of his career on home soil. For World No. 1 Nadal, the chance to cap one of the greatest seasons by any player in the Open Era, having already won three Grand Slam championships and completed the clean sweep of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments.
For three hours and 11 minutes, raucously supported by the 17,500-strong crowd at The O2, Murray had produced arguably his best tennis of the year in a high-quality match, which featured superb shot-making from both. But despite recovering from a 3-5 deficit in the third set, and leading 4-1 in the ensuing tie-break, the Scot could not close out victory against Nadal, who was utterly determined to reach the title match at the season finale for the first time.
“It was a fantastic match,” said Nadal. “I am very happy to beat a great champion like Andy. For me [it] is an amazing victory. I am very happy for everything because [it] was a really difficult match against one of the best players of the world.”
2. Novak Djokovic d. Roger Federer, 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5, US Open SF
He would not go on to win the US Open, but Novak Djokovic certainly left his mark on Flushing Meadows after saving two match points to defeat Roger Federer in a pulsating five-set semi-final clash, thus denying the Swiss a place in his seventh straight US Open final.
Having lost to Federer in each of the three previous years at the US Open, including in the 2007 final, Djokovic explained afterwards, “I just knew I have to be patient and not lose my emotions too much, because that was the case in the past where I was losing the momentum with him. He uses that nervousness of the opponent. He feels it."
Indeed, the Serbian showed nerves of steel when, at 4-5 15/40 in the fifth set, he saved two match points with a swinging forehand volley and a down-the-line forehand winner. He went on to win the final three games, trumping Federer in a 22-shot rally to close out the match after three hours and 44 minutes.
The result came one year on from Federer’s defeat in the 2009 US Open final, in which he had been two points from victory against Juan Martin del Potro. The five-time US Open champion ultimately paid the price for committing 66 unforced errors to Djokovic’s 38 and afterwards expressed the disappointment he shared with many tennis fans, that he would not have the chance to reignite his rivalry with Rafael Nadal in the final. “I would have loved to play against him here. I did my hard yards the last six years making it to the finals, and he was unfortunately never there. And now one point away from this happening, obviously it's a bit of disappointment.”
3. John Isner d. Nicolas Mahut, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68, Wimbledon 1st Rd.
It may not have featured exciting rallies or brilliant shot-making, but it was a magnificent display of serving, fitness and perseverance and for the score line alone, the John Isner - Nicolas Mahut Wimbledon classic makes the Top 5 list.
Isner and Mahut managed to eclipse the visit of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II to the All England Club on the first Thursday of The Championships as they concluded their record-breaking, first-round clash on Court 18. The longest tennis match on record lasted 11 hours and five minutes over three days, broke a host of tennis records, and finally ended with Isner hitting a backhand – his 246th winner – down the line to pass Mahut. The fifth set alone had lasted eight hours and 11 minutes – 98 minutes more than the previous longest match on record
“The guy's an absolute warrior,” said Isner of the defeated Mahut. “It stinks someone had to lose. To share this with him was an absolute honour. Maybe we'll meet again somewhere down the road and it won't be 70-68.” Until Isner broke in the 183rd and final game of the match, there had been 168 consecutive service games held between both players; there were only three service breaks in the entire match, totalling 980 points. Both players broke records with the number of aces they hit - 113 for Isner, 103 for Mahut - and 490 winners in total were struck.
Two weeks later, Isner and Mahut won the ESPY Award for Best Record-Breaking Performance, having finished the match just in time to make the ESPY Awards cut, with nominations announced that same day.
4. Robin Soderling d. Michael Llodra, 6-7(0), 7-5, 7-6(6), BNP Paribas Masters SF
Frenchman Michael Llodra had delighted the home support at Paris-Bercy throughout the week, beating Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko to reach his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final, and had two-time Roland Garros runner-up Robin Soderling on the ropes before his fairytale run came to an end.
In a throwback to old fashioned tennis, serve and volleyer Llodra had the crowd rocking as he exploited the slick indoor hard court to slice and dice the big-hitting Soderling. After fighting back from a 1-4 deficit in the final set, the 30-year-old Llodra squandered three match points in a gripping 12th game of the third set, and Soderling held on to clinch victory in the decisive tie-break after two hours and 49 minutes of action.
"Today it was a great match. It wasn't maybe pretty, but I'm here as a winner," reflected Soderling, who went on to win his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title with victory over Gael Monfils the following day. "I think tennis is a very mental sport, because everybody can play; everybody is so good. So it's the mental [aspect] that's going to decide a lot of matches."
5. Gael Monfils d. Roger Federer, 7-6(7), 6-7(1), 7-6(4), BNP Paribas Masters SF
Fans at the BNP Paribas Masters on semi-final day surely had the golden ticket as they witnessed two of the best matches of the year, back-to-back. After the crowd had suffered the disappointment of seeing Michael Llodra edged out in the first semi-final, Paris-born Gael Monfils lifted the roof of the Palais Omnisports as he defeated Roger Federer to reach the final for the second year in a row.
Monfils was lifted by the home support to save five match points on serve in the 12th game of the final set, having earlier fought back from a 1-4 deficit. The No. 12 seed then clinched victory in the decisive tie-break after two hours and 41 minutes. It was his first win in six meetings with 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer.
“I'm happy I won against Rog. He's someone I admire a lot. He's a legend of tennis, ‘the’ legend, and beating him is a beautiful victory. I will remember that for my whole life,” declared Monfils. “And also it happened in very special conditions for me, in Paris, so it's only happiness.”
For Federer, it marked the fourth time in 2010 that he had lost a match having held match point opportunities. As well as in the US Open semi-finals against Djokovic, he had squandered three match points in a third-round defeat to Marcos Baghdatis in Indian Wells and two weeks later he had missed a match point chance in a fourth-round loss to Tomas Berdych in Miami.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … -Year.aspx
Nie bardzo rozumiem, co część spotkań w ogóle robi w tym zestawieniu...
Pozycja nr 2 i 5 to chyba jakieś nieporozumienie. Szkoda, że dla wielu ludzi sam fakt ogrania Federera jest równoznaczny z niebotycznym poziomiem danego spotkania. Czas w końcu obejrzeć jakiś mecz, a nie jechać na stereotypach...
Wiesz, miałem się nawet z Tobą zgodzić, ale na bezrybiu i rak ryba. W tym roku między graczami z czołówki nie było ani jednego(!) meczu, który byłby zarazem zacięty i na wysokim poziomie. Owszem były dobre indywidualne występy Feda i Nadala, ale dobra gra jednego tenisisty to za mało, żeby ktoś to wziął do takiego rankingu. Dla mnie meczem roku sportowo było spotkanie Miszy z Rychem na AO, historyczno - statystycznie Isnera z Machutem oczywiście.
I na koniec... no nie byłbym sobą, gdybym tego nie napisał. :P Dla mnie fakt jarania się i uznawanie za mecz roku pokazu przebijactwa w hali(!!!!!) uważam za wzorcowy dowód na upadek dyscypliny, ale to moje bardzo prywatne zdanie.
Fed-Expresso napisał:
Pozycja nr 2 i 5 to chyba jakieś nieporozumienie. Szkoda, że dla wielu ludzi sam fakt ogrania Federera jest równoznaczny z niebotycznym poziomiem danego spotkania. Czas w końcu obejrzeć jakiś mecz, a nie jechać na stereotypach...
+1
Poziom tenisowy półfinału USO był słaby, Federer grał nic, a i tak przegrał w 5 setach. To mówi sporo o tamtejszym wydaniu Djokovicia.
Szkoda, że nikt tutaj finału AO nie umieścił i mówię to całkiem serio. Poziom był znakomity, a emocje TB 3 seta o mało nie wywiozły mnie na tamten świat. Ale nie, jak 3 sety to musi być żenada.
Swoją drogą jeden wniosek płynie z tego wszystkiego: naprawdę wielkich meczów w tym roku nie było, niestety.
Tym bardziej, że z tego zestawienia płynie taka nauka, jakoby w pierwszej połowie roku nie doszło do żadnych, godnych odnotowania spotkań. Oczywiście warty wspomnienia jest tutaj maraton francusko-rosyjski z AO, ale nawet Nadal-Gulbis z Rzymu miał o wiele więcej wspólnego z tenisem niż "pojedynek roku".
Również obecność ledwie jednej konfrontacji w formule best of five wydaje się dość wymowna.
Moja osobista lista:
1.Gasquet vs Youhzny(AO)
2.Federer vs Murray(AO)
3.Nadal vs Gulbis
4.Llodra vs Soderling
5.Soderling vs Federer (RG)
Z tych 5 meczów zdecydowanie spotkanie nr 1.Przed tym meczem nie widziałem w tym roku meczu Hiszpana który by obfitował w taką dramaturgię.Do końca drżałem o zwycięstwo Rafy ;)
Fed-Expresso napisał:
Również obecność ledwie jednej konfrontacji w formule best of five wydaje się dość wymowna.
Wszystko rozumiem, ale nie umieć liczyć do dwóch to lekka przesada. :P
Chyba głównym kryterium w wypadku tego zestawienia był nie poziom danego spotkania, ale jego zaciętość. Uważam, że tylko mecz Nadal - Murray powinien się znaleźć w tym rankingu (raczej na piątym, niż pierwszym miejscu).
A gdzie mecz Ryśka z Miszą? :o
Spośród gier, które widziałem:
1. Federer - Murray AO
2. Federer - Nadal WTF
3. Nadal - Gulbis Rzym
4. Roddick - Nadal Miami
5. Nadal - Almagro Madryt
plus gra Ljubicia w 1/2 i finale IW.
