Claudia's Round-Table: Best of 2009 (Part 1)

That’s all, Folks!  A wrap to 2009.

It was a fabulous year for tennis.  We had some truly outstanding matches, classic, all-time matches for the record books.  In this round-table we expect to discuss and rank the top ten matches of the year.  

This will be a series of articles.  Joining me will be Marianne Bevis, antiMatter, and Rajat Jain.  We’ve been writing about and watching the tennis throughout the year, and each will have a lot to say, I’m sure.

To start out (part 1), each of us has provided our list of the top ten (below), and I’ve separated out the matches that appear on everyone’s list, from the ones that do not.

Our agreed upon Top Matches (not yet in order):

1. Oz semi, [Nadal v Verdasco]
2. Oz Open final [Nadal vs Fed]
3. Wimbledon final [Fed vs Roddick]
4. Madrid semi, [Nadal v Djokovic]
5. US Open final [Delpo vs Fed]
   

We are in agreement on 50% of the list.  A discussion of the ranking will take place in Part 2 of this series.  

Sine comments on the top 5.  It was remarkable that Roger appeared in all four finals, and played quite different styles of tennis in each one.  I note that Rafa appears three times in the top 5 list, Roger also three times in the top 5 list, Djokovic, Roddick, Delpo, and Verdasco once, and Murray...none!

Other matches that appeared on some of our lists, but not on others, appear below.  I’ll put these up in a poll for a general vote, and the top five will be added to the list of top 10. (If you want to vote for one of these, and they are not in the poll, just add a comment to the end of the article.  Unfortunately there are only ten slots for the poll.)

Honorable Mention:

1. Indian Wells, Nadal V Nalbandian
2. Rome final, Nadal v Djokovic
3. Davis Cup semi Stepaneck v Karlovic
4. R16 French, Haas v Fed
5. French Open Semis [ Gonzalez – Soderling ]
6. Wimbledon 4th round [ Cilic – Haas]
7. Wimb R16 Murray v Wawrinka
8. Wimb QF Haas v Djokovic
9. Wimb SF Roddick vs Murray
10. US Open 2nd Round [ Dent – Navarro ]
11. US Open semi, Djokovic v Fed
12. Shanghai semi, Davydenko v Djokovic
13. Paris semi Monfils v Stepaneck
14. Paris final Djokovic v Monfils
15. World Tour Finals Semis [ Del Potro – Soderling ]
16. Davis Cup finals [Ferrer vs Stepanek]
    

Discussion

CCG : For me, the match isn’t really good unless it was closely contested, so the Shanghai final, and Paris semi involving Nadal, would not make my list because they were too one-sided.  

A question for you, Marianne : I can’t understand how anyone can rank the USO final and the Oz final at the bottom of the list.

I understand that you prefer short, punchy  tennis that moves fast, no long rallies or lengthy point construction), but that begs a question of how you can put the Murray-Wawrinka match from Wimbledon on your list?

An article written by Marianne on the Wimbledon Final and how it stacks up against the previous year’s classic Wimbledon final can be found here .  

Marianne : I don't *always* go just for short, crisp matches. The Djokovic final and semifinal weren't like that.

Djokovic constructed brilliantly, and every shot was beautifully struck and placed, unlike is often the case in slugging matches where they just hit back and forth to each other as hard as possible.

CCG: example match?  Delpo vs Soderling perhaps, in the WTF semi (smile)].  

Marianne : The Murray-Wawrinka...a lot to do with the moment.  I was *there*! Haas and Fed...well, they just do everything so much more beautifully than the rest! May sound trite, but both are all court players, no time wasted, single handed backhands, and handsome! 

CCG:  Probably the stand-out forehand of the year was the one that propelled Fed past Haas in that FO match.  Certainly one of Haas' career best matches, and very close to an historic upset.  What about the Davis Cup match?

Marianne:  I enjoy Stepanek's game very much, so happy to agree on one of those, but I didn't see the Davis Cup match, so would find that difficult to talk about.

CCG: I didn’t actually get to see that match either!  I just read about it, then discovered that not only was in not broadcast in my area, but I can’t even get a hold of a copy of it.  OK.  I can strike that from my list, though I do think it is cool that Stepanek appears on the Honorable mention list three times!  

CCG: On to other matches.  Question for everyone else: would anyone else put the USO semi, featuring Djokovic and Fed, in their list?   For me it does not stand out as one of Novak’s best efforts of the year...and for me, since both players have to be making a great effort for the match to be truly ‘great’, that is why it is not on my list.  

