Top 10 ladies tennis matches of 2013

Right OK so the men's top 10 has been done now its time for the ladies and this will see my pick of the best matches from the ladies set of net.  Its not easy to compile this but its alot of fun all the same, so here goes...

10. French open quarter finals, Sara Errani d. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-4, 7-6(6)

In this day and age of tennis it has to be said that it can be all a bit too one dimensional, however this is an accusation that could never be raised at this match in which two counterpunchers tried to outfox one another much to the pleasure of the Parisian crowd in this very entertaining quarter final clash of Sara Errani and Agnieszka Radwanska.  Errani was last year's finalist so she came into the French in fine form again but she was up against some stern resistance against Radwanska who is every inch as tenacious and wily as Errani is and the match produced some wonderful rallies of great variety which included slices, lobs, drop shots, vollies, you name it.  Errani took the first set by a break but in the 2nd set it was a very close contest and there breaks of serve aplenty until the deciding tiebreak which featured the point of the match from Radwanska, but it was Errani that went on to shut down the Pole and seal her place in the semi finals.  While neither player has much in the way of raw firepower, they proved you don't need it to produce an entertaining match and in fact Errani and Radwanska's variety is nothing but a breath of fresh air to the game and to see them play such tennis together in a match such as this was a real treat so it deserves it place in here.

9. Porsche Grand Prix Tennis Stuttgart semi final, Maria Sharapova d. Angelique Kerber, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

At number 9 we have another very entertaining clay court match except this time its between the battle of the big hitters, well one big hitter and a strong hitter (i.e. Kerber is the strong hitter, but more of an aggressive counterpuncher than anything else).  And this being on German soil, Kerber naturally got alot of home support as she tried to dethrone the defending champion, Maria Sharapova in a real tussle which saw some terrific rallies from both players and Kerber showing she was more than up for this scrap against one of the game's ultimate warriors.  Sharapova took the opening set as Kerber double faulted to hand it over but Kerber fought back in the 2nd set by grabbing a double break to push it to a decider.  In the decider we got a thrilling contest between the two women as Kerber went a break down she battled back to level terms until 6-5 where she suffered a final lapse and handed Sharaova three match points, which Maria gladly took to reach her second final in Stuttgart.  This was an excellent high quality match from the beginning and it featured some terrific points and it was a pity for Kerber that she wasn't quite able to win but she was up against one of the biggest fighters in the ladies game and in the end it was Maria that pulled out the win.  Great stuff indeed.

8. KDB Korea Open Seoul final, Agnieszka Radwanska d. Anastasia Pavyluchenkova, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.

This high quality final clash at the Korea open in Seoul was between Radwanska and the Russian No.3 player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (cool name!) which proved to be quite an epic lengthy battle between the power hitter in Anastasia and the tenacious counterpuncher in Aga.  And from the outset there was some great hitting on display in this match with Aga taking an early break, however Pavly was not to be outdone as she eventually broke back and pushed the first to a tiebreak which she won to grab the 1st set.  The 2nd set saw a fightback from Aga who broke Pavly's serve and went on to level the proceedings.  In the decider both players played wonderful tennis and there were plenty of tight deuce games and it was simply a case of who would blink first, and as it happens it was Pavyluchenkova that did just that to let Aga win her 13th career title.  It is no wonder people draw to see Agnieszka Radwanska play as she is delightful to watch in a match as the tennis she can produce is at times almost magical as her creativity and ability to construct points on court is incredible.  Pavlyuchenkova showed her grit in this match as she pushed Aga all the way but in the end it was the wily Pole that wore the Russian down, but bother players played their part here and give it their all in this very entertaining match.

7. US Open 4th round, Carla Suarez Navarro d. Angelique Kerber, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.

There is no doubt this match is one of the most purely entertaining and thrilling contests of the year which was between Angelique Kerber and the Spanish player, Carla Suarez Navarro.  This superb clash took place in the sweltering heat in New York and both players gave it their absolute all throughout.  Kerber in the first set got off to the better start as she broke Navarro and went on to nab the opening set.  However Navarro is well known to be a very tough player to put away as she proved here and she fought back to level the match at a set all.  And in the 3rd set there were twists and turns aplenty as Kerber twice had the opportunity to serve for the match but she blew both of them as play went to a tiebreak it was Navarro that made her move to clinch the match and her first quarter final at the US Open.  This was a terrific encounter and each rally had to be at least 20+ shots as both players pushed themselves to the limit here with some incredible lung bursting exchanges.  Kerber had her chances and its a pity in a way she lost the match and it continued to show her dip in form that she had struggled with in 2013.  However Carla proved to have a never say die attitude and she deserved to win this terrific clash, its just a pity she went on to face Serena Williams in the next round who handed her a double bagel for her troubles.  But hey ho that's tennis.

6. Wimbledon championships semi final, Sabine Lisicki d. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-4, 2-6, 9-7.

