7 best tennis matches of 2021
2021 had a ton of tennis action and fans were treated to some splendid matches at Grand Slams and lower-level tournaments. The season was set-up to be intriguing, with Djokovic looking for the elusive Calendar Slam and moving ahead of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam tally.
As the season progressed, fans witnessed the emergence of breakthrough players such as Emma Raducanu, Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz among others. The 2021 season saw a mix of great performances from veterans and newcomers.
Alcaraz registered the biggest win of his career by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets in the third round of the US Open. The teenager from Spain has received praise for his performances this season and has been hailed as a successor to Rafael Nadal.
Paula Badosa and Victoria Azarenka played an epic three-set match in the final of Indian Wells. They battled it out in the sweltering heat for over three hours with Badosa finally emerging victorious.
With so many great matches, picking the best of the lot can be a difficult task.
But there are still some that stood out from the rest. Here are the 7 best matches of 2021:
#7. Novak Djokovic vs Aslan Karatsev, Serbia Open
The Serbia Open returned to the ATP calendar after nine years and Novak Djokovic was the heavy favorite to win the competition. The World No. 1 had little trouble reaching the semifinals, defeating Kwon Soon-woo and compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets.
In the last eight, Djokovic was up against third seed Aslan Karatsev, who he defeated in the Australian Open semifinals just a couple of months prior to this tournament.The Russian gave him a tough fight in the first set and went on to win it 7-5.
The World No. 1 fought back and took the second set 6-4. However, Karatsev stunned the Serb in the third set and clinched it 6-4 to complete the upset. It was an intense encounter between two warriors that lasted three hours and 25 minutes.
Karatsev saved 23 break points to defeat Djokovic and enter the final of the Serbia Open where he lost to Matteo Berrettini.
#6. Leylah Fernandez vs Elina Svitolina, US Open
Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez had a great run at the US Open. After coming from a set down to defeat Naomi Osaka in the third round, she defeated another former champion in kerber" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Angelique Kerber to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
In the quarterfinals, Fernandez was up against fifth seed Elina Svitolina, who was yet to drop a single set in the competition. The teenager started the match brilliantly and took the first set 6-3. However, Svitolina was in no mood to back down and she fought back to win the second set by the same scoreline and take the match to a decider.
Fernandez looked well set to win the match, going 5-2 up but the Ukrainian held her nerve to take it to a tiebreak. The Canadian won it 7-5 to take the third set and qualify for the semifinals.
#5. Angelique Kerber vs Sara Sorribes Tormo, Wimbledon
Former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber was seeded 25th in this year's competition. The German began with a straight-sets victory over Nina Stojanovic to seal a place in the second round.
Here, she was up against Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo, who had reached the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters earlier this year. The two played in one of the best Wimbledon matches in recent times.
Kerber took the first set 7-5 and at 4-2 in the second, looked well on course to winning the match. However, Sorribes Tormo rallied back to level the match and take it to a third set.
Kerber eventually won the decider 6-4 to put an end to an enthralling encounter that lasted three hours and 18 minutes. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed the match as both competitors were given a standing ovation.
The former World No. 1 went on to reach the semifinals of the tournament before losing to eventual winner Ashleigh Barty.
#4. Karolina Pliskova vs Amanda Anisimova, US Open
Karolina Pliskova started the US Open well by defeating wildcard Catherine McNally in straight sets. She then came up against former French Open semifinalist Amanda Anisimova in the second round.
Pliskova started the match strongly and won a tightly-contested first set 7-5. However, Anisimova did not hold back and put in a spirited effort to take the second set via a tiebreak.
Both players gave their all in the decider and once again, a tiebreak was needed to separate the two. Anisimova went 5-2 up and it looked like she would script an early upset. However, Pliskova held her nerve, saved a match point, and won the match to seal her spot in the third round. The Czech went on to reach the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by Maria Sakkari.
#3. Rafael Nadal vs Stefanos Tsitsipas, Australian Open
Rafael Nadal had little trouble reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open as he did not drop a single set. The Spaniard was up against fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last eight.
Nadal won the first two sets comprehensively and looked well on course to reach the semifinals. However, Tsitsipas fought back hard in the third and took it to a tiebreak. A series of errors from Nadal allowed the Greek to stay in the match.
Tsitsipas then won the fourth set 6-4 before taking the fifth 7-5 to script a magnificent comeback and reach the semifinals.
#2 Alexander Zverev vs Stefanos Tsitsipas, Cincinnati Masters
Alexander Zverev had a good run at Cincinnati as he reached the semifinals without dropping a set. Standing between him and a place in the final was second seed Tsitsipas, who had defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets in the quarterfinals.
Zverev, who was seeded third in the tournament, took the first set 6-4 but his opponent fought back to take the second 6-3.
The deciding set saw both players play some excellent tennis and take it to a tiebreak. Zverev eventually edged past Tsitsipas to win the match and seal a place in the final where he defeated Andrey Rublev to win the tournament.
#1 Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic, French Open
Like every other French Open in the past 15 years, Rafael Nadal was the favorite to win this year's tournament. The Spaniard had an easy route to the quarterfinals where he defeated Diego Schwartzman.
In the semis, he was up against Djokovic and despite the Serb's form, the Spaniard was the favorite to win. Nadal started brilliantly and took the first set 6-3. However, the World No.1 fought back strongly to take the second by the same scoreline.
The third set was closely contested and went to a tiebreak and Djokovic won it 7-4 to take the lead in the match. Nadal tried his best to stage a comeback but the Serb remained dominant, winning the fourth set 6-2 to seal his place in the final.
While the match finished in four sets, it was highly entertaining with some splendid tennis from both competitors. Djokovic went on to win his second Roland Garros by defeating Tsitsipas in the final.