Most Improbable Slam Championships

[El Dude]

I sheepishly admit that I spent the evening half-watching the rather silly, but somewhat enjoyable, 2004 movie Wimbledon in which #119 player Peter Colt, on the verge of retirement, wins Wimbledon. The movie isn't really worth discussing but it got me thinking: What are the most improbably Slam wins ever?

The few that come most readily to mind;

*Stanislas Wawrinka - 2014 Australian Open
*Pete Sampras - 2002 US Open
*Goran Ivanisevic - 2001 Wimbledon
*Michael Chang - 1989 French Open

Anything else? Which do you think are the most improbable? When I say "improbable" I mean the player who won wasn't at all expected to do so (thus my inclusion of Sampras in 2002 - he looked basically done.

 

[Moxie]

Gaston Gaudio - RG 2004

 

[TsarMatt]

I don't think a lot of people took Pat Rafter seriously in 1997 when he won the USO. Hell, McEnroe called him a "one slam wonder" when he won. I believe he had only won one title prior to his USO victory. That's pretty astonishing when you think about it.

 

[Moxie]

Still, Ivanisovic is the only qualifier ever to win a Major, I think. I reckon he has to be the most "improbable."

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Still, Ivanisovic is the only qualifier ever to win a Major, I think. I reckon he has to be the most "improbable."

I think he was a wild card and not a qualifier in the year in which he won W.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Rafa won the French Open in his first attempt in 2005. Actually, in 2004 he could not
play in FO due to injury issues and so even though he had not really played FO before,
his fame was spreading and it was not considered a major surprise.

However, to me personally winning a slam, any slam, on the first attempt is
really impressive. You are not even familiar with the surroundings. You have not
even stepped foot before in those courts.

Anyway, I looked it up and to my amazement found out that Rafa is not the
only one to do so. Can you name anyone else who has also done that without
looking up?

 

[tented]

Still, Ivanisovic is the only qualifier ever to win a Major, I think. I reckon he has to be the most "improbable."

I think he was a wild card and not a qualifier in the year in which he won W.

Correct. My understanding is he essentially wore them down by begging for one until they relented.

 

[Moxie]

Rafa won the French Open in his first attempt in 2005. Actually, in 2004 he could not
play in FO due to injury issues and so even though he had not really played FO before,
his fame was spreading and it was not considered a major surprise.

However, to me personally winning a slam, any slam, on the first attempt is
really impressive. You are not even familiar with the surroundings. You have not
even stepped foot before in those courts.

Anyway, I looked it up and to my amazement found out that Rafa is not the
only one to do so. Can you name anyone else who has also done that without
looking up?

Without looking it up. Chang? He was young. Edberg?

 

[Ricardo]

Goran by far, not only was he a qualifier but was playing so atrocious (as reflected by his ranking) that he struggled to win even regular matches on the tour. Then all of a sudden, BANG! he won the Championship that he never could during his prime.

The rest of those, Chang/Gaudio/Rafter etc were playing at least decent tennis at the time - if you think Gaudio was weak, he was a top 5 clay courter then. Sampras? he made two finals in 00/01 so it's not like he couldn't play then, plus he had his punchbag Agassi doing the dirty work for him (beating Hewitt), kind like Fed beat Djoker in 2011......

Stan was a very strong hard court player as he showed in last year's AO and USO when he lost very close matches against Djoker, in fact he was the better player for most of the match. It was of course a long shot that he sustained good form for two weeks, but he definitely showed good enough tennis around the time.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Rafa won the French Open in his first attempt in 2005. Actually, in 2004 he could not
play in FO due to injury issues and so even though he had not really played FO before,
his fame was spreading and it was not considered a major surprise.

However, to me personally winning a slam, any slam, on the first attempt is
really impressive. You are not even familiar with the surroundings. You have not
even stepped foot before in those courts.

Anyway, I looked it up and to my amazement found out that Rafa is not the
only one to do so. Can you name anyone else who has also done that without
looking up?

Boris Becker at Wimbledon?

 

[tented]

Rafa won the French Open in his first attempt in 2005. Actually, in 2004 he could not
play in FO due to injury issues and so even though he had not really played FO before,
his fame was spreading and it was not considered a major surprise.

However, to me personally winning a slam, any slam, on the first attempt is
really impressive. You are not even familiar with the surroundings. You have not
even stepped foot before in those courts.

Anyway, I looked it up and to my amazement found out that Rafa is not the
only one to do so. Can you name anyone else who has also done that without
looking up?

Wilander, also at Roland Garros. That's the only other one I can think of offhand.

 

[isabelle]

Gaston Gaudio - RG 2004

Same for me it was incredible.

 

[Kieran]

Pete in 2002? I know he was in the doldrums, but buddy, you shoulda known me then. I told everyone in work in June that he'd beat Agassi in the final and I booked two tickets and me and the missus sat there cheering on the GOAT.

That was only improbable to people who don't see tennis happens in patterns, and the patterns are as probable as they improbable. For example, if Roger won Paris this year, it wouldn't be improbable. It's the kind of thing that can happen.