2013 was one of the strangest years in the history of the Wimbledon championships as so many top players exited really early on in both the men and ladies side of the net.  On the ladies side we had Sharapova and Azarenka both dumped out early who both succumb to injury having slipped badly on the courts among many other plays who complained of the same thing.  So this left some fairly unlikely names in the business end of the draw, two of which included Sabine Lisicki, who stunned Serena Williams in their 4th round match, and well ok Radwanska was last year's finalist so she had a real opportunity here.  The match itself was a titanic struggle as both women knew what was at steak here and they put it all on the line and played some terrific tennis for an enthralled crowd.  After both players levelled the match at a set apiece the final set was a tense affair and it was Lisicki that took the first crucial break at 5-4 to serve for the match, but Radwanska soon broke back.  Play went by serve until 7-7 when Lisicki broke again and this time she held on after a tense final game she served out to secure her first Wimbledon final.  This was a great encounter with plenty of drama throughout and I'm sure Aga must have been fuming after losing it as she gave Lisicki a pretty frosty quick handshake just after the match wrapped up and she probably knew that was her best shot to win Wimbledon gone.  As for Lisicki she did a terrific job in holding her nerve to reach her first Wimbledon final, and many people tipped her to be the favourite to win the title, however Marion Bartoli, the other finalist had other ideas, but that's a whole other story.

5. Australian Open 2nd round, Laura Robson d. Petra Kvitova, 2-6, 6-3, 11-9. 

In 2012 Laura Robson started to make a name for herself as she made her breakthrough in beating some top players in the game, particularly Kim Clijsters who's career she ended at the US Open last year and followed that win up with a victory over Li Na.  So this year promised much for Laura and while 2013 didn't quite go all the way she wanted it to, Laura did get off to a fine start here as she upset the former Wimbledon champion and semi finalist from last year, Petra Kvitova in an immense battle on the Rod Laver arena in an intense night match that lasted well over three hours.  After a slow start in the first set, Laura started her comeback in the 2nd set as she broke Kvitova to go on and level the scores at one set all.  And in the 3rd set was a big battle as both players slugged it out in an erratic but nonetheless engrossing set which finally saw Laura do the unthinkable in breaking Petra at 9-9 and she went on to serve out the match and in doing so taking another big scalp to add to her growing collection of big names to reach the 3rd round in Melbourne.  While the quality of the match was up and down at times this was still an enthralling encounter which kept the audience guessing which way it would swing and it was testament again to Laura's talent and growing belief as a player that she came through this one.  2013 however didn't quite turn out the way Laura wanted it to, this match did signal that she is very much still a player to watch in the future.

4. 2013 Qatar Total Open Doha final, Victoria Azarenka d. Serena Williams, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3.

OK I have to admit the last few posts will actually cover matches between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka and the reason why is simply because they have sparked something that is much needed in the women's game, and that is a proper rivalry.  So why not go with this one for starters which was a simply superb and thrilling encounter out in Doha where Vika who won the final last year came back to defend her title.  However one woman stoood in her way and that was Serena Williams and with only one win her favour against the mighty American, things looked sort of bleak for Vika in finding a way past her rival.  But this proved to be the exception to the rule as Vika proved once again that she is just about the only player that can live with Serena's powerhouse game out on the court and she took the first tight set on a breaker.  In the 2nd set Serena nabbed a double break to take the match to a decider where it was a tense affair but Serena was not serving her best and ended up getting broken by Vika.  And Vika did the almost unthinkable in beating her rival and serving out for the title to claim only her 2nd win against Serena Williams in a remarkable match.  Despite a few ups and downs the level of play in this match was terrific and Victoria deserved tremendous credit for her fighting spirit in dealing with whatever Serena threw at her and she proved she is just about the only person that can get into her head.  So in all this was a great encounter and for me one of the best matches of the year.

3. US Open final, Serena Williams d. Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 6-7, 6-1.

In what was the last grand slam of the season the US Open final hope to provide an incredible finale for the ladies tournament.  And in the end they got just that as the world's two best players went toe to toe once again for the second year running with Serena and Vika battling it out for the title.  The match itself was a bit erratic in quality which was mainly down to the wild and windy conditions on the court as Serena in particular struggled to play through the gusty wind and she started off horribly going a break down.  However as Vika looked confident in serving out for the set it wasn't long before Serena broke straight back and she went on to manufacture a break of her own to claim the opening set.  The second set had more breaks as it was Vika's turn to go a break down but she also managed to turn it around and the crowd by then were treated to a thrilling display from both women as the 2nd set was pushed to a tiebreak, which Vika won to take the match the distance.  In the final set after a confident start Vika soon lost her way on serve and before she knew she was a double break down, and despite a last ditch effort, Serena served out the title with fair ease to claim her 4th US Open title.  There is no doubt this was a riveting match for the most part and it was a great finale to the grand slam season with neither player giving an inch for the first two sets.  It was just a pity that it got away from Victoria in the end however as she failed to hold onto her serve in the last set as it could have been even better.  But regardless of that it was still a great one.

2. BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells semi final, Caroline Wozniacki d. Angelique Kerber 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. 

This match provides a welcome gap between the Serena and Vika clashes that I will cover, which are great of course, but so was this match up between Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber who engaged in a riveting battle.  The match up between Caroline and Angie wasn't too kind to Caroline of late as she had lost her last three meetings to the German.  And things looked to be the same here as Kerber got off to a strong start by breaking Caroline twice, although she showed some resistance as Kerber tried to close out the first set.  In the 2nd set Caroline fought back but her serve was under constant threat by Kerber and at 3-3 both players were locked into a thrilling mini battle, which saw Caroline stave off 5 break points in a hard fought game that lasted 17 minutes.  After this Caroline managed to get a break and served it out for the 2nd set pushing the match into a decider.  In the final set both players battled it out with Caroline grabbing the break to move ahead, but Kerber was not to be outdone as she soon broke again to level.  And at 6-5 with Kerber serving to take it into a final set tiebreak, Wozniacki seized her chance to break for the last time and she sealed her place in her second Indian wells final.  The level of play throughout this match was top notch and both women slugged it out as hard as they could.  The match also marked an impressive win for Caroline who had struggled badly against top 10 players of late and she took advantage of Kerber's difficulty to cope with high balls (or moon balls) which was quite funny as there were some rallies were they played nothing but moon balls!  So overall this was a superb encounter and it saw Caroline reach the biggest final of her career since the same tournament two years ago, just a pity that she had to face Maria Sharapova in the final, but well that's for another post.

1. Western and Southern Open Cincinnati final, Victoria Azarenka d. Serena Williams 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(6).

Well this match for me was by far the best ladies tennis match of 2013 as it had everything and it saw the world's two best players, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka hammer it out on the centre court in Cincy.  This match actually eclipsed all their encounters this season as the level of play from both women was just aboslutely staggering and while Vika got off to a poor start, once she got motoring the belief she showed was nothing short of remarkable as no one else but her could have pulled off this one.  So once the match went a set all in the 3rd set we were treated to some absolutely riveting stuff and both women were going toe to toe with virtually not much in it.  And the match finally culminated with a spectacular tiebreak which took twists and turns, with Serena continually threatening to gain the upper hand, but in the end it was Vika that caused another upset after playing a superb drop volley to bring up championship point, Serena netted the next one to allow Vika to clinch her first title in Cincy and second win of the year over her rival.  There is no doubt this was an absolutely terrific encounter and its a perfect example of just how good Serena and Vika's rivalry has become in 2013 alone.  And if it carries on like this we are sure to be provided more classics in the future and here's to that as this definitely one to watch.  It also showed that Serena finally has a proper rival in the game as Vika is just about literally the only other player that can live with her on a tennis court and trade with her blow for blow.  And that in itself is why this match is at the top of the tree.

So that's it for my look at the ladies best tennis matches of 2013, it was tough to compile but it was good fun and hopefully it will make for a good selection that represents the season. 

And with that I shall say goobye fer now.     

     

Top 10 men's tennis matches of 2013

Right as the 2013 tennis season is officially over with the ATP world tour finals done and the Davis cup now out the way (congrats again to the Czeck Republic defending their title) I thought I would do a post on my pick of the best matches of the year.  This will cover all three surfaces (well four if you count indoor hard court!) so let's give it a looksee, so this will take some thought so please bear with me....

10. Wimbledon Championships final, Andy Murray d. Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.

OK while this match isn't quite a classic it still does deserves its place as it is a very important and entertaining one as well.  In the Wimbledon final Andy Murray reached his second successive final in so many years and this time it was against his old rival Novak Djokovic so after their epic US Open final from last year we had to expect something special here.  And did it deliver???  Well to an extent it did as while Nole was clearly a bit under par having played the longest semi final in Wimbledon history two days before, both men still traded some fine quality points and played some excellent rallies.  After Andy secured the first set he looked to come under fire in the 2nd set as he went down a break to Nole but it wasn't long before Andy broke back and soon secured a break of his own to take a two sets to love lead.  In the 3rd set Andy went down a break again but yet again broke back and went on to break Nole once to serve for the title.  And the last game proved to be 12 minutes of sheer nail biting tension which must easily rank as the single best game of the season as Nole made a brave last ditch attempt to try and break back and get into the match.  However Andy held his resolve and went on to serve it out as Nole's backhand hit the net, the British No.1 dropped his racquet and cap and shook his fists in sheer delight at becoming the first British singles player to win Wimbledon in 77 years.  Overall this was a highly entertaining match and it marked a real high for the British public and media who were delighted at their man finally making the breakthrough, and Andy Murray after winning Wimbledon no doubt will have so much more to give and surely more slams will be on the way.  As for Novak well it was a disappointing loss but he played his part in it and while it was a straight set scoreline it was anything but an easy match.  And Andy summed up the final game himself by saying "imagine playing it! imagine indeed.  Great stuff.  


