Yes, tennis! There sure was a lot of it in 2009, the busy calendar combining with enough epic five setters to boggle the minds of the sharpest tennis savants. So let’s take advantage of the off season and savor some of our favorite tennis matches of 2009 – before the tours start up in a few weeks and our memories are muddled forever. Obviously this is not a comprehensive list – you may call it shoddy and selective. And I’m “saving” some matches for future “Best of” lists. . .Fedophile Moments, anyone?
TOP TENNIS TOURNAMENT OF 2009
Roland Garros! This was the Major of the Year for me. Roger’s and Rafa’s storylines, alone, had enough drama for a year’s worth of Masterpiece Theater episodes. We watched the King of Clay fall to the Prince of Darkness (I’m sure Soderling doesn’t mind the nickname) and Roger “2nd best on clay” Federer finally get his G.O.A.T. (and it wasn’t just John McEnroe saying it) after running a gauntlet of agonizingly close five setters (Haas, Del Potro) and unexpected challengers (Paul Henri Mathieu? Jose Acasuso?).
Ahhhh. . .sweet relief!
These couple weeks in Paris were also some of my proudest moments as a Fed Fan. Not because Roger completed the career slam (that helped) but because I sat through so many gut wrenching matches. I kept my eyes glued to the shoddy live stream of del Potro vs. Federer even when my instincts were urging me to run out of the house and throw myself on the nearest funeral pyre. The tournament was also an important – if unpleasant – one for Nadal fans, as his fall to Robin Soderling in the round of 16 ignited worries about the Spaniard’s health and longevity and strong negative emotions towards the fickle French crowd.
There were many compelling stories on the women’s side in Paris, including Kuznetsova making good on her potential, Dinara combusting in the final (“Why am I such a chicken?!”) and Sam Stosur coming out as a serious singles talent. Sveta had a spectacular Roland Garros. Her gritty three set win over Serena in the quarters was one of the best women’s matches of the year, as was the three-setter she played in the semis against Sam Stosur. I still remember the blazing inside out forehand Stosur hit down 2-5 in the second set tiebreak. I can’t find the shot on youtube, but I can find Dinara Safina’s reaction:
Loading ...
Loading ...BEST TENNIS MATCH OF 2009
TOP PICK: Rafael Nadal def. Fernando Verdasco in the Australian Open semifinals: 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (1), 6-4
“But today was, yeah, one of these matches you gonna remember long time, no? Well, the emotion was big, because in the last game with the Love‑40 I start to cry. Was too much tension, no?” – Rafael Nadal after the match.
There are tennis matches that are great because of drama (Soderling vs. Rafa in Paris) or because of an underdog’s determination to win (Oudin vs. Sharapova at the US Open.) But the best kinds of matches involve two top talents playing their best possible tennis for the highest of stakes. And in my mind, Nadal vs. Verdasco Down Under was the purest example of this kind of play.
I defy you not to tingle:
Besides the extreme shot-making and the fantastic night match atmosphere, we were also treated to ‘Nando’s crazy face and starfish hand:
And the match wasn’t a fluke – Rafa, of course, won his first hard court major that Sunday, showing incredible resilience to beat Roger Federer in another five set match. Verdasco had a career best year, finishing strong with a rookie appearance at the World Tour Finals and a doubles victory in the Davis Cup final. (Although in ‘Nando’s case, I wonder if he’ll ever play as well as he did when he lost to Rafael Nadal.)
TOP WTA MATCH:
Serena Williams def. Elena Dementieva in the Wimbledon semifinals: 6-7, 7-5, 8-6
On the women’s side, the Wimbledon semifinal between Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva is the popular pick for best match of the year. Serena won it in 2 hours, 29 minutes (the longest women’s Wimbledon semi in at least 40 years), saving a match point along the way. One sure-fire indicator that it was a great match: non-tennis watching friends sent me “did you see that?” emails afterwards. And check out these stats: Serena served 20 aces and had 45 winners – and STILL faced a match point on her serve. “I wasn’t sure if it’s Serena or Andy Roddick on the other side,” Elena said later. A fantastic effort by Elena, but this near-win made me feel even gloomier about her Major-winning potential. Serena, of course, went on to win the title over her sister, Venus.
