1. George Bastl d. Pete Sampras, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 2nd round, 2002
Who was George Bastl? The answer to that, as far as tennis history goes, is solely in this match result. Ranked 145 in the world at the time, the unknown player knocked out the record-equaling 7 times champion. Bastl never won another match at Wimbledon. Sampras never played another. The great one did, however, reportedly seek medical imaging of his brain following the match, which may have helped him make his last match be a US Open victory.
And where are they now?
And where are they now?
2. Peter Doohan d. Boris Becker, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 2nd Round, 1987
Boom Boom Becker was the two time defending champion made the earliest exit for a trophy holder for over 20 years. He had also crushed a man by the name of Peter Doohan just weeks earlier at Queens. But Doohan - a career battler with a win-loss record balanced heavily towards the losses - had Boom Boom right where he wanted him, catching him complacent, sending the young superstar home without goldware, silverware, or even wear on his shoes.
3. Sergiy Stakhovsky d. Roger Federer, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), 2nd Round, 2013
Ok, Rog is getting on a bit. But these top guys just don't lose in the early rounds. This is a guy with 17 grand slams, 23 consecutive semi finals, and was on a streak of 36 quarter final grand slam appearances. This guy just doesn't lose this early in a grand slam. Especially not at Wimbledon. Especially not after winning the first set. And especially not to S Stakhovsky.
4. Richard Krajicek d. Pete Sampras, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, QF, 1996
Ok, so a quarter final isn't so bad, and Krajicek is much more than an ordinary player. But consider that Krajicek is to Sampras what Robin Soderling is to Nadal at the French Open. In eight CHampionships, Krajicek was the only player to defeat Sampras. He did so convincingly too, and deservedly won the trophy.Both are classic players suited to grass. But before you bemoan the loss of such grass court style, consider as well that ace-fests are a bit rarer in the final rounds.
5. Roger Taylor d. Rod Laver, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1, 4th Round, 1970
This is going back a bit. Like Krajicek, Taylor was an excellent player. But any victory over Rocket Rod at this stage was an upset. He had won the last four Wimbledons in which he had played, and he had taken out his second grand slam - note, that is grand slam, and not just grand slam title - the previous year.Alas, Youtube was not forecast in 1970!
2 comments:
What about Nadal beaten by Rosol?
Possibly. I didn't include that result because he's vulnerable on grass. It's not his best surface as with the others.
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