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Who is the biggest spoiler in tennis history?

12K views 154 replies 91 participants last post by  WTA_Groupie 
#1 ·
By 'spoiler' I mean, a player who has failed to read the script and either won as a heavy underdog, or didn't allow a sentimental favourite a sweet victory that tennis fans and tennis history would have wanted. I can think of a few, but for me, it has to be Lindsay Davenport beating Steffi at Wimbledon in 1999. Had Steffi won that match after winning the French Open the previous month it would surely have gone down as one of the greatest swansongs in history. Instead, Lindsay, who had never even reached a semi at Wimbledon before came out and methodically won the title denying Steffi and the crowd the fairytale ending everyone was expecting.
 
#53 ·
This is definitely a good one. Everybody thought Stosur would run away with the title after defeating Henin and Serena and Franny went out there and beat her in the final.

Another one I will say is Bartoli against Lisicki at Wimbledon this year. After the draw fell apart with Serena, Maria, and Azarenka being knocked out everyone assumed Lisicki would win considering she knocked Serena out and had other good wins and then Bartoli rolls right over her in the final.
 
#10 ·
All really great examples. I'm going to go back a little in history. I would nominate 1919 Wimbledon final. Mrs. Lambert Chambers was the seven-time Wimbledon champion and it was the first Wimbledon after the Great War. The British fans definitely wanted a Chambers victory and the Lenglen win was a huge upset. It didn't end Chambers career but victory there for her would've been sweet for the Brits considering how close the match was.
 
#13 ·
Majoli's FO-1997 victory springs to my mind first. Denied teenage prodigy Legentina the glory of a calendar-year Grand Slam :(
 
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#28 ·
THIS. Definitely. Would have, literally, been even more of a legendary year for Hingis. And Majoli did absolutely nothing of record other than that French victory.

Most of TF is seemingly unaware of anything that happened pre-2005....
 
#16 ·
Serena Williams. AO 2007. No doubt.

The script was that she had been written off and the changing of the guard was well in hand. The new Queen was Maria. Williams was out of shape, undedicated and disinterested. The idea that she could win AO in the shape that she was in was purported to be an insult to the field and the game itself.

Obviously, Serena didn't read the script. ...or she had final draft. :lol:
 
#17 ·
Even though her win ended up being a huge story in itself, I think a more recent one for me would probably be Bartoli in Wimbledon 2013. I don't know about other countries, but here, pretty much every second week article about the womens tournament was focused on Lisicki and how it was seemingly her time, but then Bartoli sprung up at the end.

The first one that sprung to mind was Iva Majoli in 1997, though I see a few other people got that one too! :lol:
 
#19 ·
Completely forgot about Majoli beating Hingis in 1997. That was quite a big one.

Definitely Martinez winning Wimbledon in 1994 and ASV winning FO in 1998 spoiled the party.

Actually, ASV was a big spoiler in my view. She had a knack of upsetting Graf and denied us what could have been some good finals between Seles and Graf, most notably FO 1991 and USO 1992. She also put paid to what would have been a second consecutive calendar grand slam by Graf in 1989.

Bartoli this year definitely spoiled what seemed like the crowning of Queen Sabine.

Maruesmo possibly could be seen as spoiling Justine winning Wimbledon. She really should have at least 1 Wimbledon title.

Pretty much anyone who beat Monica after the stabbing was a bit of a spoiler in my view.
 
#101 ·
To me this one seems far and away the biggest.
 
#22 ·
Kuznetsova def. Safina 2009 French final. After the heavy defeat from Serena in the AO final she was finally going to break through and win her first major. Safina demolished the field (except Vika) that tournament with bagels and/or breadsticks dished out until the QF and had also beaten Sveta in a clay leadup (actually I think they split warm-up clay meetings that year). Her clay leadup season was also the best that year IIRC.

We all know what happened ;). Looking back it was stupid that some wrote off Sveta, 'cause she had beaten Dinara in a clay lead-up and also had experience in slam finals.
 
#23 ·
Dementieva's injury at the 2010 FO.

She was hurt and still took Schiavone a tie-break to win that first set in what was a heart-breaking moment for those who knew Elena deserved to win a major.


Also, Henin in AO 2006.

