Just finished watching the last tie in Round 1 between Sam Stosur and Sofia Arvidsson in what was a somewhat surprisingly easy match for the World #48, It's no secret Sam Stosur has had Ankle Surgery to fix a bone spur in November and her foot was heavily strapped today but you can't take anything way from Sofia Arvidsson's win as she hit forehands down the line so well and dragged Stosur around the court forcing her into errors at times and in truth Arvidsson should have won the match sooner then she did she had 5 set points in the opening set before taking it in the tie break, Arvidsson on Serve looked impressive and hit 5 aces compared to Stosur's 1, Stosur also hit 7 double faults and 48 unforced errors in a much that she struggled to hold serve in just about every game. Stosur was the highest ranked Australian in the home tournament, Stosur is the 2nd top 10 player to go out of this years Brisbane International in Round 1 and Sofia Arvidsson will now go on to face American Sloane Stephens in round 2.
Sofia Arvidsson ( Sweden ) beat Samantha Stosur ( Australia ) 7-6 7-5
Haven't really been watching much of these events so far but i have managed to catch a few matches including Australia's 3-0 win over Germany thanks to the withdrawal of Andrea Petkovic. I managed to watch most of Tomic's win over Tommy Haas i thought it was a pretty good match and they both played some good Tennis, Australia won't be in the mix for the trophy by the end of the tournament but it's nice to see one of my favorite Atp tennis players getting off to a good start in the new season.
Serbia who i expect to win the Hopman cup for the first time ever this year came through against Italy 2-1, Djokovic beating Seppi and Ivanovic beating Schiavone in straight sets, i was actually pretty surprised to see Ivanovic play so well and confident against Schivavone and winning so easily 6-0 6-4 i really do hope she has a good year and goes on to win a few tournaments, there was a few glimpses of her old form in 2012.
South Africa have been unlucky so far in the tournament with 2 defeats against Spain and The Usa even though they have put on a good show and fight against both countries including an impressive win for Ken Anderson against John Isner.
Despite Tsonga beating Verdasco in the opening match of France v Spain, Spain came back to win and make it 2 wins from 2 wins thanks to an on form Anabel Medina Garrigues for the most part of the tie.
The talking point outside of the Tennis being played is the incident with Novak Djokovic whilst he was signing Autographs for the fans a railing fall on his leg leading to some fans falling over as well, Although Djokovic appeared to limp away he commented that he was not injured by the incident
"It was a bit of a shock and I'm glad that the children involved are OK. I am fine,"
Hopman Cup Results so far
Australia 3, Germany 0
Bernard Tomic, Australia, def. Tommy Haas 7-6 3-6 7-5
Andrea Petkovic retired against Ashleigh Barty leading to walkover in the doubles match as well
Serbia 2, Italy 1
Ana Ivanovic, Serbia, def. Francesca Schiavone, Italy, 6-0 6-4
Novak Djokovic, Serbia, def. Andreas Seppi, Italy, 6-3 6-4
Schiavone and Seppi, Italy def. Ivanovic and Djokovic, Serbia, 7-6 6-4
United States 2, South Africa 1
Venus Williams, United States, def. Chanelle Scheepers, South Africa, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Kevin Anderson, South Africa, def. John Isner, United States, 7-6 (0), 7-6 (5).
Williams and Isner, United States, def. Scheepers and Anderson, South Africa, 6-3, 6-2.
Spain 2, France 1
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France, def. Fernando Verdasco, Spain, 7-5, 6-3.
Anabel Medina Garrigues, Spain, def. Mathilde Johansson, France, 6-3, 6-2.
Medina Garrigues and Verdasco, Spain, def. Johansson and Tsonga, France, 6-3, 6-3.
The main headline of Day 2 is Caroline Wozniacki's first round defeat as she continues her poor run of form that has been ongoing over the past year, Wozniacki started the game strongly against world #103 Kazakhstani ksenia Pervak winning the first set 6-2 and it all looked routine but the qualifier Pervak despite making 61 unforced errors took the second and then the deciding set to win her first match against a top 10 player, Wozniacki came back from 5-3 down in the deciding set to take it to a tie break but Pervak eased into a 5-0 lead and from there wrapped up the match and leaving Wozniacki with yet another disappointing defeat to add to her collection in 2012.
There was no shock for German pair Sabine Lisicki & Angelique Kerber as they both won their first round matches, Lisicki made short work of Lucie Safarova winning in straight sets 6-2 6-4 to set up 2nd round meeting with the World #1 Victoria Azarenka. Kerber found it a bit harder in her game against Georgia's Anna Tatishvila, Kerber took the opening set 6-2 before Tatishvilla came back to win the second 6-4 and then Kerber secured a shakey deciding set.
Sloane Stephens impressively came through over Dominka Cibulkova in straight sets to take herself into the 2nd set, The #36 will play the winner of Stosur and Arvidsson. elsewhere Alize Cornet completed a hard fought victory over Qualifier Bojana Bobusic to set up a meeting with Serena Williams and Monica Puig continued her impressive run by beating wildcard Australian Rogowska in straight sets and the 5th Seed Errani came out on top against Olga Puchkova and will face Kerber Round 2.
The Main headline in the opening day of the Brisbane International is Serena Williams's dominant first round display against Varvara Lepchenko beating her 6-2 6-1 to easily advance to the next round and play the winner of Alize Cornet or wild card Australian Bojana Bobustic ( who came from the Qualifying rounds with a surprising and well fought 3 set 6-4 4-6 6-4 win against Pliskova who is ranked over 100 places higher then Bobustic )
Kvitova also made a great but at times tricky start to her season with a sixth straight win in the Brisbane International beating the world #34 Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3 6-4, The former champion Kvitova was broken 3 times by Suarez Navarro but still looked in control of the match all the way through despite letting a big lead slip in the second set she managed to see of the match in straight sets and the 6th Seed Kvitova will now face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round after the Russian beat Czech Lucie Hradecká 6-3 3-6 6-3, Kvitova and Pavlyuchenova have met 6 times before with the head to head stats going in Kvitova's favor 4-2
Australian Jarmila Gajdošová managed an emotional big first round win against #16 in the world Roberta Vinci the 25 year old who is now #183 in the world dropped the first set to the Italian 6-4 before mounting an impressive comeback to win the next two sets 6-1 6-3 and troubing Vinci with her groundstokes, Jarmila who has had the worst possible year in 2012 after losing her Mother to throat cancer in September and slipping down the rankings after she went as high as #25 in 2011 but it looks like she might be on the up after this impressive victory and has earned a second round meeting with Maria Sharapova next
Urszula Radwańska also progressed to the second round with a good spirited comeback against Tamira Paszek, Urszula started poorly losing the 1st set 6-2 but then couldn't have asked for a better 2nd set performance after she Bagel-ed Paszek and then eased the decider 6-2 and will now face the winner of Wozniacki and Pervak in the 2nd Round the only over Women's single match was a win for Daniela Hantuchová over Lourdes Domínguez Lino 7-5 6-2 and 19 year old Puerto Rican Monica Puig managed to Qualify for Round 1 with an impressive comeback from a set down against Bethanie Mattek-Sands
First-round results, WTA Brisbane
3-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) 6-2 6-1
Career High - Becoming #1 in the world in 2010 and reaching her first grand slam final in 2009
2012 wasn't a good year for Wozniacki at all, she started the year as world #1 but quickly fell down the rankings losing her #1 status to Victoria Azarenka when she won the Australian Open, Her Career so far has been a pretty mixed bag she is still yet to win a Grand Slam title but has a great record in the WTA events, She has a good run in the Australian Open before getting beat by Kim Clijsters in the Quarter finals but in the French Open she only reached Round 3 where she was knocked out by Kanepi and didn't even make it past the 1st Round at Wimbledon or the US Open as she suffered defeats against Tamira Paszek and Irina-Camelia Begu in her worst year to date she managed to pick up two titles after the US Open though in Seoul and The Kremlin cup.
