Taking place in January every year, the Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tournament of the calendar year. There is still a few weeks to go until the tournament begins, but the Australian Open 2019 betting sites suggest that Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal,and Roger Federer are the favourites to win the title.
A tightly contested final is expected, but we’ll have to wait to see who it will be fought between. Over the years there has been some great finals, but here’s four of the best.
Björn Borg vs John McEnroe –Wimbledon 1980
If you play a sport then you’ll know that every match is fiercely competitive,regardless of who you’re playing against. This is also true in tennis. However,there is one match that stands out above the rest – Björn Borg vs. John McEnroe.
The match was one of the most anticipated matches of all time due to their ranking sat the time, the rivalry between the two and their opposing personalities. Borg was renowned for his cool demeanour on the court, whilst McEnroe was known foroften pulling tantrums on the court. In a tightly contested match, it was Björn Borg who eventually came out on top by winning 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7(16–18), and 8–6.
Since the match has been played, the game has been labelled as one of the best sporting matches of all time and has even had a movie made about it.
Video Source: youtube.com
Roger Federer vs RafaelNadal – Wimbledon 2008
Whilst the Borg-McEnroe might be considered the greatest match of all time, the game between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal isn’t far behind, and is considered oneof the greatest matches of the 21st century.
The build-up to the game was intense due to the success of the players in the past few years who looked unstoppable in their prime. Between them, both players had won 14 of the previous 16 Grand Slam titles available.
The two had played against each other before, but this match saw both players play some of the best tennis of their career. The match was the longest singles final at Wimbledon and the spectators saw Rafael Nadal beat Federer 6–4, 6–4,6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10), 9–7.
Video Source: youtube.com
Ivan Lendl vs John McEnroe –French Open 1984
Following his defeat to Björn Borg at Wimbledon in 1980, John McEnroe went on to dominate the start of the decade by winning six Grand Slam titles in four years. The American almost made it seven, but he suffered a crushing defeat in the 1984 French Open final.
In the build up to the game, McEnroe was the favourite thanks to his recent 42 match winning streak. Meanwhile, Lendl was just coming into his prime and was yet to win a Grand Slam tournament. Despite his inexperience, the French crowd saw Lendl recover from two sets down to claim the French title 3–6, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5,7–5.
Video Source: youtube.com
Roger Federer vs RafaelNadal – Australian Open 2017
Both Federer and Nadal appear on our list once again, this time in the 2017 Australian Open final. Nine years after their Wimbledon match in 2008, the two rivals found themselves in a Grand Slam final again.
Although it wasn’t hyped up ‘greatest match of all time’, the final was a dream for most tennis fans as it saw two elite players reaching a major final despite being written off. Both players had pulled out of a couple of tournaments over the past few years due to injury, and many fans and pundits believed that they wouldn’t be able to bounce back to their previous heights.
In the end it was Roger Federer who managed to edge out the Spaniard 6-4, 3-6,6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
Video Source: youtube.com
