Best Grand Slam Matches of 2013 - according to Luvsports!

First topic message reminder :

1) Djokovic vs Wawrinka: 1-6 7-5 6-4 6-7(5) 12-10 - Aus Open 4th round.
It had everything!!! Hands down the best match of the year.
Irrestible shot making from Wawrinka in tandem with the warrior Djokovic's never say die attitude. Best match I've seen in many a year.

2) Djokovic vs Del Potro: 7-5 4-6 7-6(2) 6-7(6) 6-3 - Wimbledon Semi Final.
Reaffirmed that the Tower of Tandil can once again mix it with the big boys at the tail end of a GS.
Unrelenting power from the Argentine mixed with the suppleness of Djoko, a gripping encounter that was a joy to watch!

3) Wawrinka vs Gasquet: 6-7(5) 4-6 6-4 7-5 8-6 - French Open 4th round.
A delectable feast of single handed backhands!
A stunning comeback from Stan against an inspired gasquet, determined to reach the QF for the first time since 07 and backed by a vociferous home support.

4) Brown vs Hewitt: 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-2 - Wimbledon 2nd round.
The craziest, most unpredictable and enjoyable match courtesy of the easy going jamaican with german efficiency, the dreadlocked sensation Dustin Brown.
Serve and volley, tweeners, dive volleys, booming ground strokes and much much more. It doesn't need to be a match between the top players or a 5 setter!

5) Monfils vs Dolgopolov 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-3 - Aus Open 1st round.
Loved the contrast in styles. The outrageous shotmaking from dolgo and the unreal athleticism of monfils who is the epitome of a tennis showman. Bravo!

This won't be a popular list as I expect people will be thinking, "how on earth was the rafa nole FO open match not included?"
Well because for me small portions of that match was good and exciting but long spates just werent.
Maybe the Murray feds match may be included, nadal djokovic at the FO, murray verdasco Wimby or any other big four matches. Just not for me.

Over to you, thoughts?

Danny - you are indeed allowed to call the other slams Grails, where you are mistaken, is that RG is the "Holy Grail"

So essentially - USO, Melbourne and SW19 = Grails

Roland Garros - Holy Grail. The difference is that only one man has actually been able to sneak through Nadals guard. Therefore the lack of visitors grants RG celestial status.

I don't think that goes far enough though KR.

I think the French open should be called the French Holy Grail and should consist of one match. Rafa v Novak. Rafa should be head groundsman, Uncle Toni should be umpire, and Rafa's girlfriend and her mates the ball girls. They should play with ridiculously high bouncing balls, like those rubber ones you used to get at school, and a let should be played if Novak dares play to Rafa's backhand.

And the other slams should be 500 events. I don't even think they should be televised. In fact, any event Murray has previously won or wins in the future should be demoted.

Then and only then will the world be fair...

The problem with that Danny, is that if Nole and Rafa fall of the glacier they are playing on, and Murray wins RG, then it would have to be demoted and the holy Grail then becomes the Chilean Open!!!

The truth is the Holy Grail is a fluid term used to describe a much-sought after title which is difficult/impossible to win. Therefore, common sense follows that the holy Grail is in fact the women's Wimbledon title, as no matter how hard Murray tries (or Nole, in fAct) they simply can't win it.

Danny_1982 wrote:Actually... Am I allowed to call the other ones grails?

Has HE managed to get the other slams demoted to masters events yet?

 I've already explained why the French Open is the holy grail. It hasn't always been and just a few years ago Wimbledon could have been classed as such. The French Open because of a unique set of circumstances has that status at the present time but that is only because of the history of the number one and two players in the world.

Also they tried to give Novak a helping hand in 2012 by leaving the covers off and letting the court surface turn to mud. They could hardly do it two years in a row as it would have looked suspicious. Maybe next year Novak could ask the umpire if he could start with a two set lead?

HM Murdoch.

^ kingraf. Yes exactly! The holy grail is a FLUID term.

Rafa got lucky in '11 with grandpa feds downing novak, who would have beaten rafa easy

^ Oh yes. Also Nadal got lucky that time when Djokovic had to retire injured when he was fully in control of the match.

