This Top 10 List is Based on Matches I have actually seen. I was four years old and did not see McEnroe vs. Borg in 1980 therefore I can’t rate it. This is also purely subjective as each of these matches have their merit. 10. 2000 Pete Sampras d. Patrick Rafter 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2…
Category: Andre Agassi
The Ten Most Tense Grand Slam Matches in the Past 10 Years
Top 10 Tension Filled Grand Slam Matches over the Past 10 Years Djokovic d. Nadal Australian Open 2012 Final Nadal d. Federer Wimbledon 2008 Final Djokovic d. Federer US Open 2010 Semifinal Federer d. Roddick Wimbledon 2009 Final JMDP d. Federer US Open 2009 Final Federer d. Nadal Wimbledon 2007 Final Nadal d. Verdasco Australian…
French Open Memories: Agassi vs. Courier 1989-1992
I will be sharing some of my favorite French Open memories between now and the start of the 2013 French Open. My first subject is Andre Agassi versus Jim Courier. Once upon a time it was rare to see the same players match-up year after year at slams in men’s events. Jim Courier and Andre…
Who Needs a 5th Major?
Four or Five or? The Indian Wells-Miami section of the tour is a great stretch for tennis fans. Most of the top players on the ATP and WTA play both events and great matches abound. It also leads to talk of a “Fifth Major” status for one or the other event. This talk is not…
Tennis Impersonations: A History
Alpha? Omega? The recent controversy about Caroline Wozniacki’s impersonation of Serena Williams got me thinking about the history of impersonating a player’s ticks or idiosyncrasies. My mind initially thought that Jonas Bjorkman was the progenitor of this fad. His rain delay US Open fodder of lighthearted imitations did indeed pave the way to Djokovic’s 2007 US Open impersonation tour….
Olympic Tennis Review: 1996 Better than It had a Right to Be
1992 Fallout Tennis in 1996 suffered despite being a logical tune-up for the US Open as the tennis events were held on hard courts in Atlanta, Georgia. Still, 7 of the top 10 men did not play the event. Andre Agassi was the #1 seed, but he was fresh off of a Wimbledon loss to…
Tennis History: Nadal and Sharapova
A Trip Inside my Unofficial Historical Tennis Rankings The 2012 French Open is in the books. Sadly, the quick transition to grass rarely allows for the full impact of this event to be appreciated until later in the year. Still, Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova made a great deal of history. Here is a quick…
2012 Men’s French Open Final: #1 Novak Djokovic versus #2 Rafael Nadal – Can Godzilla Be Stopped?
This match is what every tennis fan has been wanting since the conclusion of the 2012 Australian Open. Nadal pushed Djokovic for nearly 6 hours (6 hours!) in Melbourne. Can Rafa reverse the tide of 3 consecutive Grand Slam final losses to Novak? If Monte Carlo and Rome’s results are to be taken seriously,…
Rare Species: 90’s Style Tennis
Endangered Species While I do not feel as rare as the East African Bongo (pictured above), I was watching some top junior players in my region hitting. They all hit with extreme grips, generated a lot of topspin and hit two-handed backhands that were slightly different from the form I observed as a kid (I…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 