Best tennis matches ever – The most epic battles
The most fascinating sport ever offered lots of great moments in the past. Read about the best tennis match ever played:
15. Goran Ivanisevic vs. Patrick Rafter Wimbledon 2001 – 6:3 3:6 6:3 2:6 9:7
After hopelessly chasing a Wimbledon triumph throughout the 90s, Ivanisevic -No. 125 in the world at the time- finally clinched the title in the most dramatic fashion on a Monday evening in SW19.
- Drama score: 95%
- Quality score: 85%
- Match significance: 90%
14. Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer Rome 2006 – 6:7 (0-7) 7:6 (7-5) 6:4 2:6 7:6 (7-5)
Certainly the best clay court match in the Fedal rivalry. Federer wasted a 3-1 lead in the fifth set and two matchpoints at 6-5. Nadal came out on top with the smallest of margins, 7-5 in the decider`s tiebreak. An epic battle of the highest quality with Federer showing his complete repertoire and Nadal showing his famous fighting spirit and never-give-up attitude.
- Drama score: 100%
- Quality score: 100%
- Match significance: 75%
Additional reading: Best tennis player ever – Greatest of all Time
13. Novak Djokovic vs. Juan Martin Del Potro Wimbledon 2013 – 7:5 4:6 7:6 (7-2) 6:7 (6-8) 6:3
The longest semi final in the history of Wimbledon, an insane baseline battle with Del Potro shooting his atomic forehands and Djokovic with counterpunching par exellance. Unfortunately Novak was so tired from this that he couldn`t offer any resistance in the final.
- Drama score: 85%
- Quality score: 90%
- Match significance:90%
12. Gaston Gaudio vs. Guillermo Coria French Open 2004 – 0:6 3:6 6:4 6:1 8:6
The 2004 final of Roland Garros cannot be surpassed in terms of dramatic art! The heavy favorite Coria won the first two sets convincingly and showed that he was a brillant clay court player. But then he started cramping and Gaudio took advantage of it. Corias fellow countryman was a sloppy genius and showed how he managed to reach the final as an unseeded player. In the deciding set Coria got the upper hand again and was two breaks ahead. Yet he couldn`t reach the finish line and Gaudio lifted the trophy after saving two matchpoints and many, many dramatic rallies.
- Drama score: 100%
- Quality score: 80%
- Match significance: 90%
11. Andre Agassi vs. Marcos Baghdatis US Open 2006 – 6:4 6:4 3:6 5:7 7:5
It was just a second round match, but who cares. The US fan favorite Agassi closely escaped an early exit in one of the most entertaining matches of all time, where both men left everything on court.
- Drama score: 100%
- Quality score: 85%
- Match significance: 70%
10. Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer Wimbledon 2008 – 6:4 6:4 6:7 (5-7) 6:7 (8:10) 9:7
Many experts claim that this was the best tennis match ever. It was all perfect, the setting, the duration, the significance of a final, the two best players in the world, the quality…yet for me it wasn`t quite the best. Might have to do with the result, cause I have to admit it was special. And I soo wish, Federer had turned it around completeley after coming back from two sets down. Well it didn`t happen, which is why I`m not as excited about it as many others. I actually also think Federer wasn`t in his top form due to mononucleosis.
- Drama score: 100%
- Quality score: 90%
- Match significance: 100%
“Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played” on Amazon:
9. Rafael Nadal vs. Guillermo Coria Rome 2005 – 6:4 3:6 6:3 4:6 7:6 (8-6)
Rafa comes back from a 0-3 deficit in the decider and overcomes the little magician with the witty playing style in a display of the finest clay court tennis possible.
- Drama score: 95%
- Quality score: 95%
- Match significance: 70%
Additional reading: Hottest female tennis players ever
8. Roger Federer vs. Nick Kyrgios Miami 2017 – 7:6 (11-9) 6:7 (9:11) 7:6 (7-5)
Spectacular match, actually the best Bo3-Match ever played. The audience was quite unfair towards Kyrgios, yelling into his serve, but this added to the drama. As you can see on the scoreline, it was incredibly close with an incredible number of winners. Which is not surprising, given that these two might be the best shot-makers of the game.
- Drama score: 95%
- Quality score: 95%
- Match significance: 65%
7. Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi US Open 2001 – 6:7 (7-9) 7:6 (7-2) 7:6 (7-2) 7:6 (7-5)
The score says it all, an absolute nail-biter, no breaks throughout the whole match, but amazing hardcourt tennis, there rivalry added to the tension.