Here’s a taste of the action:
Sidenote: Serena’s hard-fought victory was in stark contrast to Venus’s destruction! annihilation! brass knuckled beat down! over then-World No. 1 Dinara Safina: 6-1, 6-0 in one of the most one-sided Wimbledon semifinals of all time. Venus hit only one unforced error in the match.
This quote from Richard Williams summed it up: “Serena nearly gave me a heart attack. Venus played as if she had someplace to go and she was in a major league hurry to get a great dinner.”
But it was Serena holding the plate in the end.
BEST OF THE REST:
Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon final; 5-7, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 3-6, 16-14
This is the ATP’s match of the year (click here for their full list) and I’m not saying they’re wrong. I just enjoyed Rafa vs. Nando more because I wasn’t so emotionally invested in the outcome (I watched half of Fed vs. A-Rod through the spaces between my fingers and almost blacked out entirely during the final set.) But in terms of the quality of play (Fed hitting a career-best 50 aces and 107 winners, yet only breaking Roddick once), drama (Fed winning six straight points to save himself in the second set tiebreaker and scoring his sole service break in the 30th game of the fifth set) and stakes (Sampras, Laver and Borg watching from the stands, anticipating Fed’s record breaking 15th major), it was good enough to make even Jon Wertheim, author of Strokes of Genius; Federer, Nadal and the Greatest Match Ever Played counsel us to “think hard before including a superlative in a book title.”
It also broke a match length record, a theme of many of the best matches of this year: at 77 games, it was the longest final in Grand Slam history, eclipsing the previous year’s 62-game final between Rafa and Roger.
Excuse me while I rub away my goosebumps.
Rafael Nadal def. Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Open semifinals: 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(9).
Controversy time! I’m putting this match on the list because I know it’s considered by some (like Jim Courier) to be one of the best three-set matches of all time. And at over four hours, it’s definitely the longest. But here’s the rub: I don’t want to watch a three set match for four hours! I got fidgety during the second set and turned off the television. I think I went to the car wash. Shame on me. But even though I wasn’t enthralled by the action, I admit that this match had some huge implications for the rest of the season. The scrambling, punishing style of his victory came to represent all that was potentially damaging to the longevity of Rafael Nadal’s career. For Nole, who squandered three match points during the match, it took months to recover mentally. He went from being a serious dark horse contender at Roland Garros to losing to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round.
“I can admit now that after that match I experienced a little mental breakdown,” Djokovic said this autumn, when he finally bounced back to win titles in Beijing, Basel and Paris.
With this match leaving Rafa lame and Nole a basketcase, Roger Federer was the one with the Major mojo going into the thick of the season. And the rest is history.
Andy Murray def. Stanislas Wawrinka in the Wimbledon 4th round: 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
This was a notable match if only for the time it ended: 10:39 p.m. It was the first full match played under the Wimbledon roof and – though Roger Federer might disagree – the first unofficial night match in the tournament’s history. But it wasn’t just the novelty that made this one great. There was also the drama of seeing Murray tested by both a game opponent (with a silky one-handed backhand) and the crushing enthusiasm of the British crowd. Watching this footage again, it looks like Murray was playing the final, not the fourth round:
Sidenote: I also very much enjoyed Murray’s first round battle with the diving American everyman, Robert Kendrick.
Loading ...
And now, some HONORABLE MENTIONS for the ladies, who played a number of memorable matches this year.
Amelie Mauresmo def. Elena Dementieva in the Open GDF SUEZ finals in Paris: 7-6 2-6 6-4. The retiring french star’s unexpected – and impressive – win over one of the hottest players on tour gave me hopes for a third major. Uh, oookay.
Marion Bartoli def. Venus Williams in the Stanford finals: 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Marion was at her freaky best in this match, smacking that two-handed forehand, taking practice swings between every point and cracking everyone up with her bowlegged serve. She still won, though. And Venus still hasn’t won an American hardcourt tournament since 2002.
