Your most memorable matches

[Smell The Glove]

What are your most memorable matches- the ones that just stick in your head for whatever reason? Mine would be:

1. Rafter v Ivanisevic, Wimbledon final 2001: The has to top the list. Best match I've seen- high tension, two crowd favourties playing one of the most fiercely contested finals in the best possible spirit. Just couldnt decide who to go for- liked both of them too much- but in the end went with Rafter. The last set was amazing- each and every point was played under a hushed silence, could have gone either way. Best tennis match by a mile.

2. Roddick v El Aynaoui, Australian Open 2003: Absolute marathon. Anyone who thinks tennis players dont care about the Australian Open should watch this match for an example of two players busting a gut in a Grand Slam. Gripping tennis from start to finish (of the last set- the first four sets were not really exciting), El Aynaoui looked like he had Roddick at least a dozen times but Roddick always seemed to be able to put the serve out at the right times despite having a terrible service night (if I remember correctly). Was the sort of match you were glad to see draw even because you knew you were in for at least two more games. Top stuff.

3. Sanchez Vicario v Rubin, Australian Open 1995?: I remember this match well as a kid- stayed up at the grandparents place with Mum well into the early hours of the night to see Rubin finally finish off Vicario. Never liked Sanchez Vicario, so unlike the two matches above, there was someone to cheer for.

4. Sampras v Federer: Wimbledon 2001: This match may have taken on much greater significance since, but at the time, I was just happy to see Sampras get beaten, at Wimbledon. I remember staying up to watch it, and even the commentators couldnt believe what they were seeing when Federer went up two sets to one (or to love, cant remember). Edge of your seat stuff- dont think any particular set was a blowout, nor did Sampras play particularly poorly, just got beaten by a better player on the day (and better person)

 

[wally funk]

totally agree with your top two, whippersnipper, although i'd probably swap em round for mine. two bloody fantastic matches!
remember your 3rd one pretty well as well, but probably be a little way down on my list.

 

[Geddy Lee]

1. Hewitt vs Federer, Davis Cup '03. I was in the crowd that day, Hewitt comes back from 2 sets to love down to win. I just thought it was Hewitt beating his bitch again, but this match has turned out to be the most important match of the decade, as Federer was devastated after this loss, and got to the root of his mental weaknesses, sorted them out, and now look at him. Great match too.

2. Kuerton vs Federer FO '04. Kuerton could have been one of the greats if not for a crippling back injury, and he was a fantastic player and person. I loved this match because for one last time he painted lines everywhere in his favourite stadium and bitchslapped the world number one in straight sets.

3. Nalbandian vs Federer TMC '05/Nalbandian vs Federer Madrid '07: Both of these matches involved the world's two heaviest and cleanest hitters bring serious game and hitting the ball harder and faster than I thought possible. TMC gets a mention because it was an epic, but Madrid is probably the better match with Federer playing ridiculously well in the first set, 6-1, before he cools down a bit and David catches on fire, hitting out of this world angles, winners around the net posts, and serving very well, which previously he simply could not do.

4. Ivanisevic vs Rafter '01 Wimbledon final, great match, heartbreaking result for me as a huge Rafter fan.

It's late so I can only do a few but a special mention to the most memorable tournament of all time: the 2000 Tennis Masters Cup.

The 8 players were Pete Sampras, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, Alex Corretja, Andre Agassi, Gustavo Kuerten, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Magnus Norman, all in their prime. It as an indoor hart court, and Guga Kuerton was seen as much more of a clown on hardcourts than Nadal is today (both 3 times winners of the FO).

Kuerton lost in the first round robin match to Agassi in 3 tough sets. He managed to scrape through to the semi-finals, where he faced a player by the name of Sampras on Pistol Pete's second favourite surface, and had never beaten him off clay. He did what pretty much 99.99% of the populace thought impossible; he beat Sampras on hard court, and was rewarded with a Final match with Agassi, who he also managed to beat, without ever having beaten him before off clay, playing truly out of this world. If you've forgotten Guga's backhand, go to youtube now.