Mauresmo didn't get to celebrate her first slam win the way she should have. Especially considering her last two matche were wins by retirement. :tape:
 
#29 ·
Dementieva beating Capriati USO 2004. Capriati was in the SF's again after losing to Henin in that epic the year before. She had just beaten Serena and no way was she going to lose to no-serve Dementieva in that semi. This was maybe her last real push at a slam and she had a very realistic chance to take the title. But she lost :worship:

Also Bartoli winning Wimbledon this year - everyone wanted sweet Sabine to win after doing all the hard work taking out Serena and Radwanska.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Dementieva beating Capriati USO 2004. Capriati was in the SF's again after losing to Henin in that epic the year before. She had just beaten Serena and no way was she going to lose to no-serve Dementieva in that semi. This was maybe her last real push at a slam and she had a very realistic chance to take the title. But she lost :worship:

Also Bartoli winning Wimbledon this year - everyone wanted sweet Sabine to win after doing all the hard work taking out Serena and Radwanska.
This and also the Capriati Myskina 2004 FO SF. Capriati had beaten Serena for the first time at a slam since Wimbledon 2001 and was the only player left in the draw that seemingly had a shot at taking the title. She comes out against Myskina and is completely flat and listless and loses in straight sets.

Stosur against Henin 2010 FO.... Henin had made a comeback almost as impressive as Clijsters and manages to lose to Stosur at the slam which most figured would be a cakewalk for Justine.

Clijsters Azarenka 2012 AO SF. Clijsters had repeated another come from behind victory against Li and looked as though she was going to win yet another Australian Open but was stopped by an Azarenka that was serving out of her mind and refused to lose.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Wimbledon 2004. Sharapova barely beats Davenport in the SFs and blitzes Serena in Maria's 1st ever Final (And Maria's only slam win against Serena).

Maria Henin USO 2006. Maria had been beaten by Henin at the AO earlier in the year, was 1-4 in the matchup and comes out playing one of her best matches, dismantling Henin's chances at winning a (at the time) 2nd USO.

Schiavone Li FO 2011. Schiavone had produced her cinderella run to the title in 2010 and manages to get back to the final for a second time only to lose to Li in her only slam victory.

Serena Clijsters 2003 AO SF. Kim managed to stop the seemingly unstoppable march of Serena's 2002 Dominance at the YEC and looks as though she is finally going to break through and win a slam only to lose a 5-1 lead in the 3rd. That year would end up being one of Kim's best with her winning basically everything bar the slams.

Pierce Graf FO SF 1994. Pierce makes Graf look like a lower rung top 10 player in a scary run to the Final, only to lose to ASV.
 
#32 ·
The 2011 US Open loss to Stosur was defo a heartbreak for US tennis fans. It was basically a tailor-made story of a comeback. Serena had absolutely destroyed everyone that was relevant on HCs that Summer, and then *that* final happened. It's kinda ironic that Sam spoiled the fairy tale ending given the fact that she had her fairy tale ending spoiled by Fran (I mean......NOBODY gave Fran a chance in that final......NOBODY). It felt like a heartbreaker @ the time but the story that would be for Serena ended up being more compelling the next year.

I still do NOT know how Davenport did not get a slam with her impeccable 2004/2005 seasons. In 2004, she had great chances to win Wimbledon and the US Open but got stopped in the semis (2004 US Open was her best shot that year). Then in 2005, she lost two heartbreaking slam finals to the WS in their "comeback" slam victories.

Y'all can choose your poison with Capriati. She lost three USO SFs in a 3rd set tiebreaker. That has to suck, especially in your HOME slam. I think 2004 against Dementevia had to hurt the most. That was her last real push @ a slam.
 
#49 ·
The 2011 US Open loss to Stosur was defo a heartbreak for US tennis fans. It was basically a tailor-made story of a comeback. Serena had absolutely destroyed everyone that was relevant on HCs that Summer, and then *that* final happened. It's kinda ironic that Sam spoiled the fairy tale ending given the fact that she had her fairy tale ending spoiled by Fran (I mean......NOBODY gave Fran a chance in that final......NOBODY). It felt like a heartbreaker @ the time but the story that would be for Serena ended up being more compelling the next year.

I still do NOT know how Davenport did not get a slam with her impeccable 2004/2005 seasons. In 2004, she had great chances to win Wimbledon and the US Open but got stopped in the semis (2004 US Open was her best shot that year). Then in 2005, she lost two heartbreaking slam finals to the WS in their "comeback" slam victories.

Y'all can choose your poison with Capriati. She lost three USO SFs in a 3rd set tiebreaker. That has to suck, especially in your HOME slam. I think 2004 against Dementevia had to hurt the most. That was her last real push @ a slam.


She was injured.

It was the LAST SLAM she played.

She only played ONE more tournament after that.

Philadelphia 1r d. Shaughnessy 4-6 6-3 6-4
Philadelphia 2r lost to. Zvonareva 0-6 1-6.

NEVER PLAYED AGAIN. SOB.
 
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