4 Great Tennis Upsets: The Epic Moments That Stunned The World

By Divya G

The world of tennis is full of surprises. From the Grand Slams to the ATP and WTA tournaments, epic moments are always possible around every corner of the game. Today, we will discuss 4 of the greatest upset moments in tennis history – moments that stunned us with their brilliance, or made us gasp in shock with out mouth wide open.

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1. Bjorn Borg vs. John McEnroe, 1981 Wimbledon

John McEnroe had played in his first Wimbledon championship the year before and defeated the world number one (and defending champion) Björn Borg. In 1980, they rivaled again at Wimbledon, with both players ranked as ATP World Number One for the very first time.

2. Boris Becker vs. Ivan Lendl, 1985 Wimbledon

In the 1984 quarterfinals at the US Open, top seed, John McEnroe, had been two sets up when Boris Becker suddenly stormed from behind to win in five sets. Next year, they met again at Wimbledon, and this time, it was all over in three tight sets!

3. Goran Ivanišević vs. Pete Sampras, 2001 Wimbledon

In the 1999 Wimbledon final, 20-year old Serb and reigning French Open champion Goran Ivanišević was a huge outsider against world number one (and four-time defending champion) American Pete Sampras. Nonetheless, he stunned everyone by taking the first two sets, then fighting back from a breakdown in the third to take it too and become Wimbledon champion.

4. Jimmy Connors vs. John McEnroe, 1983 Wimbledon

In their first meeting in a Grand Slam final at the US Open three years earlier, John had won comfortably in straight sets to clinch his fourth title, and so they were both expecting this match to be more of the same.

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Tennis is a game where the player with superior skills has a significant advantage. However, every now and then, there comes along an underdog who defeats a player everyone thought was unbeatable.