 

[Betfair Pro Punter]

1. Federer V Nadal 2007 Wimbledon Final. Nadal getting so close to ending Fed's reign on his home patch.

2. Sampras V Agassi in 2001 US Open final, great game and even though it was only a 4 set match, highest standard match you will ever see between these 2 legends.

3. Federer V Sampras Wimbledon 2001, the change of guards with Federer ending Sampras' reign on grass.

4. Gaudio V Coria French Open 2004, thrilling final of 2 clay court specialists, sadly both of these two never reached their heights after this period.

5. Federer V Nadal 2006 in Rome Masters , epic 5 setter that had topsy turvies, and crowd and atmosphere made it by far the best clay court encounter between these two.

 

[hans moleman]

1. Rafter vs Ivanisevic 2001 Wimbledon Final is probably #1 for me too and "heartbreaking" is definitely an appropriate way to describe the feeling. Sure, it was good to see Goran win after so many tries but damn I really wish Rafter could've gotten over the line.
Rafter was obviously not the best baseliner in the world and i'd imagine it'd be pretty tough to impose your net rushing style and hold the fort up at net against such great opponents. So you had to love the fighting effort he gave with every single point. Because of this I reckon his semis against Agassi to make his 2 Wimbledon finals were probably Rafter's best wins.
He was in with a shot the year before against Sampras (had a great opportunity to go 2 sets to love up) and against Ivanisevic I think he had a relatively easy attempt at a forehand winner late in the 5th set with games tied and 30-all on Goran's serve, that ended up in the net. Might've been the most important point of the match right there...oh well.
The fact that the match was played on a Monday and tickets were made available to die hard fans made the occasion even more special.

2. The Safin vs Federer Aussie Open semi (2005 I think) was also a classic, real mano-a-mano stuff and in the end Safin was just too good. If only he could've kept up that standard who knows how successful he could've been.

3. I was too young to remember exactly anything specific about the match, but for some reason the excitement of an epic Davis Cup match where Pat Cash made a huge comeback to defeat Mikael Pernfors has stayed in my memory. I guess it's one of those memories that brings you back to a time and place.

 

[Scruff83]

Surprise no one has mentioned the 5 set semi-final classic between Rafter/Agassi at Wimbledon 2000. Apart from that most of what i would have said has already been said.

The Roddick v El Aynaoui match was ridiculous 21-19 in the 5th and something like 2 and a half hours for the 5th set alone.

Also have vague memories of Philiposusis knocking off Sampras in the early rounds at the Australian Open years ago when he was only about 19 or something and Sampras was at his peak. Everyone was stunned.

 

[Syd Kennets]

The 8 players were Pete Sampras, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, Alex Corretja, Andre Agassi, Gustavo Kuerten, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Magnus Norman, all in their prime. It as an indoor hart court, and Guga Kuerton was seen as much more of a clown on hardcourts than Nadal is today (both 3 times winners of the FO).

Kuerton lost in the first round robin match to Agassi in 3 tough sets. He managed to scrape through to the semi-finals, where he faced a player by the name of Sampras on Pistol Pete's second favourite surface, and had never beaten him off clay. He did what pretty much 99.99% of the populace thought impossible; he beat Sampras on hard court, and was rewarded with a Final match with Agassi, who he also managed to beat, without ever having beaten him before off clay, playing truly out of this world. If you've forgotten Guga's backhand, go to youtube now.

Guga was certaintly a clown on Hardcourts, but i remember seeing him beat sampras at kooyong one summer, so I always wondered why he played so crap, this was a great tournament.

 

[chickens_law]

Who could forget this?

Phillipousis v Popp, Wimbledon 2003.


From 2 sets down the Scuds pulls of a miracle and wins. Probably his only highlight.