I can't see any signs of Wozniacki getting back to the form that she was in 2009-2011, there are just to many players that are getting better around her and using their style of player more effectively then Wozniacki, Vika and Serena just seem miles ahead of Wozniacki right so i doubt she'll be seeing that #1 spot returning to her anytime soon i think she's even starting to doubt her ability as a top 10 tennis player and instead of improving her game her personal life and media attention seem to be halting her progress recently
Wozniacki's game at the minute is far to defensive and other players seem to have caught onto it and have the patience to see out points against her and she struggled a lot against big power hitters which she caught answer back to because her Offensive game is lacking to much and her serve also needs work if she wants a better chance at climbing back up the rankings i think no one can take away the fact that she is competitive and will fight hard next season but the question is will that be enough? her footwork, balance and the way she moves around the court is everything you could ask for at times but on the backhand she doesn't turn defense into Attack as much as she should to trouble the best players on the tour nowadays and i don't think her counter-puncher style is effective enough to give the better players on the tour any trouble. for the 2013 i can see her slipping down the rankings even more i can't progress for her in the Grand Slams, maybe she'll take advantage in some of the WTA events when the higher ranked players aren't participating but that's as high as it will get for Wozniacki
Prediction - Will Finish 2013 outside the Top 10 and will fail to make the Quarter finals in any of the Grand Slams
Samantha Stosur
Grand Slams Won - 1 ( US Open 2011)
Career Titles - 3 WTA & 4 ITF
Career Prize Money - $11,817,987
Career High - Beating Serena Williams in the US Open in 2011 in straight sets to win her first and only grand slam title to date
It was only in 2009 that Stosur made massive progress in her Grand Slam Runs before then her best ever run was the 4th Round at the 2006 Australian Open in 2009 Stosur made her first Grand Slam Semi Final Appearance against Kuznetsova where she got beat by the eventual champion in 3 sets the year after that Stosur made the final of the French Open but was beaten by Francesca Schiavone in straight sets and then in 2011 she made her first Grand Slam final against Serena Williams and beat her in straight sets 6-2 6-3, 2012 was a steady year for Stosur but contained a lack of success for her, she started the year as World #5 even after the defeat in the 1st round of the Australian open to Cirstea she remained #5 in the French Open she reached the Semi final but was beaten by Errani in 3 sets she then suffered disappointment at Wimbledon as she was beaten in the second round against Arantxa Rus and then in the Olympics she was defeated in the first round again by Suarez Navarro. In the US Open in which Stosur was the defending Champion was was knocked out in the Quarter finals by Azarenka which was potentially the match of the year.
It's clear to see that Stosur has played her best tennis in the later stage of her career and has been a huge darkhorse and an unexpected Grand Slam Champion but she has always had the tools to be one of the best players on tour with her serve and most importantly her second serve being her greatest asset, she is never going to be the best Grass player because of her top spin forehand and Kick serve which are obviously more suited to her favorite surface Hard court so she can be forgiven for having such a bad Wimbledon record. I think on her day when playing on Hard court she can beat just about everyone as proven in the past when she took Serena apart in 2011, she has fell from #5 to #9 this year but i think she can make up those spaces and get up there in the top 5 again if she remains fit and starts of with a good run in the Australian Open which she is more then capable of doing, she is a confidence player so it's important that she starts of well.
Prediction - Will Finish 2013 in the top #5 after good runs in the Australian and US Open however expect another Round 1 or 2 exit from Wimbledon and also an early exit from the French Open
Petra Kvitova
Grand Slams Won - 1 (Wimbledon 2011)
Career titles - 9 WTA & 7 ITF
Career Prize Money - $9,045,748
Career High - Winning Wimbledon in 2011 and soon becoming #2 in the World
A lot of people expected big things from Kvitova in 2012 but she failed to reach a final of any of the Grand Slams, She reached the Semi Finals in the Australian Open and French Open before only managing the Quarter finals at Wimbledon when she was the defending Champion and then a 4th Round exit at the US Open, However she did end the year well by winning the Rogers cup and New Haven but then she was forced to withdraw from the WTA Tour Championships due to a Virus however she did help Czech Republic team retain the Fed Cup
I think the drop to #8 looks harsh on her as she improved on all her previous Grand Slam results in 2011 apart from Wimbledon off course however in WTA events she hasn't been at her best, i think the main reason why she hasn't followed up her Wimbledon success is down to expectation and confidence in her ability, people already pinned her down as World #1 before 2012 even started but now i think due to the pressure being off her in 2013 she will play some free flowing stuff and loosen up a bit and let her tennis do the talking i really do think she will win her 2nd grand Slam title in 2013, she was very unlucky not to make the final of the Australian Open after being a break up on Sharapova and then she was beat in the Semis by Sharapova again ( who was the eventual Champion ) if her serve improves and becomes more like the serve we witnessed at Wimbledon in 2011 then she could become a big force in 2013
Prediction - I have no doubt that she will improve greatly this year and will move into the top #4 and Also win her 2nd Grand Slam of the year which i have a feeling it will be the French Open
Li,Na
Grand Slams Won - 1
Career Titles - 6 WTA & 19 ITF
Career Prize Money - $9,316,704
Career High - Winning the French Open in 2011 and becoming the first ever Asian Grand Slam Winner
Since winning the French Open in 2011 Li Na has failed to find any kind of form in Grand Slams and hasn't been to the Quarter finals of any in 6 attempts, she failed to make any sort of Impression at the start of 2012 and was way below her best and her Grand Slam results weren't the best either with Cirstea knocking her out of Wimbledon early on, Laura Robson dumping her out of the US Open and Shvedova surprisingly knocking the defending champion of the French Open but there was signs that she was back at her best at the Rogers cup where she beat Radwanska, Errani but lost in the final to Kvitova and then going on a good run in the China Open before falling to Sharapova in the Semi Finals but it was enough to make sure she would make the Tour Championships.
