Spaghetti's 10 Best Matches of 2012.

The votes are in. Here are the matches of 2012 as decided by the Main Event Lads, and presented by Spaghetti Hans. We were looking for two key attributes - quality of play, and significance of action -and we feel this list is definitive. We welcome your thoughts.

10. Del Potro def. Roddick. U.S Open. 4th Round.
A sentimental choice to kick off proceedings. Watching the American Patriot tear up as he faced serve on Arthur Ashe for the final time was a moment of great emotion. The end of an era for many followers of the game who had grown up believing that Roddick would be a multiple slam champion until he ran into The Greatest The Game Has Ever Seen in Roger Federer. This match - an entertaining 4 set slobberknocker - was a fitting finale to an impressive career.

9. Murray def. Baghdatis. Wimbledon. 3rd Round.
This one was all about the atmosphere, as the dark closed around Centre Court and the clock ticked closer to 11pm. Murray wasn't at his freewheeling best by any means and the jovial Baghdatis was in no mood to pass up his moment under the hot lights of SW19. Yet as Murray realized the prospect of the match running on into the 2nd Week was a genuine possibility, his shot-making kicked into action, and he wrapped up the game in double-quick time.

8. Del Potro def. Djokovic. Olympic Bronze Medal Match.
Del Potro on a good day is one of the finest sights in tennis. And today was a good day. Djokovic, still smarting from his loss to Murray, was not at his best but rallied early in set two. Del Potro's defeat in the Semi's to Federer was no surprise to him or us. He knew from the moment the draw was released that Bronze was his, and his nation's, best hope of a medal, and the Argentine flag-bearer unleashed his ferocious, patriotic intensity on court. He was a worthy and popular winner.

7. Federer def. Murray. World Tour Finals Semi.
You knew it wouldn't be long before King Roger graced this list with his presence. Young pretender versus Living Legend. A routine 2 sets match was elevated to the heights by Federer's virtuoso shotmaking. The first set was a titanic tussle, the second a formality - but Federer was sublime throughout. The match also achieved infamy as the London crowd booed their 'Home Town Hero' - but Murray should not be overly concerned - no player, Olympic Gold-Medallist or otherwise, can match the adulation bestowed upon 8-time Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award winner and 10-Time ATP Fans' Favourite, Roger Federer.

6. Murray def. Djokovic. U.S Open Final.
You will start to see a trend emerging of Djokovic losing the most entertaining matches - it seems the Djoker rarely has the last laugh. With impartial hindsight this was not a great U.S Open final by any means - cruelly stripped of Federer's majestry - it was a high-powered match of hit and hopes with few points that really caught fire. Rarely has a 5 set match done so little. Yet it places highly on our list for its significance: a first Murray Slam - the end of British Red Top derision, and a long-delayed and well-deserved place in the history books.

5. Federer def. Djokovic. Wimbledon Semi.
For the first time in a long long while The Swiss Maestro entered a match on Centre Court without the burden of being the favourite - naysayers and fools believed that his time was close to the end - instead he branded his racket like a conductors baton and gave us pure Mozart. The lush lawns of Wimbledon have long been his fortress, and on this day he rolled back the years and produced a performance worthy of royalty. It is said that the watching Rod Laver wept a single tear as he realized that he would never again be called the best - he had seen enough today to make him realize that he had been greedy trying desperately to cling on to his GOAT badge - Federer was majestic: a 7th Wimbledon and Inner Peace were just one match away...

4. Verdasco def. Nadal. Madrid Masters. 3rd Round.
Long the master of the red muck of Roland Garros, could Nadal deliver on the blue seas of Madrid? To the great surprise of his Mallorcan fisherman brethren it soon became clear he couldn't. Despite a 0-13 record against The Clay Potter, Verdasco refused to succumb again - time and time again he fought counter-punching with deep, incisive attacking forehands. Rallying from 2 breaks down in the final set, Verdasco began to out-manoeuvre Nadal, and clinched an unlikely victory. Nadal's belief was shaken - he quickly threatened to never return to the unfamiliar blue clay - but the damage was done. A marker had been laid down - even here in Nadal's home country - attacking tennis could yet prevail.