9. French Open 4th round, Stanislas Wawrinka d. Richard Gasquet 6-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6.

This was an epic 4th round encounter at the French Open which stands as one of the great highlights of the tournament, which saw Richard Gasquet hammer it out against Stan Wawrinka in an effort to reach his first ever French Open quarter final.  The match itself proved to be absolutely spectacular stuff and in the first two sets Gasquet looked to be in the driving set as he took the two set lead.  However Stan was far from done as he went on to level the scores at two sets all before play went into a pulsating decider where the crowd were treated to some staggering stuff from both men.  And in the end it was Stan that just had a little bit more in the tank as Gasquet started to cramp and Stan broke Gasquet to win the match with an amazing backhand down the line which saw him reach his first French Open quarter final.  This was a terrific match from start to finish and the level of play throughout was just exceptional and it was a pity for Gasquet that he came so close yet so far from winning it.  But in the end this continued to signal what an incredible year Stan Wawrinka was having.  Just a pity he faced Rafa in the next round, but that's another story.

8. Cincinnati Western and Southern open quarter final, Rafael Nadal d. Roger Federer, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. 

In what has been one of the defining rivalries in the open era of the sport, Roger and Rafa's clashes of late had been a bit sedate and rather one sided, especially their last couple where Rafa thrashed Roger so easily at Indian Wells and in Rome.  But here we were finally treated to a match that gave us a great reminder of the rivalry they once had in a terrific quarter final clash at the Cincinnati Masters, Western and Southern open quarter final.  Roger after having suffered the worst dip in his career for 10 years, put all that behind him as he dished out some of the best tennis he had played in quite some time to push Rafa to the limit as he put on a great display to take the opening set.  In the 2nd set more of the same followed but Rafa finally found an opening and broke to take it to a decider.  In the decider however Rafa broke Roger again and it looked to be all over but Roger made one last brave attempt to break Rafa in a thrilling last game which eventually saw Rafa emerge triumphant to keep his American hard court winning streak going and a chance to win an elusive title in Cincy.  It was long overdue that we were to be treated to a match of this quality from these two great rivals and who knows how many more they will play like this but let's hope they do as it was a real treat.

7. ATP World Tour Finals, Round Robin, Roger Federer d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 4-6, 7-6, 7-5.

This remarkable battle saw Roger take on one of his biggest (literally!) nemesis in the game just now, Juan Martin Del Potro who had beaten him three times in their last four meetings, with Rog having won the most recent in Paris.  And throughout the match Roger had to play catch up as he dropped the opening set, he then had to come from a break down in the 2nd to eventually level in an incredible tiebreak which saw Rog take full control to take it to a decider.  In the 3rd set Roger went a break down again but eventually showed some great resolve to break back and he eventually went on to manufacture a break of his own against Delpo to go on and close out a dramatic and hard fought encounter to reach the semi finals of the world tour finals.  This match really proved that no matter you cannot write off Roger Federer as he had to use all his experience to fight through this one and ensure his place in the semi finals of the o2.  And after struggling badly throughout 2013, this match signalled that Roger would be set to probably make a strong comeback in 2014 and here's to him in doing just that.

6. Shanghai Rolex Masters final, Novak Djokovic d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6.

Last year's Shanghai final between Novak Djokovic and the then defending champion Andy Murray was one of the greatest finals in 1000 Masters series history and this one would take some doing to beat it.  And while it would tough to argue that it did, it certainly wasn't far off as big Delpo took on a back in form Novak Djokovic who was determined to keep his unbeaten run in Asia going in a thrilling match.  Djokovic made an imperious start as he broke Delpo twice to nab the first set with great ease and he looked on course to lift another title in Asia.  However in the 2nd set Delpo started his fightback and he took advantage of a wobbly service game (literally!) from Nole that saw him rocked off his feet, which let Delpo eventually level the match.  And in the 3rd set both men put on a terrific spectacle for the crowd with Delpo living life dangerously on serve as he faced break points that would have ended the match, but ultimately play went to a final tiebreak.  And in the tiebreak it was Nole that took control and he got the crucial minibreak and went on to deny Delpo another shot at a maiden 1000 Masters series title with an incredible title defence.  It was a great pity to see Delpo lose out once again in a Masters final as he had already been denied by Rafa earlier in the year at Indian Wells, but for Djokovic it showed he was truly back on form and after his summer dip in form, he was just getting started again.