I really don't know what to expect from Li Na in 2013, sometimes she plays some of the best tennis on tour but other times she becomes frustrated with herself and looks to her coaching team to much for help whilst in matches and she can't really find any consistency at all lately either but when she is on form her play from the baseline with her groundstrokes and her cross court pacey forehand with can be pinpoint at times are a huge weapon in her game.
Prediction - She is 30 now and i can't see her improving much in 2013 her results since the French Open win have been very inconsistent and although she had a few good runs in 2012 i think 2013 will be a hard year for her and i expect her to finish it outside the top 10
12. Indian Wells Semi Final - Isner bt Djokovic - 7-6 3-6 7-6
One of the shocks of 2012 for me, i knew Isner could play well on his day and could cause some problems for Novak but i didn't think he would have enough in the Locker to beat him. Isner used his powerful serve so well and effective against Novak making it impossible for him to return anything at times in what was probably the most impressive serving display i have seen from him, he also played a clever game at the net and moved forward and his return was pretty good as well forcing Djokovic to run around and make mistakes, it was hard for Novak to try any sort of Lob with Isner's 6,7 frame at the Net, i think i can only remember one time that Novak managed to Lob him in the whole match when Isner came to the Net ( I might be wrong though )
Novak started the first set reasonably well breaking Isner to love and then holding his serve to go go 3-1 up and making it look routine, Both of them managed to every game from there on to make it 5-4 and then with Djokovic serving for the match Isner played himself out of trouble and punished Djokovic for trying to attempt a lob, Isner broke back to make it 5-5 with help from a bad challenge, both players held the next 2 games to take the first set to a tie break which Isner eventually won 9-7, Isner was still making Novak work hard for every point in the second set and looking pretty controlled up until Djokovic broke him to make it 5-3 and then took the set 6-3, The Deciding set was always going to be close, you'd think the momentum would swing towards Novak but Isner's serve was still top class, This Set was easily the best out of the three and contained some amazing rallies and Isner was once again using the net so well and hitting the ball into the corners of the court perfectly giving Novak some horrible shots to return, after both players held every game to make it 6-6 the match went into a tie break which Isner won 7-5 and it was fitting that Isner won with an Ace ( His 20th of the match ) to top of such a great enjoyable match that went all the way down to the wire the win also deservedly moved John Isner into the top 10
"With that serve and with that forehand he's got the ability to be a Top 10 player," said Djokovic. "He had that already a couple years back. It's just a matter of really trusting your instincts and your strokes and your quality. I think it all came together for him now, and he's deservedly in the Top 10 now."
This is probably not a match most people would have in their list of best matches in 2012 but if the likes of Nadal, Federer, Djokovic or Murray were involved in a 5 and a half hour match and still being able to pull 29 shot rallies out the bag towards the end of a 5 setter at Wimbledon then i suspect most people would consider it to be a classic, it was the second longest match in Wimbledon history after the famous Isner Mahut encounter 2 years ago
With Cilic going two sets up after winning the first set in a tie break and then taking the second set 6-4 it was looking like he might take the match in straight sets, put Sam Querrey fought back well in the third, the second set was the most straight forward in the match and the only set that didn't go to a tie break, Cilic broke in the 5th game of the set and took the set 6-4 to go 2-0 up, Both players showed how good they can serve in the 3rd set and held to make it 6-6 and take it to a tie break, Querrey only managed to drop two games in the Tie Break and took the set to make it 2-1, the 4th set there was a break by Querrey but Cilic hit back to make it 4-4, the set was taken to another tie break after both players held the next 4 games and just like in the previous tie break Querrey outclassed Cilic and leveled up the match at 2-2 and taking it to a deciding set after a fine comeback
I don't think anyone predicted just how good the final set would be, both players were still going strong and didn't look tired at all which is a testament to how well prepared and well conditioned they both are, Cilic managed to break and go 6-5 up and serving for the match you'd think he would have took it the way he had been serving in the Set but Querrey broke back straight away to make it 6-6 and both players managed to hold every game up until it was 15-15 then it was the start of the end for Querrey after Cilic broke to make it 16-15 and then held to win 17-15 and bring an end to a great Marathon match at the biggest stage in Tennis
After the match both Players commented
Cilic said, “We didn't have too many rallies that were physically tough. It was a lot of serving and one or two shots. It's more of walking in the match for that long. I played this year also five hours and ten minutes with Nalbandian on clay in Argentina in Davis Cup, so that was really difficult physically. I would say this was more mentally tough to stay in there and to cope with all the things that are coming.”
Querrey - “I feel good. I could have won that first set. It slipped away. Even though I lost, I feel like I played well. I'm looking forward to the summer.”
Another Round 3 match at this years Wimbledon saw Federer mount a comeback after falling two sets behind 29th seed Benneteau in a match people expected Federer to take in straight sets and sail on through, in 2011 at Wimbledon Federer was knocked out surprisingly by Tsonga and it was another french man looking to do the same this year
Benneteau looked calm in the first set and didn't looked fazed by Federer at all both players held well games but weren't serving with any real great conviction. Benneteau broke Federer to make it 5-4 and then looked much more composed with his serving to hold and take first set to everyone's surprise, Federer held the first game in the second set and then finally broke Benneteau after a long game to make it 2-0 with Federer looking like he was going up a gear but Federer couldn't build on the 2-0 lead and Benneteau was right back in it with a break of his own and then a hold to make it 2-2. Both players held Serve in the next 7 games to make it 6-5.. federer and with Benneteau serving to take it to a tie break it was Federer who took it to Deuce and had a set point to level the match up but Benneteau played his way out of trouble with some great serving and took the set to a tie break and he took full advantage and took the tie break 7-3 to go 2-0 up in sets,
Federer broke Benneteau straight away in the third set and then held and broke again before holding once again to surge to a 4-0 lead in the set, Federer looked like he was beginning to wake up a bit and start to show signs of how he usually plays at Wimbledon, Federer took the set pretty easily 6-2, Both players were holding well in the 4th set and matching each other with every shot, with Federer serving to stay in the match and take it to a tie break Benneteau made sure he had to get there the hard way by taking it to Deuce but Federer obliged and the 4th set went down to a tie break and was with no doubt the most crucial part of the match for Federer as Benneateau came dangerously close to winning as if went 5-4 up in the tiebreak but just like Federer has done many times before he came back to win the tie break 8-6 in his usual composed way, Benneteau looked like he had given up hope in the deciding set as Federer made short work of it winning 6-1 and taking the match that he came so desperately close to losing, Another one of Federer's magical moments at Wimbledon
Frenchman Benneteau was full of praise and admiration for Federer after the match
“I had the best player of all time in front of me. Mentally, he’s a rock. He’s two sets down and doesn’t show anything.”
