20 for 20: No. 17, Schiavone d. Stosur, 2010 French Open

Last year, for the 50th anniversary of TENNIS Magazine, we focused on the past. Given the tome of stories we’d told, and the trove of players and matches we’d witnessed over the past half-century, it was only natural to look back.

And it was comical to even consider doing something similar this year, for the 20th anniversary of TENNIS.com. So we’re taking the opposite approach, and instead focusing on the future. All throughout the week, we’ll be talking about what’s next for the sport, the website and much more.

It wouldn’t be an anniversary, though, without a countdown. But how do you count down events that haven’t yet happened? By predicting what will come to be.

With that said, we present TENNIS.com’s 20 for 20: Twenty matches that we’ll still be talking about twenty years from now. We’ve restricted this list to matches that have taken place in the last 10 years—or, as 20 for 20 author Steve Tignor has put it, “The Golden Decade.” (If you haven’t read our 50th Anniversary Moments or Tournament of Champions, also written by Steve, I implore you to do so.)

It has been a bountiful time for tennis since TENNIS.com’s inception, and it’s anyone’s guess what the next 20 years will bring. But we believe that each of these matches will sustain the test of time.—Ed McGrogan, Senior Editor

There was an Italian invasion on the final Sunday at Roland Garros in 2010. It had been a long time coming; in the 119-year history of the event, no woman from the country had ever played for the title, let alone won it. But when 17th-seeded, 29-year-old Francesca Schiavone made a surprise run to the final that year, Italian supporters donned matching shirts and hats and packed several sections of the stands to cheer their 5’5” Cinderella on.

Schiavone, reveling in the unlikely occasion, gave them plenty to raise their hands, Italian-style. Her opponent, the heavy-hitting Sam Stosur, had upset Serena Williams four days earlier and was favored to win. But few players have ever taken over the big stage in their first appearance on it the way Schiavone did that afternoon.

The first thing that makes this match worth remembering is what happened from 2-2 on in the second-set tiebreaker. Where most players trying for their first major tighten up when they see the finish line, Schiavone made a mad dash for it. At 2-2, she slid forward for a backhand pass winner. At 3-2, she ghosted to net and finished a point with a forehand volley winner. At 4-2, she hauled off on a forehand from the baseline. At 5-2, she carved under a perfect drop volley winner. And she won the title with a heavy topspin backhand that Stosur, supposedly the more powerful player, couldn’t handle. Any player who wants to know how to close out a big match should keep a tape of those five points handy.

The second thing worth remembering is what happened afterward. As Stosur’s last backhand sailed into the sky, Schiavone collapsed to the court and gave the clay a kiss. A few moments later, she climbed up to her Italian contingent in the stands, where they mobbed her; 119 years is a long time to wait. Was it the greatest Grand Slam champion’s climb into the stands? If nothing else, the love-fest between this player and her fans should make people who disapprove of the practice think twice.

Then Schiavone climbed back down and said “Grazie” to the crowd. Six years later, we’re still saying grazie back to Frankie for her inspiring performance that day.