When was the last time the same 2 players met in 4 consecutive slam finals?

When?

I'm sure many of us will remember Emerson and Stolle having three consecutive finals before Emerson lost to Roche at the 65 French Open semi thus failing to meet Stolle in the final again, and therefore coming only one game away from this achievement. I myself remember it like it was yesterday.

The 1962 final would have seen the 4th Emerson-Laver final in a row were it not for Emerson defaulting to Mulligan in the 4th round. I remember it well.

So the answer is.....never.

PS In no way did I look those answers up in wikipedia on the ESPN list of slam finals.

I see. So it has never happened. Interesting.

Navaratilova-Evert, Laver-Emerson, Laver-Rosewall, Perry-Crawford come close, but no cigar.

Continuing research.

The Pro Championships with smaller draws are a better possibility.

laverfan wrote:Navaratilova-Evert, Laver-Emerson, Laver-Rosewall, Perry-Crawford come close, but no cigar.

Continuing research.

Something always stops the 4 finals from happening. Funny sh!t.

If Nadal-Djokovic play FO 2012 and W 2012 finals against each other, they will achieve it.

(USO 2011 through W 2012).

Esther Vergeer and Shingo Kuneida also come close.

laverfan wrote:If Nadal-Djokovic play FO 2012 and W 2012 finals against each other, they will achieve it.

(USO 2011 through W 2012).

They don't need W 2012. If they meet at the French, that is four in a row (W 2011 - FO 2012). It's hard to bet against them reaching that figure too!

I still count on Del Potro further improving and becoming a serious threat. He played pretty well at the AO already, but ran into Federer who played very well that day.

Let's hope he'll be drawn in Nadal's or Djokovic' quarter, that would make it more interesting!

Nadal and djokovic would both fancy their chances against del potro. I like del potro but there is just something missing with him. Federer really steamrolled him in oz quarter final, would have expected more from the big man. Djokovic has a great record against del potro and nadal would have too much for him on clay

The Williams Sisters were opponents in all four finals from RG 2002 to Aus 2003, missing RG 2003 and facing one another again at Wimbledon 2003. Serena won every match.

So it hasn't happened ever in men's tennis then. Perhaps because it has always been more competitive than women's tennis.

And one definitely hasn't lost them all, so we'd get two new records for the price of one!

Still, I suspect it won't be a repeat - there are disruptive factors a plenty.

deeznu wrote:So it hasn't happened ever in men's tennis then. Perhaps because it has always been more competitive than women's tennis.

The men's game is slowly becoming more like the women's game in the sense that it's just about long rallies from the baseline and who makes fewer mistakes. Therefore we see the same people winning the various Slams (clay, hardcourt, grass) and also the same finalists everywhere.

There are clear signs something has really changed:
- pretty much the same 4 guys reach the semi-finals of all the Slams and win all the masters events
- the same players keep meeting each other in all Slam finals (first Nadal-Federer and now Djokovic-Nadal)
- career Slam: wasn't Agassi the first one since Rod Laver? Now we have Fed in 2009, Nadal in 2010 and maybe Djokovic in 2012...

HM Murdoch wrote:

laverfan wrote:If Nadal-Djokovic play FO 2012 and W 2012 finals against each other, they will achieve it.

(USO 2011 through W 2012).

They don't need W 2012. If they meet at the French, that is four in a row (W 2011 - FO 2012). It's hard to bet against them reaching that figure too!

Argh... You are correct. My mistake.

FO 2008 - Fedal
W 2008 - Fedal
USO 2008 - Fedurray
AO 2009 - Fedal

Near miss on the record due to USO 2008.

laverfan wrote:FO 2008 - Fedal
W 2008 - Fedal
USO 2008 - Fedurray
AO 2009 - Fedal

Near miss on the record due to USO 2008.

Aye - and who's to say that Federer missed out on being the fall-guy for a 0-4 record in consecutive slams thanks to Murray's inspired win?

prostaff85 wrote:

deeznu wrote:So it hasn't happened ever in men's tennis then. Perhaps because it has always been more competitive than women's tennis.

The men's game is slowly becoming more like the women's game in the sense that it's just about long rallies from the baseline and who makes fewer mistakes. Therefore we see the same people winning the various Slams (clay, hardcourt, grass) and also the same finalists everywhere.

There are clear signs something has really changed:
- pretty much the same 4 guys reach the semi-finals of all the Slams and win all the masters events
- the same players keep meeting each other in all Slam finals (first Nadal-Federer and now Djokovic-Nadal)
- career Slam: wasn't Agassi the first one since Rod Laver? Now we have Fed in 2009, Nadal in 2010 and maybe Djokovic in 2012...

Spot on.

prostaff85 wrote:

deeznu wrote:So it hasn't happened ever in men's tennis then. Perhaps because it has always been more competitive than women's tennis.

The men's game is slowly becoming more like the women's game in the sense that it's just about long rallies from the baseline and who makes fewer mistakes. Therefore we see the same people winning the various Slams (clay, hardcourt, grass) and also the same finalists everywhere.