Federer was his usual laid back self
“I was actually calm. I’ve been there so many times I know how to handle the situation. But I’m really happy I weathered the storm.”
I was not expecting a Federer and Murray final at all with the form Nadal and Novak were on going into Wimbledon you'd have one of them nailed down to at least make the final and possibly both but it was Federer and Murray who were both chasing massive records and Milestones in this final as Federer was going for his 7th title that would have put him joint top in the Open Era along with Pete Sampras and along with that the World #1 Ranking, he was also aiming to break his Grand Slam drought after not winning one since beating Murray in the Australian Open Final in 2010 and Murray himself was looking to be the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry all the way back in 1936, it was a final where everything was to play for
Murray started the match better then he could have ever expected with some great backhand shots and breaking Federer to take a 2-0 game in the first set, Murray was troubling Federer with his pace in the opening stages of the set but Federer in typical fashion made Murray slow down my playing groundstrokes and soon after Federer broke back but Murray saved 2 break points and broke once again which gave him a chance to serve out the first set and he took that chance to take the first set 6-4, Murray showed signs of Lendl's style of play showing more aggression then he has in the past
Murray could not take his chances at all in the second set when Federer offered him break points on a plate Murray didn't have what it took to break Federer on 4 separate occasions, 2 break points were missed at 2-2 and another 2 breaks were missed later on at 4-4, Federer went 6-5 up and with Murray 40-15 up and looking like he was going to take the second set to a tie break he missed his chance and Federer was there to pick up the pieces again coming back to take the set 7-5
In Set 3 which is usually the most crucial set when it comes to big matches Federer was starting to control and dictate the pace of the match, Murray had no answer at all, the rain break halted the progress of the match and probably helped Federer as he came out and wrapped up the third set 6-3 it was the 6th game in the set that lasted 19 minutes which was the real turning point in the whole match as Murray slipped at the net and then watched Federer's lob land in to give him a break point which he took and soon after you could see Murray's confidence start to take a beating
The fourth set was pretty even until Federer broke Murray to make it 4-2 and from there on Murray did his best to break federer and also just about held on to his serve but he couldn't find any answers to Federer's serve as he closed out the set 6-4 to win his 7th Wimbledon title and cement his place as the greatest of all time
Federer: "Murray has been so consistent, it shows he cares so dearly about tennis his reaction, he'll win at least one grand slam. I think I played some of my best tennis in the last two sets."
Murray: "I'd like to congratulate Roger, I was asked after my semi-final 'is this my best chance'. Roger is 30 now, he's not bad for a 30-year-old. I know he struggled early on with his back, but congratulations you deserve it. Thanks to everyone in my corner, we did a great job, so thank you.
"Everyone talks about how tough it is to play at Wimbledon with the pressure but the support has been incredible."
8. Aircel Chennai Open - Raonic bt Tipsarević 6-7 7-6 7-6
Another one i think wouldn't feature on many people's lists but it was the most up and down entertaining three setter of the year that showed just how well both Raonic and Tipsarevic can play and showed how much of a force Raonic has the potential to be in the future it was also without a doubt the most serve dominated match of the year as it featured no breaks at all with Raonic hitting 35 aces in a match that lasted over 3 hours
I think the difference in the whole match between between Raonic and Tipsarevic is that Raonic is a much more composed player and doesn't rush his serve and forehead is also more effective than Tipsarevic in the match, he still needs a lot of work on his backhand but his return is top class as long as he remains injury free he'll be a top player in the future and i'd expect to see him in the top 10 and maybe even the top 5
It was great to see a match where both player's service game was perfect and hardly any mistakes were made all match, when Raonic is serving the way he did in this match throughout the 3 sets there aren't many people who can beat him in the game right now, even when he dropped the first set to Tipsarevic it didn't seem to faze him and he fought back to take the second and then with the title in sight he went to a 5-0 lead against Tipsarevic in the 3rd set tie break and shortly after that won the set and the Championship
"Guys like Milos are special players," Tipsarevic said after his first match against the Canadian. "It was a great game of tennis. Nobody knew till the end who would win.
7. French Open Quarter final - Djokovic bt Tsonga 6-1 5-7 5-7 7-6 6-1
This had had the makings of a classic and it turned out to be that, Tsonga in his home country with all his fans behind him against the world #1
Tsonga looked like he had only just woke up and got out of bed in the first set as Djokovic controlled it and before Tsonga could get into the set at all Djokovic ended it in just 21 minutes 6-1 and from there on you'd think the Djokovic would continue to dominate the game and send Tsonga packing in no time at all but Tsonga spurred on by his home support came back into the match but not before Djokovic broke him straight away in the 2nd set, Tsonga started playing better tennis after the break and broke back himself and broke again later on in the set to level to take it 7-5 and level the match up 1 set a piece
Tsonga failed to take chances to break early in the third set and Djokovic punished him to go 2-1 up but Tsonga punished him back for not seeing out his service game and made things all square at 2-2, Djokovic couldn't take advantage of the break points he had tsonga won the third set 5-7 after a volley that brought the crowd to life even more then they already were, i think it was the most involved i have seen a crowd involved in a tennis game this year
Djokovic again couldn't convert 2 break points early in the fourth set and Tsonga punished him, Djokovic was serving to stay in the match at 6-5 and gifted Tsonga 2 match points but he did not take them and then a further 2 match points after that but again Djokovic hung on to take the set to a tie break which Djokovic won when Tsonga found the net
The fifth set didn't contain the fight we saw from Tsonga in the previous 3 he looked tired and already defeated as Djokovic broke twice and finished the match with a backhand to end Tsonga's dreams of winning his first grand slam, the match lasted just over 4 hours and for me was the match i will remember the most when looking back on this years french open, Tsonga gave his all and was unlucky not to win the match
6. Olympic Semi Final Federer bt Del Potro 3-6 7-6 19-17
I always love watching Federer and Del Potro matches because they are so unpredictable to call nowadays and usually go the distance, Federer was looking to make the final and win one of the few things he has yet to win and Del Potro was looking to build on a pretty poor season so far by his standards, Federer had won a Gold medal at the Olympics with Warwrinka back in 2008 but has never won a medal of any kind in Singles
Del Potro has never really enjoyed playing on Grass but you couldn't see any signs of that in the first set as he made inroads with some powerful serving and great shot making forcing Federer into mistakes and even Federer making mistakes without being forced at times, he looked for from his best and then at 4-3 del potro with Federer serving Del Potro broke with aggression to make it 5-3 and served out the first set to win it 6-3 and go one set away from making the Olympic Final
In the second set Del Potro looking more dangerous then Federer and began to push him back with forehead shots and seemed to match him on grass, both players had chances to break each other in the set but neither of them took those chances and soon after the set went into a tie break and Federer showed just how much he wanted to win and make the final as he dug in and showed more experience then Del Potro to take the tie break and make it 1-1
The deciding set was a Marathon and an amazing sight to see at your home Olympics, straight at the start of the deciding set Del Potro again had chances to break Federer but Federer wouldn't give up, Del Potro was again matching Federer all over the court and playing one of the best matches he has ever played on grass against the World #1 with the deciding set locked at 7-7 another break point came Federer's way but Del Potro battled his way to hold, Del Potro was finally broken at 9-9 but Federer surprisingly couldn't serve out the match and Del Potro broke back straight away, Del Potro was clearly playing slower as he dived for a volley a couple of points before and injured his hip but he kept going and held well against Federer at 14-14 Del Potro went 40-0 down but Federer couldn't take any of 3 chances he had to break him and the match went on, Del Potro had a match point but Federer held well to make it 16-16, Federer broke Del Potro to make it 18-17 and then Del Potro found the net on match point and Federer won the set 19-17 to end a classic that could have gone either way and the longest 3 set match in the open Era
Del Potro: "To lose this way hurts a lot," he said. "It's very hard to talk about it right now. Everyone has their time. The US Open was my time, not today."