3. Djokovic def. Murray. Australian Open Semi.
And so Djokovic finally wins one of these - and lucky for him it's the best of the lot. The match had it all - shot-making of the very highest order, unbearable tension, and the feeling that we, as tennis fans, were on the cusp of something new. With Nadal perennially injured and Federer sure to one day lay down his racket and walk off into a golden sunset, Djokovic v Murray is a match-up that we can expect to see in finals for years to come. This was by no means the first time they'd met, but it was the first time they'd met as genuinely world-class players - and the quality of tennis we saw that day was a testament to that fact. A fantastic advert for the game with only one downside: Djokovic put it all on the line against Murray, and so by the time of the Final he was completely spent. Despite sleepwalking to a routine victory, Djokovic v Nadal underwhelmed, and as the Melbourne crowd's minds continuously cast themselves back to the exhilarating semi, they roused themselves from their stupor only for the occasional chants of 'booooring... booooring....'

2. Federer def. Murray. Wimbledon Final.
Britain expected. The anticipation was at fever pitch, the papers could talk of nothing else - was today the day that years of hurt would be put to bed? Was today the day Roger Federer would claim his record-equalling 7th Wimbledon title? They were not disappointed. Murray played his part by taking the tight first set, and the 2nd could have gone either way. There were moments of brilliance, and two of the most respected attacking exponents of the game proved that they are unafraid to get dirty and fight as one 20 minute game attested to. But once the rain fell and the roof closed, it was the Swiss Maestro's grass-court wizardry that took over. The match was won in four - the crowd rose in ovation, bowing to their master - beneficiaries of greatness. This was destiny, this was vindication. Murray would have other chances (and who knew quite how soon he would take one?), but this mattered more to Federer, and to the game he loved. A year which had begun with doubts and recrimination had turned to gold. Federer was a 17-time Grand Slam Champion, and had risen to number one in the world once again.

1. Rosol def. Nadal. Wimbledon. 2nd Round.
Who could argue? In terms of earth-shattering impact and bone-rattling tennis this was the match that topped them all. French Open Champion Rafael Nadal against world number 100, Lukas Rosol - a counterpunch here, a moonball there, and surely Nadal would win this in 3 right? How wrong we all were. Rosol was electric - the period of sustained hitting in set five left jaws on floors, and proponents of the defensive game running for the hills. It is the intensity and fervour in Rosol's eyes that lives longest in the memory. It was as if he knew that he held the candle for attacking tennis in his sweaty palms, and he would do all he could to make sure Centre Court caught fire. Forehand after frightening forehand came crashing down on the Mallorcan fisherman, and there was nothing he could do. Oh those heady days! It was like living through a fever dream, or seeing a man speak in tongues. Rosol promptly fell in straight sets to Kohlschreiber in the next round, and Nadal was never seen again. No match did more to change the landscape of men's tennis in 2012.

Djokovic Nadal Aus final 2012 was indeed good in its ways. This doesn't come from me just because I am a hardcore Nadal fan.

Agreed it was a bit too long but it had its share of exhilarating and pulsating rallies that had the crowd wanting for more at times. I'll never forget Rafa's incredible 0-40 comeback in the fourth set.

I'm not sure if I can buy Djokovic being undercooked for the final courtesy his exhausting semi, since Rafa had undergone the same situation in 2009. Plus Djokovic has shown that he is a supremely fit athlete.

I'm pretty sure this match will rank among the top 5 grand slam matches listed by the ATP website. This is my view but I wholeheartedly respect the views of others.

Good stuff pasta man

Excellent summaries, a little bit too whimsical when the legend isn't in your matches - but we'll forgive you for that

I did actually think the Olympic final (simply because there was a 30 minute spell when both were at their best, which simply means the best Tennis out there) and possibly either of the SF's were up there - but we'll all have our own views

A magnificent tour de force of an article.

Bookmakers have immediately closed their doors to bets on "article of the year".