- Drama score: 85%
- Quality score: 90%
- Match significance: 95%
6. Novak Djokovic vs. Stanislas Wawrinka AO 2013 – 1:6 7:5 6:4 6:7 12:10
This epic match was just a Quarterfinal, but it also was kind of the birth of “the new Stan Wawrinka”, the high-class player with nerves of steel. The matchpoint alone tells you everything about the quality of this match. Wawrinka hits about four haymakers that would be enough against anybody else, but Djokovic somehow returns them all and finally passes the Swiss man at the net to win this epic encounter.
- Drama score: 100%
- Quality score: 95%
- Match significance: 80%
5. Marat Safin vs. Roger Federer Australian Open 2005 – 5:7 6:4 5:7 7:6 (8-6) 9:7
Again Safin and Federer, but this time even better and despite the result I loved every minute of this. Safin deeply deserved that win in the semis and the Melbourne trophy a little later. That was the purest ball striking from both players throughout four and a half hours. Such tennis can`t be found these days anymore. Federer even had matchpoint and tried one of his famous tweeners on that occasion, didn`t work for once. And Safin was simply unbreakable in that last set with the powerful serve and strokes. What a classic!
- Drama score: 95%
- Quality score: 100%
- Match significance: 95%
4. Rafael Nadal vs. Fernando Verdasco Australian Open 2009 – 6:7 (4-7) 6:4 7:6 (7-2) 6:7 (1:7) 6:4
Not really surprising that two Spaniards are responsible for the longest match ever played in the history of the Australian Open. A little bit surprising that Fernando Verdasco managed to deliver a spectacular performance against the living legend Nadal in this semi-final. You had to expect a straight win for Rafa, but Verdasco showed that he is not just pretty, he gave his heart on court and the attacking and retrieving skills plus their astonishing endurance ended in some of the most entertaining tennis I have ever been allowed to see. Thank you for this one, gents!
- Drama score: 100%
- Quality score: 95%
- Match significance: 90%
Additional reading: Why Roger Federer is the Greatest tennis player of all time (GOAT)
3. Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic French Open 2011 – 7:6 (7-5) 6:3 3:6 7:6 (7-5)
von Yann Caradec from Paris, France (Novak DjokovicUploaded by Paris 17) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
One o the most extraordinary performances of Roger Federer I have ever witnessed. Novak Djokovic was on a winning streak of 43 matches in a row and seemed invincible while Federer was clearly in decline. So nobody really thought about Djokovic losing this one. the only question was if the Serbian would beat Nadal in the final. But never count out the Suisse genius. In an extremely high quality match Federer outplayed Djokovic with his creative attacking game, insane counterpunches and nerves of steel.
- Drama score: 80%
- Quality score: 100%
- Match significance: 100%
2. Pete Sampras vs. Boris Becker ATP Tour World Championships 1996 – 3:6 7:6 (7-5) 7:6 (7-4) 6:7 (11-13) 6:4
The match took place in Hanover, in front of an ecstatic German home crowd, on carpet and is widely considered the best indoor tennis match of all time. It had just about everything, a style of tennis that is no longer seen nowadays. Aggressive playing styles, great serving, even better volleying, quick points on an even quicker service. It was a treat for the eyes, when both players showed their tremendeous tennis skills. I would love to see this more often, these days there is to much baseline grinding and outlasting going on. Make the courts quicker! Anyway, Becker gave his heart, won much more points overall and saved matchpoints in the fourth. Didn`t lose his first 27 service games, no. 28 decided the outcome of this stunning performance from both players.
- Drama score: 100%
- Quality score: 100%
- Match significance: 90%
1. Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal Australian Open 2017 – 6:4 3:6 6:1 3:6 6:3
Both no longer in their absolute prime, but eight years after their classic AO 2009 encounter, Fedal met again. And it was so surprising to see them both in the final. Especially Federer, after being absent for six months. The match certainly lived up to its promise. Both men clinched two sets and the suspense peaked in an inevitable and unforgettable fifth set. Nadal started with an early break of serve and everyone must have thought that this was already deciding the match – considering their earlier encounters. But not this time…the Suisse genius kept fighting and earned himself breakpoints in every service game of the Spaniard while holding his own serve quite comfortably. Nadal escaped twice, but being 1-3 down, Federer finally pounced. And from that moment on, he didn`t look back. Determined as never seen before against Nadal and with a backhand from hell he won five games in a row to clinch slam no. 18 in the most epic fashion and added another piece of history to his own legend.
Certainly the most intense and important moment of recent sports history…the best tennis player ever was of course involved in the best tennis match ever played.
- Drama score: 100%
- Quality score: 90%
- Match significance: 100%
