Thousands of tennis fans across the world voted to tell us which moments in tennis history are most iconic. And the winners are...
Most Epic Rivalry
Across the history of tennis, the lifeblood of the sport has been a wide range of riveting rivalries which have captured the imagination of the public and inspired fans from every corner of the globe. Here are eight epic rivalries that have delighted tennis fans over the years.
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Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal
These towering figures have been majestic against each other. In 2004, Federer and Nadal contested the first of forty scintillating duels. At last count, Djokovic and Nadal had collided on 58 occasions, meeting in nine finals combined at all four majors. The Serbian and Swiss had clashed fifty times from 2006-2021. These enduring rivalries have been game changers.
Other Epic Rivalries Fans Could Choose
Favorite Cinderella Story
Nothing captures the imagination of the public more in the world of sports than the stunning emergence of a new star—or an unanticipated triumph by an older player seizing an opportunity to secure an elusive prize when it no longer seemed possible. What follows are some striking examples of such stunning achievements.
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Emma Raducanu
2021 US Open
Experts closely monitored Raducanu after her surprise run to the round of 16 at Wimbledon last year, but few believed the 18-year-old would become the first British female US Open champion since Virginia Wade in 1968. Yet Raducanu emerged as the first qualifier to take the title, winning ten matches, performing like a polished veteran.
Other Cinderella Stories Fans Could Choose
Greatest Comeback Within a Match
All of the leading players have defined their greatness in a multitude of ways, but a common thread running through their careers is the capacity to fight from far behind and win matches of consequence. Here are eight astonishing comebacks by top competitors, starting with the late 1960s, ending in 2022.
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Rafael Nadal
2022 Australian Open Final vs. Daniil Medvedev
The last time the redoubtable Nadal had rallied to win after dropping the first two sets was at Wimbledon in 2007, but the 35-year-old somehow engineered the greatest comeback win of his career in Melbourne after trailing 2-3, 0-40 in the third set, securing his second five set, final round win at a major over Medvedev, claiming a men’s record 21st major.
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Most Iconic Celebration
Nothing is more appealing to audiences than witnessing players responding to victories with spontaneity and originality on particularly auspicious occasions. Great competitors have celebrated differently but they share the joy of signature achievements, as expressed by these examples.
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Guga Kuerten
I ❤️ Roland-Garros
Brazilian Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten, the two-time French Open Champion, who always played with his heart and was loved by fans around the globe, showed his love for tennis in 2001 when he drew a heart in the clay with his racquet after coming back from two sets down to win his 4th round match.
Other Celebrations Fans Could Choose
Billie Jean King's Racquet Toss after the Battle of the Sexes
On the night of September 20, 1973, at the Houston Astrodome, Billie Jean King played Bobby Riggs in the celebrated Battle of the Sexes. King defeated Riggs in a straight-set spectacle in front of a record-breaking television prime-time viewing audience and more than 30,400 in-person spectators.
Jimmy Connors
Fist Pump
As every spectator present each year at the US Open can attest, rain delays are not enjoyable. However, rain means reliving the time in 1991 when a 39 year old Jimmy Connors—ranked 174 and in the event as a wildcard—refused to surrender before the energetic crowd and defeated Aaron Krickstein.
Pat Cash
Champions Climb
Defeating World No. 1 Ivan Lendl in straight sets to claim the 1987 Wimbledon Singles championship, the brazen Aussie Pat Cash did what no person did before—he scaled the Centre Court architecture with at least a 30 foot drop to climb into the box to celebrate with his family and friends.
Kim Clijsters
Daughter Jada on Court
In 2009, Belgian Kim Clijsters won her second US Open title, only months after coming out of retirement. Clijsters, the first mother in 29 years to win a Grand Slam title, welcomed her toddler Jada to the court to hold the trophy and celebrate her remarkable victory.
Serbian Davis Cup Team
Shave Heads After Title
Minutes after winning the 2010 Davis Cup championship title, the Serbian Davis Cup team kept their promise to partake in an epic team wide shave. In Belgrade Arena, in front of thousands of adoring fans, team members, including Novak Djokavic, lined up for the collective head shave.
Petr Korda
Korda Family Scissor Kick
Czech Petr Korda celebrated his triumphs, including a 1998 Australian Open title, with unforgettable scissor kicks and cartwheels. Decades later, Korda’s children—Jessica, Sebastian, and Nelly—champions in the Australian Open tennis and golf tournaments, continued the Korda scissor kick tradition.
Jim Courier
Diving into the Yarra River
After winning the 1992 Australian Open, Jim Courier chose an unorthodox way to celebrate. Unbeknownst to others, he had decided to dive in the Yarra River if he won. When he won again in 1993, the press was ready, and Courier did not disappoint— though that plunge left him with a stomach virus.
Top Moment of National Pride
Tennis players may be citizens of the world, but they invariably take immense pride in their nationalities. Here are some prime examples of iconic performers securing triumphs not just for themselves but as representatives of their countries.
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Andy Murray
2013 Wimbledon
Before a packed house and a peak UK television audience of 17.3 million, Scotsman Andy Murray did what no British man had done in 77 years (since Fred Perry in 1936)—win the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Championship. His win was hailed by some as the "'holy grail' for British sport."
Other Moments of National Pride Fans Could Choose
Maria Bueno
1959 Wimbledon
In 1959, after winning Wimbledon and the U.S. National tournaments in the same year, Maria Bueno’s native Brazil issued a postal stamp in her honor. The gesture celebrated not only her win but her indelible mark on South American tennis.
David Hall
2000 Sydney Paralympics
David Hall represented Australia four times at the Paralympic Games, winning 6 medals overall. In 2000, in front of the home crowd, he won gold, recalling, “a match that meant so much to me and changed my life forever. It was the biggest dream I had as a tennis player to win a Gold Medal at home.”
Virginia Wade
1977 Wimbledon
In 1977, thousands of hometown fans erupted into celebration and song as Brit Virginia Wade defeated Betty Stove to win her first Wimbledon singles title. The historic match and win, attended by Queen Elizabeth II, took place on the 100th anniversary of the tournament and in the summer of the monarch’s Silver Jubilee.
Li Na
2011 Roland-Garros
With a few hundred million of her country men and women cheering her on, the sixth seed Li Na, who was not a fan of the clay surface, defeated defending champion Francesca Schiavone in straight sets at the 2011 French Open becoming the first Chinese and Asian to win a major singles title.
Ashleigh Barty
2022 Australian Open
At the 2022 Australian Open, without dropping a set, Ashleigh Barty did away with the 44-year drought of homegrown women’s champions, becoming the first Australian woman since Chris O’Neil (1978) to win the singles championship.
Goran Ivanišević
2001 Wimbledon
In 2001, in the face of injury and defeat, Goran Ivanišević became the first Wild Card in history to win the Wimbledon tournament. Already touted as one of the greatest sportsmen to emerge from his home country of Croatia, Ivanišević cemented his national hero status with his historic underdog victory.
Althea Gibson
1957 Wimbledon
On July 11, 1957, Wimbledon Champion Althea Gibson was celebrated by thousands of people upon her return to New York from England with a ticker tape parade. The first Black to win that event, Althea would also win the U.S. Nationals later that summer and repeat as champion at both events in 1958.