 

[The natural]

What are your most memorable matches- the ones that just stick in your head for whatever reason? Mine would be:

1. Rafter v Ivanisevic, Wimbledon final 2001: The has to top the list. Best match I've seen- high tension, two crowd favourties playing one of the most fiercely contested finals in the best possible spirit. Just couldnt decide who to go for- liked both of them too much- but in the end went with Rafter. The last set was amazing- each and every point was played under a hushed silence, could have gone either way. Best tennis match by a mile.

2. Roddick v El Aynaoui, Australian Open 2003: Absolute marathon. Anyone who thinks tennis players dont care about the Australian Open should watch this match for an example of two players busting a gut in a Grand Slam. Gripping tennis from start to finish (of the last set- the first four sets were not really exciting), El Aynaoui looked like he had Roddick at least a dozen times but Roddick always seemed to be able to put the serve out at the right times despite having a terrible service night (if I remember correctly). Was the sort of match you were glad to see draw even because you knew you were in for at least two more games. Top stuff.

3. Sanchez Vicario v Rubin, Australian Open 1995?: I remember this match well as a kid- stayed up at the grandparents place with Mum well into the early hours of the night to see Rubin finally finish off Vicario. Never liked Sanchez Vicario, so unlike the two matches above, there was someone to cheer for.

4. Sampras v Federer: Wimbledon 2001: This match may have taken on much greater significance since, but at the time, I was just happy to see Sampras get beaten, at Wimbledon. I remember staying up to watch it, and even the commentators couldnt believe what they were seeing when Federer went up two sets to one (or to love, cant remember). Edge of your seat stuff- dont think any particular set was a blowout, nor did Sampras play particularly poorly, just got beaten by a better player on the day (and better person)

Agree with the match you,ve got as number one.Took the best exhibition of serving in a grand slam final ive seen to deprive Rafter of the title he was born to win.

 

[thewhippersnapper]

Any Hewitt loss.

 

[Harvey Leadpipe]

1998 Aust Open - Andre Agassi vs Alberto Berasategui (think it was the 3rd or 4th round). A baseliners war on hardcourt. Groundstroke winners all throughout, awesome long rallies, hard running, big 5-setter. Berasetegui come out on top. Both players would have had to pull up extremely sore the next day.

1992 Wimbledon Final - Andre Agassi vs Goran Ivansevic. Goran with the firepower serve, Andre with the groundstrokes. Some of the best service returns I've ever seen, against one of the biggest servers in history. Two contrasting styles putting on a massive show on tennis' biggest stage.

1992 Aust Open - John McEnroe vs Emilio Sanchez. The old timer had toned it down later in life, with everyone spurring him on. The tennis itself wasn't of the highest quality, but being in the crowd with an electric atmosphere was fantastic. McEnroe with the help of the crowd coming out on top, 8-6 in the last.

1988 Aust Open Final - Pat Cash vs Mats Wilander. The first year at Melbourne Park, and the local lad made the final. Once again two contrasting styles, great rallies and amazing shots from both players, close all the way through. 8-6 in the last to Wilander.


As a young lad, one of my tennis coaches handed me a couple of tapes to watch. It ended up being the one match of a 1982 Davis Cup tie between Mats Wilander and John McEnroe. The thing went well over 6 hours, as there were no tie-breaks in any set. I didn't know the result before watching it, so was entralled through it all, and it was a cracker of a match. McEnroe coming out on top 8-6 in the last, one of the sets going to 16-14 or thereabouts during the match. Huge.

Also saw a tape of a 1982 match (not sure where it was, wasn't a grand slam though) of McEnroe vs Connors. Both players doing their nut, point deductions all throughout, and Connors even jumping the net at one stage to have a launch at McEnroe. If you can find this anywhere, this is how tennis should be all the time. Pure entertainment.

 

[X_box_X]

I remember that Alberto Berasategui and Agassi match. It was a third round match, at night on Rod Laver. What an amazing game.

The 2001 Wimbledon Final rates high for me too.
The 21-19 Roddick and El Anayoui match.
1999 Aus Open, second round, Scud vs Chang in five.
Hewitt vs Nalbandian, 2005 Aus Open
Federer vs Safin, 2005 Aus Open

For a different reason, Federer vs Roddick, 2007 Aus Open SF. The best Tennis I have seen Federer play. Absolutely wiped Roddick off the court that night.