Flavia Pennetta def. Vera Zvonareva in the US Open 4th round: 3-6, 7-6, 6-0. This wasn’t a consistently great match, but there were some sublime moments at the end of the second set, when Flavia Pennetta battled to save 6 match points. Tennis on tightrope:
Kim Clijsters vs. Serena Williams in the US Open semifinals: I’ll save the “tirade” for another list, but let’s not forget how well Kim played the “real” No. 1. to win the match 6-4, 7-5. Part of me wonders if the proud and “passionate” Serena went nuts not because of the calls but because she was being squarely outplayed by an unranked opponent.
Melanie Oudin racked up quite a few spectacular matches in the “determined underdog” genre, starting with her clutch victory in the first round of Fed Cup, then her third round upset of Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon, and finally, her great run to the US Open quarterfinals, knocking out four Russians along the way (Pavlyuchenkova, Dementieva, Sharapova and Petrova).
Loading ...So this was my incomplete and imperfect recollection of the best tennis of 2009. What did I forget?
Tags: ATP, Djokovic, Federer, Kuznetsova, Madrid Open, Murray, Nadal, Oudin, Pennetta, Roddick, Roland Garros, Safina, Serena, Stosur, Venus, Verdasco, Video of the Day, Wawrinka, Wimbledon, WTA, Zvonareva
Super list, FF. So many unforgettable matches on all surfaces. I have to agree with you about the French,though. Because who would have thought after tears in Australia that Roger would go on to win the only slam that eluded him? The way he won the tournament, after nearly losing was incredible. I’ll never forget dying during the Haas match and again during Del Potro SF. I would have lost so much sleep had he lost those matches. But after all those heart attacks I had it was worth it to finally see Roger fall to his knees when Robin hit the ball to the net and then receive the trophy from Andre. Amazing stuff!
Hi JFK! You have that moment seared into your memory, don’t you?
Which is good for you because the french Federation has taken all the footage from off of youtube! I wanted to post some video of the FO trophy ceremony but nothing good was available. Pff!
Here’s a video with footage from the trophy ceremony and McEnroe’s interview, it’s lovely I hope everyone can watch it
Game Set history
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF_g7sSk5Lg
thank you! this made my day. fed’s FO victory, graceful slow mows, tears, mac interview, all great stuff!
hi ff, great list. by the end of the french open i was emotionally drained and it wasn’t from the final. the wimbledon final was another trauma shocker, yet another example of feds determination when he really wants something. i must admit when i need to see the greatness of rog i watch that piece rick reilly did after wimby final.
i’m w/u on the nole/rafa madrid match. felt the same way and never watched the whole thing.
also, many thanks to u for ur great witty, smart, funny writing, blogging site.
2010 should be a great year and we have justine back….
That Rick Reilly piece is so great! I too, watch it every once in a while.
I liked what Roddick had to say about Roger after their Wimbledon final (I think it’s included in the highlights, above) – he said that Rog never gets credit for his mental toughness, because he usually makes it look so easy. It’s been a bit of a ride, emotionally, this year, but I do think Rog found a way to hang tough when the stakes were highest.
I do hope that he and Rafa get a rematch Down Under – I miss watching them play each other!
i might have to go find that rick reilly piece and the fed 15 atp tribute. those were some of the best fed related vids ever!
OMG ! I loved this list. It’s very complete. Roger is the best tennis player of the world, he is perfect *-*
Thanks Hellen! What’s your fave match of 2009?
i like all this “best of” lists showering tennis websites. the best matches for me were (not necessarily in that order):
Verdasco – Nadal – AO SF.
Federer – Nadal – AO final.
Federer – Delpo – FO SF.
Federer – Roddick – Wimby final.
