We’re still not sure what we “ought” to call the decade that concludes on Thursday night, but we know that the past 10 years of tennis have brought us many significant moments—some sublime, some poignant, some outrageous…and two involving Serena Williams arguing with U.S. Open officials. Here are TENNIS’s picks for the most memorable tennis moments of the aughts.
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Sampras set the record for Grand Slam singles titles with his seventh Wimbledon victory. (Gerry Penny/AFP/Getty Images)1. Pete Sampras wins 2000 Wimbledon to break Roy Emerson's record for Grand Slam singles titles**
Pete Sampras knew better than anyone that the hardest part of breaking Roy Emerson’s 12 Grand Slam singles titles record really began when fans, pundits and players agreed that it was just a matter of time. And that time came—and went—in August 1999, at the U.S. Open.
Sampras, who had looked forward to breaking the record at his native championships, suffered a herniated disk in his back just days before the event began, and had to withdraw. After a long, depressing period of rest and recovery, he entered Wimbledon in July 2000 with just one title under his belt for the entire year.
But it was Wimbledon, the tournament where Sampras, with that atomic and attacking style, was at his most lethal. In keeping with the Homeric nature of his quest, Sampras pulled a muscle in his shin in practice before Wimbledon began. By the time he played his second-round match against Karol Kucera, the pain was intense. An MRI revealed a fluid build-up, and Sampras was in enough discomfort to consider pulling out of the tournament.
But a look at his draw convinced Sampras not to do anything so rash. He decided to eliminate practice altogether; the only balls he hit were in match-day warm-up and competition. Sampras was right about the draw: his opponents, in succession, were Jiri Vanek, Kucera, Justin Gimelstob, Jonas Bjorkman, Jan-Michael Gambill, Vladimir Voltchkov, and—at last—the dangerous Aussie, Pat Rafter.
Sampras lost the first set to Rafter, 12-10 in a tiebreaker. He fell behind in the second-set tiebreaker, 4-1. Rafter had two set points, but he blinked—and once Sampras won the second set, his march to the title appeared fated.
“It might look like an easy win built on an all-time easy draw, but I experienced a lot of pain and stress through those two weeks,” he said later. “Constant pain has a way of really eroding your enthusiasm and confidence. And worst of all, my parents had flown over to attend one of my Grand Slam matches for the first time in their life. I hated the idea of seeing them have to go home disappointed.”
There was no holding back the seemingly pre-ordained. --Peter Bodo
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2. Capriati wins first Grand Slam title during comeback at 2001 Australian Open*
The compelling Jennifer Capriati story saw the American evolve from prodigy to burned-out cautionary tale to sobered and matured comeback kid to champion, and her victory at the 2001 Australian Open represented the culmination of that career arc. A French Open semifinalist at 14 and an Olympic singles champion at 16, Capriati’s superlative play earned her a Sports Illustrated cover in 1990. But her arrest for marijuana possession—and the notorious mugshot that resulted—earned her negative attention not just from the tennis or sports communities, but from general news commentators, who viewed Capriati’s downfall as an example of the perils of placing high expectations on young athletes.
In contrast to the meteoric ascent she enjoyed at the beginning of her pro career, Capriati’s return to the top of tennis, post-layoff, was a long one. Back on tour in early 1996, she didn’t win a Grand Slam match until Wimbledon in 1998, when she made the second round. It was her first Slam match win in five years, but it was hardly a triumph for a player who'd been a Wimbledon quarterfinalist at 14. After recording middling results over the next two years, Capriati broke through at the 2001 Australian Open. Seeded 12th, she defeated the No. 4 seed Monica Seles in the quarters and the No. 2 seed Lindsay Davenport in the semis before dispatching with world No. 1 Martina Hingis, 6-4, 6-3, in the final. At age 24, she had finally won a major title and fulfilled the promise she had shown when she’d turned pro at age 13. Capriati went on to win the 2001 French Open, beating Kim Clijsters 12-10 in the third set of the final, and reached No. 1 for the first time in October 2001. The completion of her comeback made for one of the best sports stories of 2001. --Abigail Lorge
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!Serena Williams, Venus Williams
Serena defeated her sister Venus in the final of all four legs of the "Serena Slam." (Sean Garnsworthy/Getty Images)3. Serena Williams wins four straight majors from 2002-03 to complete "Serena Slam"**
In addition to the three women—Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court and Steffi Graf—to have completed the calendar year Grand Slam, only two other women, Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams, have held all four of tennis’ major titles simultaneously. Serena joined that elite group with a dominant run from 2002 into 2003, during which time she won the French Open, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open consecutively in a feat that was dubbed the “Serena Slam.”