 

[Harvey Leadpipe]

For a different reason, Federer vs Roddick, 2007 Aus Open SF. The best Tennis I have seen Federer play. Absolutely wiped Roddick off the court that night.

That match will always stick in mine too xbx, purely as I don't think we'd ever see a single person play that well again. As close to perfection as I'd ever seen.

One point (or shot) in particular, was when Poddick looked to have the upper hand, Federer gave him a lolly-pop, which Roddick went to nail away with Federer on the run. Somehow Fed ended up near Roddicks put-away, and whipped off a back-hand off his hip across court past Roddick running against the ball. Brilliance.

 

[X_box_X]

That match will always stick in mine too xbx, purely as I don't think we'd ever see a single person play that well again. As close to perfection as I'd ever seen.

One point (or shot) in particular, was when Poddick looked to have the upper hand, Federer gave him a lolly-pop, which Roddick went to nail away with Federer on the run. Somehow Fed ended up near Roddicks put-away, and whipped off a back-hand off his hip across court past Roddick running against the ball. Brilliance.

I think I know the shot you're talking about. Roddick just stood still for three seconds, looking straight at Federer with a confused look as if to say "what else can I do?"

There was a funny game in the 1999 Aus Open that I will remember for different reasons. I think it was a second round match involving Anna Kournikova. The eighth seed ended up winning, but only after serving an incredible amount of double faults. I couldn't tell you the exact amount, but it must have been a Guiness World Record.

 

[Heisenberg_]

Who could forget this?

Phillipousis v Popp, Wimbledon 2003.


From 2 sets down the Scuds pulls of a miracle and wins. Probably his only highlight.

Against Agassi that same year was an absolute cracker of a match

 

[Geddy Lee]

Who could forget this?

Phillipousis v Popp, Wimbledon 2003.


From 2 sets down the Scuds pulls of a miracle and wins. Probably his only highlight.

Haha I remember that one, Popp was like the tinman.

 

[torq]

1992 French Open Womens Final - Seles d Graf 6-3, 2-6, 10-8

 

[Harvey Leadpipe]

I think I know the shot you're talking about. Roddick just stood still for three seconds, looking straight at Federer with a confused look as if to say "what else can I do?"

There was a funny game in the 1999 Aus Open that I will remember for different reasons. I think it was a second round match involving Anna Kournikova. The eighth seed ended up winning, but only after serving an incredible amount of double faults. I couldn't tell you the exact amount, but it must have been a Guiness World Record.

I was actually at that match. Unbelievable. For a different reason too, it was like a rock concert in there. Stinking hot day, but not much wind. The crowd was 90% blokes, most (including myself) getting into the grog. The noise was going off every time she double-faulted, and even louder if she won a point. Some of the shouts from the crowd we heard that day were "Take your top off", "Show us your **** Anna", "Bend over Kournikova" and "Can I smash it up your baseline?". On the other side of the stadium to us was her ice-hockey playing boyfriend at the time with his hands folded across his chest, wearing a big ski jacket. Don't know if he could understand what some of the yobbos were yelling out, but he didn't look too impressed.

 

[X_box_X]

I was actually at that match. Unbelievable. For a different reason too, it was like a rock concert in there. Stinking hot day, but not much wind. The crowd was 90% blokes, most (including myself) getting into the grog. The noise was going off every time she double-faulted, and even louder if she won a point. Some of the shouts from the crowd we heard that day were "Take your top off", "Show us your **** Anna", "Bend over Kournikova" and "Can I smash it up your baseline?". On the other side of the stadium to us was her ice-hockey playing boyfriend at the time with his hands folded across his chest, wearing a big ski jacket. Don't know if he could understand what some of the yobbos were yelling out, but he didn't look too impressed.

HAHA, good old Sergei Federov his name was. Great player for the Red Wings at the time.

