Upsets

An upset happens when a highly-ranked player or team is defeated by an opponent that comes with a lower rank. This term is also used in other competitions or sporting events when an unlikely winner or the underdog wins the game.

In tennis, experts say that the ranking system can be subjective in determining if a game is truly an upset. This is because the usual players who make it up to the top ranks are those who have the most wins and experience, not considering those new players who have lesser experience and wins, but have the same skill set.

There have been ratings and equations that were developed to make sure that a player is really considered an underdog, so as to determine if indeed a game is an official upset. But as of the present, most tennis organizations and supporters do not recognize these equations and believe only on the standard ranking level of players.

There are several tennis matches that have astounded spectators because of its results, many of which have been upsets. In men’s tennis, the biggest names also have their fair share of disappointment after losing to lower-ranked players.

First on the list is when the seven-time champion at that time, Roger Federer was defeated by Sergiy Stakhovsky, who was ranked 116th in the world. This happened in Wimbledon 2013.

Second is when Robin Soderling defeated Rafael Nadal in 2009. Rafael Nadal during that time was considered the undisputed king of the French Open, having won nine times. Robin Soderling defeated him with an impressive scoreline of 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 and 7-6.

Third and fourth were between Richard Krajicek and Pete Sampras and Sam Querrey and Novak Djokovic. Just like Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras was considered the king of Wimbledon during the peak of his career. But in 1996, Richard Krajicek defeated Sampras in all sets during the quarter finals allowing him to win the title. The famous Novak Djokovic was also defeated by an underdog in the name of Sam Querrey. During this match, Querrey finished and won the game in only four sets.

The last but definitely not the least surprising match result was when Kei Nishikori defeated Andy Murray when he was ranked top 1 in the world. This game was played in 5 sets and Nishikori happily got the win of the year.