Jak wynika z powyższego - widziałem w mijającym roku niewiele.
2010 PLAYERS OF THE YEAR - DJOKOVIC, MURRAY, SODERLING
Novak Djokovic won two titles in 2010,
but called Serbia's Davis Cup triumph
the highlight of the season.
ATPWorldTour.com reviews the best players of the year, beginning with the World No. 3 to No. 5.
Novak Djokovic
For the fourth straight year, Novak Djokovic finished as the world’s No. 3 player. But in contrast to the previous seasons, 2010 was crowned not by his individual achievements, but by the collective effort of the Davis Cup team.
Djokovic was the backbone of the Serbian squad, going 7-0 in singles rubbers to lead the nation past the United States, Croatia, the Czech Republic and France. In the final, he kept the country’s hopes afloat after it’d fallen behind 0-1 and 1-2, drawing Serbia level with France each time and giving countryman Viktor Troicki the chance to become the hero with victory in the Cup-clinching fifth rubber.
Showing their solidarity, the 2008 Australian Open champion and teammates followed through on their promise of shaving their heads if they won the Davis Cup, each taking turns to complete the ritual on centre court at Belgrade Arena. Djokovic stated afterwards, “This is by far, individually and for the team, the best achievement in our career by far… Definitely the best feeling that we have experienced on a tennis court, ever."
In 2010, Djokovic also managed to break – albeit temporarily – the stronghold of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the top two spots in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, holding down the No. 2 position for 26 weeks during the season and entering Roland Garros in a three-way battle for the No. 1 ranking.
At the US Open, Djokovic took part in one of the most memorable matches of the season when he saved two match points to defeat Federer in a five-set semi-final. Though he lost to Nadal in his third appearance in a Grand Slam final, Djokovic collected titles No. 17 and 18 during the season as he successfully defended his crowns at Dubai and Beijing.
But he finished the year with two question marks going into 2011. Can he finally push higher than No. 3 in the year-end rankings next season, and will he go a third year without adding to his first Grand Slam title won at the 2008 Australian Open?
Andy Murray
The weight of a nation’s expectations was never more evident than at this year’s Australian Open. Andy Murray had fueled Great Britain’s hopes of its first Grand Slam champion since 1934, getting his 2010 campaign off to a stellar start as he made his way into the championship match without losing a set. But in a repeat of the 2008 US Open final, the Scot came up short to Roger Federer and said during a tearful trophy presentation, “Sorry I couldn't do it for you tonight. I can cry like Roger, it's just a shame I can't play like him.”
But Murray showed that he could indeed play like Federer; his best results of the 2010 season would come against the Swiss, whom he would meet on the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 stages at Toronto and Shanghai. He defeated Federer in straight sets on both occasions to claim the titles, with his triumph at Toronto made sweeter by his victory over Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. Murray, who became the fifth different player to defeat Federer and Nadal in the same tournament, said, “Winning a tournament is always great, but it's the first time I beat Roger and Rafa in the same tournament, which is probably the most pleasing thing, and then didn't drop a set against either of them.”
Murray also posted solid results in the U.K. capital, reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals for a second straight year – with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in attendance – and the semi-finals at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, where he lost to Nadal in one of the best matches of the year. Murray reclaimed the No. 4 ranking with his showing at the season-ending finale, marking the first time in 25 years that the same quartet of players finished among the Top 4 for three straight years.
Robin Soderling
Robin Soderling’s 2010 season started off with surprising first round exits at Chennai and the Australian Open, leaving some observers to wonder if his stunning 2009 breakthrough was a one-off.
But the Swede brushed aside memories of the rocky start by winning the ATP World Tour 500 title in February at Rotterdam and continued his climb in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings with semi-final showings at the hard-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami and a runner-up finish on clay in Barcelona.
One year removed from his breakout performance at Roland Garros, the Swede proved that his run was no fluke. He played the role of giant killer for a second straight year, ousting defending champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, and finished the week second to only Rafael Nadal. He continued to prove his status as one of the circuit’s best as he reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the first time and at the US Open for a second straight year.
Soderling’s consistency following the year’s final major helped him attain a career-high No. 4 ranking, as he reached the quarter-finals or better in all six of his tournament appearances to conclude the regular ATP World Tour season, capped by his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Masters.
“I feel like I’m improving and I like being a top player," said Soderling, who finished the year at No. 5. "It is what I have worked hard for. This is where I want to be.”
Tomorrow: Nadal & Federer
2010 PLAYERS OF THE YEAR - NADAL, FEDERER
Rafael Nadal became the youngest player
to complete the career Grand Slam.
ATPWorldTour.com reviews the best players of the year.
Rafael Nadal
At the start of the clay-court swing, Rafael Nadal’s streak without winning a title had dragged out to 11 months. Who would have predicted at that moment that he would go on to end the year as a runaway ATP World Tour No. 1?
The Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters lit the fire under what would go down as arguably one of the best seasons in history. In what he would later call “the most important moment,” Nadal was in devastating form as he dropped just 14 games in five matches – his fewest en route to a title.
Over the next month, the Spaniard triumphed at Rome and Madrid, becoming the first player in history to sweep the clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles and giving him a record-breaking 18th Masters 1000 title just shy of his 24th birthday. The clay-court king continued his dominance at Roland Garros, where he regained his throne with victory over Robin Soderling – in the process stripping Roger Federer of the No. 1 South African Airways ATP Ranking.
A year prior, Nadal had missed out on defending his Wimbledon title due to injury, but he returned to the All England Club ready to reclaim his crown. After surviving a couple of in the early rounds, needing to rally from two-sets-to-one down against Robin Haase and Philipp Petzschner, Nadal marched to the title and extended his celebration as he hoisted the World Cup with the Spanish team the following Sunday in Johannesburg. All eyes turned to Flushing Meadows to see if Nadal could complete his Grand Slam collection, and the Spaniard did not disappoint. In a rain-delayed Monday final, he defeated Novak Djokovic to become the youngest man to complete the feat.
Though he was slowed by a shoulder injury in the autumn, Nadal had a chance to complete his fairytale season with a final showdown with Roger Federer at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He ultimately fell in three sets, but reflected afterwards: “I think [it] was a very emotional season. I am very happy for everything and just [want to] say thank you very much [to] all the people that supported me when I had the difficult moments [and] when I was winning.”
Roger Federer
Roger Federer felt he was playing ‘some of my best tennis of my life’ after claiming the Australian Open title in January, a doubly special occasion for the Swiss, who was celebrating his first Grand Slam title as father to twin daughters.
But where opponents failed on the court, a lung infection set the World No. 1 back just weeks later. Upon his return in mid-March, Federer struggled to regain his form, uncharacteristically failing to convert on match points in losses at Indian Wells and Miami. He bowed out in the Roland Garros quarter-finals, ending his six-year semi-final streak at majors and leaving him one week shy of Pete Sampras on the list of all-time weeks at No. 1. He then made a quarter-final exit at Wimbledon, the first time since 2002 that he had failed to reach the final at the All England Club.
He stepped back out on court a month later, rejuvenated from a family vacation through the Mediterranean and the addition of Paul Annacone to his support team. He stated after a runner-up finish in Toronto, “That's definitely a good sign for what's to come.” True to his word, Federer snapped a seven-month title drought in his next tournament at Cincinnati.
Federer hit his stride in the final months of the season, compiling a circuit-best 21-2 match record following the US Open. He established himself as the player to beat at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals after reaching the Shanghai final, and winning Stockholm and Basel back-to-back. At The O2, Federer won his round robin and semi-final matches without the loss of a set, and prevailed against rival Rafael Nadal in the championship match to hoist a record-tying fifth circuit finale title.
“I'm just really happy the way I was able to finish the season in style, playing some of my best tennis, really saving the best for last,” he said. “I believe I can have another great season in 2011.”
Biggest Upsets Of The Year - Nos. 3-5
ATPWorldTour.com reviews the Top 5 upsets of the year, beginning with Nos. 3-5.
Rafael Nadal squandered 24 of 26 break points
as he lost to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the Bangkok semi-finals.
3. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez d. Rafael Nadal, 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-3, Bangkok SF
When World No. 53 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez squared up to his top-ranked countryman Rafael Nadal in the PTT Thailand Open semi-finals, few would have expected the 27 year old to be the one to end Nadal’s nine-match winning streak.
Just a week after becoming the seventh man in the history of the sport to win the career Grand Slam, Nadal had made his debut in Bangkok to great fanfare and after two convincing victories in his opening matches, made a strong start to the clash with Garcia-Lopez as he raced to a one-set lead.
With Nadal boasting a 64-4 match record in the past 52 weeks after winning the first set, it seemed the remainder of the contest would be a formality for the left-hander. Not so. Nadal squandered 24 of 26 break point chances in the match, including 16 in the second set, and was made to pay the price as Garcia-Lopez converted his only chance in the third set to seal victory in what he later hailed as “the best match of my career”.
“I had a lot of break point chances in the second set, too many chances,” lamented Nadal, who was bidding to reach his eighth tour-level final of the season. “He played a great match, especially in the third set, but I was playing better than him in the beginning. I didn't play the break points well. With 26 opportunities to break you have to take your chances. It's a difficult loss to accept. I was playing well and had a good opportunity to get to final.”
The result proved to be a catalyst for Garcia-Lopez, who went on to win his second ATP World Tour title with victory over Jarkko Nieminen, before reaching the quarter-finals in Tokyo (l. to Troicki) and beating Tomas Berdych en route to the Shanghai quarter-finals (l. to Djokovic).