5. US Open semi final, Novak Djokovic d. Stanislas Wawrinka, 2-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

After their mammoth epic clash in Melbourne Stan Wawrinka's form and belief as a player rose dramatically throughout 2013.  And prior to this clash with Nole, Stan had thrashed the defending champion Andy Murray in straight sets to reach his first grand slam semi final.  But to take on Nole is no enviable task at the best of times, but Stan was more than up to the task once more as he got off to a superb start and broke an admittedly erratic Novak twice to take the first set.  In the 2nd set Nole went down a break, but he eventually wrestled his way back into the match and broke back to go on and level the match at a set all.  However Stan was still not yet done as he seized the initiative again and broke Nole once more and grabbed a two sets to one lead.  But Djokovic once again proved his tenacity as he levelled the match at two sets all and in the decider we were treated to a thriling 21 minute game where Stan had to fight off a slew of break points before he finall held serve.  However in the end it was in vain as Nole finally wore Stan down and broke the Swiss to finally close out another epic five set battle.  After their phenomenal encounter in Melbourne this clash definitely lived up to expectations and didn't disappoint and for the most part of the match, it had to be said that Stan was the better player.  But in the end it was all down to Djokovic and he went on to reach yet another major final but both players played their part in this terrific match which well deserves its place in the list.

4. French Open semi final, Rafael Nadal d. Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7, 9-7. 

In what was easily the toughest match Rafa has ever played on a clay court against any player, he and Novak created a truly epic encounter with this one in the French open semi final, which so many people hoped would have been the final.  However this wasn't to be given that Rafa's ranking was lower at the time and he was still having to defend alot of points during the clay court season from last year so he couldn't accumulate enough to bump up his ranking.  But all that aside the match itself featured some incredible tennis from both men and it was Rafa who made the move to break and take the first set, before Novak went on to level up the scores in the 2nd.  In the 3rd set however Novak took his eye off the ball (quite badly!) as he suffered a double break and trailed two sets to one.  In the 4th set however Nole fought back and despite Rafa serving for the match at 6-5, Nole used all his resolve to break once again and pushed the match into a tiebreak which Nole won.  In the deciding 5th set it was Nole that got an early break however he made a clumsy error at 4-3 when he stumbled into the net and he automatically lost a point, which lead to Rafa breaking back.  Play then went by serve until the 8-7 where a fatigued Nole found himself three match points down and before we knew it he lost again to the king of clay who would go on to secure an 8th title at Roland Garros.  This match lead to a post French open hangover for Nole who struggled somewhat for the rest of the summer in trying to win the remaining majors at Wimbledon and the US Open.  And while it wasn't to be yet again for Nole what counts is of course the tennis that was on display in this one really does stand out and it easily earns its place as one of the best matches of the year.

3. Wimbledon semi final, Novak Djokovic d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3.

Epic battles seem to be all the rage these days in tennis grand slam matches and on that note here is another which was a cracker of a match between Nole and Delpo who met in the Wimbledon semi final.  And right from the get go the quality of play here was quite tremendous from both men who slugged it out on centre court in front of an enthralled crowd in what turned out to be the longest Wimbledon semi final in the open era.  With Novak taking the first set, Delpo went to level the proceedings by taking the 2nd set, with Nole then taking the 3rd, in the 4th set Delpo fought back again and pushed play to an incredible tiebreak which saw the big Argentine fight from a minibreak down to level the match at two sets all.  In the 5th set however fatigue had set in for Delpo as the big guy found it tough to keep up with Novak who eventually wore his opponent down to reach his 2nd Wimbledon final.  There is no doubt this was a terrific contest and it remains the highlight of the grass court season with Djokovic once again taking the plaudits for playing his part in yet another classic match.  God he seems to be hogging them all these days isn't he!

2. Australian Open semi final, Andy Murray d. Roger Federer 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.

I had to put this as my second favourite match of the year as it was flat out the best grand slam match that Andy Murray and Roger Federer have ever played.  Last year in the Wimbledon final, Andy showed promising signs of his new found mental belief under the coaching of Ivan Lendl as he took a set off Federer for the first time in his career in a major final.  And here Andy went two better as he took three off the maestro to secure his place in his 3rd Melbourne final.  The match itself had some terrific rallies and wonderful points from both players, and there were times were you had to marvel at the tennis these two men can produce together on a tennis court.  Andy was the better player in the key sets, but Federer put up some great resistance in the tiebreak sets, as he dominated Andy in them and lead to eventually levelling the match at 2 sets all.  But in the 5th set Andy made the decisive move and he broke Roger twice to seal the deal and reach the final where he would meet his old friend and rival, Novak Djokovic.  This match pretty much had it all, as there were so many highly entertaining points, and Andy showed a new level of aggression against Roger that we hadn't seen since the Olympics last year as he bludgeoned the ball back and forth, and the victory in itself was a very important one, as it once again showed that he could beat Roger Federer when it really counts.  The match also had a rather amusing moment where in the 4th set with Andy serving for the match that Federer got annoyed at him and cursed at him over the net, and Andy gave him an old fashion glare (possibly because it dawned on Roger that he was about to finally be beaten by Andy in a major match??).  So overall this was a highly entertaining match and it thoroughly deserves its place in this list as one of the best matches of 2013 and it just maybe could have done with a better 5th set, but apart from that you just about couldn't ask for anymore out of this thrilling contest.