Good article although I would replace the Olympic bronze medal match with federer-Jmdp Olympic match which I thought was 4.5 hrs of top notch tennis.



emancipator

Rosol match is always overplayed by the Nadal detractors. Not a great quality match until the 5th set actually, Nadal was poor through out TBH. But he had the match in his hands after securing the 4th set only to find the TD decided to close the roof and take a 45min break that killed the momentum. Rosol decided to come out and swing his racquet, luckily for him every shot went in. Just one of those perfect days for him but non-repeatable. Changed the landscape? Dont think so...Nadal's AWOL has been due to injury not mental breakdown from a freak loss. Did the injury-beak give more chances to other players, well of course.

Likewise, if you want to attribute significance to the Smurf-Teflon-Clay event that had the best movers of Nadal and Djokovic sliding all over the place then fair enough. I'm sure Fernando shook Tiriac's hand soundly afterwards.

Matches that also stood out for me:
Tsonga vs Djokovic (RG)
Benneteau vs Federer (Wimb)
Raonic vs Tsonga (OG)
Federer vs Nadal (AO)

Given Rosol´s amazing claim to fame I was most impressed with his contribution to the Davis cup wasn´t you Lydian.?? Nice to see that the Chechs needed him. Perhaps they thought he might embarass Berdy and Turbot if he played.. Still he sits well on a bench at any rate

Be afraid oh Haddie, be very afraid.

The Nadal slayer lies in wait.

He will humble the (not-so-humble-not-so-young-anymore) bull again.

He reserves his strength for that service to humanity.

Be wary of scoffing at the Nadal slayer.



emancipator

Dont make me laugh em... afraid of a troll.. Nadal slayers play tennis they are they only kind that bother me. You hold a conversation with a troll thats your priviledge a troll posts like an a$$hole because in real life he probably is.

Haddie Haddie Haddie - you do have a short temper don't you... Our esteemed colleague Emancipator wasn't referring to us as The Nadal Slayer (we leave that privilege to our patron, Roger Federer), but instead to Lukas Rosol - who as our post makes clear, slew poor Rafa in our Match of the Year.

Glad to see our list is stimulating some much needed debate...

As for the posts questioning our choice of the Bronze Medal match on the list - all valid points. Any of the final 4 games of that tournament could indeed have been chosen. However we felt that the Murray v Federer final, despite its undoubted quality was possibly the pair's weakest match of the year. And as much as watching Federer shine in a 4 and a half hour semi is always a privilege, we just felt that the match up between two of the games most well-known patriots, Djokovic and Del Potro, in a straight shoot-out to win their nations a rare medal was ultimately the more significant and enjoyable encounter.

Given Rosol´s amazing claim to fame I was most impressed with his contribution to the Davis cup wasn´t you Lydian.?? Nice to see that the Chechs needed him. Perhaps they thought he might embarass Berdy and Turbot if he played.. Still he sits well on a bench at any rate .
Haddie-nuff

No spamming please Haddie.

But in answer to your implicit question, Rosol's role on the team was to deter Nadal from making a last-minute, sneak-attack return to Davis Cup Tennis. So in many ways his contribution was the greatest...

haha...I'm sure the guy who turned around a deficit against Djokovic from 0-7 to 3-0 must really fear The Rosol. I'm sure Lukas' career will now be every bit as good as George Bastl's...

rafa fan forever wrote:Djokovic Nadal Aus final 2012 was indeed good in its ways. This doesn't come from me just because I am a hardcore Nadal fan.

Agreed it was a bit too long but it had its share of exhilarating and pulsating rallies that had the crowd wanting for more at times. I'll never forget Rafa's incredible 0-40 comeback in the fourth set.

I'm not sure if I can buy Djokovic being undercooked for the final courtesy his exhausting semi, since Rafa had undergone the same situation in 2009. Plus Djokovic has shown that he is a supremely fit athlete.

I'm pretty sure this match will rank among the top 5 grand slam matches listed by the ATP website. This is my view but I wholeheartedly respect the views of others.

Hm, maybe you don't realise, but the OP is an anti-Nadal, Federrer-loving WUM that has deliberately excluded the obviously memorable AO final as a wind up.

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:
But in answer to your implicit question, Rosol's role on the team was to deter Nadal from making a last-minute, sneak-attack return to Davis Cup Tennis. So in many ways his contribution was the greatest...

