Biggest upsets of 2011 ATP season: Part Four – Tennis Special
Unexpected results in a game are a part of it and tennis has eventually grown into a sport in which you can’t tell when a top ranked player will bow out to an opponent ranked far below him. Consistency to perform is the key to
rule the tennis courts but it appears just a matter of time that some top class performers fail to deliver their best on certain days, letting a surprise result in the end. However, it is rarely seen that a Top-10 contestant suffers a defeat at the hands of
an average ranked player but whenever it happens, it is something which is never forgotten for a long time.
We shall keep our review of reviving the classic upset matches of the 2011 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) season, which shall always be remembered by the tennis fans for the sheer entertainment they provided to them.
Ivan Dodig vs. Rafael Nadal – Montreal Masters; Second Round
Former world number one, Rafael Nadal of Spain, had a terrible 2011 ATP season according to his set high standards. His dominance over the game was brutally ravaged by the emergence of the current world number one, Novak Djokovic
of Serbia, who not only dethroned the Spaniard from the world number one spot, but also deprived him from six ATP championship winning opportunities this year.
Nadal managed to bag just three titles this season, falling in the final of six ATP events to the mighty Serbian. Nadal lost four ATP Masters 1000 finals and two of the Grand Slams (at Wimbledon, 4-6, 1-6, 6-1, 3-6, and the US
Open, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6(3), 1-6) to finish the season with 69-15 winning record.
It was after his heart-breaking loss to Djokovic in the final of Wimbledon when Nadal played the second round matchup at the Montreal Masters in Canada. The Spaniard received a bye to face the then world number 41, Ivan Dodig of
Croatia, in the round of 32. It was hardly expected that the Croat underdog would take down the second ranked opponent but it was what actually happened in the match.
Dodig had one championship title under his belt this year when he went heads-on with Nadal at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. Nadal was off to his usual ballistic start in the contest and pocketed the opening set at 6-1, without any
serious resistance from the Croatian. The Spaniard lead the second set 3-1 earlier and then was serving for the match at 5-3 when a huge momentum swing was seen in the game. Dodig broke the Spanish serve twice to enforce a tie-breaker round and eventually
closed out the second set at 7-6(5).
The final set went to the wire, with both men labouring extremely hard to come out as the winner and another decisive tie-breaker round came into play. Dodig remained focused in the game and went on to stun everyone by bagging
the match at 7-6(5), dumping Nadal from the ATP Masters Series event.
“I had to close the match with the 5-3 [lead] in the third set. I had to close that match probably in the second when I was playing very well, 6-1, 3-1," lamented Nadal.
It was the biggest victory for the Croat competitor and shall always be remembered for its nail biting finish in the tie-breaker round.
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