What made Serena’s accomplishment even more remarkable was the fact that she defeated her sister, Venus, in each of the four finals. Venus entered the 2002 season as the two-time defending champion at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and she held a 4-1 lead over Serena in Grand Slam titles. But in winning four straight majors, Serena established herself as the superior Williams sister—and the world’s best player. And Serena’s victories over her big sister were convincing, with three of the four coming in straight sets.
Serena dropped just five sets during her run of 28 Grand Slam match victories. She lost two sets at Roland Garros in 2002, and then shut out the competition at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open: 28 sets won, none lost. Her toughest test came at the 2003 Australian Open, where she narrowly avoided a first-round upset to Emilie Loit and saved two match points against Kim Clijsters in the semis. In closing out her sister in three sets in the final, Serena completed the most dominant run tennis had seen since Graf held all four major titles from 1993-94. --Ed McGrogan
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!Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova
Sharapova's win at Wimbledon garnered the most attention, but Russian women as a whole dominated the Slams in 2004. (Getty Images)4. Russian Revolution of 2004: Sharapova wins Wimbledon; Myskina, Kuznetsova take Slam titles**
For the second half of this decade, Russia has been the dominant nation in women’s tennis. Half of the Top 10 players in the 2008 year-end rankings were Russian, and in 2004, 2006 and 2009, four of the Top 10 were Russian. The inception of this “Russian Revolution” came in 2004, when five of the eight berths in Grand Slam singles finals went to Russian players. Anastasia Myskina defeated Elena Dementieva in the French Open final to become the first Russian woman to win a major, and Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Dementieva to win the U.S. Open.
But the most enthralling major Russian victory of 2004 came at Wimbledon, where a 17-year-old Siberia native named Maria Sharapova took down Serena Williams, the defending champion and top seed, in straight sets. At age 7, Sharapova had emigrated from Russia with her father to train at Nick Bollettieri’s tennis academy (“I never cried,” she said years later). Before Wimbledon, the statuesque blond was known most for her tendency to punctuate her piercing groundies with high-decibel shrieks. But the poise and grit the gutsy Sharapova showed in her first Grand Slam final announced her as a ferocious competitor and formidable champion. Only after match point of her 6-1, 6-4 victory did she let the magnitude of the occasion get to her. In one of the more enduring images that Centre Court has seen, the teenager sank to her knees, her face in her hands, overwhelmed by the realization of what she had just accomplished. Before she became a mogul, a fashion maven, a brand, or the quintessential California girl with the Russian name, Sharapova was a 17-year-old, fulfilling a lifelong dream on one of the most majestic stages in sports. --A.L.
5. Jennifer Capriati defeats Serena Williams in 2004 U.S. Open quarterfinals with help of bad call
“No, no, no, no, no,” cried Serena Williams. “That was my point! What are you talking about? What’s going on? Excuse me? That ball was so in. What the heck is this?”
What it was was the worst line call of the decade, and the impetus for a major innovation in professional tennis: instant replay. But while the incident helped transform the game, Williams was its unfortunate victim. Facing Jennifer Capriati in the 2004 U.S. Open quarterfinals, Williams was serving at deuce in the opening game of the third set when she ended a rally with a punishing backhand. The ball landed several inches inside the sideline for a winner, and the linesperson signaled that the ball was in. But chair umpire Mariana Alves overruled, calling the ball wide and making it Capriati’s advantage. Williams, stupefied, approached the chair and started arguing. All she got was a request to “calm down.” Capriati went on to win the game and the match.