Improbable ones for me are Stan, obviously, Gomes in 1990 in Paris, Johanson in 2002 in Oz, maybe even DP in the US Open. When somebody does something that they're not really likely to do, expected to do or we even think they're capable of doing, then that's when something improbable happens...

 

[Federberg]

Gaston Gaudio - RG 2004

Same for me it was incredible.

Certainly the most bizarre final I've ever seen. And knowing the sub-text.. their shared dislike of each other just makes it even more strange.

I would also add Michael Stich's Wimbledon to the list as well. I don't think anyone considered it even a remote possibility when the championships started. It was all about Boris and Stefan. To this day Stich's victory over Stefan in the semi is still the most painful match I've ever watched (even more so that Delpo beating Roger). Stefan's form throughout the championships was utterly dominant, not sure he even lost a set. What was really horrifying was that it took 3 tie-breaks for Stich to win, he never came close to breaking Edberg, but come the tie-breaks he had lucky net cords at key moments which won him the match. I just sat there stupefied not understanding how it could have happened! :huh:

 

[TennisFanatic7]

That Wimbledon film is absolutely terrible, some of the points they play one guy at the net volleying back a dozen passing shots in a row!

 

[Kieran]

Rafa won the French Open in his first attempt in 2005. Actually, in 2004 he could not
play in FO due to injury issues and so even though he had not really played FO before,
his fame was spreading and it was not considered a major surprise.

However, to me personally winning a slam, any slam, on the first attempt is
really impressive. You are not even familiar with the surroundings. You have not
even stepped foot before in those courts.

Anyway, I looked it up and to my amazement found out that Rafa is not the
only one to do so. Can you name anyone else who has also done that without
looking up?

Boris Becker at Wimbledon?

Good call, Fashionista, but Boris played in 1984, and pulled out injured in the second or third round.

But it's a good call as an absolutely improbable thing to happen, that he'd win it the following year...

 

[Ricardo]

Pete in 2002? I know he was in the doldrums, but buddy, you shoulda known me then. I told everyone in work in June that he'd beat Agassi in the final and I booked two tickets and me and the missus sat there cheering on the GOAT.

That was only improbable to people who don't see tennis happens in patterns, and the patterns are as probable as they improbable. For example, if Roger won Paris this year, it wouldn't be improbable. It's the kind of thing that can happen.

Improbable ones for me are Stan, obviously, Gomes in 1990 in Paris, Johanson in 2002 in Oz, maybe even DP in the US Open. When somebody does something that they're not really likely to do, expected to do or we even think they're capable of doing, then that's when something improbable happens...

who was the GOAT again?

sure everyone knew he was gonna unseat Agassi, too much psychological advantage. Very fortunate for him, i would've hated to see him play Hewitt who absolutely pummels him at that stage. Rooted very hard for Andre to take out Hewitt, who wasn't really likeable with all those 'come-on's.

 

[Ricardo]

Gaston Gaudio - RG 2004

Same for me it was incredible.

Certainly the most bizarre final I've ever seen. And knowing the sub-text.. their shared dislike of each other just makes it even more strange.

I would also add Michael Stich's Wimbledon to the list as well. I don't think anyone considered it even a remote possibility when the championships started. It was all about Boris and Stefan. To this day Stich's victory over Stefan in the semi is still the most painful match I've ever watched (even more so that Delpo beating Roger). Stefan's form throughout the championships was utterly dominant, not sure he even lost a set. What was really horrifying was that it took 3 tie-breaks for Stich to win, he never came close to breaking Edberg, but come the tie-breaks he had lucky net cords at key moments which won him the match. I just sat there stupefied not understanding how it could have happened! :huh:

yep Edberg was unlucky to have lost the match like that, as he was clearly the better player of the two - funny how things like this happen many times (the better player of the match would end up losing!). But it wasn't really shocking as Stich was already one of the best grass players at the time.

 

[Kieran]

Gaston Gaudio - RG 2004

There's a great article by Steve Tignor about this match on tennis.com. I didn't know they hated each other too. I remember the match well and though I never liked Coria, especially when I knew he doped, it was maybe the cruelest and most revealing defeat in a GS final ever. Revealing, because it showed the guy's limits were nearer than we thought...

 

[Kieran]

Pete in 2002? I know he was in the doldrums, but buddy, you shoulda known me then. I told everyone in work in June that he'd beat Agassi in the final and I booked two tickets and me and the missus sat there cheering on the GOAT.

That was only improbable to people who don't see tennis happens in patterns, and the patterns are as probable as they improbable. For example, if Roger won Paris this year, it wouldn't be improbable. It's the kind of thing that can happen.

Improbable ones for me are Stan, obviously, Gomes in 1990 in Paris, Johanson in 2002 in Oz, maybe even DP in the US Open. When somebody does something that they're not really likely to do, expected to do or we even think they're capable of doing, then that's when something improbable happens...

sure everyone knew he was gonna unseat Agassi

Nobody else knew it in June, though...