Do you honestly believe that?
I mean seriously, hand on toe, do you actually think this is why Rosol was chosen (remember Nadal had already been declared injured before the Czezh team were chosen).

Or are you just trolling??

I agree with most of those matches, although I would have the Murrsy Djokovic match in the Olympic semi in there somewhere. That was a really great match, as was their shanghai match recently.

And I'm a bit confused by this "Federer is the Nadal slayer" claim. The h2h is 18-10 to Rafa!!! And 8-2 to Rafa in slams!! The slayer needs to sharpen his weapon methinks.

Dont feed the troll!

It Must Be Love - Rosol was justifiably chosen for the team because he is the Czech Number 3.

Do we believe that Nadal could have made a shock appearance at the tournament? We wouldn't have put it past him or the Spanish team. He is after all publicly back in training now, conveniently just days after the final - and has according to Spanish source, David J Nadal, been training in private for some time...

(http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/nadal-prepares-for-a-return/)

He was not fully fit (but then he hasn't been in almost every tournament he has played in recent years), but he could have made it.

Is it really so ludicrous that the sight of the man who humbled him, Lukas Rosol, on the Czech team might have convinced him that it was not worth pushing forward his return?

It Must Be Love wrote:

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:
But in answer to your implicit question, Rosol's role on the team was to deter Nadal from making a last-minute, sneak-attack return to Davis Cup Tennis. So in many ways his contribution was the greatest...

Do you honestly believe that?
I mean seriously, hand on toe, do you actually think this is why Rosol was chosen (remember Nadal had already been declared injured before the Czezh team were chosen).

Or are you just trolling??

IMBL... oh can you not see what this nutter is....wakey wakey !!!

Danny - Fair point: There were members of our collective who voted in favour of the Djokovic v Murray Shanghai Showdown. The 2nd set in particular was widely praised, but we felt that its slightly tame end, and our collective desire to reward Andy Roddick for a fine career meant that it just missed out on a place in our list. Consider it 11th.

And as for that old head to head chestnut - this is not a Federer v Nadal article and we have no agenda to put forward - we are just glad to see that our article is sparking such fine debate and bringing back so many memories of a vintage year for the sport.

Dear sweet Haddie...

The unbridled fervor with which you love Rafael Nadal and your irrational blindness to the truths we tell, is reminiscent of someone from ye Olde 606....

Are you in fact the infamously short-tempered.... Deecoco?

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Troll+alert&view=detail&id=2F898683A51D12FB7D4465D7E34194C00DE1D9AC&qpvt=Troll+alert

H-n

Too much pasta isn't good for you lol

SL

This brand of pasta is poison

Sadly some of Rogers Disciples are blinkered

sportslover wrote:Sadly some of Rogers Disciples are blinkered

S-H may be special case, SL. Rumour has it that Nadal has invited Rosol and S-H for a pasta dinner.

Some "Dodgy Mushrooms" would be part of the ingredients no doubt.

That would solve Haddies problem and Rafa could also forget about Rosol, as long as he didn't get *caught lol

*Let Uncle Tony do the cooking so as to be on the safe side!

Spaghetti writes well regardless of his bias

Woah Danny duuuude, get with the program already dude. Like this was sorted out around a dozen posts ago.

There have been many Nadal slayers over the years.

However, the current Nadal Slayer is Lukas Rosol.

Capiche?



rotapicname

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:Dear sweet Haddie...

The unbridled fervor with which you love Rafael Nadal and your irrational blindness to the truths we tell, is reminiscent of someone from ye Olde 606....

Are you in fact the infamously short-tempered.... Deecoco?

It cannot be.. say it isn't so. She was ever so surly. H-N is much better.

There was one Rafalita who more than a little unhinged - the infamous Sophia - who would complain, whinge and get articles moderated and posters banned like it was going out of fashion.



rotapicname

I can't get with a program like this 'duuude'. Nadal hasn't even played for 6 months, and yet draws this level of trolling?

Each to their own, people can write what they like obviously and ultimately I don't really care.... But I just find it a little obsessive and... Weird.

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:Dear sweet Haddie...