I liked his match against Davydenko a lot better at Shanghai, and that one is on my list. Comments from others on matches above?

antiMatter
Of the matches we all agree on, the first match on my list is the Oz Final. It was one of the best hitting contests ever, in the first four sets, even better than Wimbledon ‘08.

The Wimbledon Final was the tightest.  It was great grass court tennis, though not comparable with previous era(s).  The Oz (Nadal/Verdasco) SemiFinal was high octane base-line tennis.

Well, to put it simply, it was like Nadal V Nadal, and Nadal won.  Finally, the Djoker V Nadal, Madrid SF...with this match, Djoker arrives on the scene of Clay Court Tennis. Great stroke-play, and one of the tightest matches we’ve seen all year.

For my honorable mention, the Indian Wells, Nadal V Nalbandian : 4 winners to save Match Points and then win the match. That’s a case of heart overcoming a self-confessed tactical error.

And the Murray V Wawrinka, Wimbledon...the best single fisted back-hand overcame the best double fisted backhand, and still lost the match. This had ceased to happen once the courts became bouncier and slower and the luxilons came around.

CCG: You know, aM , I think I agree with your first point.  It was a better hitting contest than the Wimbledon 2008 final, and that is why it is high on my list! I would ask Clarabella: Is this an example of one of those endlessly boring slugfests you hate, and is that why you didn’t even put it on your list? Because then I would have to ask you if you didn’t think the point construction was elegant in that match?  

CCG: I agree that the Wimbledon Final, while great grass court tennis, was not as great at other eras.  

CCG: Also, I would ask both aM and Marianne , which was better...Murray/Wawrinka or Roddick/Murray at Wimbledon? And why?  

CCG: Would anyone else put the Haas vs Djokovic match on the list?

CCG: About the Nadal/Nalbandian match at Indian Wells, sometime we should consider writing up a discussion of the top match-point fight-offs that Nadal had this year, and whether the Nalbandian match should be on the top 10 match list given how many other match point saves Rafa did this year!  

I personally don't think it should be on the list, but what I loved about that match was: Rafa fought off the match points in the second set.  In the first game of the third set, he hit an immense flying forehand...he took it before it even bounced on the ground, for a winner, and it was an announcement of confidence that was unmistakable.

Took all the wind out of Nalbandian’s sails.  We didn’t see that confidence in the fall, after match points saved!

Part 2:
In the second half of this discussion we will attempt to rank these matches in order, taking for the other five, the top five from the poll.  


__________________________________
CCG:

1. Oz semi, Verd v Nadal
2. Oz Open final
3. Wimbledon final Rodd v Fed
4. Rome final, Nadal v Djokovic
5. Madrid semi, Nadal v Djokovic
6. Shanghai semi, Davy v Djokovic
7. Paris final Djokovic v Monfils
8. Paris semi Monfils v Stepaneck
9. Davis Cup semi Stepaneck v Karlovic
10. US Open final
    

Marianne:

1. Wimbledon final Rodd v Fed
2. R16 French, Haas v Fed
3. Madrid semi, Nadal v Djokovic
4. US Open semi, Djokovic v Fed
5. Oz semi, Verd v Nadal
6. Shanghai semi, Davy v Djokovic
7. Paris final Djokovic v Monfils  
8. Wimb R16 Murray v Wawrinka                                          
9. Wimb QF Haas v Djokovic
10. TIE between US Open final and Oz Open final.               
    

Rajat:

1. Oz Open Semi [ Nadal – Verdasco ]
2. Wimbledon Final [ Federer – Roddick ]
3. Madrid Masters Semi [ Nadal – Djokovic ]
4. Oz Open Final [ Nadal – Federer ]
5. US Open Final [ Federer – Del Potro ]
6. World Tour Finals Semis [ Del Potro – Soderling ]

• US Open 2nd round – Taylor Dent vs Ivan Navarro
• Wimbledon 4th round [ Cilic – Haas]
• Shanghai Masters Semis [ Davydenko – Djokovic ] 
• US Open 2nd Round [ Dent – Navarro ]
• French Open Semis [ Gonzalez – Soderling ]

antiMatter:

1. Oz Open Final
2. Wimbledon Final
3. Oz Open SemiFinal [Nadal Vs Verdasco]
4. Indian Wells: Nadal V Nalbandian
5. Wimbledon: Murray V Wawrinka
6. Madrid SF: Djoker V Nadal