Djoko – Nadal – Madrid SF.
as a Fed freak, i think he played his best tennis in AO, Madrid, Wimby, Cincinnati and USO (till the final).
if i could abolish only one Fed loss throughout the year it would definitelly be the one to Nadal at the AO final – such a gut wrenching loss… (by the way the semi between Rafa and Nando was played on Friday and the final on Sunday, not the day after).
on that match Fed topped Nadal with 21 more winners (50 to 71) and played way more aggressive… still the count of UFE was devastating and the low 1st serve % was the Achilles’ heel. i’m glad this year has turned around for TMF still i ache every time i think of that final.
You are a tough Fed fan indeed, if you actually enjoyed that AO final! I hated every moment of it – from the start there was just something off about Roger. I remember thinking he had this kind of expressionless, zombie stare going on, almost from the first point of the match. Interesting that his winners count was so much higher than Rafa’s, I didn’t remember that.
It will be really interesting to see them play again! I really hope we have a Rafa vs. Rog final Down Under. Even though 1. I doubt that will happen and 2. I’ll be freaking out if it does.
there’s probably a better chance of a fed v rafa rematch at the AO, vs the USO due to time of year, but it would be so great to see them play big matches at davis cup and USO next year since those are the only ones they haven’t met up at yet. i miss seeing them play too, which is why madrid was great. rematches at RG and wimby would also kick ass given all that’s happened in the past 2 years. i still want them to stay 1 and 2, it just seems wrong when they aren’t!
Oh and thanks for the correction on the semi and final scheduling. I knew it was a short turnaround for Rafa, but I guess it wasn’t *that* short! I fixed it.
excellent list and wonderful posts all year long ff! absolute favorite year in tennis! i was proud to be a tennis and major fed fan.
we also had some of the best trophy ceremony moments. rog’s tears and rafa’s hug at AO, soderling’s no yoke and rog’s eloquent FO speech, roddick’s grace in defeat and rog’s apology for wimby drama to super pregnant mirka, del po’s dream come true (minus being robbed of well deserved speech in spanish), mama kim with jada and brian. honorable mention: rafa and rog at madrid ceremony clusterf–k, smiley and adorable!
cincy was also great, fed playing his strongest hard court tennis, confident shot making and getting vendetta for recent losses to murray and nole, back to back! a long way from the racquet smashing.
yes! FO – best tourny of the year! king of clay upset, rog digging deep, gutsy matches vs haas and del po. i will forever remember that inside out forehand winner against haas, which turned the match around! rog handling the immense pressure, being lifted to history making victory at RG. watching that final was the emotional highlight of the year. it felt like the entire tennis world wanted fed to win. the crowd chanting and clapping, crazy guy on court, fed emotional before the end, falling to his knees in sweet relief and joy, fed’s tears while pascal maria read the final score in french, tears during the swiss anthem and fed kissing the coup as rain drops fell. c’est magnifique!
sveta match vs serena at FO, impressive and dramatic. nice to see kutzy shine!
i kind of miss hairdasco, but i admire his improvements. nando did all he could to tire nadal out, but the bull would not quit, even vs fed. was so disappointed fed lost AO, after he escaped from berdych in 5 and for the final i got up at like 3 am, confident it would be rog’s wimby vendetta and record tying slam. rafa pushed mental and physical toughness to new heights.
elena v serena wimby was the best. elena’s serve and groundstrokes, so good. one of the few who can match the w sisters for depth and power. thought elena would finally win a major. hope she keeps staying strong.
i heart andy roddick! i always cheer for andy when he’s not playing fed, but in the wimby final i was cheering for both. so stressed, focused and excited that my family and i skipped a fantastic brunch to finish the match! fed amazingly outserved andy and it was totally fitting that rog broke the record in dramatic fashion. andy played with so much heart and fight! i was almost ok with fed losing.
missed the madrid semi, but loved the madrid final. i kept saying, ‘yes! why can’t you play rafa like this all the time roger?!’ rafa was beat from epic semi, but rog played aggressively, moved him around, esp with forehand dropper. it was nice to see him beat nadal in a big match on clay in spain!
i wanted stan to beat andy, but it was an excellent match and so interesting under the roof and lights.
flavia was so strong at the USO. this match was the epitome of vera dramareva! i was scared of and felt bad for vera throughout. she needs to be mentally tougher because her game is really great. yay kim!
and i’m done. thanks for reading.
