3 active tennis stars who defeated the No. 1 seed in Wimbledon finals
The 2022 Wimbledon Championships have been a mix of certainty and unpredictability. While we had two of the Big 4 making the semis at SW 19, Nick Kyrgios and Cameroon Noorie were the first-time semifinalists at the All England Club.
Interestingly, both the semifinals had left-handers but due to an unfortunate abdominal injury, Rafael Nadal had to withdraw from his at the last moment.
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Ahead of his first Grand Slam final against 20-time Major winner Novak Djokovic, unseeded Australian Nick Kyrgios will be bidding to become the fourth active player to defeat the top seed at this year's Championships.
Here we look at three active players who have defeated the top seed in the Wimbledon finals previously.
#1 Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer 2008
In the 2008 final, No. 1 seed Roger Federer was the firm favorite as he beat Rafael Nadal in the title match the previous two years. However, Nadal started with a bang by attacking Federerβs forehand relentlessly and winning the first two sets.
The Swiss maestro made a remarkable comeback by winning the next two sets in tiebreakers but fell short in the fifth, as the Spanaird won 6β4, 6β4, 6β7(5), 6β7(8), 9β7 to clinch his first Wimbledon title at the age of 22.
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#2 Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic 2013
After losing the 2012 final to Roger Federer, Andy Murray made it to the summit clash once again in 2013, bidding to become the first British champion since Fred Perry in 1936.
He faced No. 1 see Novak Djokovic, who was coming off an epic five-set semifinal against Juan Del Porto which lasted more than 4 hours.
While Djokovic put up a fight and stretch the contest to more than three hours, he was no match to Murrayβs powerful baseline game. The Serbian lost 6β4, 7β5, 6β4, giving Murray the title in front of a rapturous home crowd.
#3 Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal 2011
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal ruled SW19 for seven years before Novak Djokovic dethroned the No. 1 seeded Spaniard in the 2011 Wimbledon final. It was one of the biggest wins of his career, and that victory also allowed him to become World No. 1 for the first time, breaking Federer and Nadal's hegemony.
Djokovic played a flawless first two sets before Nadal won the third comfortably. The Serbian was able to raise the bar once again in the fourth set and close out the game, winning 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 and taking home his first Wimbledon title.