I went to one of her doubles matches with Hingis. It was either a third or fourth round clash, and there was a banner in the crowd that read "The only fault with Anna is she isn't with me."

Gold.

 

[Stenglein's a Champ!]

Roddick v El Aynaoui (Australian Open) - I actually fell asleep during it, but it was too late and I was too young. Still an absolute cracker though.

Hewitt vs Federer (Davis Cup) - A classic.

 

[PHX]

2. Roddick v El Aynaoui, Australian Open 2003: Absolute marathon. Anyone who thinks tennis players dont care about the Australian Open should watch this match for an example of two players busting a gut in a Grand Slam. Gripping tennis from start to finish (of the last set- the first four sets were not really exciting), El Aynaoui looked like he had Roddick at least a dozen times but Roddick always seemed to be able to put the serve out at the right times despite having a terrible service night (if I remember correctly). Was the sort of match you were glad to see draw even because you knew you were in for at least two more games. Top stuff.

THis was a ripper. They fought on and on. Was great viewing.

 

[legitimatic]

In recent times at the AO, Safin vs Federer Semi-Final of 05 was an absolute cracker. Everyone was expecting Federer to wipe the court with Safin, thiniking at best a 4 set match. Federer eventually gets match point against Safin, however Safin at the net, Federer opts for a between the legs passing shot on the baseline, hits it into the net, loses his match points, Safin comes back and pulls off an amazing win, goes into the final, and comes back from 1 set down and Hewitt in a strong position in the 2nd to finally win his 2nd Grand Slam title and prove the first wasn't a fluke.

I clearly remember watching the Rafter Agassi Semi-Final at Wimbledon, we had our whole family over and were cheering so loudly, just an amazing match between two gentlemen of the game.

Also all the others mentioned have been crackers.

 

[roostersgal4eva]

In recent times at the AO, Safin vs Federer Semi-Final of 05 was an absolute cracker. Everyone was expecting Federer to wipe the court with Safin, thiniking at best a 4 set match. Federer eventually gets match point against Safin, however Safin at the net, Federer opts for a between the legs passing shot on the baseline, hits it into the net, loses his match points, Safin comes back and pulls off an amazing win, goes into the final, and comes back from 1 set down and Hewitt in a strong position in the 2nd to finally win his 2nd Grand Slam title and prove the first wasn't a fluke

That would be one of my faves as well as the Roddick vs El Aynaoui - a classic

 

[chickens_law]

In recent times at the AO, Safin vs Federer Semi-Final of 05 was an absolute cracker. Everyone was expecting Federer to wipe the court with Safin, thiniking at best a 4 set match. Federer eventually gets match point against Safin, however Safin at the net, Federer opts for a between the legs passing shot on the baseline, hits it into the net, loses his match points, Safin comes back and pulls off an amazing win, goes into the final, and comes back from 1 set down and Hewitt in a strong position in the 2nd to finally win his 2nd Grand Slam title and prove the first wasn't a fluke.

I clearly remember watching the Rafter Agassi Semi-Final at Wimbledon, we had our whole family over and were cheering so loudly, just an amazing match between two gentlemen of the game.

Also all the others mentioned have been crackers.

Cant remember much of that match.

What about the Reid v Sargsian match a few years ago. A epic 5-set win to Todd Reid. Reid battled with illness and cramp to beat Sargsian 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4.

Does anyone know what Reid is up to these days? I havent heard him since then.

 

[tigers71]

Australian Open 1995 was a great year with two classic matches both involving Pete Sampras. I dont like Pete but they were the best matches.

1. Sampras v Courier (quarter final) - when a spectator yelled out do it for your coach. Sampras coached just found out he had brain cancer. Sampras cried for about five minutes and Courier said we can come back tomorrow and Pete came back and won that match in five sets.

2. Sampras v Agassi (final) - Two guys at the peak of there careers. The standard of this match was unbelievable. For three hours of gripping tennis. It was one of the best matches I think I have seen since watching tennis. Agassi won the match but it could have easily been Sampras'. A great match played in hot conditions.