The unbridled fervor with which you love Rafael Nadal and your irrational blindness to the truths we tell, is reminiscent of someone from ye Olde 606....

Are you in fact the infamously short-tempered.... Deecoco?

lydian wrote:Likewise, if you want to attribute significance to the Smurf-Teflon-Clay event that had the best movers of Nadal and Djokovic sliding all over the place then fair enough. I'm sure Fernando shook Tiriac's hand soundly afterwards

The Xmas crackers have started early

emancipator wrote:Woah Danny duuuude, get with the program already dude. Like this was sorted out around a dozen posts ago.

There have been many Nadal slayers over the years.

However, the current Nadal Slayer is Lukas Rosol.

Capiche?



rotapicname

Em have no fear Haddie´s here .... Just dont like Pasta especially with Rosolongnese sauce

Haddie-nuff wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote:

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:
But in answer to your implicit question, Rosol's role on the team was to deter Nadal from making a last-minute, sneak-attack return to Davis Cup Tennis. So in many ways his contribution was the greatest...

Do you honestly believe that?
I mean seriously, hand on toe, do you actually think this is why Rosol was chosen (remember Nadal had already been declared injured before the Czezh team were chosen).

Or are you just trolling??

IMBL... oh can you not see what this nutter is....wakey wakey !!!

Of course he is just trolling! He is not even trying to hide it. Look at the inclusion of the Verdasco match in the list compared to the exclusion of the AO final. That to me, is saying, I am happy to admit that this is a WUM article, I am just having a laugh.

Oh look, it's BetFred.



rotapicname

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:
Is it really so ludicrous that the sight of the man who humbled him, Lukas Rosol, on the Czech team might have convinced him that it was not worth pushing forward his return?

Once again I'm starting to furthen my belief that you are a troll, either that or your logic fails you.
Do you really believe that there was any possibility that Nadal would play the Davis Cup final before any practice on the tennis court, and didn't just because Rosol was an option for the Czech team.
I am inclined to think you are trolling, I agree with HB on this.

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:Despite sleepwalking to a routine victory, Djokovic v Nadal underwhelmed, and as the Melbourne crowd's minds continuously cast themselves back to the exhilarating semi, they roused themselves from their stupor only for the occasional chants of 'booooring... booooring....'

I am starting to form a concrete idea in my mind that you are a WUM/Troll.
I am staggered if you genuinely believe that Djokovic's victory in the 2012 Australian Open final was 'routine', in-fact considering it was the longest Grand Slam Final in Open era history which went to 5 sets (after which Djokovic and Nadal both practically collapsed on the net), 'routine' would not be the first adjective that pops into my mind.

emancipator wrote:Oh look, it's BetFred.



rotapicname

Is this an attempt at banter or are you trying to insult me?

Henman Bill wrote:

Haddie-nuff wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote:

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:
But in answer to your implicit question, Rosol's role on the team was to deter Nadal from making a last-minute, sneak-attack return to Davis Cup Tennis. So in many ways his contribution was the greatest...

Do you honestly believe that?
I mean seriously, hand on toe, do you actually think this is why Rosol was chosen (remember Nadal had already been declared injured before the Czezh team were chosen).

Or are you just trolling??

IMBL... oh can you not see what this nutter is....wakey wakey !!!

Of course he is just trolling! He is not even trying to hide it. Look at the inclusion of the Verdasco match in the list compared to the exclusion of the AO final. That to me, is saying, I am happy to admit that this is a WUM article, I am just having a laugh.

Ah... our old friend Henman Bill....

You always were quite the cynic.

Fernando Verdasco's superlative, against-all-odds victory over Nadal on the never-before-never-again blue clay of Madrid was, without doubt, one of the spectacles of the year in the men's game. Maybe you don't follow the sport very closely and just hop on the Wimbledon Bandwagon for a fortnight each summer? If so, then fair enough, Wimbledon is the 'Granddaddy of 'em all'. But those of us who watched the chaos unfold in Ian Tiriac's Blue Hell, recall fondly the power and the force that Verdasco unleashed on his less talented Spanish Stablemate in that 2-5 0-15 comeback in the 3rd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkH4q8FQ5Rs

The manner in which 'Forehando' whacked Nadal that day, in Nadal's own Capital City, on his surface of choice, was a vindication of attacking tennis - similar to Roger Federer's sublime 6-4 6-4 win over Nadal in the 2009 Madrid Final - and an inspiration to the likes of Lukas Rosol, plus every other player that has been told, 'You can't win with attacking tennis'. For Verdasco, it was glory and grandeur. For Nadal.... it was Code Blue.