Hi Judy!
Thanks for your review! Love this line: “elena’s serve and groundstrokes, so good” Did you ever think you’d write that Elena’s serve was actually good! I think it was decent during this match but perhaps the serving problems of the rest of the field have just made her own yips less apparent! Maybe it’s contagious! I really would love to see her win a slam – she’s gotta do it soon, though. This year, I fear, was her big chance.
I agree we had some great trohy ceremonies this year. My fave, obviously was the French Open. And Kim winning the US Open. Obviously the AO trophy ceremony was a huge deal – rarely do those events have so much meaning. Of course credit goes to Rafa for being so gracious and trying to comfort Rog. But I also admire Rog, in some ways, for letting the emotions flow. It’s special that we get to see that.
elena has come a long way. i was impressed by her serve, b/c she worked hard on it and yes, the wta had many serving woes this year. it was nice to see someone not double faulting all the time, like she used to. i also found it to be impressive b/c serena is such a strong returner. come on elena d!
starting with AO, this year, tennis had so many feel good stories and moments, which showed how phenomenal athletes can have world class battles along with great sportsmanship and friendly rivalries. i do like that rog puts it out there. i’m sure he’d prefer to be in the locker room with his emotions, but i agree that he lets us see what he’s really feeling. it makes him all the more likable and human.
i just wrote a long post. i hope it shows up. if not, i’ll re-post later. thanks ff!
dont worry judy. found it! wordpress made us approve it first. have no clue why
it’s probably b/c i wrote a freakin novel.
thanks so much for your great work too!
btw, the atp site has a great set of photos from this year and also put together the biggest upsets of the year. see the photos:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Media/Photo-Landing.aspx?gt=Photos+Of+Year&q=Best+Photos+of+2009
there’s a great pic of rafa and nole and also one of fed and roddick. yay!
Awesome list! I’ve gotta say I agree with ATP on the best match of the year, but then I’m biased since that was the first Wimbledon I actually went to and watched the match from the hill. Although the fifth set definitely was horrific emotional torture, it did make it all the better when Feds finally won!
The epic celebration after that was even worth getting the worst sunburn of my life sitting out there all day
I loved the list, and all the comments, especially Judy’s. This year was definitely a roller-coaster ride for Fed fans. It took me weeks to recover from the AO final. I had Davis Cup tickets for U.S. v. Switzerland, which I bought to see Roger in person and then had to swallow. This was followed by his mediocre play in the March U.S. hardcourt tournaments (the smashed racquet!). But then: the wedding! Madrid!! PARIS!!! WIMBLEDON!!!! TWINS!!!!!
I agree with ff that the win in Paris was the emotional high point of the year, followed closely by #15 at Wimbledon. The interesting thing to me is how much Fed struggled in all of his tournaments this year, except for Madrid and Cincinnati, where he played his best tennis IMO. He WILLED himself to victory in Paris and in the Wimby final. I think it’s clear that he no longer has all of the on-court magic he once had. It will be interesting to see how he fares in 2010. I foresee more nail-biting and peeking between fingers for Fedophiles next year.
On the women’s side, I admit that I didn’t watch as much. My favorite matches were the Serena-Elena semi at Wimbledon, and Oudin’s defeat of Dementieva at the USO (which I saw in person, although from the nose-bleed section). With a lot of new young players and Henin and Clijsters back in the mix, I think women’s tennis will be more interesting in 2010 and I expect to watch it more.
Terrific post, freaky! Thanks especially for the footage from Rafa/Nando at the Aussie Open, which I totally missed. I played it on my new laptop with my husband leaning over my shoulder and we were riveted! That was Some Hot Shotmaking.
On the Menstennisforums.com won Rafael Nadal def. Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Open semifinals: 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(9).
It was also my favourite match and very nerve-wracking. I’m just sad that Novak lost it, but both played deluxe tennis that day. It was like watching a final of a grand slam.