ATP Tour: The five biggest surprises of the tennis year 2022
Which matches will be remembered in a few years? In any case, the ATP tour brought some surprises again in 2022.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Dec 03, 2022, 10:26 am
At the end of the tennis year, it is of course always a matter of taste which surprises you place at the top. For once, we are completely uncreative - and follow the suggestions of the ATP.
5th place: Tim van Rijthoven beats Daniil Medvedev in 's-Hertogenbosch
Oh! Here you could and should almost also include van Rijthoven's semi-final victory over Félix Auger-Aliassime . Especially with regard to the second half of the year that Félix played. Taylor Fritz also eliminated local hero va, Rijthoven in 's-Hertogenbosch on the way to winning the tournament. But the 6: 4 and 6: 1 against Daniil Medvedev in the title match missed the worthy end of the whole week.
4th place: Ben Shelton beats Casper Ruud in Cincinnati
It became clear by the middle of the year at the latest that the Americans, in Ben Shelton, have the next candidate for at least a top 50 place in the ATP charts. The 6:3 and 6:3 againstCasper Ruud in Cincinnati only underlined this knowledge once again. In this case, too, it is advisable to look at the following weeks: A few days after Cincinnati went bankrupt, Ruud reached the final of the US Open. And could have climbed to the top of the world rankings with a win there.
3rd place: Jack Draper beats Stefanos Tsitsipas in Montreal
Especially with Stefanos Tsitsipas you could of course also cite the bankruptcy at the US Open against Daniel Elahi Galan. But we want to limit ourselves to the ATP tour. And the 5:7, 6:7 (4) against Jack Draper immediately catches the eye. Even if the Brit had gained a lot of self-confidence with strong results on the Challenger Tour. And Tsitsipas, like in recent years, hasn't brought much horsepower to the courts after the clay court season.
2nd place: Taylor Fritz beats Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells
The context should be considered here: Nadal had come to Indian Wells with the recommendation of tournament victories in Melbourne, at the Australian Open and Acapulco. In other words: still undefeated in 2022. And Taylor Fritz had never even come close to a 1000cc title before. The truth behind the 6: 3 and 7: 6 (5) for the local hero is also: Rafael Nadal already had serious problems with a cracked rib in the final. And had to take a break after the final defeat in Tennis Paradise.
1st place: Holger Rune beats Novak Djokovic in Paris-Bercy
The win alone against Djokovic , who seemed almost unbeatable in the fall, should have been enough forHolger Rune . But on the way to the Pais-Bercy final, the young Dane also showed the following gentlemen the door: Hubert Hurkacz, Carlos Alcaraz, Andrey Rublev and Félix Auger-Aliassime. Chapeau!