Federer: "Juan Martín did so well to hang in there. I don't think I have ever played as long a set in a best of three-set match. It was very physical at the end and so mental. I feel horrible for Juan Martín, but he can be very proud."
5. Australian Open Semi Final Djokovic bt Murray 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5
This was the start of when we saw Murray change into the player he is today, we started to see signs that he could match Djokovic in this Semi Final, Murray was clearly a lot more positive, his shot making was better, he had more aggression and it was all down to Ivan Lendl, this one another amazing match between two players who know each other's game so well and will continue to have classics in the future
In the first set Djokovic broke early on to lead 3-1, Djokovic's backhand looked to be in great shape as he punished Murray on the baseline a few times and Murray gifted Novak points when he landed a backhand volley into the net and then served a double fault to hand the game to Djokovic's and give himself a mountain to climb in the first set but Murray broke back straight away in the next game as he hits a backhand winner after taking it to Deuce but in the next game it was Murray's backhand which let him down as he found the net and the other one miles out the court and then hitting a forehand into the net to give Djokovic the break again to go 4-2, Djokovic then held with some great forehand hitting to take him to 5-2 and move one game away from winning the first set, Murray managed to hold to make it 5-3 but he couldn't break Novak and he took the first set 6-3 after some unforgivable mistakes from Murray
The Start of the second set Novak broke Murray straight away to make himself a clear favourite for the match as the second set was beginning to look a lot like the first set, with Djokovic 2-0 up Murray gifted him another break point to make it 3-0 but Novak failed to convert it surprisingly and Murray then smashed an Ace to win the game and made sure he kept close to Djokovic at 2-1, the next game was the real turning point in the match, Murray defended well and used his backhand effectively to break straight back, Murray then held and broke again to win 4 games in a row and make it 4-2 and the next two games both players broke each other again to make it 5-3 Murray and with Murray serving for the match he gave Novak two break points but this time Murray didn't let him convert any of them as Murray battled back to take the set 6-3
Murray earned 5 break points in the first game of the first set but unbelievably Djokovic held on clearly looking frustrated and tired, Murray also held to make it 1-1 and then broke in the next game as Murray smashes his way to a 2-1 lead and turn the game around completely but just as the match has been so far end to end stuff Djokovic breaks again to make it 2-2 as Murray's backhand becomes inconsistent, another break point for Murray in the 5th game of the set is missed as he finds the net and Djokovic holds on, each player now finds some sort of steady rhythm in their game until at 5-5 Murray breaks to lead 6-5 and serve for the set with his backhand looking like it is returning to form but almost predictably Murray can't hold and Djokovic takes the third set to a tie break as Murray hits a double fault and then a tired looking backhand, a double fault from Novak in the tie break gave Murray the momentum and then wins a long rally to go 6-3 up in the tie break and give himself 3 set points and he takes one as Djokovic sends a forehand wide, Murray wins the set 7-6 and goes 2-1 up to give himself a great chance of making the final
In the 4th set Murray went to sleep completely as Djokovic began to mount a comeback going 4-0 up straight away and breaking Murray twice as he begins to find Ace after Ace, Murray switched off completely after he held his serve to make it 4-1 he couldn't find one of the two breaks he needed and Djokovic went 5-1 up and one game away from taking the match to a final set, Djokovic broke Murray again to take the set 6-1 after a great backhand down the line in a set that took less then 25 minutes to wrap up
The Deciding set started of with holds from both players in the opening 5 games but then Djokovic took control of the set and the match when he broke to go 4-2 up and the holds to go 5-2 up and one game away from the final but Murray fights back and shows something that he wouldn't have showed a year ago as he wins the next 3 games in a row to put himself back in the match at 5-5 and even breaking Novak to love in the process, a massive 29 shot ralley and and a incredible forehand down the line helps Djokovic hold to lead 6-5 in the final game Murray having used up all his challenges can't question a call given against him and soon after he finds the net given Djokovic 2 match points, Djokovic forehand volleys a winner and falls to the floor as he takes the match
Djokovic: 'I am delighted to reach the final and what can be a bigger challenge than playing Rafael Nadal, who has been playing so well on this court, We have a lot of respect for each other but I am going to try to recover. It is going to be physical so I need to do some push-ups tonight.'