4. Ivan Ljubicic d. Rafael Nadal, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(1), Indian Wells SF
LjubicicYou may have been forgiven for thinking Ivan Ljubicic’s best tennis playing days were behind him when the Croatian turned 31 in March. However, just a day later the Croatian proved that in fact the best was still to come when he ousted Rafael Nadal en route to winning his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells.
“Probably the best I've ever played in my career. I enjoyed it, really… Great, great moment,” declared Ljubicic after drawing on all his fighting spirit to recover from a set down to defeat Nadal for just the second time in seven attempts. The Croatian had beaten Novak Djokovic in the fourth round and defeated his third Top 10 player of the week, No. 8 Andy Roddick, to win the title.
After saving four break points in what he later termed the “key to the match” in the sixth game of the second set, Ljubicic went on to level the match before pulling off what he called “the best tie-break of my career” to clinch the deciding third set in two hours and 34 minutes.
For Nadal, it meant the continuation of his 10-month title drought and a drop from No. 3 to No. 4 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings. “That was an accident today,” said Nadal. “That's my feeling because I was playing enough well to win the tournament.”
5. Tomas Berdych d. Roger Federer, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, Wimbledon QF
BerdychJust a month after his record of reaching 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals was ended at Roland Garros by Robin Soderling, Roger Federer was dealt another shock defeat in the Wimbledon quarter-finals. The Swiss, who was bidding to reach his eighth straight final at the All England Club, was bundled out on Centre Court by Tomas Berdych, who had also beaten the Swiss after saving match point a couple of months earlier in Miami.
It marked the first time that Federer had not reached a grass-court final since losing in the first round at Wimbledon (l. to Ancic) in 2002. The Basel native, who committed 18 unforced errors – five fewer than Berdych - had not lost to a player outside the Top 10 at a Grand Slam championship since 2004 at Roland Garros.
While the sight of Federer bowing out of The Championships prior to the final was a surprise to tennis fans, the nature of his opponent’s breakthrough was not. At Roland Garros, Berdych had reached his first Grand Slam semi-final and for a long time had been considered one of the most talented players on tour, although grass had not been his strongest surface.
“[I'm] not surprised," said Berdych, who would go on to lose to Rafael Nadal in his first Grand Slam final at the end of the week. "I'm very happy with my performance today. I was playing really well. I [had] some weak moments in the second set when I lost my serve and gave him chance to win the set. I didn't have any special tactics. For me the important thing was to play my tennis, serve well [and] play aggressive."
Biggest Upsets Of The Year - Top 2
ATPWorldTour.com reviews the Top 2 upsets of the 2010 season.
Yen-Hsun Lu stunned Andy Roddick
in the fourth round at Wimbledon
1. Yen-Hsun Lu d. Andy Roddick, 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 9-7, Wimbledon 4th Rd.
On paper it appeared it would be a straight forward victory for three-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick as he took on Yen-Hsun Lu in the fourth round at Wimbledon. The Chinese Taipei player had won back-to-back matches on grass only once before, at The Queen’s Club in 2004, and he had lost all three of his previous meetings with former World No. 1 Roddick.
In an inspired performance from the then-26-year-old, though, Lu struck 83 winners and broke Roddick’s serve for the only time in the match in the final game to seal the dramatic victory, which he dedicated to his father who passed away in 2000. The manner of defeat for Roddick brought back harsh reminders for the American of his heart-breaking loss to Roger Federer in the 2009 final, when the Swiss player had finally broken the Roddick serve in the last game to win the marathon five-set match.
Lu became the first Asian man since Japan’s Shuzo Matsuoka at Wimbledon in 1995 to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam championship. The run did not continue for Lu, though, as he went on to lose to Novak Djokovic two days later.
“Through three sets I was playing horrendously, I mean really, really badly,” lamented Roddick. “Actually I think the fifth set was probably the best set that I played as far as hitting the ball, making him struggle to actually get through service games sometimes. But when you dig yourself a hole, it's tough to get out. He deserved to win more than I did. That's for sure."
2. Lleyton Hewitt d. Roger Federer, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, Halle Final
Federer, HewittFormer World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt proved that two hip surgeries were not enough to halt one of the fieriest competitors the game has ever seen when he snapped a 15-match losing streak against his long-standing rival Roger Federer in the Halle final. Just over four months earlier, the Australian had undergone surgery on his left hip after falling to Federer in straight sets in the Australian Open fourth round.
Federer went into their 25th meeting having won 76 of his past 77 matches on grass, including compiling a run of 29 straight victories on the lawns of Halle. The six-time Wimbledon champion and five-time Halle winner failed to capitalise on a 0/40 advantage on Hewitt’s serve in the ninth game of the second set, though, and the Australian made Federer rue his missed chances as he won the subsequent tie-break before prevailing in a tense third set.
“It’s fantastic,” declared 2002 Wimbledon champion Hewitt. “Roger’s a hell of an opponent; his grass-court record speaks for itself. Any time you play Roger on a grass court you know you’re in for a hell of a battle and I was lucky to get out of today’s match. It’s fantastic for me - I’m getting towards the end of my career and had a couple of surgeries - to know I can still compete at this level. I’m thrilled to be here and to have won another title.”
It was the 29-year-old Hewitt’s first victory over Federer since September 2003 in the Davis Cup semi-finals and saw him improve his perfect record in tour-level grass-court finals to 7-0.
Match of the Year: John Isner d. Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68
We’re familiar with 8-6, 9-7, even an 11-9 or two. But no one, not even a couple of kids pretending they’re playing the final of Wimbledon, would let their imaginations run all the way to 70-68. There isn’t enough time in the day. In fact, as John Isner and Nicolas Mahut found out, there isn’t enough time in two days. The second-round match between the American and the Frenchman lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes, and 183 games, both all-time records. Isner hit 113 aces, Mahut 105, also records. The match lasted long enough to make headlines around the world, and give the winner, Isner, an extra few minutes of fame. He threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium and appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America. Reading the Top 10 list on the Late Show with David Letterman, Isner spoke of his thoughts during the epic match, jokingly pondering, “Why couldn’t I have played Federer? It would’ve been over in 15 minutes.”
Best of 2010: On Falla
For those of us who love the game more than any of its particular players, what keeps us coming back to tennis is the quality of its matches. Rather than charming personalities or beautiful strokes, what counts most is the seesaw suspense of a great duel.
With that in mind, I’m going to finish 2010 by spending the two weeks until Christmas counting down the 10 best matches of the season. Compared to 2009, it was not a banner year for classic encounters; but then, few are when compared to '09. The third-best match of last season, Rafael Nadal’s death-in-the-afternoon win over Novak Djokovic in Madrid, would easily top the list this time around. But what seemed like a desert at first glance has yielded up a few forgotten oases of excitement. Today I’ll start with No. 10, as shown in the two long sets of highlights above: Roger Federer’s 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0 win over Alejandro Falla in the first round at Wimbledon.
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What’s the toughest thing about predicting upsets in tennis? They’re so . . . unpredictable. The ones you point to as somewhat plausible end up fizzling, while the ones you’re sure could never possibly happen suddenly do happen. Federer-Falla fell somewhere in between, and, as is always the case, it was much easier to see in hindsight. Federer had won all four matches and 11 sets that they’d played, but Falla had gotten into a groove against him in the previous month. They’d met at both the French Open and in the Wimbledon tune-up in Halle. You can see from the start he was very comfortable standing toe to toe with Federer from the baseline.
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Is there another sport in which location counts for as much as it does in tennis? From the sound of the first ball hit in Centre Court, you know you couldn’t be anywhere else. The pop at contact is fuller—rounder—than it is anywhere else. The arena’s overhanging roof produces a unique set of acoustics.
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One thing this match clearly illustrates is the disruptive effect that even a journeyman lefty can have on a match. Simply by swinging his hook serve to Federer’s backhand in the ad court, Falla begins the point with an advantage. And while he can’t do that in the deuce court, he can slide the ball away from Federer’s weaker side, his one-handed backhand. It seemed like a bigger advantage than normal on this day, when the court was green and slick. It feels like Federer is laboring to return the ball on the ad side, and the crosscourt backhand is always open for Falla.
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Falla is a peculiar and deceptive stroke-maker. He takes little backswing on either side, but he gets the ball to shoot through the court with pace. His power is generated right around the contact point. For his opponents, the ball must get on top of you a little more quickly than it does with most other opponents. You can see that even as he’s falling (falla-ing) behind, Federer doesn’t have a lot of options. He’s stuck picking up a lot of deep, low-trajectory shots and can’t, as Darren Cahill says, “get ahead” in rallies by moving Falla out of the center of the court.
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Falla’s most impressive moment comes at set point in the second set. He gets Federer on the run, but it appears that Federer may get out of it when he flicks up a towering lob that pushes Falla backward. Rather than try to end the point, which is always the default option when you’re nervous, Falla reaches up and hits an overhead safely into the middle of the court and starts the point over. Then he wins it.
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And then, two sets later, he blows it. Heartbreakingly. The second thing this match shows is the cruelty of tennis' scoring system. When a lower-ranked player attempts to serve out a match at 5-4, it’s almost as if, no matter how well he’s played, he’s nothing more than dead even with his opponent. If he wins this game, good enough, it’s over; if he loses it, though, it might just be over for him. Especially in this situation, when Federer, despite being down a break, had finally begun to open up the points from the baseline.