1. Australian Open 4th round, Novak Djokovic d. Stanislas Wawrinka, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 12-10.

Ok if the honours for the best match of 2013 deserve to go to any particular match its undoubtedly this one. In this spectacular 4th round encounter between the defending champion Novak Djokovic and the 16th seed Stan Wawrinka, it seemed like Nole would garner a fairly comfortable win. However it was far from it as these two men produced an absolutely epic marathon that lasted over 5 hours that was the match of the tournament.  And it was Stan that got off to a great start as he raced through the opening set. In the 2nd however Nole eventually found his feet and broke to level the scores and he went on in the 3rd to take a 2 sets to 1 lead. In the 4th however it was an even battle as Stan pushed play to a tiebreak which he won to level an incredible match at 2 sets all. And in the 5th we were treated to an epic decider where it went by serve up until 11-10 when Nole made his move on Stan and made a backhand passing shot to seal the deal and afterward he ripped off his shirt and roared with delight just like he did last year after winning the final. There is no doubt this match deserves this spot and Wawrinka despite his loss played the match of his life and it signalled the start of the best season of his career so far where he has developed into a terrific player. As for Novak well it was sheer testament to his skill, talent and above all belief that he was able to come through this one. And Nole's post match celebration was almost like he had won the title there and then, and in a way he did just that as he wouldn't be tested like that again, well not in Melbourne anyway! :-)

So that's it for my exhaustive look at the best men's tennis matches of 2013.  Next up will be the ladies but that will take some more figuring out first.

But for now that's it.

Bye! 

2013 ATP World Tour Finals Part 3: Rafa and Nole

Right so now we get onto the final part of my posts on the ATP world tour finals, which will cover the final between Novak Djokovic, the defending champ and 2010's finalist, Rafael Nadal.  Sooooo let's give it a looksee....

So we are no strangers to these two and this being their 39th career meeting (which is more than any two players have played each other in the history of the open era!) they both know each others games very well, so it promised to be a classic.  But..... it didn't quite live up to expectations as Rafa was unable to get anything going as he struggled on serve and he went 3-0 down to Nole straight off, who proved to be too sharp on his own serve in comparison.  However Rafa wasn't quite down and out as he managed to fight back and level the scores at 3-3 but after this Nole reasserted himself and after an amazing rally, Djokovic broke to go 5-3 up and serve out the set with ease.  In the 2nd set Rafa struggled yet again on serve as he handed an early break to Djokovic, who continued his clinical form and nearly breaking Rafa at 4-2 to go 5-2 up, however Rafa valiantly managed to battle on and save the break points.  With Rafa trailing at 4-5, Nole served it out with a last ditch effort from the Rafa to try and break back, but it was in vain as Rafa fired a forehand wide, with Djokovic triumphantly holding his arms aloft as he won his 3rd ATP world tour finals championship with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win.

Well there was no doubt this final while it had its moments and had some very entertaining rallies it was a bit of a letdown in the end as Rafa struggled badly on his serve and as it is well established that indoor hard court is his worst surface, it certainly showed in the final tonight.  Rafa also appeared to whince in pain from his knee again at some points especially as Djokovic pulled him from pillar to post, testing his movement to the limit, which might raise one or two question marks about his knee in the future, however that remains to be seen and might not be the case.  And despite his defeat Rafa has overall had an amazing comeback this year having regained the World No.1 spot from Novak and having two out of the four slams and 10 titles overall, he has been at the top of his game and no doubt this has been one of the best seasons of his career, and after such a long absence its great to have him back this year.

As for Nole well its amazing just how well he has bounced back after his US Open final defeat to Rafa, he has not lost a match since and has put together another remarkable winning streak, which now stands at 22 matches.  And having won 7 titles this season, Nole has capped off his year in fine style, and its not quite over yet as he still has to play the Davis cup final in Belgrade against the current champions, the Czeck Republic and I'm sure Nole will be more than up to the task as his fierce patriotism will see him do all he can to bring home the Davis cup crown to Serbia once more.  So in the meantime Nole deserves much credit for winning the ATP World Tour Finals for a third time and it sees him back on top and as he is no stranger to winning streaks I think its safe to say he will carry this one well on into next year which could see him yet again defend his title in Melbourne, but we can save that for next year.

Anywayyyy so that's it for the ATP tour season, which has been a great season once again and having Rafa back on the scene has been a real highlight alone.  Next up I will do a post on the Davis cup and that will probably be it for the year.  And with Andy Murray out of the game for now let's hope he will be able to come back in time for the Australian open next year, as he has just started his training again, his involvement in the Barbados exhibition event in two weeks time remains in doubt but even if he doesn't play I'm sure he will back in action soon.

And with that, that's it for noww and I'll say ta ta to the 2013 ATP tour season, which has been a real blast and I'll look forward to 2014 already.

So that's it!   

