Right so now we get onto the second part of my look at the top 10 best matches of 2014 on the men's tour and this post will cover the top 5. So let's give them a look...
5. French Open 3rd round, Andy Murray d. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 12-10
Right so at No.5 is one of the year's most enthralling see-saw encounters, which featured the British No.1, Andy Murray who continued his way back from surgery last year and found some form at the French Open during what has been one of the toughest years of his career. And in this match Andy could not have been more up against it as he took on the talented German player, Philipp Kohlschreiber, an aggressive player who like Andy has some nice finesse and touch to his game. And it was the German who got off to the better start as Andy struggled on serve and Kohlschreiber broke him to nab the opening set. In the 2nd set however Andy started to settle and he fought back as he broke Kohlschreiber and took the set and he also continued his form in the 3rd set and broke the German once more to take the two sets to one lead. And despite being a break up in the 4th set, the Scot squandered it and let Kohlschreiber back into the match who went on to break Andy himself and he levelled the match at two sets all. And in the decider we were treated to an exciting and nerve wracking set where momentum seem to swing to and fro and Andy even went a break down, but it wasn't long before he broke back to get himself back into the match and played went by serve until 7-7 when played had to be suspended due to bad light. The next day played resumed again and both men played some high quality tennis for the crowd with Andy staving off several break points on his serve and ultimately he came through as he finally broke Kohlschreiber at 11-10 to win his hardest fought and longest match of the season in four hours and seven minutes, which saw him go down on the knees yelling in delight as he reached the last 16 at the French Open. There is no doubt this was one of the best matches of the year and it was a real nerve shredding see-saw contest which you would expect nothing less from an Andy Murray classic. It was also the first time that Andy was taken beyond 7-5 in the deciding set of a grand slam match as the final score went to 12-10. And there is no doubt he could have made things a bit easier on himself in this match as he had the two sets to one lead and a break in the 4th before he squandered it, but Kohlschreiber also deserves credit as he played his part in this match aswell and so it sits rightly here at in the top five.
4. Rome Open quarter final, Rafael Nadal d. Andy Murray, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.
This match had to be one of the most anticipated encounters of the year as these two rivals hadn't played each other for the better part of three years before this incredible and thrilling contest took place. Given the fact it was two years and seven months since Andy and Rafa had last played each other in the final of the Tokyo open back in 2011, there was much riding on this one, and it didn't disappoint. Andy had just recently split from his coach Ivan Lendl around this time but his influence was still felt, particularly during the first set where Andy dominated Rafa and played perhaps his single best set of tennis since the Wimbledon final as he broke the Spaniard twice to take the opener. In the 2nd set however, Rafa did what he does and fought back to break Andy and push the match into a deciding set. And in the 3rd set both men produced some tremendous points and despite going a break down early on, Andy broke back and saved game point on Rafa's serve with an amazing backhand pass. Andy then went on to break Rafa's serve to go 4-2 up, however he couldn't consolidate the break and let Rafa back in the door. And at 5-5, Andy's serve finally caved in as he double faulted to hand the break to Rafa who went on to serve out one of his most memorable victories on the tour as he beat his rival for 14th time in their head to head meetings. This was a match that had just about everything in it and it showed once again Rafa's fighting qualities come to the fore after Andy had made such a blistering start. It also was great to see that after nearly three years their first encounter back together was a thrilling one and I'm sure Andy might rue not holding serve but in the end it boiled down to him playing against the greatest clay court player to have played the game. Such as it is it was a great match and well deserving a place here at No.4.
3. Australian open quarter final, Stanislas Wawrinka d. Novak Djokovic, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7
Next up at No.3 is a rematch of last year's Australian Open 4th round encounter between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka, which was unquestionably the match of the year, so this one had alot to live up to. But did it???? Well by far and large yes it certainly did as this rematch which saw a blossoming rivalry which started off last year continue in fine form this year when Nole and Stan went at it again. But this time it was Novak that made the stronger start as he took the first set with a double break, but it was not long before Stan reasserted himself and shook off his last easy defeat to Nole the previous year at the o2 in London and showed himself to be a big match player and broke Novak to claim the 2nd set. And in the 3rd set it was more of the same as Stan bossed Novak and took a double break lead and the two sets to one lead with it. But in the 4th set, the defending champion was not about to surrender his title so easily and Novak went on to break Stan to go 5-3 up and he roared with delight after he staved off some resistance from Stan threatening to break back and levelled the match at two sets apiece. And in the final set we were treated to a similarly lengthy set to that of last year, which saw Nole take an early break but Stan wrestled his way back into the set. And play went 8-7 when Nole did the unthinkable and went 30-40 down on his own serve and played a clumsy volley which went long and with it went his title defence which saw him sustain his first defeat in four years in Melbourne as Stan pulled off the mother of all upsets and dethroned the king down under in exactly four hours. While this match didn't quite reach the dizzying heights of its predecessor last year, it was still a highly entertaining battle and featured some tremendous points from both men. And it was testament to Stan's fighting qualities that he was able to pull off such an upset, but then he had been threatening to do so in the previous slam meeting at the US Open last year aswell so it was no surprise in a way he would do it sooner or later and it later filled him with the belief to go on and win the title. As for Novak well it was a real shocker in a way he lost this but it proved that even the very best can't win all of the time and he later in the season would bounce back. And while its not quite the epic of last year its still easily one of the best matches of the year and so that's why it sits here at No.3.