Credit Federer for playing it smart at the most crucial moment. At break point, he uses some nasty slice backhands to keep Falla at bay, and then surprises him by coming over a backhand and knocking it, in vintage Federer live-on-the-edge style, a couple inches in front of the baseline. It looks like a body blow to Falla, and it leads to an even bigger forehand—a haymaker after the body blow—on the next shot. The match is over. It's show-off time for Federer in the fifth.
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The appeal of this match was not in its quality—even though it was generally high—but in its suspense. How long could Falla hold a lead, how long could he defy the expected? It kept you riveted. The match also illustrated just how remarkable it is that this kind of thing doesn’t happen more often in the early rounds to a guy like Federer. After a match like this, you’ll hear a dozen people wondering, “What’s wrong with Roger Federer? How could he possibly let what's-his-name take two sets from him? He must not have been concentrating, or he must have taken the guy lightly, or he must be looking ahead in the draw, or he must be bored, or he must not be what he used to be.” None of those things will have been close to being true. What is true is that tennis matches by nature can go either way. What we take for granted about the best players is how infrequently they let them go the wrong way.
O! To jest jedno z wydarzeń minionego roku. 1 gem dzielił nas od chyba największej sensacji w historii dyscypliny, przynajmniej od kiedy ja tenis oglądam. To by było coś niebywałego.
Ja rozumiem, że ten mecz z Falla to jakiś żart? Przecież Federer rozgrywał wtedy jedno z najgorszych spotkań na trawie, jakie miałem wątpliwą przyjemnośc obserwować. Warto nadmienić, że raptem kilka dni wcześniej oddał temu kolumbijskiemu specjaliście od s&v 3 gemy w Halle.
Beznadziejne spotkanie, prawdopodobnie Top 5 jeśli chodzi o najsłabsze występy Szwajcara w Wielkim Szlemie.
Isner-Mahut i nie tylko - najlepsze mecze sezonu ATP
Sezon 2010 w męskim tenisie to mnóstwo wspaniałych widowisk, którymi kibice mogli się ekscytować. Przedstawiamy naszą subiektywną listę Top 7 najbardziej niesamowitych meczów sezonu.
7. Andy Roddick - Fernando González, 6:3, 3:6, 4:6, 7:5, 6:2, 1/8 finału Australian Open
Szalenie widowiskowo grający González stał się współtwórcą kolejnego wspaniałego spektaklu, w którym było wszystko: niesamowite tempo gry, zwroty akcji, nieziemskie wymiany i do tego kontrowersje. Kluczowy był IV set. W 10. gemie González obronił cztery piłki setowe (było 0-40) serwując trzy asy. Z kolei w 12. gemie Chilijczyk roztrwonił prowadzenie 40-0. Roddick do równowagi doprowadził top-spinowym lobem. Forhend uderzony przez Fernando w siatkę dał Amerykaninowi setbola. Kros forhendowy Andy'ego został przez sędziego liniowego wywołany jako autowy, ten jednak postanowił sprawdzić ślad i się nie pomylił. Sędzia ogłosił zakończenie seta, co doprowadziło niemal do furii Gonzáleza, który domagał się powtórzenia punktu tłumacząc się tym, że gdyby nie wywołanie autu przez liniowego odbiłby piłkę i chyba miał rację. Nieodwołalna decyzja podcięła skrzydła Chilijczykowi i V seta przegrał 2:6. Przez cztery sety tenisiści zaserwowali kibicom prawdziwą ucztę z wymianami, którymi można by obdzielić kilka meczów i warto umieścić ten spektakl na liście hitów 2010 roku.
6. Michaił Jużnyj - Richard Gasquet, 6:7(11), 4:6, 7:6(7), 7:6(7), 6:4, I runda Australian Open
Starcie dwóch tenisowych artystów, czarodziejów: rosyjskiego i francuskiego. Mecz I rundy, który śmiało mógłby być ozdobą każdego wielkoszlemowego finału. Fenomenalne, zapierające dech w piersiach wymiany ze zmianami rotacji, wypadami do siatki, płaskimi piłkami mieszanymi z bardzo mocno podcinanymi, zwroty akcji i szalone pościgi.
W 11. gemie IV seta Jużnyj, który przegrał pierwsze dwa sety, odparł dwie piłki meczowe. Pierwszą wygrywającym serwisem, drugą po jednej z wielu bajecznych wymian. Rosjanin dobiegł do wspaniałego drop-szota Gasquet i odegrał go na drugą stronę, Francuz ofiarnie rzucił się na kort, ale nawet ten technik nie był w stanie przebić woleja granego z tak ekwilibrystycznej pozycji. Na zakończenie seta tie break i owacja na stojąco po ostatniej piłce, w której właściwie mieliśmy dwie akcje. Gasquet zagrał niesłychanie ciasnego krosa bekhendowego, a Jużnyj wyrzucony daleko poza kort odpowiedział nadzwyczajnym bekhendem! I takich efektownych wymian było w tym spotkaniu całe mnóstwo, spokojnych, jednostajnych przebijanych w tym widowisku niemal nie było. Rywalizacji w V secie dramaturgii dodał stan obu tenisistów, których łapały skurcze. Francuz prowadził w nim 4:2, ale szalony zryw Rosjanina dał mu cztery gemy z rzędu i awans do II rundy po czterech godzinach i 57 minutach elektryzującego widowiska.
5. Novak Đoković - Roger Federer, 5:7, 6:1, 5:7, 6:2, 7:5, półfinał US Open
Ten mecz miał przeróżne oblicza, w dwóch setach Szwajcar pozwalał sobie na odpoczynek, a prawdziwe natężenie emocji mieliśmy w V secie. Roger omal nie dał się przełamać w siódmym gemie, w którym prowadził 40-0. W dziewiątym gemie Đokovicowi wydawało się, że prowadzi 30-0, ale Szwajcar poprosił o sprawdzenie śladu i miał rację, bo jego forhend minimalnie zahaczył linię. Federer utrzymał podanie, a w 10. gemie przy 15-40 miał dwie piłki meczowe. I wtedy trzy fenomenalne forhendy (jeden wspaniały wolej) dały Serbowi przewagę. Serb ostatecznie utrzymał serwis, a w kolejnym gemie przełamał Szwajcara i własnym podaniem zapewnił sobie miejsce w finale wcześniej broniąc jednak break pointa. Ostatnia piłka to wymiana złożona z 22 uderzeń zakończona wyrzuconym przez Rogera forhendem. Po trzech godzinach i 44 minutach popularny Nole zapewnił sobie drugi finał US Open (pierwszy w 2007). Roger, pięciokrotny triumfator US Open, popełnił 66 niewymuszonych błędów przy 38 Đokovicia.
Đoković, który przegrał trzy wcześniejsze mecze z Federerem na Flushing Meadows, w tym w finale 2007, powiedział: - Wiedziałem, że muszę być cierpliwy i nie dawać za bardzo ponieść się emocjom, ponieważ przez takie przypadki przegrywałem z nim w decydujących momentach. On wykorzystuje taką nerwowość przeciwnika. On to wyczuwa.
Fani tenisa liczący na starcie gladiatorów Nadal - Federer na Flushing Meadows musieli obejść się smakiem. - Chciałbym zagrać przeciwko niemu tutaj. Robiłem swoje przez ostatnich sześć lat dochodząc do finału, a jego niefortunnie nigdy tam nie było. Teraz dzielił mnie jeden krok od tego wydarzenia, oczywiście to jest trochę rozczarowujące - powiedział Szwajcar.
4. Gaël Monfils - Roger Federer, 7:6(7), 6:7(1), 7:6(4), półfinał BNP Paribas Masters
Fani zgromadzeni w hali w Bercy obejrzeli dwa fenomenalne widowiska jeden po drugim. Urodzony w Paryżu Monfils zwyciężając Federera osiągnął w tej imprezie drugi finał z rzędu. Niesiony dopingiem znakomitej publiczności w decydującym secie odrodził się ze stanu 1:4, a w 12. gemie obronił pięć piłek meczowych, by w trzecim tie breaku zapewnić sobie zwycięstwo po dwóch godzinach i 41 minutach. To jego pierwsze zwycięstwo w szóstym spotkaniu z 16-krotnym triumfatorem Wielkiego Szlema.
- Jestem szczęśliwy, że pokonałem Rogera. On jest kimś, kogo bardzo podziwiam. On jest legendą tenisa, legendą, nad którą ja odniosłem piękne zwycięstwo. Zapamiętam to do końca swojego życia - powiedział Monfils. - Co więcej to wydarzyło się w tym samych specjalnych dla mnie warunkach, w Paryżu, więc to jest dopiero szczęście.
Federer po raz czwarty w 2010 roku przegrał mecz, w którym miał piłki meczowe. Poza półfinałem US Open z Đokoviciem nie wykorzystał trzech meczboli w spotkaniu z Marcosem Baghdatisem w III rundzie w Indian Wells, a dwa tygodnie później w Miami zmarnował jedną piłkę meczową i przegrał w 1/8 finału z Tomášem Berdychem.
3. John Isner - Nicolas Mahut, 6:4, 3:6, 6:7(7), 7:6(3), 70:68, I runda Wimbledonu
Niesamowita dyspozycja serwisowa, siła fizyczna i wytrwałość obu tenisistów spowodowały, że ten mecz rozgrywany był w ciągu trzech dni. W czwartek gdy tenisiści w końcu dobrnęli do końca pojedynku na korcie 18 były tłumy kibiców oraz gość honorowy królowa Elżbieta II. Najdłuższy mecz w historii tenisa trwał 11 godzin i pięć dni czystej gry i ustanowionych zostało mnóstwo rekordów, które być może nigdy nie zostaną pobite. Isner zakończył tę konfrontację zwycięskim bekhendem wzdłuż linii i było to jego 246. kończące uderzenie. V set tego magicznego pojedynku odbywającego się na świętej londyńskiej trawie trwał osiem godzin i 11 minut, o 98 minut więcej niż dotychczasowy najdłuższy mecz w historii tenisa.
