Top 5 ATP tour matches of 2016

Right! The tennis season is officially over now as the Davis cup final weekend has come to a close, which saw Argentina claim the title (well done guys!) on their fifth attempt.  So this now means I can now do a review of my favourite matches of the year.

Now usually in the past I've done just a top 10 for the whole year over the season that would encompass the best ATP, grand slams and the Davis cup matches together.  But this time I've decided to do three separate posts for each category given that we've had such a great season this year and had some amazing matches it would be tough to narrow it down to one post.

So this post will cover my pick of the top 5 ATP tour matches of the season (these are matches that are part of the regular tour and not the grand slams) and with that let's start the countdown...

5. BNP Paribas Open 3rd round, Federico Delbonis d. Andy Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 

So at No.5 is this clash between the then World No.2, Andy Murray and the virtual unknown but now known hero of the Davis cup final for Argentina, Federico Delbonis who in this match gave the British No.1 more than he bargained for in a high quality match.

The match itself featured plenty of twists and turns and it was Delbonis who surprised Andy with his unorthdox game and he showed his prowess in terms of his movement, touch and defence against a somewhat undercooked Andy Murray who had just become a father only a few weeks ago.  Delbonis then went on to break Andy in the first set and he closed it out to take the opener but in the 2nd set, Andy fought back and he broke the Argentine to go on and level the match.  Going into the decider Andy looked to be favourite and he even went a break up however with some real determination and class, Delbonis broke back and play went onto into a tiebreak and the Argentine pulled a big upset as took the breaker 7-3 to seal the match and send the World No.2 packing.

Well this certainly was a high quality match for the most part and Delbonis turned a very surprising result as Andy looked to be in control in the deciding set but the Argentine certainly deserved all the credit for defeating the British No.1.             

4. Rome Masters semi final, Novak Djokovic d. Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-4, 7-6

At No.4 is the very next match Novak played funnily enough, which was a real epic battle between himself and Kei Nishikori, which saw the Japanese No.1 play in some real good form and the match itself saw Novak be pushed to the absolute limit like he did before with Rafa.

The first set saw Novak get off to a slow start as Kei played some sharp tennis to grab a double break to take the opener but in the 2nd set Nole did what he usually does and fought his way back into the match and broke the Kei to level the proceedings.  And the last set was a great contest, which saw both players battle it out as they pushed each other to the very limit and despite Kei's best efforts it was the World No.1 who just made it through to yet another final in Rome.

Again this was another very high quality encounter in a year that had already seen Kei Nishikori threaten the very top guys in the game and here he came closer than ever to causing an upset but he was up against Novak who knows a thing or two about playing his best when he's backed up against a wall.

So it was a great clash and deserves its place on the list.

3. AEGON Championships final, Andy Murray d. Milos Raonic 6-7, 6-4, 6-3

At No.3 is this clash between Andy Murray and one of his key rivals this year, Milos Raonic, who Andy has already endured a real epic clash against at the Australian open earlier this year and going into this match Raonic had just started his tuition under John McEnroe and the two of them together looked to be a lethal combination.

And given the way the match started it looked a combination that would work as after a tight opening set, Raonic took it on a tiebreak and he even secured an early break in the 2nd set along with the knowledge that Raonic had never been broken in the whole tournament up to this point!  However Andy proved to be the one man that could snap that streak as he broke back and he then went on to break Raonic himself and serve out for the 2nd set.  And in the 3rd set, Andy seized the initiative with a break of serve in the bag he went onto secure a double break as Raonic failed to serve it out and with that Andy secured a record 5th Queens club title.

This was just one of the many gripping tour finals of the year and it was certainly quite a memorable one to watch given the history surrounding it for Andy and the event as he broke the tournament record by being the first man to win five titles there.  It also signified that Milos Raonic was starting to really look like a significant threat to the rest of the field including Andy and with Johnny Mac coaching him it would see both men have a rematch come the Wimbledon final.

However this match out of the two was for me the more memorable one and as such it deserves its place on the list.

2. Rome Masters quarter final, Novak Djokovic d. Rafael Nadal 7-5, 7-6 

At No.2 is this clash between two of the greatest rivals the game has seen as Novak and Rafa went at it on the clay in a gruelling match that lasted two and a half hours in two very tight sets.  Rafa however had suffered a bad run of form against Novak prior to this season but here he showed some of his fighting best against the then World No.1.

The match itself had many twists and turns in momentum as Rafa and Novak traded breaks of serve aplenty in the first set and despite Rafa having set points failed to serve it out before Novak went on to get a break of his own to take the opening set.  In the 2nd set Rafa again went a break up but he soon found himself broken back as Novak was like a dog with a bone who simply would not let go.  And the match concluded with a thrilling 2nd set tiebreak that saw a weary Novak finally get over the line with a winner down the line as he finally dispatched the former king of clay in one of the toughest straight set wins of his career.

This is a match that just about had everything and it was pity for Rafa that he wasn't able to capitalise on his chances when they came around but Novak was No.1 for a reason and the quality of this match earns its place in the runner-up spot. 

So the No.1 match of the 2016 ATP Tour match season is....

1. ATP World Tour Finals semi final, Andy Murray d. Milos Raonic, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 

So in the top spot is this incredible match which was between the newly crowned World No.1, Andy Murray and the Wimbledon finalist, Milos Raonic in what was a very tense and memorable, not mention epic encounter at the year end championship in London.  The match itself was even the longest one in the history of the tournament in its 7 year run at the o2 in London at 3 hours and 38 minutes.

As for the match itself it featured many riveting points and long gruelling service games but the match started on serve until 6-5 for Raonic and the Canadian then secured a break of the Murray serve to take the 1st set.  In the 2nd set, the drama continued for Andy as he went down another break and from here things looked pretty bleak but just like their clash at the Queens club final, Andy broke back again and he went on to seal the 2nd set on a very tense tiebreak. 

And in the 3rd set the audience were treated to a thrilling, nerve jangling contest as both men battled it out to try and hold serve with Andy failing to serve it out twice at 5-4 and 6-5 which saw play go into a final tiebreak which was an epic in itself and Andy had to save a match point.  But in the end it was Andy that finally prevailed as he sealed an epic match win and the 3rd set tiebreak 11-9 to reach his first ever ATP World Tour Finals finale.

Well this is a match that had absolutely everything and the level of play from both men was at times incredible and though it was an error strewn performance at times from Andy Murray it did show what a real champion he is to battle through the Raonic onslaught of big serves and brutal returns. 

Raonic also deserves much credit for playing his part in this memorable encounter too and this year under John McEnroe's coaching (he teamed up with McEnroe again at this event) he could very well make his major breakthrough very soon.

But in the end this was a heroic performance from Andy Murray and he would then go on to win the title and secure the year end No.1 ranking over Novak Djokovic in the final and for me this was the best ATP tour match of 2016.

Right! So that's it for now and I will be back soon with my countdown of my pick of the best grand slam matches of the year.

So until the next un its bye for now!