But who knows maybe Djokovic got lucky by avoiding playing Nadal in the 2011 FO final. Over 5 sets on Nadal's own court it would have been tricky. At that point Nadal would still have been the favorite and if Nadal had won he probably wouldn't still have been spooked by Djokovic. It could have made the 2011 Wimbledon and US Open a bit more competitive to say the least...

Alternatively, if Grandpa Feds didn't find slap shots a personal insult, Nadal could probably be US Open'11 champ...

kingraf wrote:Alternatively, if Grandpa Feds didn't find slap shots a personal insult, Nadal could probably be US Open'11 champ...

 Very funny, KR, that made me chuckle for some time!

HE - re. your point about Novak playing Rafa in RG 11... I actually think there is some truth in that! The frequency with which I'm agreeing with you these days is becoming quite unnerving. Maybe it's because there is no tennis being played? 

If you look at the crowds, Wimbledon is the only one that fills the seats from day one

Even the fans realise it is the premier title

Risky - you either accept that the French Holy Grail is the only tournament that matters, or you say nothing at all. Is that clear?

Anyone caught even watching any of these so called "other slams" should be barred from this forum, denied the right to vote, and castrated or sewn up (depending on gender).

As for this Wimbledon nonsense, Rafa isn't the champion so it isn't important and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. The French Holy Grail is all that matters.

I think you should apologise to everyone on this forum for your words.

KR - I notice you didn't rule Rafa out of winning the true holy grail (the ladies Wimbledon title).

Admittedly if he blow dried his hair, had a shave and put some make up on he could pass as a lady. Hell if I'm honest the image is quite attractive to me.... But how on earth could he disguise that left arm?

Danny, I can't carry this burden around with me any longer. I have to confess... I have watched Wimbledon highlights.

It was a link on a website. I was going to ignore it but I thought, well, nobody is looking, just once won't hurt, will it?

But then I got a taste for it and it just snowballed. I knew I had gone too far when I even stopped skipping over the bits where Sue Barker is talking.

I'm trying to battle this affliction and I hope I can be granted an exception to keep posting here in the meantime.

You did WHAT???

To say I'm disappointed is as big an understatement as saying Hitler was morally questionable.

You should take a long hard look at yourself Murdoch. Go and wash your face in clay (dry, not damp) to purify yourself.

Danny - I couldn't discount Nadal from winning Womens Wimbledon. I went to Ethiopia follows a few days, and when I come back he has a brother called Tomeu.... Winning women's Wimbledon is not a stretch for a man who "gets energized by the sun"

Besides, Nadal owns a flashy Mercedes, A few $600k watches, is the face of Barcadi, and regularly has Jay-Z in his corner (even got Will Smith during these Exho matches, and a love letter from Lil Wayne while Lil Wayne was in prison)... I've always said that inside every aspiring rapper with a flashy lifestyle - is a white girl trying to get out.... Using this rule, it's obvious Nadal can still win Womens Wimbledon .

Don't agree with Murray-Federer, Feds didn't play that well for me, I'm amazed he got it to 5 sets, other than it being a 5-setter with big names, doesn't really deserve to make the top 5.

I would have picked Nadal-Djokovic FO in the top 5, but then I bet if I watched many more matches this year I wouldn't. I bet there were more exciting matches in early rounds that we didn't see. It was a very good calibre match, but then the net touch for me, which may have been decisive, tainted it a bit.

I think the OP's original list is a great one.

Cheers hb!
Care to venture your top 5?

legendkillarV2 wrote:My thoughts are I agree with the top 2 and disagree with the rest.

Mine would be:

1) Djokovic v Wawrinka AO13
2) Djokovic v Del Potro Wim13
3) Murray v Federer AO13
4) Djokovic v Nadal FO13
5) Gasquet v Raonic US13

I like this list and instead of racking my brain I think I will go with this one, although I would switch the #4 match and move it to #1. I feel like the Nadal v.Djoko match due to its importance and in light of what was at stake with the players fighting it out for dominance was the number 1 match. I didn't enjoy the ending very much or the "the overhead" but it had the feeling of Frazier v. Ali prize fight from the 70s you just had to watch.

LuvSports! wrote:Cheers hb!
Care to venture your top 5?

I only really watched a handful of matches, not enough to judge.