Normally, a decade of Tennis would always include a change-of-the-guard moment or a match which would indicate the rise of next generation. One of those Sampras-Federer Wimbledon fourth round clashes, remember? But in this historic decade there were plenty of matches which indicated the opposite. Most notable one was the Miami 2017 final which will be one of the most historic clashes of this decade. The young prodigee Nick Krygios was in full mood against an ageing Roger Federer who was 35 back then. Known for the firepower in his ground strokes, the Australian was on top of his game from the word go. But the Swiss maestro matched it up winning the encounter 7-6, 6-7, 7-6. Anything that the young gun can produce, legend could do it better. The same has been the story of the decade.
Tennis was formerly known as the sport of aristocrats and a way for them to spend some quality time in the sun. But these set of players are real gladiators, pushing one another to the ultimate limits. The top three players at the start as well as at the end of the decade were Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Big Three have dominated the game like no other in the history of the game. And within them have played some of the closest encounters that defined the 2010s. Picking five from the series of great moments from this decade was tough but here is our attempt to bring the best out of the rest:
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Djokovic holding all the four slams:
Winning a grand Slam is a big task. Winning all the four slams is quite a bigger task. But holding all the four slams at the same time. Almost unthinkable. Only one modern day tennis player could achive this and that is Novak Djokovic. He was the first one to hold all the four at the same time since Rod Laver in the 1960s. This came in the 2015-16 season which also included his marriage in between. It was as if Nadal and Federer gifted both the French Open and Wimbledon titles as their wedding gift. With the competition reaching an all time high and a mental unrest within the next generation players, it just doesn't look as if it is ending anytime soon.
'Fedal' Australian Open 2017 final:
The rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, often known as Fedal, have contested some of the most iconic clashes over the years. And the 2017 Australian Open final was just one of them. 2015 and 2016 were the years when the two looked to be slowing down. In fact, Nadal didn't reached a single grand Slam semifinal in those years. One was left wondering whether their best years were behind them and coming into the 2017 season, many have written them off. And then the final of the first grand Slam of the year had Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal. Perhaps the greatest and the least likely triumph of his career, Federer defeated Nadal by 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. The final lasted for a total of 3 hours and 37 minutes, it was the 18th title of his illustrious career. It will also be remembered because of the fact that Federer took a medical timeout before and after the match.
Djokovic-Nadal Australian Open 2012 final:
One of the most thrilling matches of the decade, the Australian Open 2012 final lasted for around 5 Hours 53 minutes and was perhaps the longest grand Slam final in the history of the game. A game of many twists and turns, Djokovic managed to with a scoreline which read 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5. Nadal labelled it as the toughest defeat to digest in his career. Djokovic came into the final on the back of a 4 hours 50 minutes marathon victory over Andy Murray. The crowd were lucky to see several hours of quality tennis on the centre court.
Isner- Mahut marathon:
The competition and quality of the matches improves as we head into the second week of the grand slams. What can we expect from a first round clash at a major? A marathon, maybe. Such was the case when John Isner played against Nicholas Mahut in the first round clash at the 2010 Wimbledon championships. As many as 10 tennis records were broken as the scoreline read 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68 in favour of Isner. Yes, the final set lasted for a total of 8 hours 11 minutes while the whole match played for a record 11 hours 5 minutes. That was the time when grand slams didn't allow a tie-breaker in the final set of the match. The match spanned for a total of three days with fading lights interrupting on two days. It was an excellent display of mental strength and sportsmanship that tennis is all about.
Nadal's twelfth Roland Garros title:
Probably the greatest feat in the history of the game, Rafael Nadal has won twelve French Open titles over the last fifteen years, while also maintaining a record 93-2 ratio of wins to losses at the event. A 12-0 record in the final which includes five straight set and seven four set victories in the final. He has not even faced the final set on twelve different wins. He has won the title on three different occasions (2008, 2010, 2017) without conceding a single set throughout the tournament. Quite incredible numbers. The closest to this feat is Federer at 8 in the Wimbledon. Based on the recent performances, the 33-years-old Spainard is on the peak of his powers and is showing no signs of slowing down. Is there anybody to stop Nadal on the Philippe Chatrier court?
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