2013 ATP World Tour Finals Part 2: Clash of the big uns

Right OK now we get onto the next part of my coverage of the ATP World Tour Finals which will cover days 6 and 7 which sees the final rubber rounds played out and the semi finals.  So let's get a move on and have a look at them...

Right starting with Day 6 and the first match of the day was between Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro in a match that promised to be a real classic encounter.  And the match itself more than lived up to expectations as Rog and Delpo battled it out on the centre court infront of 17000 plus crowd who were enthralled by some incredible tennis.  And it was Delpo that got off to the better start as he broke Roger in the first set twice, but Roger managed to get one of the breaks back before Delpo served out the set.  The 2nd set saw Roger having to battle from behind once again as he went a break down but he managed to wrestle his way back and pushed the set to a tiebreak where Roger dominated the play.  In the 3rd set Roger once again was forced to come from a break down to eventually level the scores and Rog got a break of his own on Delpo's serve and finally went on to serve out the match to reach another semi final at the o2 with a remarkable 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 victory.

This really was one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament and throughout Roger looked down and out and its testament to his incredible fighting spirit and experience that he was able to come through it.  It also marked his second win over a Delpo this year after beating the big guy for the first time in their previous meetings until Paris just two weeks ago, which sees that Roger is starting to get his game back on form which is good to see.  And this also set up a mouth watering semi final clash between Roger and Rafa which would see the two greatest rivals in the sport face each other again, but more on that soon.

Next up in the evening match Novak Djokovic faced off Richard Gasquet in his last rubber match before the semis.  And despite Nole's assertive dominance over the Frenchman, Gasquet came out strong and played some wonderful and varied tennis for the crowd against a rather fatigued looking Djokovic.  And Gasquet after dropping the opening set in the breaker went on to nab the 2nd set before Nole went on to close out the spirited fight from Gasquet with a break in the 3rd to seal his 20th match win in a row with a hard fought 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 win.  This was one good last hurrahh from Gasquet who has failed to win a match this year at the o2 but he has proven that he is back on true form again especially as he has managed to get himeself back in the top 10 this year as well reaching the semis of the US Open final, things are looking bright for the Frenchman.  As for Nole it shows just how damn good he is that even able to fight through fatigue to win and given that he knows a thing or two about winning streaks, it looks like this one won't be ending anytime soon.

So this brings me onto day 7, which had two potentially cracking semi final clashes in prospect as first up we had two legends of the game face each other, Roger and Rafa in what promised to be a mouth watering encounter.  However it didn't quite end up that way as Roger suffered from another case of unforced errors on both sides, particular his backhand, and despite tight 2st set, Roger faded badly in the 2nd which let Rafa grab the win in 7-5, 6-3.  The match itself had some good moments and some vintage flashes of the old Roger, but in the end Rafa proved to be just too consistent and that made the difference. 

So this sees the end of Roger's season in 2013, which hasn't been kind to him and has easily been the worst season of his career for over 10 years in which he has failed to win another grand slam and fell even further back sustaining tough early round defeats at Wimbledon and the US Open.  Roger also only managed to secure one title this year as he won the Gerry Webber Open in Halle, prior to Wimbledon.  But despite that Roger still managed to finish fairly strong this season in reaching the finals of Basel, and the semis of Paris and London, and his level has started to pick up again and hopefully in 2014 he will come back stronger and ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead. 

Which brings me onto the night match which was between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka, who already this year have had two epic battles in the slams at the Australian and the US Open, both eventually won by Djokovic.  But this match proved not to be of the same calibre, but despite that it was still a very entertaining encounter as Stan did his best against an almost invincible Nole, who just kept getting everything back into play, and with Wawrinka hitting a brick wall time and time again.  And in the end Nole breezed his way to victory as he broke Stan to win in 6-3, 6-3 to reach his 3rd ATP world tour finals finale.

While the match was a brief one it still had some great rallies from both players and despite his loss, Stan still showed some of the incredible form that has brought him to the foreground of men's tennis this year.  And without a doubt Stan Wawrinka really has announced himself as a great player this year, which was spearheaded by his amazing fight in his 4th round match against Nole at the Australian Open an should he continue that form he will no doubt pose an even bigger threat next year.  As for Novak well this match saw him put aside his fatigue from the previous Gasquet match and come out razor sharp as he played some of his best tennis to dismiss Stan and there is no doubt that he is looking really good to win the title again.

So that's it for now, and the final is set between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, which promises to be a great one and I will cover that in the next post which is just coming right up.....!

2013 ATP Wolrd Tour Finals Part 1: The big uns clash!

OK so the ladies tennis season is over but the men's isn't quite yet over but it will be come this Monday as the ATP World Tour Finals draws to a close then which sees the men's top 8 players in the world battle it out for a right to win the ATP WTF champions trophy.  So let's have a look at the matches so far...