2. Valencia open final, Andy Murray d. Tommy Robredo, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (10-8)
At No.2 we have a rematch of Andy Murray's first final of the year in Shenzhen as he took on the in form Spaniard, Tommy Robredo again in the player's home soil. Andy had to save five match points in their previous final which featured a thrilling 2nd set tiebreak and some good play form both men off and on, but it had nothing on this match, which unquestionably is one of the best and most tense and nailbiting encounters any tennis fan will likely ever see. To recap the match in the opening set Andy struggled (as he does!) on serve and Robredo expertly showed his form as he broke to take the opener confidently. In the 2nd set however this is when the tables turned and it was Andy's turn to nab the break, but he squandered it and play went to a tiebreak, which saw Andy have to save a match point, which Robredo brought up in spectacular fashion with a backhand pass, but Andy saved it and went on to take the set to level. And in the 3rd set an already tense battle developed further into a nerve shredding contest with both men battling it out as hard as they could and Andy at one stage had a match point of his own at 5-4, but Robredo saved it. And it was not long before we went into a final tiebreak, and in the breaker Andy had to save yet another four match points before he finally grabbed his 2nd match point and sealed the deal and the title with a backhand pass, which saw him collapse on the floor with sheer exhaustion after an incredible 3 hour and 20 minute gruelling battle. Well this match just about had everything in it and to say it was dramatic was something of an understatement as Andy had to save yet another five match points against Robredo before he win the title. Robredo again showed what a brilliant player he is and at the age of 32 he is playing some of the best tennis of his career, and in this match he had several chances to close it out, but in the end he just couldn't take them as Andy proved to be just too good in the key points. Robredo despite his loss though did provide the match conclusion with one of the funniest moments on the tour this year as he wearily gave Andy the double finger as he greeted him at the net and the two men gave each other a hug after a real gruelling encounter. It also continued to show Andy's improved form late on in the season as he claimed his biggest title of the year (well OK an ATP 500 isn't that big) and that his fighting champion qualities were in fine fettle, even if he yet again did it the hard way! And at three hours and 20 minutes it holds the record of the longest final of the ATP tour this year, but its also not just the longest its also the best final of the year and it more than deserves its place right here at No.2.
1. Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic d. Roger Federer, 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-4
In a year which the slam finals were mainly pretty disappointing it was the Wimbledon final that made up for all that as this was a real showdown between two giants in the sport, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. And as such it was a fitting match to end the sport's biggest tournament of the year at SW19 and it remains one of the players best contests as well as the match of the year. Going into this match Roger was looking to secure his 8th Wimbledon title, whereas Novak was trying to win his 2nd and also gain some validation for all the recent slam finals he had lost to Rafa and also to Andy in last year's Wimbledon final. But getting onto the match itself it started off with a tense, high quality and even pegged set which went to a tiebreak and it was Rog who took the initiative the first set. In the 2nd set however Nole started his comeback and he broke Roger to grab the 2nd set and he also went on in the 3rd set to take it on the breaker. In the 4th set it looked very much like Nole had the match sewn up as he broke Federer early on but Roger showed much tenacity in breaking back, before Nole managed to break again to serve for the title at 5-3, but Roger was still not done and broke yet again. And after this Roger nabbed the next three games to push the match into a deciding 5th set, where again it was all even until 5-4, where Roger went down 15-40 and he finally capitulated on serve which saw Novak claim his 2nd Wimbledon title in a match that was just three minutes short of four hours. Well there is no doubt this was a fitting finale to a tournament which had plenty of surprises and dramas and it saw the two best players in the world just go at it in a match of real high quality, which saw both men produce some wonderful points for the crowd. The match is also not only one of their best encounters it is also their longest match at 3 hours and 57 minutes, its amazing to think that these guys haven't played a match longer than four hours, yet Andy and Nole have played nearly five and Rafa and Nole nearly six! But despite that this is a terrific final and it was the first real classic the tournament had for five years since Roger's clash with Andy Roddick back in 2009. It also proved that Nole had what it took to win more than one of the other majors at least once (other than the Australian open) which is certainly the mark of what makes a player one of the true greats in the game, which Novak without a doubt is. As for Roger well he came so tantalisingly close to winning Wimbledon this year and even though he didn't it showed he still might have at least another major left in him and he isn't done just yet when it comes to winning majors.
Soooooo that's it for my look at the best men's matches of the year, which has been fun to do and hopefully its a fair representation of the best of what we have seen this year on the tour.
And with that I shall leave yee there.
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