- Absolutny wojownik - powiedział Isner o pokonanym Mahut. - To śmierdzące, że ktoś musiał przegrać. Dzielenie tego z nim było absolutnym honorem. Może spotkamy się jeszcze gdzieś po drodze i wtedy nie będzie 70:68? Zanim Amerykanin przełamał Francuza w 183. gemie obaj tenisiści utrzymywali swoje serwisy przez 168 gemów z rzędu. W całym meczu, w którym rozegrano 980 piłek, były tylko trzy przełamania. Obaj tenisiści ustanowili również rekord w liczbie zaserwowanych asów: 113 Isner, 103 Mahut oraz liczbie kończących uderzeń (w sumie 490).
2. Robin Söderling - Michaël Llodra, 6:7(0), 7:5, 7:6(6), półfinał BNP Paribas Masters w Paryżu
Pupil gospodarzy Llodra po zwycięstwach nad Đokoviciem i Nikołajem Dawidienką osiągnął swój pierwszy półfinał w cyklu Masters 1000. Drogę do finału zamknął mu Söderling, z którym stworzył porywające widowisko. Stosujący taktykę serwis i wolej Llodra w decydującym secie wrócił do gry ze stanu 1:4, a w 12. gemie miał trzy piłki meczowe. Söderling wszystkie obronił i sięgnął po zwycięstwo w decydującym tie breaku po dwóch godzinach i 49 minutach tenisowej maestrii.
- Dzisiaj był wspaniały mecz. Może to nie było ładne, ale jestem tutaj jako zwycięzca - mówił Söderling, który w finale pokonał także drugiego faworyta gospodarzy Monfilsa i zdobył swój pierwszy tytuł w cyklu Masters 1000. - Myślę, że tenis jest bardzo mentalnym sportem, ponieważ tutaj każdy może wygrać, każdy jest taki dobry. Więc od strony mentalnej rozstrzyga się wiele meczów.
1. Rafael Nadal - Andy Murray 7:6(5), 3:6, 7:6(6), półfinał Masters
Zaczęło się jak u Hitchcocka, czyli od trzęsienia ziemi i z każdą sekundę napięcie rosło. - Dzisiaj zrozumiałem dlaczego gram w tenisa - powiedział faworyt Brytyjczyków Murray po trzysetowej łamiącej jego serce porażce z tytanem Nadalem.
Pełną zwrotów akcji, fantastycznych wymian z głębi kortu, spięć pod siatką batalię Nadala z Murrayem z miejsca uznano za jedno z najlepszych spotkań dekady. Dla Murraya była na szansa na wygranie największego turnieju w karierze na swojej ziemi. Nadal miał już na koncie trzy wygrane turnieje wielkoszlemowe, a przez sezon na kortach ziemnych przebrnął bez porażki. To był jeden z najlepszych sezonów w erze otwartej w wykonaniu jednego tenisisty. W trwającym trzy godziny i 11 minut elektryzującym widowisku w obecności 17,5 tys. kibiców w monumentalnej hali O2 Murray w decydującym secie od stanu 3:5 doprowadził do tie breaka, w którym prowadził 4-1. Górą był jednak Nadal, który w ten sposób osiągnął swój pierwszy finał w kończącej sezon imprezie.
- To był fantastyczny mecz - powiedział Hiszpan, który w wielkim finale przegrał z Federerem. - Jestem bardzo szczęśliwy, że pokonałem tak wielkiego mistrza jak Andy. Dla mnie to niewiarygodne zwycięstwo. Jestem bardzo szczęśliwy z tego wszystkiego, ponieważ był to naprawdę ciężki mecz z jednym z najlepszych tenisistów na świecie.
Pełną zwrotów akcji, fantastycznych wymian z głębi kortu, spięć pod siatką batalię Nadala z Murrayem z miejsca uznano za jedno z najlepszych spotkań dekady.
W pierwszej chwili byłem załamany, ale na szczęście przypomniałem sobie, że trwająca dekada rozpoczęła się 1 stycznia tego roku. :D
Chyba jednak nowa dekada zacznie się za kilkanaście dni :)
Załóżmy że jest rok zerowy n.e. więc licząc ten rok to dekada trwa do końca roku 9,więc 1 stycznia 2010 rozpoczęła się nowa dekada ;)
Nie bardzo. Tak samo jak nowy wiek zaczął się w 2001r., a nie w 2000. To samo z tysiącleciem - zaczęło się w 2001r. ;-)
Nadal i Wozniacki mistrzami świata ITF za rok 2010
Międzynarodowa Federacja Tenisowa (ITF) ogłosiła we wtorek, że Hiszpan Rafael Nadal i Dunka Caroline Wozniacki otrzymują tytuły mistrzów świata za rok 2010.
Nadal został uhonorowany w ten sposób już po raz drugi, a Wozniacki jest pierwszą Dunką, która zdobyła ten tytuł. Oboje są liderami rankingów.
Duńska tenisistka polskiego pochodzenia została mistrzynią świata, mimo że nigdy nie wygrała turnieju wielkoszlemowego. Hiszpan triumfował w tym roku w trzech (z czterech).
- Być umieszczonym na liście mistrzów świata ITF to coś, z czego jestem bardzo dumna. Mam za sobą wspaniały rok i trenuję nadal bardzo intensywnie, by być lepszą tenisistką w 2011 roku - powiedziała Wozniacki.
24-letni Nadal miał niezwykle udany sezon. Wygrał turniej Roland Garros po raz piąty w karierze, Wimbledon po raz drugi i gdy we wrześniu zwyciężył w US Open, został najmłodszym tenisistą w historii, który sięgnął po wszystkie tytuły wielkoszlemowe. Po tym sukcesie awansował na pierwsze miejsce w rankingu ATP, detronizując dotychczasowego lidera listy, Szwajcara Rogera Federera.
Bracia Bob i Mike Bryanowie (USA) zostali ogłoszeni przez ITF mistrzami świata w grze podwójnej po raz siódmy, co jest swego rodzaju rekordem. Gisela Dulko (Argentyna) i Flavia Pennetta (Włochy) zostały uznane, po raz pierwszy, za mistrzynie świata w deblu kobiet.
Mistrzowie Letnich Igrzysk Olimpijskich Młodzieży, Juan Sebastian Gomez (Kolumbia) i Daria Gawriłowa (Rosja) zostali mistrzami świata ITF juniorów za rok 2010.
Esther Vergeer (Holandia) i Shingo Kunieda (Japonia) zostali ogłoszeni przez ITF mistrzami świata w tenisie na wózkach. Vergeer została mistrzynią ITF po raz jedenasty z rzędu, a Japończyk czwarty raz z kolei.
Mistrzowie świata ITF otrzymają oficjalnie swe dyplomy na dorocznym Obiedzie Mistrzów, 31 maja 2011 r. w Paryżu podczas turnieju Rolanda Garrosa.
Jacuszyn z całym szacunkiem ale nie ma czegoś takiego jak rok zerowy:)
Jacuszyn napisał:
Załóżmy że jest rok zerowy n.e.
:beer: założenie błędne Jacuszyn. :D
Czyli ATP się myli? :o Przecież były podsumowania dekady przed startem tego sezonu i to nie tylko tam, ale na wszelkiej maści innych stronach tenisowych. Nie jestem pewny, ale chyba to się pokrywa z 3 cyferką "roków", przykładowo lata 30 XX wieku to 1930-1939, a nie 1931-1940 ;)
Dun nie tylko ATP. Rok temu było sporo takich podsumowań i rankingów. Mimo że było dementowane, iż jest to koniec dekady to takiej lawiny nic nie było w stanie powstrzymać. Żyjemy po prostu w czasach ciągłych rankingów i plebiscytów. Najlepiej to widać w muzyce. Co tydzień pojawiają się nowe wybory zespołów, utworów czy albumów wszechczasów, dekady czy stulecia. Co nie zmienia faktu że jeżeli za dekadę przyjmujemy 10 lat to dekada kończy się z końcem 2010 roku. Kalendarza oszukać się nie da:). A co do tych lat to się zgadzam tylko że określenie lata 30 nie jest synonimem dekady.
The strangest tennis moments of 2010 - part 1
Tennistalk is counting down the best and worst of 2010. In this edition we recall the strangest moments of the year, starting with Nos. 10-7.
10. The Djokovics climb out on a fashion limb
The Serb Family Djokovic has never been one to be shy in support of son and brother Novak. On one memorable occasion, each family member (Mom, Dad and brothers) donned a white T-shirt with a different letter to spell out N-O-L-E. Considering the logistical issues that could have arisen had one or more Djokovic been out of position (LONE, ONE L, LEON), this was a fairly brave undertaking.
Srdjan Djokovic, proud papa to the world No. 3 went one better at the US Open. He had a custom t-shirt made up with a giant photo of Nole’s head on the front. Better, the cameraman providing the live feed on Arthur Ashe stadium clearly had a fascination with The Shirt, which he showed on at least a half dozen occasions. Full credit to Nole for taking the not-so-gentle teasing with aplomb. “He’s a proud father. What can I say?” the Serb said when asked (repeatedly) about it.