There are clear signs something has really changed:
- pretty much the same 4 guys reach the semi-finals of all the Slams and win all the masters events
- the same players keep meeting each other in all Slam finals (first Nadal-Federer and now Djokovic-Nadal)
- career Slam: wasn't Agassi the first one since Rod Laver? Now we have Fed in 2009, Nadal in 2010 and maybe Djokovic in 2012...

Surface homogenization is to blame, methinks.

It is also possible that these 4 guys are the creme de la creme. We have had past slams with several instances of 1-2-3-4 at SF stages.

Are you forgetting FO 2011? If you consider being 'same' as a 'group' of players, then yes.

Laver was Grass and Clay while Agassi, Federer and Nadal were HC, Clay and Grass. Graf should not be forgotten in this 'Grand' slam discussion.

I have a funny feeling history will repeat itself and the same 2 players meeting in a 4th consecutive slam final will not happen. It has happened in women's tennis but never in men's tennis. Men's tennis is rougher.

bogbrush wrote:

Still, I suspect it won't be a repeat - there are disruptive factors a plenty.

Agree.

Not sure having the same players in three or possibly four straight GS finals is necessarily a bad thing. After all, these are the top two guys and the matches are, to say the least following a near-six hour battle, competitive.
Fed did face his then number two - Rafa - in some great GS finals but we saw fewer match ups than we might have done cos Rafa could - from time to time - get blown away (Gonzo, Tsonga, del Potty).
In some ways this was a pity. Fed had few chances to test Rafa on Fed's more-favoured surfaces, while still being good enough to get to French finals and lose to Rafa.
With Rafa and Nole it's different - and in a good way. They are both at their peak, they are still having to get past the other two big top-four stars and it's providing huge anticipation, much speculation and a lot of exhileration (and anything else ending in -ation)

sirfredperry wrote: Fed had few chances to test Rafa on Fed's more-favoured surfaces, while still being good enough to get to French finals and lose to Rafa.

Well they have had 6 matches on outdoor hard, call starting from Miami 2004, Fed has had plenty of opportunity to beat him.

Going out on a limb and predicting neither Nadal or Djok will reach the final.

J-M. Get straight down to the bookies now. Reckon you'd get good odds on that. Personally, as long as both are fit enough to start the tournament, I would not put any money on neither getting to the final.
Also, I reckon if ONE of them does not make it, it will be Djoko rather than Rafa.

sirfred I honestly believe Nole is never comfortable at RG he sprays more forehands than he would in the other 3 slams. The gap from the chasers to Nadal on clay is also getting shorter and I repeat he cannot keep his clay level going forever just like Feds grass court level which dipped after his 5th/6th.

While I sometimes have doubts about Rafa in the other slams, the French is his kingdom. Also, he started so young - a GS winner in his teens - that I think he still has more RG titles in his grasp. Fed was comparatively "old" when he won his first slam so had fewer years in his prime to chalk up amazing numbers at some of the slams.
Rafa, I think, could chalk up seven or eight French titles - a record that will take some beating.

Sampras won 7 Wimbledon's. Nadal is as good in French Open as Sampras was in Wimbledon. Neither ever lost a final there. Reckon Nadal will win 7 French Open's as Sampras won 7 Wimbledon's.

Yes but Sampras had the serve to fall back on which was often unbeatable something that Nadal has never had who relies on errors. You are crazy if you think Nadal compares to Sampras in dominating their respective favourite slams.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Yes but Sampras had the serve to fall back on which was often unbeatable something that Nadal has never had who relies on errors. You are crazy if you think Nadal compares to Sampras in dominating their respective favourite slams.

Since when has French Open's been a slam similar to Wimbledon's where s&v wins? In the past Wimbledon's was won by players s&v. That was how Sampras won his Wimbledon's. By s&v. Nadal in my humble opinion will end up winning 7 French Open's. You don't dominate French Open's by s&v. Anyone who thinks you need to s&v to win 7 French Open's is nuts. Wimbledon's was a s&v paradise. French Open's does not need a s&v to win it many times. Iam willing to bet Nadal will win a 7 French Open's this year. He will go down in history as a 7 French Open's winner like Sampras went down in history as a 7 Wimbledon's winner.

It is easier to win in faster conditions when you have the serve than it is to win on clay when you rely on athleticism which is not as reliable as a good serve.

Serve >>> Lungs

sirfredperry wrote:While I sometimes have doubts about Rafa in the other slams, the French is his kingdom. Also, he started so young - a GS winner in his teens - that I think he still has more RG titles in his grasp. Fed was comparatively "old" when he won his first slam so had fewer years in his prime to chalk up amazing numbers at some of the slams.
Rafa, I think, could chalk up seven or eight French titles - a record that will take some beating.

sirfredperry wrote:J-M. Get straight down to the bookies now. Reckon you'd get good odds on that. Personally, as long as both are fit enough to start the tournament, I would not put any money on neither getting to the final.
Also, I reckon if ONE of them does not make it, it will be Djoko rather than Rafa.

Yes.