4. US Open Quarter-finals Ferrer bt. Tipsarevic, 6-3, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6
It's always good to see two players outside the top 4 nowadays having a great match in a Grand Slam event, Ferrer led the head to head 2-1 before the match was played but the last game they played was 4 years previous at the Olympics in 2008, i don't think anyone expected just how good of a match these 2 would have at the US Open i think this is a match a lot of people would have on their lists when looking outside the top 4 this year
Tipsarevic broke early in the first set when Ferrer sent a forehand out, Tipsarevic then held his serve to go 2-0 up in the third game Tipsarevic took Ferrer to Deuce but Ferrer got the Advantage and took it give himself his first game of the match, Ferrer then took Tipsarevic to Deuce on his serve and took the game on Advantage just like in the previous game to make things level at 2-2 a lengthy exchange in the 5th game of the set sees Ferrer take the set after a Tipsarevic cross court forehand goes wide, Ferrer then breaks to love to 4-2 up thanks to a double fault and then a massive rally sees Tipsarevic find the net, in the next game Ferrer did a double fault of his own but an amazing forehand winner gives him his 5th game in a row to go 5-2 up, Tipsarevic tries to come back with some of his best serving and makes it 5-3 but Ferrer sees out the set with some great serving of his own including an Ace and then a set point serve that Tipsarevic can't return in court Ferrer takes it 6-3 after some amazing rallies and winners
In the second set both players showed how good they can serve when they are on top of their game, there were so many good aces and body serves in this set it was amazing to watch at times at 5-5 ferrer had two chances to break Tipsarevic when he took him to Deuce on his serve but Tipsarevic saved both and then on his first Advantage he took it to go 6-5 up, Ferrer won the next game to love to take it to a tie break, Tipsarevic took the tiebreak after some amazing serving again from both players, a bodyline serve and then a backhand return from Ferrer sees Tipsarevic land a forehand cross court winner to level things up at 1-1
In the third set both players again were serving so well but at 2-2 Tipsarevic broke Ferrer to go 3-2 up and then Held, broke and Held again to take the set 6-2 after Ferrer's serving let him down a bit after the high standard it was at in the previous set, Tipsarevic's backhand was looking good in this set and he was forcing Ferrer to hit wide, the set point was a huge ace after he won the game to love
In the fourth set Ferrer looked better with his serve as he held straight away, both players were serving perfectly up until Tipsarevic was serving at 4-3 Ferrer took him to Deuce and after a huge rally a tipsarevic backhand finds the outside of the court to give Ferrer the Advantage which he takes after another big rally and another backhand which Tipsarevic can't find the court with as this time it crashes into the net giving Ferrer the advantage and the a chance to close out the set on his serve which he takes to love with some great diverse serving 6-3 and 2-2 in sets
the 5th and final set did not disappoint at all, Tipsarevic, Ferrer had a chance to break Tipsarevic in the first game but couldn't take it and then Ferrer failed to hold serve in the second game after he missed a game point at 40-30, Tipsarevic got Advantage in Deuce and punished Ferrer and broke him to go 2-0 he then held his serve in the next game to go 3-0 up and looking good for the match but in typical Ferrer Fashion he wouldn't lie down he held to love to make it 3-1, Tipsarevic increased the gap to make it 4-1 and put himself 2 games away from the Semi final but Ferrer won the next 3 games and got the important break back to level things up at 4-4 Ferrer had another chance to break in the next game at 40-30 but Tipsarevic took it to Deuce and won the game to make it 5-4 in the next 3 games both players held to make it 6-6 and take it to a deciding tie break, Tipsarevic found the net at 5-4 in the tiebreak to make it 6-4 Ferrer and from there Ferrer took his chance after another good rally ended with Tipsarevic finding the net with a backhand to hand Ferrer the game, Great match with a good display of serving and some amazing rallies and an amazing comeback by Ferrer in the final set
3. US Open Final - Murray bt Djokovic, 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2,
Straight from winning the Gold Medal at the Olympics against the world #1 Roger Federer, Murray reached yet another final but this time it was against his biggest rival and a man who has stopped Andy Murray winning a Grand slam before back at the Australian Open in 2011, the Omens didn't look good for Murray even though he was on form his record against Djokovic before this final was 6-5 to Novak, this was Murray's fifth appearance in a grand slam final 3 out of the previous 4 times in finals he was beaten by Roger Federer and Djokovic had been in 8 finals before the match winning 5 and losing 3
In the first set the Wind was evident and would more then likely hinder the player on serve and that was the case straight away as Murray picked up 3 break points in the first game, a baseline rally sees Djokovic miss the court and hand Murray the first game of the match and just like the first game Djokovic this time earns 3 break points after Murray can't see out a 20 shot rally, Murray saved the first 2 break points but finds the net with a backhand on the third one, the set levels up at 1-1 an early and surprising double fault from Djokovic and then he finds the net to give Murray 3 break points, 9 break points all together in just 3 games of tennis but Djokovic saves all 3 break points and then a further 1 and rescues the game to go 2-1 up after a poor backhand from Murray, Murray holds to love in the next game and then breaks Djokovic after he double faults, in the next game Murray and Djokovic give the rally of the year 54 shots in total but Murray finds the outside of the court with a forehand however it doesn't matter to much as he recovers and holds serve to go 4-2 up, in the next game Djokovic holds after Murray takes him to deuce not before a questionable decision when Murray thinks he heard the beep to signal a let, in the 8th game Djokovic breaks back to make it 4-4 after converting one of the three break points Murray gave him, Djokovic continues a good run of form to hold to love and put pressure on Murray to hold his serve and stay in the set, Murray hits an unforgiving smash and then a unreturnable serve to help him hold, Djokovic Holds again to keep the pressure on Murray but Murray happily holds as some great net play takes the first set to a tie break, Novak takes a 2-0 mini break lead in the rally but Murray fights back and makes it 2-2, soon after Murray earns a set point but Djokovic rescues himself Murray goes onto to have 2 further set points but Djokovic hangs on as Murray finds the outside of the paint and then he does the same on a 4th set point putting a forehead long, unbelievably Djokovic hits an Ace under pressure after a 5th Murray set point, Murray finally makes a break though on his 6th break as Djokovic can't find the court, Murray takes the first set 7-6 and 12-10 on the tie break in an amazing opening set after 1 hour and 27 minutes
Murray holds in the first game of the 2nd set as his forehead looks at it's best, Djokovic fails to hold as his backhand fails him completely and he gives Murray 3 break points which murray takes to make it 2-0, the third game of the set is no different for Djokovic as his backhand continues to let him down and Murray forces him into more mistakes to take a 3-0 lead, Murray couldn't have asked for a better start to the set as Djokovic miss fires shot after shot giving Murray more break points and once again Murray takes one to make it 4-0, Djokovic responds well by breaking and making it 4-1 and then holding with a great serve, Murray doesn't let Djokovic come back into the set though as he takes a 5-2 lead with a great serving performance and holds to love, Djokovic holds, breaks and holds again to level things up and keep himself in the set at 5-5 with Murray serving, Murray takes a 6-5 lead after his forehand comes to the rescue and then with Djokovic serving to take the set to another tie break Murray finds himself earning two break points, Djokovic tries to fire a forehand into the corner but after a hawkeye reply shows it landed out Murray takes the set 7-5 to lead 2-0 in the final
Murray who before the final had never won 2 sets in a Grand Slam final was now just one set away from winning the US Open, Murray saves two break points in the first game and takes it to to Deuce where he aces his way through to take the first game 1-0 Djokovic also holds and then in the next game gets himself two break points and takes one to give him the advantage in the set and make it 2-1 on serve, Djokovic holds and so does Murray in the next two games to make it 3-2 Djokovic, Murray misses the chance to break in the 6th game and Djokovic punishes Murray with a Forehand before Murray goes wide to make it 4-2, Djokovic breaks again after an amazing backhand that Murray can only hit into the net 5-2, Djokovic takes the third set 6-2 after coming back from 0-30
Djokovic grabs an early break in the 4th set, Murray's serve looking less and less convincing as the match goes on now, Djokovic holds well in the second game to put a bit of daylight between the players at 2-0 with Murray complaining about his legs feeling like Jelly, Murray saves a break point in the third game to make it 2-1, Djokovic also saves a break point and instead of the possibility of the set being locked at 2-2, Djokovic comes back strong to take the game 3-1, Murray holds easily in the next game to make it 3-2 and then in the next two games both players continue to hold to make it 4-3, Djokovic finds his forehand range to make it 5-3 and then breaks Murray after a double fault and a couple of bad forehands from Murray gives Djokovic the set 6-3 and takes the match to a deciding set
Murray gets best possible start in the deciding set when he breaks Djokovic straight away and then Holds after a baseline battle to make it 2-0, Murray then Breaks again after failing to convert a first break point Djokovic gives him another one and this time Murray makes no mistake as Djokovic's forehand begins to look tired 3-0 Murray, Djokovic gets one of the break points back straight away when Murray gives him 3 break points which he takes on the second attempt, Djokovic holds in the 5th game after Murray's backhand and Forehand can't increase the advantage 3-2, Murray holds well to love and even hits an ace to make it 4-2 and then Murray makes it 5-2 with another break and now has the chance to serve for the match, Murray brings himself 3 Championship points, Djokovic comes to the net to save one but finds it to much to saves a second one as a forehand return goes long and Murray becomes the US Open Champion and the first British Grand Slam Winner in 76 years, It looked like Murray was going to let it slip again when Djokovic came back from 2 sets down but Murray dug deep when he was clearly hurting and found more then enough to win the deciding set
Djokovic - "It wasn't to be but I want to congratulate Andy for his first Grand Slam, he absolutely deserves it," says Novak Djokovic to whoops and hollers from the crowd. "And also, his team, this is your success also.