9. Lleyton Hewitt beats The Federer. On GRASS.
Nothing against Lleyton Hewitt, but this was just bizarre. Roger Federer had won their last 15 encounters. FIFTEEN. Hewitt had not beaten Federer since 2003, which means that for 7 years, the Aussie went without a win against Fed. And out of nowhere, Hewitt who was a tad beaten up and surely not at his best level gets a win over Roger Federer on grass.
8. Grigor Dimitrov beats...a chair umpire?
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov might have a little bit of a problem with his temper. Just a couple of weeks ago, world no. 106 Dimitrov lost in the semifinals of a Challenger tournament in Helsinki, Finland (to Richard Berankis). And in protest of losing the match, Dimitrov tracked down chair umpire Daniel Infanger to...er....voice his displeasure in the way that the match was officiated. Loudly. And with some shoving for emphasis. So far, Mr. Dimitrov has received a 2000 Euro fine for his lapse in judgment.
7. Bernard Tomic stays out past his bedtime
Australia’s Bernard Tomic, ranked just inside the top 300 when he played this year’s Australian Open. Tomic got through his first match against France’s Guillaume Rufin, but he ran into world No. 14 Marin Cilic in the second round. In a show of faith, Australian Open organizers gave Tomic the primetime evening spot. After losing the 5-set heartbreaker, Tomic did what any 17 year old ranked 289 would do upon getting the chance to show his stuff on the main court of a major – he blamed officials for keeping him out past his bedtime. He’d SURELY have won that match if they’d only given him the day match like he requested. One wonders what gems Mr. Tomic will offer next year.......
Tennistalk's Matches of the Year: Part 1
The Tennistalk panel has spoken and it is time to reveal our Top 10 matches of the year, bit by bit. We open with a pair of Australian Open thrillers and a showdown between Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick.
10. Mikhail Youzhny d. Richard Gasquet 6-7(9), 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 6-4 - Australian Open first round
Talk about heartbreak for Gasquet. One year after losing a two-set lead to Fernando Gonzalez at the Australian Open, the Frenchman again suffered a brutal loss Down Under from two sets up. Both times Gasquet had little to do with his squandered advantage; his opponents simply produced remarkable tennis. This time it was Youzhny, who was a tiebreaker away from succumbing in straight sets and one point away (twice) from going down in four.
Instead, the Russian played a flawless tiebreaker in the third and saved two match points at 5-6 in the fourth, both with hard-to-believe, high-risk winners. Although the quality was not as high in the fifth, the drama reached its zenith. With both players cramping, Youzhny went up a break, went down a break, and then went back up a break (in the final game of the match) in a roller-coaster set. They played for four hours and 53 minutes and combined for 172 winners, 91 for Youzhny and 81 for Gasquet.
9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga d. Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-7(6), 9-7 - Australian Open fourth round
While the 2010 Australian Open did not produce the previous year's Nadal-Verdasco/Nadal-Federer masterpieces, Tsonga and Almagro (somewhat unlikely candidates) played arguably the match of the tournament in a fourth-round thriller. Tsonga won the first two sets with overpowering tennis, but Almagro earned his first break of the afternoon at 5-4 in the third to extend the proceedings and he came through an electric fourth-set tiebreaker to force a fifth.
Even though the Spaniard played "just unbelievable" (according to his opponent), Tsonga had just enough to hold him off. Both players fought off break points in the final set with incredible shot-making and Almagro successfully served to stay in the match three times. At 8-7, however, Tsonga kept up the pressure and finished off his win in appropriate fashion with two straight scorching winners. The Frenchman went on to upset Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
8. Andy Roddick d. Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 - Miami semifinals
Roddick's aggressive game disappeared for most of the season following this match, but it was on full display against Nadal in the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open. The American dropped the opening set by getting broken early in the match and he failed to break throughout his opponent's first eight service games.
But that's when Roddick realized he needed to go for broke, and it paid off with a break at 4-3 in the second. In the third, Roddick was in a zone that he had rarely reached since the mid-2000s. Nadal--until the final game of the match--played solid tennis in his own right, but he could not contend with the eventual champion's huge serves (15 aces) and surprisingly flat forehand groundstrokes. Roddick finished with 37 winners to Nadal's 25.
Jacuszyn napisał:
Załóżmy że jest rok zerowy n.e.
Prowokujesz, jak rozumiem :)
No i to samo co w przeszłości, tylko że po polsku.
Pięć najlepszych pojedynków AD 2010
Ostatni rok obfitował w wiele kapitalnych spotkań. Na oficjalnej stronie ATP przedstawiono ranking pięciu najlepszych pojedynków. Na pewno wszystkie z nich dobrze pamiętacie, ale nie zaszkodzi odświeżyć sobie wspomnienia. Zapraszamy!
1. Rafael Nadal - Andy Murray, 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6), Barclays ATP World Tour Finals w Londynie - półfinał
- Dzisiaj zrozumiałem, dlaczego gram w tenisa - powiedział Murray o tym niewiarygodnym thrillerze.
Nadal walczył o wejście do finału i ukoronowanie wielkiego sezonu, a Murray chciał zrobić wszystko, aby udanie zakończyć niezbyt szczęśliwy rok. Po trzech godzinach i 11 minutach, przy 17,5 tysiącach fanów w hali O2, Hiszpan wygrał. Szkot był jednak bliski wygranej w tie-breaku trzeciej partii, gdy prowadził 4:1.
- To był fantastyczny mecz. Jestem szczęśliwy, ze pokonałem tak wielkiego mistrza jak Andy - mówił Rafa.
2. Novak Djoković - Roger Federer, 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5, US Open - półfinał
Djoković pozbawił tą wygraną siódmego finału z rzędu dla Szwajcara. Wcześniej Serb trzy razy z rzędu przegrywał z Rogerem na kortach Flushing Meadows. W 2007 roku uległ mu w finale.
- Wiedziałem, że muszę być opanowany i nie stracić koncentracji, ponieważ to właśnie przez to przegrywałem w poprzednich sezonach. On wtedy wykorzystywał moją nerwowość - tłumaczył Djoko.
Serb w decydującym secie pokazał, że ma nerwy ze stali. Przegrywał 4:5 i 15:40. Obronił dwie piłii meczowe! Później wygrał m.in. wymianę po 22 uderzeniach. Pojedynek zakończył się po trzech godzinach i 44 minutach.
3. John Isner - Nicolas Mahut, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68, Wimbledon, 1. runda
To było spotkanie, które pokazało jak długo można wytrzymać na korcie. Isner i Mahut grali łącznie przez 11 godzin i pięć minut. Mecz toczył się przez trzy dni. Ostatecznie Isner wygrał pojedynek po zagraniu backhandem. To było jego 246. wygrywające uderzenie w tym meczu.
Piąty set trwał osiem godzin i 11 minut. To było o 98 minut dłużej niż cały poprzedni najdłuższy spektakl tenisowy. Po zakończeniu walki obaj zawodnicy słaniali się na nogach, a z ich rąk leciała krew.
- Ten koleś to absolutny wojownik - powiedział Isner. - Nie chciał przegrać.
Łącznie obaj gracze wywalczyli 980 punktów. Obaj pobili także rekordy asów serwisowych. Pierwszy miał 113, a Mahut 103. W nagrodę obaj spotkali się z brytyjską królową Elżbietą 2.
4. Robin Soderling - Michael Llodra, 6-7(0), 7-5, 7-6(6), BNP Paribas Masters - półfinał
Llodra miał kapitalny weekend w hali Bercy. Wcześniej pokonał Djokovicia i Nikolaja Dawidienkę. Francuz zatrzymał się jednak na półfinale.
Było to spotkanie zawodników prezentujących dość archaiczny styl gry. W trzeciej partii Llodra odrobił starty od stanu 1:4. 30-letni francuski tenisista wybronił trzy piłki meczowe. Ostatecznie jednak przegrał po dwóch godzinach i 49 minutach.
- To był wielki mecz. Może nie specjalnie ładny, ale ja jestem zwycięzcą - powiedział Soderling, który później pokonał w finale Gaela Monfilsa.
5. Gael Monfils - Roger Federer, 7-6(7), 6-7(1), 7-6(4), BNP Paribas Masters - półfinał
Ten sam turniej, co w przypadku numeru „4”. Fani w Paryżu zobaczyli jeszcze jeden kapitalny mecz. Po tym jak rozczarowali się przegraną Llodry, mogli świętować sukces rodaka Monfilsa. Gael awansował do finału drugi rok z rzędu.
Monfils obronił pięć piłek meczowych w 12. gemie trzeciego seta. Wcześniej przegrywał już 1:4. Francuz pokonał Szwajcara po raz pierwszy w karierze po pięciu porażkach.
- Jestem szczęśliwy, że go pokonałem. On jest kimś, kogo bardzo szanuję. Będę to pamiętał na całe moje życie.
Federer natomiast przegrał wtedy po raz czwarty w 2010 roku, gdy miał piłki meczowe. Wcześniej tak stało się w spotkaniach: z Djoko na US Open, z Marcosem Baghdatisem w Indian Wells i z Tomasem Berdychem w Miami.
Best of 2010: Spoiling for a Fight
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer played each other five times over the course of the last four months of the season. Federer won four of those matches; Djokovic won this one, the one we’ll remember. It spoiled a potential Federer-Rafael Nadal final, but it was a classic of its own—No. 6 on my list for 2010. The match was exceptionally up and down through the first four sets, or at least exceptionally up and down from Federer’s point of view. His serve was on track only sporadically, and he lost two sets badly but still kept himself alive for the fifth. That’s when things got good, as the highlight clip above attests.