Starting with Day 1 first up we had Stanislas Wawrinka take on Tomas Berdych in what looked likely to a pretty even match up as their head to head was fairly close with Wawrinka leading 7-5.  And the match itself proved to be just that as Stan took the initiative in the first set breaking Berdy, who fought back and took the 2nd set to push it to a decider.  In the 3rd set Stan broke again and sealed his first match in his debut at ATP world tour finals with a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 win.  In the 2nd match of the day, Juan Martin Del Potro took on Richard Gasquet in what proved to be a terrific contest between the two players, which saw Gasquet push the big Argentine all the way to a 3rd set where it could have went either way but eventually Delpo got crucial broke and won the match in 6-7, 6-3, 7-5.  

So onto Day 2 we had the World No.1 Rafael Nadal take on Spanish No.2, David Ferrer.  Ferrer stunned Rafa only the weekend before at the Paris Masters as he beat the might Raf in the semi finals to reach the final where he was beaten by Djokovic.  However this match was a complete role reversal as Rafa got his revenge in an emphatic fashion by beating Ferrer in straight sets with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory which saw the World No.1 take his first confident stride toward winning the one big title that eludes him.  In the second match of the day, Novak Djokovic the defending champion faced off against the former six time champion, Roger Federer, in what promised to a classic encounter.  However both men seemed to be suffering fatigue after their efforts in Paris the week before, and they both produced a ropey match filled with unforced errors and play that was simply hit and miss.  But it was Nole that came out on top as he won the match 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 to claim his first match win of the event.

Which brings us looming onto day 3 which started with Rafa taking on the in form Stan Wawrinka in what proved to be a highly entertaining and competitive contest in which both men brought their best to the court.  Stan in their head to head has never won a set never mind a match against Rafa, so beating him was a big big ask, but Stan nonetheless laid it all out on the court as he battled with Rafa and pushed him to two tiebreak sets before the man from Mallorca shut the door, winning a very tight two set 7-6(5), 7-6(6) match.  This match win ensured that Rafa will reach the semi finals no matter the outcome of his next match and again shows the mighty impressive form that the Spaniard has shown this year continue even into his weakest surface, indoor hard courts. As for Stan you can't help but feel gutted for him that still hasn't even taken a set off Rafa yet, but if anyone deserves to it: its him and he will have his day yet I think, where he will get two.

Next up was David Ferrer who faced Tomas Berdych in an intruiging clash which promised to be quite entertaining, however for Ferrer it was ultimately the end of the road as he struggled to keep up with huge hitting from the big Czeck and he suffered a straight set defeat in 6-4, 6-4.  This was a pity for Ferrer who only the week before reached the final in Paris where he was the defending champion.  So at this point Ferrer is out of the championship with nowhere to go, but he will still have one match left to play.

Moving on to day 4, Roger Federer was up against Richard Gasquet, and Federer at last managed to crank up the gears and bring out a classy performance to dismiss the Frenchman in straight sets with a much needed 6-4, 6-3 win which kept Roger's hopes alive in the tournament.  Novak Djokovic in the evening match played Del Potro in another potentially mouth watering clash, however Nole came out serving sharp leaving a rather fatigued looking Del Potro out to dry in the first set.  In the 2nd set Delpo fought his way back into the match as Nole suffered a lapse in concentration and the big guy levelled the match at a set all.  In the 3rd set though parity was restored for Djokovic as he broke Delpo's serve and went on to close out the match two secure a two match lead in his group with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 scoreline.

So onto day 5 in the first match there was Stan the man who played against David Ferrer, which if Stan were to win it would give two match wins and a chance to reach the semi finals.  The match itself was quite competitive with Ferrer doing his best to leave the tournament with his head held somewhat high as he nabbed the first set in a tiebreak after coming back from a break down.  However Stan regrouped and managed to break Ferrer in the 2nd set, which saw Ferrer in a rare outburst of anger smash his racquet on the court.  In the 3rd set play raced away fast from Ferrer as Stan grabbed the match by the throat with a double break and he closed it out with a 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory.  Well this sees Stan make a terrific debut at this event as he now stands closer than ever to reaching the semi finals of the year end championships which would be decided by the winner of the next match...

Which was between Rafa and Berdych in the evening match and for this match Rafa was the hot favourite, having won their last few encounters in straight sets.  However Rafa didn't have it all his way in this one as after he took the first set, Berdych seized the initiative in the 2nd set as Rafa's level dipped dramatically and the big Czeck took a double break to his first set against the Spaniard since the Aussie Open last year.  In the 3rd set it was pretty competitve and all even until Berdych served a double fault at 3-4 as he handed the vital break to Rafa who went on to serve out the match to be the outright winner of Group A with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.  Its hard to imagine Rafa in better form going into this stage of the tournament and his win also was warmly welcomed by Stan Wawrinka as he sealed his place in the semi finals as Rafa beat Berdych, and he said in a text that he owes Rafa dinner! ;-)

So that's it for now I will report back with updates on Day 6 and 7 once they are over.

Till then bye the now.