Alves’ ruling was so egregious, however, that U.S. Open officials called Williams to apologize. (Go here to see the replay; the point in question starts about 22 seconds into the clip.) And it was no coincidence that in 2006 the U.S. Open became the first Slam to implement the Hawk-Eye instant replay and the challenge system. Players now have recourse other than arguing with the chair umpire over line calls. Now if only foot faults were up for review... --Sarah Unke
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Many consider the 2008 Wimbledon final between Nadal and Federer to be the greatest tennis match in history. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)6. Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer in 2008 Wimbledon final, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7**
It was hailed at the time as the greatest tennis match every played, by anyone, anywhere. Has the glow worn off since? Are we having second thoughts? We shouldn’t, because Federer vs. Nadal on Centre Court in ’08 had it all. Two living legends, a stunningly high level of play—please, don’t talk to use about Borg vs. McEnroe anymore—a dramatic comeback, a stark contrast in style and personality, and a suspenseful race to beat the encroaching nightfall. While Nadal won in flashbulb-punctured darkness, it was the match itself, the sight of these two men bending heavy-spinning lasers at each other, combining to make the spectacular look routine, that will linger well after this decade ends. Spanning a long summer Sunday afternoon, it was a five-hour lesson in the possibilities of the power-baseline game. We knew the sport had evolved, but no one knew it could be played the way Nadal and Federer played it that day. --Steve Tignor
7. Roger Federer wins the 2009 French Open to complete the career Grand Slam
Who’s the greatest of all time? Roger Federer ended the debate in 2009 by winning the one Grand Slam it had seemed he would never win: the French Open. Federer’s 14th major title tied him with Pete Sampras (he later won his 15th at Wimbledon) and made him sixth man to win all four major titles. And somehow, it didn’t matter that he beat someone other than Rafael Nadal, the four-time defending champion, in the final. This wasn’t Federer the destroyer, but Federer the opportunist. After Nadal was upset by Robin Soderling in the fourth round, Federer made the most of his good fortune, though not without a few worrisome moments. In the fourth round, he was one forehand error away from almost certain defeat against Tommy Haas. He then survived a grueling battle against Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals. Finally, Federer had to regain his composure after a scary moment during the final, when a fan ran onto the court and startled him. The scene was frightening—but only momentarily. A man with a silly hat and a flag wasn’t any more of a threat to Federer than Soderling, or the record books that the world No. 1 had rewritten, with unmatched style, in less than a decade. --Tom Perrotta
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It seemed everyone had something to say about the staggering revelations in Agassi's autobiography. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)8. Andre Agassi's revealing autobiography is published**
From the moment of Andre Agassi’s tearful retirement at the 2006 U.S. Open, tennis fans knew they would again hear from the all-time great. Few realized how much they would hear, though. In what may one day be remembered as the most revelatory sports autobiography, Agassi told all in Open. He had abused crystal meth and lied to ATP drug-testing officials to cover it up. He had worn a hairpiece. As a child, he had watched in horror as his maniacal father, Mike, threatened a driver with a gun. Oh, and he hated tennis, too, despite all that the sport had given him. At least, he hated it until he decided to embrace it, to love it and play it until he could barely walk because of recurring back pain. Agassi’s book is a classic American story of redemption, a tale of a boy who starts with nothing, becomes rich (but morally bankrupt), and then finds his place in the world. Though the book received much critical praise, Agassi’s fellow players were far more skeptical of a former champion who, to their minds, put himself ahead of the sport and made the tour leadership look bad, or at the very least, inept. Agassi’s next role, it’s safe to say, won’t be commissioner of tennis. The U.S. Senate will have to do. --T.P.
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Top Of The World: Federer breaks Sampras' record of major singles titles with his 15th, at Wimbledon. (Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images)9. Roger Federer wins 2009 Wimbledon to break Pete Sampras' record for Grand Slam singles titles**
Roger Federer’s run towards the record for Grand Slam singles titles began at Wimbledon in 2003. Fittingly, he completed the marathon task by winning number 15 on the same court where, six years earlier, he’d won number one. Each year in between, the stylish Swiss competed in the gentlemen’s final at the All England Club. He won six of the seven finals, but none was more memorable than his loss to Rafael Nadal in 2008 in what many claim to be the greatest tennis match of all time.
Though it would be hard to top The Best Match Ever, the following year’s epic instant-classic final between Federer and Andy Roddick came close. The American had never defeated Federer in Grand Slam competition, but throughout the match—their eighth meeting in a major, and third in the Wimbledon final—it looked like Roddick would finally break through. He won the first set and held four set points in the second-set tiebreaker. But on his fourth chance to put Federer in a two-sets-to-love hole, the American flubbed a routine backhand volley. Federer eventually won the breaker to level the match.
After splitting the next two sets, the two traded games in the fifth until Roddick, serving at 14-15 and having held 37 consecutive times, was broken for the first time all day. The break gave Federer the match—and his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam singles title. Among the tennis royalty present to witness the eclipsing of Pete Sampras’ mark was the seven-time Wimbledon champion himself. --E.M.
10. Serena Williams' 2009 U.S. Open tirade
No “most memorable moments” list would be complete without the Serena Williams tirade of 2009. Her momentary loss of reason and composure during her U.S. Open semifinal left everyone, including John McEnroe (in the CBS commentary booth at the time), in a state of is-this-really-happening amazement. To recap, Williams was facing Kim Clijsters for a spot in the final. Down a set and serving at 5-6, 15-30, she was called for a foot fault on a second serve. What came out of Williams’ mouth next would be a nominee for filthy quote of the decade, if such a category existed: “You better be f---ing right! You don’t f---ing know me! I swear to God, I’m going to take this ball and shove it down your f---ing throat!” After the lineswoman told the chair umpire and tournament director Brian Earley what Williams had said to her, the defending champ was assessed a point penalty. Game, set and match, Clijsters. The next day, Williams would be fined $10,000 by the USTA, and eventually the ITF would slap her with a record $82,500 fine and two-year probation. (Williams called the ITF’s decision unfair and sexist.) What a way for the AP’s Female Athlete of the Year to close out the decade. --Sarah Thurmond