10 Biggest upsets of the year – ATP

An upset not only alters your next few days’ routines but also your mood for the next couple of weeks. It tests your patience mentally. And if you are a die-hard fan of the player, then your entire world falls apart at just that one moment. That one match point. And as your beloved player loses the point, the entire world stops for a second.

As you sit in front of the television, watching your favourite player, noticing every single expression he gives, you can feel the pain he is feeling right now. You never thought this new guy from a country where tennis is played by only a few, or this journeyman you had never heard of before, or this funny guy with pink shorts, could beat your idol.

You go into your shell and vow never to watch tennis again. But you do come back, because you cannot live without tennis.

So here are the top 10 moments, which broke our hearts this year…

10. Gasquet knocks out Stan (Wimbledon)

Result : Wimbledon Quarter-Finals
Richard Gasquet beat Stanislas Wawrinka (6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 11-9)

The Swiss had made all the headlines when he conquered Novak Djokovic to win Roland Garros just a few weeks before and was looking to continue the brilliant run. But, a certain resilient Frenchman saw to it that it didn’t last long.

Richard Gasquet had reached the Wimbledon semi-final once before, but that was a staggering 8 years before. The 29-year old was all but written off when Wawrinka came back from losing the opening set to take the next two with relative ease.

But a rejuvenated Gasquet fought back to take the game to a deciding set, which went on for 20 games before the Frenchman completed the memorable upset. Gasquet went on to lose to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-final.

9. Paire downs Nishikori in his home (Japan Open)

Result : Japan Open Semi-Finals
Benoit Paire beat Kei Nishikori (1-6 6-4 6-2)

Kei Nishikori has been leading the charge for Asian tennis in Men’s Singles for quite a while now. So one would easily expect him to be favourite to win in Japan, his home country. But in one of the biggest upsets of the year, Frenchman Benoit Paire.

The Frenchman came from a set down to bring down the defending champion Japanese in 3 sets to set up a final against Stan Wawrinka.

8. Nadal’s loss to Fabio Fognini (US Open)

Result : US Open Third Round
Fabio Fognini beat Rafael Nadal (3-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4)

Rafael Nadal was 2 sets to love up in the third round of this year’s U.S. Open. He was in cruise control of the match. But then something strange happened. For the first time in his career, Nadal lost a match being up two sets to love in a Grand Slam. Before this match, Nadal was 151-0 when leading by two sets to nil.

Fabio Fognini completed the remarkable comeback and won 3-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 in a match that finished at 1:30 a.m. local time.

7. Isner proves too much for Federer (Paris Masters)

Result : Paris Masters Third Round
John Isner beat Roger Federer (7-6 3-6 7-6)

A long season was coming towards an end and it took its toll on Roger Federer when he crashed out of the Paris Masters ATP World Tour 1000 event at the hands of the giant American John Isner.

Although Isner never went a break up in any sets, the big serving American, who hit 27 aces in the game, was dominant in the two tie-breakers, to complete a memorable upset.

6. Stan gets ‘served’ by big-serving Karlovic (Swiss Indoors, Basel)

Result : Swiss Indoors Championship, Basel – First Round
Ivo Karlovic beat Stanislas Wawrinka (3-6 7-6 6-4)

No 2 seed Stan Wawrinka had lost out a whopping 7 seven times in the first round of his home tournament, the Swiss Indoors Championship and the 36 year old Karlovic made it 8.

The big serving Croatian sent down 21 aces in a match in which he saw himself a set and a break down at a point. But Karlovic came back strong to power through the last two sets and get the local hero out.

5. Local favourite Monfils brings down Federer (Monte Carlo)

Result : Monte Carlo Masters Third Round
Gael Monfils beat Roger Federer (6-4 7-6)

Whenever Roger Federer loses, it could be termed an upset. Local hero Gael Monfils did exactly that when he dispatched the World No 2 in straight sets at the third round Monte Carlo Masters in April.

After losing the first set, Federer started to inch back slowly in the second. But he couldn’t break the Frenchman’s serve and the set went into a tie-breaker. Although Federer took a 5-3 lead, Monfils came back with 4 consecutive points to complete a brilliant victory.

4. Federer’s loss to surprise package Seppi (Australian Open)

Result : Australian Open – Third Round
Andreas Seppi beat Roger Federer (6-4 7-6 4-6 7-6)

Every player comes in the first Grand Slam of the year with loads of expectations. Even more so if you are Roger Federer. Everything seemed to work fine until the third round match. Seppi, ranked number 46 in the world, took out the four-time champion in 4 sets thus shocking the tennis world.

Federer was 10-0 up in head to head record and had never lost a single set in any of their previous ten meetings. But with his on-court movement not up to the mark and his backhand failing to hit the mark time and again, Federer was knocked out of the tournament. The final scoreline was 6-4 7-6 4-6 7-6.

3. Novak Djokovic’s loss to Stan Wawrinka (French Open)

Result : French Open – Final
Stanislas Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic (1, 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4)

It’s hardly fair to call it an upset with Stan’s quality of tennis, but it sure made a lot of Novak fans upset. At the Roland Garros, Stan played his best tennis of the year to shatter Novak’s dream of completing the career slam.

Novak had defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarter finals and was confident of his chances coming into the finals. However, in just 3 hours and 2 minutes,  Stan defeated World no 1, 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 to clinch the trophy.

2. Murray’s loss to Kevin Anderson (US Open)

Result : US Open – Fourth Round
Kevin Anderson beat Andy Murray (7-6 6-3 6-7 7-6)

At this year’s U.S. Open, Andy Murray suffered a shocking defeat. He lost to the big serving Kevin Anderson in the fourth round. The final scoreline was 7-6 6-3 6-7 7-6.

This was Anderson’s first win against a top-10 player. He had the following to say after the match: ” I felt I played one of the best matches of my career. To do it at this stage, at this round, to get through to the quarters the first time in a Grand Slam definitely means a lot to me “.

1. Rafael Nadal’s loss to Dustin Brown

Another shocking result for the two-time champion at The Championships. Nadal suffered a 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-4 defeat to the journeyman, Dustin Brown, in the second round.

Nadal was seeded 10 at the tournament and Dustin was ranked 102 in the world. Dustin had crushed the Spanish Bull, Rafa, in their only previous meeting, at Halle in 2014. But at Wimbledon, the atmosphere is completely different and Rafa was a clear favourite to win the match. With Rafa losing in just 4 sets, this match was certainly one the biggest upsets of the year.