The Grandstand’s Top 10 Matches of the Year: 2-5

With the 2023 tennis season in the rearview mirror, it’s time to recap the best matches of the year on the ATP Tour. The second of three parts includes two wins by Jannik Sinner and the epic Wimbledon final.

5) Andy Murray vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis, Australian Open second round

No Grand Slam produces five-set classics on a more consistent basis than the Australian Open. This year’s edition delivered several–one of which was a second-round showdown between Murray and Kokkinakis. Having already outlasted Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(10-6) in four hours and 49 minutes in the first round, Murray dug even deeper to get past Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5 after a ridiculous five hours and 45 minutes. It was the longest match of the 36-year-old Scot’s illustrious career. Murray was twice two points away from a straight-set loss and he also saved five break points during a tense fourth set on his way to an improbable comeback win.

4) Jannik Sinner vs. Novak Djokovic, Nitto ATP Finals round robin

The fall swing of the 2023 season–or really the last two weeks–was defined by the Djokovic vs. Sinner rivalry. In the span of two tournaments (the Nitto ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals), they faced each other three times. Sinner won twice, including via a 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) decision during round-robin competition at the year-end championship. Buoyed by a raucous Italian crowd in Turin, Sinner played perhaps the match of his life to end Djokovic’s 19-match winning streak. The world No. 4 gave back a break midway through the final set, but he rebounded in what was a near-flawless tiebreaker to triumph after three hours and nine minutes. Djokovic would go on to beat Sinner for the title, but the 22-year-old turned the tide back in his favor by stunning Djokovic in the Davis Cup semifinals on the way to Italy’s second triumph.

3) Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz, Miami semifinals

The current best rivalry in tennis that doesn’t involve any member of the Big 3 is without question Alcaraz vs. Sinner. Returns are still early, but it has all the makings of becoming the sport’s most intriguing rivalry over the next 10 to 15 years. Their Miami semifinal was by no means as good as their 2022 U.S. Open quarterfinal epic (the reigning Match of the Year and without question one of the best matches of the decade), but it certainly did not disappoint. It included the point of the year–an insane rally with Sinner serving at 2-4, 0-15 in the first set that ended with a winning backhand pass by the Italian. Alcaraz still managed to win the opener and the 20-year-old Spaniard had two break points to go up 5-3 in the second, but Sinner soon began a comeback that propelled him to victory after three hours and one minute.

2) Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon final

Djokovic didn’t literally come within one match of the calendar-year Grand Slam like he did in 2021 (lost to Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open final), but by after-the-fact metrics he once again was just a single victory away. This time around his only blemish was the Wimbledon title match, which the 36-year-old Serb lost to Alcaraz 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 after four hours and 43 minutes. Alcaraz’s recovery from a rough first set will be remembered in part for his third-set dominance that was headlined by–how should we call it?–the Game of the Year. Already leading by one break, the Spaniard broke again at 3-1 in a game with the following statistics: 26 minutes, 32 points, 13 deuces, and seven break points. Djokovic responded in the fourth and had a break point early in the fifth to seize complete control, but Alcaraz saved it and promptly earned a break of his own. That gave the underdog a chance to serve out the match at 5-4, which he did in incredibly clutch fashion–highlighted by an amazing backhand volley winner at 15-15.

How is this not No. 1? The reason may involve Djokovic and Alcaraz, themselves….