Since it was founded in 1881, there have been many memorable moments in the US Open. It has been home to plenty of drama that has made spectators angry, tearful, bemused or ecstatic. Here we take a look at the best five greatest moments from US Open history.
Five of the Best Moments in US Open History
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Andy Murray wins his first Slam
You could say Andy Murray was unfortunate to share an era with so many greats. By the time of the US Open in 2012, Roger Federer had already won his 17th title, Rafael Nadal his 11th, and Novak Djokovic his 5th. At that time, Murray had already reached four finals and six semifinals.
In September 2012, he put all that anguish behind him with a memorable performance against Djokovic, beating the Serbian in five sets. After Djokovic brought the match to a fifth set after being 2-0 down, Murray must have feared the worst, but he held firm to end Britain’s 76-year wait for a men’s Grand Slam champion.
It was a joyous moment for British tennis, and spurred him on to win Wimbledon the following year.
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Serena starts her legacy
We are now in the 2020s. It is incredible to think that Serena Williams was a Grand Slam champion in the 1990s. Even now, Williams is a hard-hitter in fixed tennis odds for Major tournaments, and her incredible dynasty started in the US Open when she was just 17 years old.
There have been many great young players who peaked too early, but for Serena, it was the start of an epic legacy that continues to this day. At the start of the 1999 US Open she was relatively unknown. However, she ended that tournament as a star.
Her win against Martina Hingis was an incredible moment, and the one that saw the world take notice of a new global face for women’s tennis.
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Jimmy Connors – The ‘almost’ fairy tale
By 1991, 39-year old Jimmy Connors was no stranger to great US Open moments. The American had won the tournament five times, with three other Grand Slams to his name.
Given his age, nothing was expected of Connors. With chronic back and wrist issues, he was little more than cannon fodder for the real favorites. Instead, he had a memorable run that captured the hearts of the American fans, and garnered incredible support from the raucous crowds.
The wild card was two sets and three games down in his first-round match before an amazing comeback started his great run. In the end, the impossible proved to be just that. He fell in the semifinal, but not before creating some incredible memories.
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Agassi’s Emotional Farewell
Another incredibly popular American tennis player, Andre Agassi won the tournament in 1994 and 1999. Agassi has already stated that the 2006 tournament was going to be his last, and he made the most of his final curtain at the event.
He started well and beat the number eight seed Marcos Baghdatis, but his back was getting increasingly worse, and by the end of the third-round match, he was winching in pain. Overcoming Benjamin Becker was out of the question. Yet, on the completion of the match, the whole stadium cheered Agassi for four minutes to celebrate an incredible career.
After wiping away his tears, Agassi addressed the crowd and gave a memorable and touching speech. It was an emotional farewell befitting of a tennis legend.
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Kim Clijsters’ glorious comeback
You would need a heart of stone to not find Kim Clijsters’ 2009 US Open journey an emotional one. After winning the tournament in 2005, her career became blighted by injuries, which eventually forced her to retire in 2007.
Despite starting a family after retirement, the passion for tennis clearly never left her. Clijsters returned to tennis in 2009, playing just two tournaments before receiving a wild card spot in the US Open. She came back at an incredible level, which included beating both Williams sisters on her way to the final.
In her way stood Caroline Wozniacki, but Clijsters beat her in straight sets to become the first ever unseeded player to win the US Open.
Clijsters went into the tournament just hoping to get some rhythm back into her game, but ended up winning it all. She wasn’t done yet though, as she came back and won the US Open the following year, along with the Australian Open in 2011.
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