"I would like to thank my team, my family and friends for supporting me. I tried my best. I gave it my all and it was another tremendous match to be a part of. It was definitely enjoyable."
Murray - "They were incredibly tricky conditions. After the third and fourth sets it was tough mentally - Novak is so strong, he fights until the end of every match and I don't know how I managed to come through in the end.
"That was almost a smile [from Ivan Lendl]. He's one of greatest players ever to play, here he made eight consecutive finals. Having him here supporting me has helped in the tough moments, but not only him, everyone else too. They've been there since the start. Thanks very much."
2. Wimbledon Second Round - Rosol bt Nadal 6-7 6-4 6-2 2-6 6-4
The World #2 and former 2 time champion against Lucas Rosol the World #100, Nadal 50 career titles to Rosol's 0 Career titles, Nadal had not lost before the third round since 2005 before this match and it looked pretty much like it was going to be a walk in the park for Nadal, Rosol played the match of his life though and caused one of the biggest tennis upsets ever against one of the greatest players on the planet, it's rare you get a player outside the top 10 giving a top 4 player a challenge but for the World #100 to beat someone ranked 98 places higher then him it seemed almost impossible taking into account that Nadal had won the previous Grand slam The French Open and beating Novak Djokovic to do so
Rosol started well in the first game of the opening set with 2 aces straight away and a good forehand winner to hold, Nadal then held easily as well to make it 1-1 which was followed by Rosol as he held to love to make it 2-1 Nadal then held and broke to take an advantage and lead 3-2 from there you'd think Nadal would build on the lead but Rosol broke back straight away with a cross court forehand winner leaving Nadal helpless and squaring things up at 3-3, both players won the next two games to love on serve, Rosol's first serves were all pinpoint and again Rosol went into the lead 5-4 with another great serving performance that was giving Nadal a lot to think about but Nadal came back and Held to make it 5-5, Rosol held to make Nadal serve to stay in the set at 6-5 and Nadal makes Rosol pull a forehand wide in the 12th game and makes it level at 6-6 to take it to a tie break, the tie break was a pretty even affair with Rosol finding aces but also finding the net a fair few times and Nadal's forehand wasn't at it's best, Nadal had a set point at 6-5 but Rosol saved it and then Rosol had a set point of his own but Nadal wins a forehand rally and then has another set point at 8-7 but Nadal finds the net on a return and then a third set point for Rosol but Nadal matched him once again hitting a forehand winner and then setting up a set point which he took when Rosol found the net 11-9 in the tiebreak to give Nadal the first set
Rosol broke Rafa straight away at the start of the second set after being given 3 break points Rafa found the net to gift the first game to Rosol, Nadal had a break point in the second game but Rosol made sure he couldn't take it with an Ace before Nadal found the net and Rosol held to make it 2-0, Nadal held to love in the next game and in the next game Rosol continued to lock good with a backhand winner and Ace to hold to put things at 3-1, Nadal's forehand was still looking dodgy but he hung in to hold and make it 3-2 before Rosol held serve as well to make it 4-2 both players held serve on the next 3 games to make it 5-4 and with Rosol serving for the set and almost robotic like Rosol hits 2 aces perfectly past Nadal to give him the set 6-4 and surprisingly making it 1-1 in sets
Nadal and Rosol both held well in the opening two games of the third set with Rosol looking like one of the top 4 players everytime he was on serve, Rosol broke Nadal in the third game when Nadal could only find the net with a forehand and then Rosol held easily to make it 3-1 after yet more aces from the Czech, Nadal hit an ace of in game 5th and held to make it 3-2 before Rosol continued his amazing run with his first deliveries as he opened up the gap to 4-2 both players held the next two games as Nadal couldn't find a way to break back sending a backhand long to give Rosol a 5-3 lead, Nadal held to love to stay in the set and give himself a chance against the Rosol serve but can't make it count as Rosol hits the net with his first set point and then Nadal sends a backhand long to give Rosol an unthinkable 2-1 lead and put him one set away from one of the biggest upsets ever
Both players held up to 3-2 in the fourth set but with Rosol serving to make it 3-3 Nadal took his chance after winning a rally when Rosol went long to make it 4-2 and then increasing the lead to make it 5-2 when Rosol found the net, Nadal's first serve was now looking average and Nadal broke Rosol again after a backhand winner to take the set 6-2
After 43 minutes off the court Rosol and Nadal returned for the deciding set, Nadal serves straight away and the break has clearly hindered his momentum as Rosol breaks him with a great forehand, Rosol's serve is back and Nadal can't handle it at all along with Rosol's forehand Nadal has no answer and Rosol holds to make it 2-0, Nadal holds as well as he hits an Ace and Rosol goes wide to make it 2-1 but still needing to break back against Rosol who has been perfect nearly all match seemed an impossible task as he held again to make it 3-1, Nadal easily holds again to make it 3-2 but Rosol keeps pulling ace after ace out the bag to the shock of everyone to make it 4-2, Nadal did his bit and held again but Rosol hits his 18th Ace in the match to take him on the verge of his biggest win yet 5-3, Nadal again held but Rosol who had played the game of his life sealed things when he aced his way to three match points and then finished Nadal with another Ace to put an end to a great match and one of the biggest shocks in Tennis History
I think everyone was thinking why Rosol couldn't play this good everyweek and some might even call it a fluke but you can't hit every first serve that well and put it all down to being a fluke Rosol just had his head screwed on played his best game, he would have been just about anyone on the tour playing the way he did against Nadal but he's not consistent enough to carry that kind of form on which is why he lost in the next round to Philipp Kohlschreiber
Rosol - "I don't know what to say, I'm not just surprised but it's like a miracle. I never expected something like this. There are so many emotions - I don't know what to say.
