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!