The Australian Open Final, on the other hand, was a near-six hour borefest. For 5 hours - and 53 minutes - the ball sailed comfortably over the net and landed well within the lines. No excitement, no adventure.... no place on our prestigous list.

It Must Be Love wrote:

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:Despite sleepwalking to a routine victory, Djokovic v Nadal underwhelmed, and as the Melbourne crowd's minds continuously cast themselves back to the exhilarating semi, they roused themselves from their stupor only for the occasional chants of 'booooring... booooring....'

I am starting to form a concrete idea in my mind that you are a WUM/Troll.
I am staggered if you genuinely believe that Djokovic's victory in the 2012 Australian Open final was 'routine', in-fact considering it was the longest Grand Slam Final in Open era history which went to 5 sets (after which Djokovic and Nadal both practically collapsed on the net), 'routine' would not be the first adjective that pops into my mind.

We refer you to our response to Henman Bill - above.

The tennis on display in the AO Final was the epitome of 'routine'. Head down to your local club and you'll see greater offensive tennis prowess on display. A dull match, with no 'jump-up-out-of-your-seat' moments, just basic rudimentary strokes.

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote:

Spaghetti-Hans wrote:Despite sleepwalking to a routine victory, Djokovic v Nadal underwhelmed, and as the Melbourne crowd's minds continuously cast themselves back to the exhilarating semi, they roused themselves from their stupor only for the occasional chants of 'booooring... booooring....'

I am starting to form a concrete idea in my mind that you are a WUM/Troll.
I am staggered if you genuinely believe that Djokovic's victory in the 2012 Australian Open final was 'routine', in-fact considering it was the longest Grand Slam Final in Open era history which went to 5 sets (after which Djokovic and Nadal both practically collapsed on the net), 'routine' would not be the first adjective that pops into my mind.

We refer you to our response to Henman Bill - above.

You said the Australian Open Final was Djokovic sleepwalking to a 'routine victory.' In your post above you say you found it boring, which is a totally different (more subjective concept).

Either you can differentiate between them, or...
Yep, you're definitely trolling. There's no way anyone can say the AO final this year was 'routine victory' and not be trolling/ taking the p*ss.

Clean out your ears It Must Be Love - we clearly repeated our assessment of the match as 'routine' in our previous post. Lengthly, but ultimately by-the-numbers tennis from two exhausted competitors - certainly in any man's top 50 of the year - but this is the elite ten and standards must be maintained.

Who on earth are you trying to kid??

You said in the article that the AO 2012 final consisted of Djokovic 'sleepwalking' to a 'routine victory.'

Honestly it's almost as if I feel like I'm talking to a troll here.

Oh, wait a sec...

I'm afraid I'm not qualified to pass judgement on the AO final, at least only the 1st set, part of the 4th and the very end.

I went out and did various lengthy and taxing garden jobs through the other bits, confident that I would miss neither (i) anything different, and (ii) the end of the match.

bogbrush wrote:...the end of the match.

It's finished ?!

Nice to see some well written amusing posts - you don't have to agree with all the sentiments!

Oh, and some call it teasing - not wumming, which is very different to posters who have 'teased' in the past, but turned their bile and invective on other forum users. S-H seems quite good humoured throughout despite some provocation from others imvho!

Replace some of your favourite players with politicians and you might see it is a gentle satire - not a character assasination!

Nicely put TP.

Very sensible. Much better than the 'he's a troll, must be a troll, ban him quick lest he bring the end of days' hysteria that's been going around.

Yes I am also puzzled at all the bitterness and anymosity thrown at Spaghetti.

Can it be that the trolls are elsewhere (ie Amritie and Haddie) and the Fed fans are way too good to single them out?