"Nadal is a superstar and I'm very sorry for him. I played unbelievably today. I hope I can play another match like this.
"I'm very happy for my support. Before the match I was thinking to play three good sets so I don't lose 3-0.
"I know Nadal is only human. Nadal played a good match but I think I was a little bit better."
1. Australian Open Final - Djokovic bt Nadal 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 7-5
The #1 Match of the year was always going to be the Australian Open Final Between Djokovic and Nadal, Both players gave everything in the 6 hour final that was the longest in Grand Slam History and it was still open until the very end, no one knew who was going to win at anytime in the match, this was their third consecutive grand slam final which is a record in the open era
In the first game of the first set we already witnessed a long rally Djokovic on serve in the first game wrapped it up with a serve out wide to hold and give himself a good start, Nadal equaled Novak's good start with a hold of his own to love with an ace thrown in, Nadal started well in the third game going into a 0-30 lead but Djokovic made up the points with a volley and an ace to make it 30-30 and then a forehead and a down the line shot wraps up the game to make it 2-1 Novak, An amazing rally in the fourth game comes to an end when Nadal reads a Djokovic lob attempt and a few Nadal serves unanswered by Djokovic makes things 2-2, a cross-court shot from Nadal leaves Djokovic routed to the spot but Djokovic hits back with an ace but can't take advantage and hits the net which takes the game to Deuce where Nadal breaks when Djokovic hits a poor backhand, Nadal continues to serve well and hits another ace in his next service but allows Djokovic two game points which he fails to take and Nadal takes the game after it goes into Deuce to make it 4-2, just 6 games in and both players are involved in amazing rallies and incredible forehand shots down the line making each other play at their best, Djokovic held well in the next game with the score at 4-3 Nadal with already 50 minutes played, in the 8th game Djokovic was clearly gaining the advantage the longer the Rallies were going on for, Nadal saved two break points but couldn't save the third one as he could only hit a Djokovic return into the net and make it 4-4, in the 9th game Djokovic begins to come closer to the net and gets involved in a great rally which sees him come out on top and he takes the game 5-4 but Nadal comes back and holds after being 40-0 up he gives Djokovic a chance to come back into the game at 40-30 but Nadal just about does enough 5-5, Nadal breaks Djokovic in the next game to go 6-5 up after Djokovic comes in to hit a backhand but it goes beyond the baseline, some of the best tennis you'll see from these two in the opening set with long and unpredictable rallies, Nadal holds and takes the first set after Djokovic goes long, Nadal 7-5 after 1 hour and 20 minutes of Amazing tennis
Djokovic started the second set well with a hold and then gets 2 break points in the second game but fails to take any of them as Nadal hits a winner down the line and then a 21 shot rally comes to an end when Djokovic makes an error and then seals the game with an Ace to reply and make it 1-1, Nadal makes a mistake at the back of the court in the third game and Djokovic holds well to make it 2-1 and then breaks Nadal with a well placed Volley after hitting it from low on the ground, Djokovic then holds to make himself a clear favorite for the set and give himself a 4-1 lead, Nadal does well to hold in the next game but needs to break quickly and can't do so as Djokovic hits a cheeky drop shot at the net to make things 5-2, Nadal gives Djokovic a set point in the next game but then battles his way to take it and keep himself in the set at 5-3 he then breaks after fending of 3 set points he earns a break point thanks to a drop shot and a volley combination and a double fault by Djokovic gives Nadal a chance at 5-4 in the next game after some great tennis by both players Djokovic sending a forehand down the line for a set point and Nadal gifts it him by double faulting 1-1 in sets
both players hold in the opening two games of the third set and then Djokovic holds again with some excellent forehands that Nadal can't get close to Djokovic then breaks in the 4th game to make it 3-1 as he begins to grow in confidence with each point won, Novak then holds to love to further increase the lead and Nadal has no reply to anything Novak is throwing at him so far in the match, Novak comes back to hold but Djokovic makes it look easy on his serve as he holds to love again to make it 5-2 and then an amazing forehand winner from Djokovic wraps things up after he was given 3 set points 6-2 and 2-1 Djokovic in sets
the third set starts well when Djokovic wins the best rally and his best point of the game and a drop shot to make matters worse for Nadal and soon after he finds the net and then goes beyond the baseline to give Djokovic the first game of the set, Nadal gets forced to deuce in the second game but hits an ace and holds to make it 1-1 and then in probably the quickest game of the match Novak holds to love, both players continue to hold serve in the set with a great display of serving and forehand and backhand rally combinations, with Nadal 5-3 down in the tie break and looking like Djokovic is about to win the Championship Nadal claws himself back into it hitting an ace to make it 6-5 and then watching a Djokovic forehand go wide to take the tie break and make it 2-2 and take an already marathon like match into a deciding set
Nadal holds well at the start of the deciding set with a couple of great serves that Djokovic can't do anything about, Djokovic hits back and holds and Nadal does better and Holds to love to make it 2-1 Djokovic does well to force Nadal into a wide shot and holds back to make it 2-2, Nadal like before holds to love and then breaks Djokovic in the 6th game with Djokovic starting to miss the court more and more with tiredness setting in but Djokovic comes back with a break as he forces to hit the net and then Nadal makes an error to put Djokovic back in the game at 4-3 and on serve and Djokovic proves how perfect his backhand can be as he finds the corners and holds serve to make it 4-4, Nadal and Djokovic then have another incredible rally in the 9th game of the set that ends with Nadal on top when Djokovic hits the ball long, Djokovic gains a break point but Nadal hits back when Djokovic goes long and Nadal Holds to make it 5-4 and makes Djokovic serve to stay in the match, Djokovic hits a double fault but continues to find the corners so well and holds to make it 5-5 and then breaks a tired Nadal when he puts the ball into the net and has the chance to serve for the Championship but Nadal gains a break point after coming back from 30-0 to 30-40 but Djokovic has he has done so many times before in the match finds the corner when he needs to the most and takes it to Deuce and from there he gains advantage and hits a powerful forehand past a routed Nadal to win the Australian Open in a match that could have gone either way at times
Nadal - "I've really had a fantastic two weeks and I'll never forget this match," he says. But the evening belongs to Djokovic who, with sweat still dripping from his every pore, steps up to the platform to collect his treasured prize.
Novak - " "Unfortunately there couldn't be two winners tonight but I wish you all the best for this season and I hope that we have many more matches like this, many more finals, Sometimes it feels like you're not on a tennis court, the amount of noise you guys produce and for us it's a great feeling. It's a pleasure playing in front of you. It's my great privilege to be standing here in front of one of the greatest players ever, "