***
What station is this, or what country? Somewhere excitable, it seems. Whatever you think of the announcer—and he would wear on me after a while—he does bring a soccer-like energy to a tennis match. And his cry of “Djooookoooovic!!!” at the end is perfect.
***
These two played in Toronto the previous month and Djokovic was visibly gassed by the end. Federer even mentioned it in his on-court remarks afterward. And there are times in this set when Djokovic looks weary, but it never quite affects him. By the end, he’s running on adrenalin, swinging for the fences, in some kind of competitive ether beyond tiredness. He stays in that zone even after the match is over. You can see it on his face as he approaches the net for the handshake. Djokovic's eyes are still wide, and a little shellshocked.
***
There’s a reason that Federer is 12-6 against Djokovic. Even in this match, he has the natural upper hand in rallies. It’s Djokovic who plays farther back, and who has to hit bigger than normal to stay on even terms. This time he does it. Even the two match points he saves are with extremely risky shots that he wouldn’t go for at 2-2 in the first set of the second round of Basel. Djokovic has to absorb Federer’s early punch and recalibrate his own game. That’s what happened when they played at the World Tour Finals, where Djokovic was run off the court in the first set before making a match of it, with great effort, in the second.
Still, his shots on these match points here weren’t flukes. I thought he had been the better player for most of the match, and that had started all the way back in the first set, even though he lost it. You can see in these highlights that Federer can’t leave a ball hanging; Djokovic is going to be on it. The Serb won two easy sets, but as with Berdych and Monfils this year, he couldn’t kill the king until he’d gotten down match point and found himself with nothing to lose first. Psychologically, it seems to be easier the second time around.
***
Federer was snakebit in this set; he couldn’t finish a couple points where he had Djokovic dead to rights. At 4-3, 15-30, Federer missed a running backhand pass into the net. On a crucial point later, he hit a running forehand pass crosscourt, right to Djokovic’s racquet. Did he do anything wrong on the match points? He’s out of the first one pretty quickly, even though he still makes Djokovic finish it with an insane inside-out crosscourt swing volley. On the second, Federer does leave his backhand just a little shorter than he wanted, but you can’t blame him for that. Djokovic took a neutral rally ball and hit it on the line. You can only tip your hat there.
***
Reason to love Novak Djokovic: He’s facing match points and looking close to beat. He hauls off and wins those two points, and then wins the next point with another winner. Suddenly he’s beating his chest with his racquet, as if he’s been the man all along.
***
He was the man in the end. You know you’re feeling it when you can thread a forehand pass up the line and past Federer at 5-5 and deuce in the fifth set of the semifinals of the U.S. Open. In London, the Tennis Channel’s Jimmy Arias mentioned that Federer often hits his forehand a little early when he’s tight. That’s what happens here at break point at 5-5. He pulls his forehand into the alley.
***
Then we have the Djokovic's celebration, one of the year’s best. It succeeded in being both genuine (“What just happened? I just beat Roger Federer; I’m in a Slam final again?”) and a little hammy (“I’m going to stand here and soak this in for just a little longer than is absolutely necessary”). Novak: genuinely hammy; hammily genuine. He started this tournament in a mediocre place. He ended it on the rise again. It was a trajectory that took him to two convincing wins in the Davis Cup final. We’ll see if it takes him even higher in 2011.
Best of 2010: Stormy Monday
Maybe you had to be there. When I talked to people later who had watched the U.S. Open men's final on TV, they sounded disappointed. “It was never in doubt”; “Djokovic never had a chance”; “The rain ruined it”: ‘I couldn’t find it on any channel.”
It didn’t feel any of those ways inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Novak Djokovic was indeed fighting an uphill battle all the way, but that only made him very loose, and made his opponent, Rafael Nadal, who was facing what would almost certainly be the best chance he would ever have to complete a career Grand Slam, very tight. Tennis players talk about being lonely in front of all those people, but it can’t get any lonelier than trying to finish a match you simply have to win in front of thousands of people who will be stunned if you don't. Nadal was on my side of the court when he got to 5-1. You could see change in him that game; he became visibly nervous, and stayed that way until it was over.
But what made this a memorable match for me—No. 4 for the year—was the shot-making exhibition these two put on. With the various rain delays, as well as the Monday start, the tension that usually accompanies a U.S. Open had dissipated by the third set. There was a sort of wild and stormy feel inside the stadium as these guys threw haymakers back and forth at each other.
Above are one person’s selection of the 12 best points—how closely do you have to watch a match to put something like that together? Seeing them again makes me think you didn’t really have to be there at all. They're just as good on TV.
***
The first point ends with a nice Djokovic drop shot. You know it’s especially nice, since even Nadal can’t get close to it. Djokovic has a very good backhand drop, but he uses it as a bail-out shot too often, from too far back in the court. Here he gets the shot selection right, hitting it from inside the baseline when he already has the advantage in the point.
***
I know these are highlights, but did Djokovic play better in this match than he did against Federer? You can see he’s tired, but that also frees him to go for shots he normally wouldn’t attempt. He makes a lot of them. Deep down, though, he doesn't believe it's going to work out in the end, and that's what dooms him.
In his matches with Nadal, Djokovic has the opposite problem that he does when he plays Federer. Where he has to fight off the early Federer attack, Djokovic typically starts strong against Nadal. He has a chance to control points and hit his shots, and his down the line backhand is a real weapon when Nadal’s crosscourt forehands land short. The catch: He has to keep hitting that down the line backhand, along with everything else, perfectly, game after game, set after set. On most occasions, he can’t.
***
Nadal is gaining on Bjorn Borg as the greatest clay-courter ever, but he may already be ahead of him in the passing shot department. What Nadal does like no one else is shorten his backswing so that he does little more than snap through the shot. He can still get pace doing this, but his specialities are accuracy and redirecting the ball with almost no preparation. He takes one Djokovic volley and snaps it down the line with a forehand; he takes another and blocks it crosscourt at a sharp angle with his backhand. No one can match him as a passing-shot improviser.
***
Does the Sky Sports play-by-play guy seriously mean to say that he thinks that two of these points are the best ever played? I mean, they’re good, but . . .
***
Two of these 12 best points came in the final game, when, like I said, Nadal was more visibly nervous than he had been all day. Nevertheless, he wins them. I’ve noted before that Federer is a master at showing nerves for a second and then playing through them. Nadal, who rarely blows a big match, does it too. Grace under pressure, the one true mark of a champion.
***
Djokovic is caught smiling after a few of these points, even when he’s lost them. On one other, he uses his racquet to clap for his opponent. The previous year, he had a similar attitude in his semifinal with Federer. This is obviously not ideal from a competitive standpoint—notice that he didn’t do any of that stuff in the Davis Cup final. But maybe Djokovic is just being realistic when he plays Nadal and Federer. Maybe we can forgive him for doing what we do when we watch them play, for being one more fan.
Tennistalk's Matches of the Year: Part 2
Tennistalk's Top 10 matches of 2010 are underway and we continue with Nos. 5-7. A shocking French Open upset and two Masters Series thrillers are featured.
7. Jurgen Melzer d. Novak Djokovic 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-4 - French Open quarterfinals
Even making it to the quarterfinals was improbable for Melzer, who had never previously been past the third round of any Grand Slam in his entire career. But what he did against Djokovic was far more shocking. Getting blown out after two sets (and early in the third when he trailed by two sets AND a break), the veteran Austrian started to play like he had nothing to lose and he turned the tide with a dominant third-set performance. That set the stage for a dramatic fourth that lasted a whopping one hour and 19 minutes. How did it go so long? In the eighth game serving at 3-4, Djokovic saved an amazing eight break points to stay on serve before eventually forcing a tiebreaker. Perhaps still feeling the effects of that game, a weary Serb fell behind 6-0 in the 'breaker. He battled back to 6-3 only to see Melzer capitalize on his fourth set point. Maintaining the momentum, Melzer converted his 24th break-point chance of the evening at 4-4 in the fifth for a decisive service break. The underdog showed signs of nerves while serving for it at 5-4, but he finished the job on his third match point and looked just as stunned as the Roland Garros crowd. Melzer called it "the most incredible moment of my career."
6. Rafael Nadal d. Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 - Rome semifinals
Nobody beat Nadal in clay in 2010 and nobody even came close...except for Gulbis. Having knocked out Roger Federer in the second round, Gulbis stormed into the Rome semis with plenty of confidence, and when he is confident, he is one of the most dangerous players on tour. The Latvian looked nervous early and a quick break cost him the first set. In the second, however, Gulbis started swinging away and ran Nadal ragged even on a relatively slow clay surface. The underdog continued to throw everything he had at Nadal in the third, but the world No. 1 always had an answer--for almost every one of Gulbis' 50 winners. Nadal kept the pressure on by making few to zero unforced errors and Gulbis finally cracked while serving to stay in the match at 4-5. The Spaniard produced his best tennis when it mattered most and broke at love to reach the final before eventually winning another Masters title.
5. Robin Soderling d. Michael Llodra 6-7(0), 7-5, 7-6(6) - Paris semifinals
Soderling and Llodra capped off a one-for-the-ages semifinal day in Paris with an incredible match. A total of eight match points were saved by the two winners, Soderling and Gael Monfils. After Monfils thwarted five match points to stun Federer, an even more amazing match quality-wise saw Soderling fight off three match points to beat Llodra. From start to finish this was a near-flawless display of serving and aggressive tennis. No breaks took place until Soderling struck at 5-5 in the second set before serving it out to force a third. The Swede went up a break in the third and only gave it back when Llodra came up with a diving backhand volley. Soderling was one point from defeat on three occasions at 5-6; he survived two with great tennis and on the third Llodra excruciatingly missed an open forehand pass. To the chagrin of the French crowd, Soderling forced another 'breaker and eked it out eight points to six.
