Kyrgios-Tsitsipas Classic Among Best ATP Matches Of 2020
Last week, ATPTour.com looked at the best Grand Slam matches, comebacks and upsets of 2020. Now, we will reflect on the most memorable matches, comebacks and upsets from ATP Tour events this year, starting with the best matches.
From two classic showdowns in Australia at the inaugural ATP Cup to a bruising battle of contrasts on Rome’s red clay, these are three of the top five ATP Tour matches of the season.
5) Nick Kyrgios def. Stefanos Tsitsipas, ATP Cup, Brisbane, RR, 7 January 2020 (Match Stats)
Team Australia had already booked its spot in the Final Eight of the inaugural ATP Cup, and Team Greece was eliminated. But Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas still put on one of the most intense matches of the season — in a fun way — at the ATP Cup.
In 2019, the pair met for the first time at the Citi Open, where Kyrgios won in a final-set tie-break, so it was no surprise that this match was a cracker. There were no service breaks, just a combined 43 aces, jaw-dropping shotmaking, tweeners and, most importantly, a memorable atmosphere.
It felt like a football match in Australia, with both players not just showing great skill, but plenty of emotions. Kyrgios, who never shies away from a show, was leaving everything on the court. At one point he even dropped to his back in exhaustion after chasing down several shots in the second set.
Tsitsipas got a point penalty for hitting a ball into the Team Greece Team Zone, as members of his team tried to calm him down. The Aussie fan section “We The People” banged its drums as Greek fans chanted in unison for Tsitsipas. Both players used the raucous crowd to push themselves forward and play some sensational tennis.
There was no discernable difference in level between the two stars, and there was never a doubt that a point here and there would make the difference. With the final-set tie-break still on serve, Kyrgios crushed a backhand return winner to seal a 7-6(7), 6-7(3), 7-6(5) victory.
“I served really well in big moments,” Kyrgios said. “But the atmosphere was awesome.”
4) Novak Djokovic def. Daniil Medvedev, ATP Cup, Sydney, SF, 10 January 2020 (Match Stats)
Perhaps Serbian Novak Djokovic most succinctly summed up his ATP Cup semi-final classic against tricky Russian Daniil Medvedev in January: “Exciting, exhausting, joyful, dreadful all at once.”
Entering the match, Medvedev had some confidence having won two consecutive clashes against Djokovic. The unorthodox righty quickly dropped the first set with an uncharacteristic 12 unforced errors, and then he changed his strategy. Medvedev became a mirror.
Medvedev began putting ball after ball into play, making for an abundance of grinding rallies in which neither man was willing to make a mistake. Djokovic is not often bent over from exhaustion. Usually it’s his opponents who are gasping for air and solutions, but this time it was the Serbian.
“At one point we both refused to miss from baseline, so it was a lot of rallies and it was very exhausting,” Djokovic said. “[It was a] very physical battle, but also [a] mental battle.”
One advantage Djokovic had was the crowd, which was pro-Serbian throughout the tournament. It was as if the atmosphere gave the World No. 2 an extra boost to overcome the physicality of the match and find a way to win the big points. Djokovic was able to summon his reserves in the critical moments, ultimately triumphing 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.
“[It was] definitely one of the most exciting matches I have played against him or any other top player [the] past few years,” Djokovic said.
3) Diego Schwartzman def. Denis Shapovalov, Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome, SF, 20 September 2020 (Match Stats)
Styles make matches, and high stakes make those clashes even more gripping. Diego Schwartzman and Denis Shapovalov’s Rome semi-final duel had all of that and more.
Schwartzman entered the match fresh off a stunning upset of Rafael Nadal. The Argentine called that performance his “best match ever”, but the 28-year-old still was trying to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final, which would come with a chance at cracking the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time. Shapovalov, a dynamic lefty, knew if Schwartzman did not win the title, he would be the one making his maiden appearance in the Top 10 after the tournament.
This became a classic battle between Shapovalov’s unrelenting offence and Schwartzman’s unbreakable defence. Against Nadal, the Argentine played aggressively and came out on top in cat-and-mouse points. But Shapovalov showed no interest in allowing that, swinging away and trying to bulldoze through the Italian clay.
As the gruelling rallies went on towards the end of the second and third sets, both men barely mustered enough energy to celebrate. Schwartzman simply stared at his team as he caught his breath. The Argentine appeared like a dam ready to break, as Shapovalov’s blows proved difficult to fend off indefinitely. But after failing to serve out the match, the Canadian began misfiring with his forehand, while Schwartzman remained in “lockdown mode” to emerge victorious 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4) after three hours and 15 minutes.
“I’m very, very happy. I think today was a crazy match, it was really tough for us,” Schwartzman said. “On my side I’m very happy because I have the win.”
Schwartzman was unable to complete his dream run, losing against Novak Djokovic in the final. But while Shapovalov cracked the Top 10 the next week, the Argentine also accomplished the feat later in the year following a career-best Grand Slam run at Roland Garros, where he reached the semi-finals.
Read Our ‘Best Of 2020’ Series
Tomorrow: The best two matches of 2020 at ATP Tour tournaments.