Tennis special edition: Top ten greatest surprises in 2010 – Part II
Here is the second part highlighting the top ten most unexpected moments of the 2010 tennis calendar.
8. Rafael Nadal completes Career Grand Slam
During the initial stages of Rafa’s career, he was famously known as a dirt baller.
After the Spaniard captured the Wimbledon title in a marathon five setter clash versus the Swiss tennis master Roger Federer, he proved his doubters, who called him as a clay court player only, wrong.
However, the US Open was also the Spaniard’s nemesis and after the grind of a lengthy year, he always looked to be worn down by the time he arrived in New York.
This time contrary to everyone’s expectations, Nadal did well to manage his schedule and made a strong appearance at the Flushing Meadows by making his way into his first ever U.S Open final and eventually winning the title.
The Spaniard performed brilliantly right from the start of the tournament and particularly in the title battle versus the World number three, Novak Djokovic, in order to complete his career Grand Slam.
As a result, he registered his name as the seventh player in the history of the game to capture all four Grand Slam titles in his career.
7. Andy Murray Still major less
Right from the start of the year, every one predicted Andy Murray to win his maiden Grand Slam title but sadly that never happened.
Rafael was injured and almost everyone was writing him off. However, in spite of the fact that the Scott made it into the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne, he was outlasted by Federer, who didn’t let him play his natural game in the title battle.
The final loss badly affected the confidence of the twenty-three year old Scott and as a result he couldn’t reach that far in any of the other majors this season. At the French Open and Wimbledon, he was dismissed in the round of sixteen.
However, the most shocking performance was his third round exit at the United States Open in New York. He was sent packing at the hands of Stanislas Wawrinka, who played the match of his life to beat the Scott.
As, the Scott couldn’t win his maiden Grand Slam this season, one wonders if he will ever able to do so in the future?
6. Serena Williams skips the United States Open
World number two, Serena Williams, from the United States of America may not contest in great majority of the tournaments during the year, however, she always take part in the Grand Slam events.
However, this year has been a different story for the top ranked American as after capturing her Wimbledon title at the All England Club, she injured her right foot due to which she couldn’t participate in New York.
It was her last tournament till date, as Williams also withdrew from competitions in Cincinnati, Montreal and Istanbul. However, no one noticed her withdrawal from all these events but when she announced her absence from this season’s U.S Open, things got
serious as the United States Open without her is just like peanut butter without jelly.
There is no one in the World, who was not shocked when Williams, came out wearing that massive boot on her right foot after her surgery. Were you not?
5. Andrea Petkovic upset Nadia Petrova
The best dancer on the tour, Andrea Petkovic had a breakthrough season in 2010. The twenty-two year old German posted her best result at the United States Open when she got the better of seventeen seed Nadia Petrova in straight sets.
Andrea is currently ranked number thirty-six in the World by the WTA. This woman has spunk and everyone is hoping to see more of her talent in the next couple of years.
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