My ATP matches of the year
1. Roger Federer v Novak Djokovic
5-7 6-1 5-7 6-2 7-5
US Open semi-final
To my mind Roger Federer has been involved in all the great matches of the last few years, and this, for me, is the pick of them.
This match is better even than the two Wimbledon finals that everyone talks about against Rafael Nadal - and the semi-final against Marat Safin at the Australian Open was great too.
This one was probably one of the top five matches I've seen in my life.
It had everything you could ask for: Djokovic suddenly emerging again as a great player after a period of really struggling.
Federer kept coming back at Djokovic and you kept thinking: "This has got to be it, Djokovic is going to fold." But he didn't. For Djokovic to be better on the day than Federer, who was playing very well, was outstanding.
These were two players who hadn't shown much up until that stage and it was comfortably my match of the year. In fact it was the best tennis I've seen in a long time.
2. Marin Cilic v Andy Roddick
7-6(4) 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-3
Australian Open quarter-final
I though Marin Cilic was the big story at the Australian Open.
Andy Murray was obviously one too, but Cilic had such a difficult path: firstly playing Juan Martin Del Potro for about four hours then having to face Andy Roddick.
He was two sets up against Roddick, but the American came back and all of a sudden it looked as if it had to be Roddick's match.
Cilic is still a little green and I thought he might get blown away in the fifth set the way the momentum had changed in Roddick's favour. But for Cilic to come back... I thought that was absolutely sensational.
And by the time he played Murray, to be honest he was pretty much spent. It was a good match and Murray played very well but Cilic was tired, no doubt about it.
I am very surprised he hasn't kicked on in the rest of the year as I thought he would. I saw him possibly top five and certainly top 10 by the end of the year, but that hasn't happened - and I don't really know why.
He was amazing in Melbourne; it was a classic situation of a boy becoming a man before our eyes.
It's amazing how often it happens in tennis that somebody is two sets down, comes back to two sets all and you think that's it, the momentum is so strongly in favour of the other guy - but it switches. He seemed to get a second wind, even though he was clearly tired after the Del Potro match. And Roddick was playing very well.
3. John Isner v Nicolas Mahut
6-4 3-6 6-7(7) 7-6(3) 70-68
Wimbledon first round
I was looking at this match the other day actually and some people have written some pretty nasty things about it.
For two of the three days that this match was going on I went down to the court myself and admittedly, while you did have a sense of history being made, for the tennis purist there was nothing much to get excited about.
The guys played tennis for over 11 hours and they didn't buckle. The world was watching by the time they came out. They gave what they could which they should be congratulated for. It's helped tennis get the coverage that it never really has before - and that's a fantastic achievement.
But, as a tennis match, it wasn't actually that great!
-Simon Reed
This one was probably one of the top five matches I've seen in my life.
Tak się kończy zbyt częste oglądanie Murray'a. :D
Tennistalk's Matches of the Year: Part 3
Tennistalk's Top 10 matches of 2010 continue with Nos. 5-7. A pair of U.S. Open five-setters involving four of the current Top 10 players in the world is featured.
4. Fernando Verdasco d. David Ferrer 5-7, 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4) - U.S. Open fourth round
In an otherwise relatively straightforward U.S. Open, two matches stood out. None was more wild than an all-Spanish fourth-round epic between Verdasco and Ferrer that featured incredible baseline battles, tantalizing momentum shifts, and a trio of Verdasco comebacks. Verdasco battled back from two sets down to force a fifth, recovered from 4-2 behind in the final set, and stormed past Ferrer from a 4-1 deficit in the decisive 'breaker.
As if the first four hours and 22 minutes of play were not good enough, the Louis Armstrong faithful will not soon forget match point. Ferrer had his opponent on the ropes throughout a grueling rally. Verdasco stayed alive with a forehand squash-shot to which Ferrer responded with a perfectly angled drop-volley. Verdasco not only tracked it down from all the way across the court, but he also flicked it up the line for a forehand winner, almost crashing into the umpire's chair before collapsing in triumph. In his on-court interview, Verdasco called it the greatest match of his life. Perhaps he momentarily forgot about his 2009 Australian Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal, but this very well could be No. 2.
3. Novak Djokovic d. Roger Federer 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 - U.S. Open semifinals
While the tennis had its ups and downs, this was every bit as good as anticipated, and then some. That a U.S. Open final showdown with world No. 1 Nadal was on the line made this one all the more amazing. Djokovic and Federer took turns seizing the momentum, with the second-ranked Swiss pulling out tight first and third sets while the third-ranked Serb dominated sets two and four. When Djokovic served out the fourth at 5-2, the stage was set for a dramatic fifth...one that lived up to expectations in every way except maybe not culminating in a tiebreaker.
Federer earned two match points with his opponent serving at 4-5, 15-40, and it was not his fault that he failed to convert. Djokovic saved both shockingly aggressive forehands and went on to hold for 5-5. From there the underdog was not to be denied, and he took the next two games--saving another break point at 6-5--to pull off the shocker. "It was just a big pleasure playing in this kind of match," Djokovic said afterward. "It's one of those matches you'll always remember in your career."
Tennistalk's Match of the Year: Isner vs. Mahut
Tennistalk wraps up its Top 10 matches of 2010 with the final two. The never-ending Wimbledon epic delivered by John Isner and Nicolas Mahut beats out the rip-roaring World Tour Finals semi between Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
2. Rafael Nadal d. Andy Murray 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(6) - World Tour Finals semifinals
At the end of a hallmark year for Nadal and an up-and-down campaign for Murray, two of the Top 4 players in the world saved some of their best for last. This season's final tournament, the World Tour Finals in London, saw Nadal and Murray stage a semifinal showdown that will not soon be forgotten. They played for three hours and 12 minutes over just three sets--on pace for at least five hours and 20 minutes had this been a three-out-of-five-set match that went the distance. They combined for 85 winners (three more winners than errors), an especially impressive number given that Nadal and Murray are two of the best defenders in tennis, against whom outright winners are a rarity.
Just how close was it? Murray actually earned more service breaks (three to one) and more points (114 to 109), and still came out on the losing end. The Scot lost a tough first-set tiebreaker when Nadal came up with a pair of winners at 5-5 and 6-5. Despite the disappointment, Murray recovered to produce arguably his best tennis of the year in set two. He seized the first break of the match at 3-3 and struck again for 5-3 by pulverizing return after return. Both men delivered their best stuff with their backs against the wall in the third. Murray broke at 4-5 to stay in the match, then Nadal stormed back from a 4-1 deficit in the decisive 'breaker, three times being two points from defeat. In appropriate fashion, the top-ranked Spaniard put an exclamation point on the thriller with a crushing inside-out forehand on match point at 7-6. Nadal called it a "fantastic" match and an "amazing" victory. Murray, even in defeat, perhaps even took it one step further. Said Murray: "Today is the reason why I play tennis."
1. John Isner d. Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 70-68 - Wimbledon first round
When asked how he would describe his legendary first-round Wimbledon encounter against Isner, Mahut quipped, "Do you have time?" Well, no, we don't. Nor do we have time (or enough space) to recap it. Everyone knows what happened, so let's just take a look back on some of the records and quotes from the 2010 Match of the Year and the longest--and definitely most shocking, improbable, and mind-bending--match in tennis history.
Isner and Mahut set records for the longest match (11 hours and five minutes), the longest set (eight hours and 11 minutes--longer than the previous longest match), most aces (216), most aces by one player (Isner: 113), and consecutive service games held (168), among many, many other feats that one can only assume are unbreakable.
Mahut won 24 more points than Isner (502 to 478). The Frenchman struck 244 winners and a mere 39 unforced errors while Isner fired 246 winners to just 52 errors. Mahut converted one break point at 0-40 for a 2-0 lead in the second set and did not have another chance until 15-40 and 30-40 at 50-50 in the fifth. Isner converted two of 14 break-point opportunities; first at 4-4, ad-out in the first set and again on the final point of the match; with a backhand pass at 68-69, 30-40. The match lasted three days and was suspended twice due to darkness, including at 59-59 in the fifth.
"Amazing match. Just congratulate both of players because they did something amazing. They make history." –- Rafael Nadal
"I love this. This is unheard of in our game. I have almost no words anymore. It was too much." -– Roger Federer
"We played the greatest match ever in the greatest place to play tennis." –- Nicolas Mahut
"Nothing like this will ever happen again. Ever." –- John Isner
Nadal collects year-end awards, others lag behind
Rafael Nadal has swept a host of year-end awards for his dominating season but other players have fared poorly in annual accolades.
Nadal has been voted the Spanish athlete of the year in a poll by El Pais and the Spanish athlete of the decade by Marca. In addition to recognition from Spanish newspapers, Nadal was also named L'Equipe Champion of Champions in France and won the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in Britain. He was voted European Sportsman of the Year in a poll of 25 news agencies in Europe, beating out F1 champion Sebastian Vettel.
Roger Federer, meanwhile, came in third place for Swiss sportsman of the year, behind gold medal-winning ski jumper Simon Ammann and alpine wrestler Kilian Wenger. Federer was, however, voted the international athlete of the decade in Marca's poll.
Despite leading Serbia to Davis Cup victory, Novak Djokovic was not voted the Balkan athlete of the year, coming in behind Bulgarian wrestler Stanka Zlateva, who won gold in the world and European women's 72 kg championships.