What about the obvious parallel match to Nadal/Federer--McEnroe versus Borg!

When Borg beat McEnroe in that Memorable Wimbledon; that spelled the demise of Borg:  Johnny Mac beat Borg in the next grand slam--the Open--then again at Wimbledon and then again at the Open.  Borg never won the Open and never won another grand slam and retired shortly thereafter.  Did McEnroe push Borg into retirement--prematurely or not?!

 Ready2goChicago

 

I don't think so since Borg was ready to play the next year but the tennis establishment in a display of unbelievable stupidity wanted Borg to qualify for tournaments instead of getting a wild card.  McEnroe himself I believe confirmed this.  Borg needed a break and was a bit burnt out.  He apparently had some injury problems in 1981.

I think all the chosen ones were great. But another amazing match from the Women was in 2005, the Wimbledon final

 

Venus Williams def. Lindsay Davenport 4-6 7-6(4) 9-7

 

That was a personal favorite
 

Wimbledon 2005 women's final between Davenport and V. Williams was the best women's final ever after Seles/Graf 1992 French Open.  It changed tennis history for V. Williams because she was written off, and she made a comeback from injuries and loss of confidence.  With 5 Wimbledon titles, she is on her way now to become the greatest women's grass court player ever.  With 7 grand slams, she is adding to the Williams family grand slam haul from 1999 to the present day. The scary thing is she actually can get better even though she is 27 and approaching elder-state woman's status. 

 

Great article. The Laver match must have been awesome.

A match that a lot of you may have not seen was the first round of the 2003 masters cup in Houston between Agassi and Federer. It was a college football atmosphere with cheerleaders chanting Agassi, Agassi after every point and somehow Federer pulled it out in the third set tiebreaker. Up to that time Federer had a losing record to most of the top guys. He won the match and then dominated the rest of the tournament soundly beating his biggest foe at the time, Nalbandian. He beat Andre Agassi easily in the finals. After that championship he went on to dominate the men's field for the next 4 years.

That was a great match!

BigForehand:

   I remember that match well. Federer hit a fantastic running forehand winner to end it. Just a sensational shot to just reach the ball in the first place and then hit the shot. That was a very high-quality match from the first ball to the last - two tiebreak sets including the last set which was a thrilling tiebreaker - and they did play a few days later in that rain-delayed final and it was not close. You make a good point because after that first-round win in Houston, Federer, who had never beaten Agassi before, never lost to him again winning the final 7 or 8 times they played and he did go on and dominate so that's a great example. Great, great tennis in that match. Will never forget that one.

This isn't really a history changing match, but since other people are talking about matches they found memorable, I thought I'd add to the discussion. 

 Agassi vs Baghdatis during the US Open in 2006 is still hands down the most exciting thing I've ever seen.  The quality of tennis may not have quite been at the level of Federer-Nadal at Wimbledon this year, but purely in terms of drama it was just electrifying.  People were doing the wave, screaming after every shot, Baghdatis cramping in the 5th set, the whole thing was enthralling.  And what was at stake also added to the drama.  It ended up being win #870 for Agassi (putting him ahead of McEnroe in the all time ATP Tour wins and in 4th place overall, behind Vilas, Lendl, and Connors), and his last win on the tour.

I also think the following matches deserve a mention (I'm confining these to matches I actually saw):

1. Sampras def. Agassi, 1995 U.S. Open Men's Final

Imagine if Agassi had ended 1995 #1 in the world with wins over Sampras in 2 slam finals.  As it is, this match prompted Agassi to shut things down in 1995 when he could have claimed the year-end #1 spot fairly easily. 

2. Graf def. Hingis, 1999 French Open Women's Final

Graf consoled Hingis after this loss telling her (Hingis) that she'd have many more opportunities to win the French Open.  Little did any of us realize that Hingis wouldn't win any more slams. 

3. Connors def. McEnroe, 1982 Wimbledon Men's Final

If McEnroe wins this match, think how differently we might perceive the careers of both men?  McEnroe would have the edge in slams and Connors would only have one Wimbledon title over 39-year-old Ken Rosewall on his resume. 

4. Sukova def. Navratilova, 1984 Australian Open Women's Semifinal

If Martina wins this match, one certainly likes her chances to beat Evert in the finals.  Calendar slam for Martina.

5. Medvedev def. Agassi, 1999 French Open Men's Final

If Medvedev wins this match, not only do we view Agassi's career quite differently, but we also view G.O.A.T. contenders Federer and Sampras quite differently, as well. 

 

Certainly a lot to consider about tennis matches that may have altered the course of history of the game.  You can only really tell after many years.  There have been so many matches that have catapulted players into the next level. But there have been very few matches between the #1 and #2 that have truly had a major, history-altering impact.

 

I can't really comment on any matches prior to the Open era, although the Wembley final in 1964 between Laver and Rosewall  was basically an exhibition match. Doesnt mean it wasn't important to either man, but had no real bearings on their overall careers. Laver wa 2 years remove from the amateur era; Rosewall even longer removed. And open tennis was 4 years away.

 

I definitely agree Borg-Connors in Wimbledon 1977 was decisive moment, as it was the first time Borg beat Connors in a really big match, and it came down to the wire.  

 

Navratilova-Evert in 1982 Wimbledon was a match where Navratilova was already #1 (and would have remained #1 no matter who won). Martina had won 2 majors in a row and had basically already eclipsed Evert. It was still an important win. I think Navratilova's 1978 Wimbledon win was a match that may have altered history more. Evert was #1 at the time, Martina hadn't won a major yet, and had Evert won that year, it may have taken Martina that much longer to realize her potential.  

 

The Graf over Navratilova 1988 Wimbledon win was another occasion where the #1 ranking was not in the balance. Again an important win for Graf, dethroning Navratilova. But Steffi had alrady surpassed Martina by that point. It was more a matter of confirmation than changing history.

 

I also agree with oberyn's post that the 1995 US Open final between Agassi and Sampras was a pivotal moment. First, had Agassi wn it he wuld have clearly surpassed Pete for #1 for the year. It may have also put Andre on equal footing with Pete for their careers (it would have been Andre's 4th major to 6 for Pete at the time).  Pete zoomed past Andre as a result of that match.

 

Likewise, you wonder how Agassi would have fared had he lost the 1999 French final.  

 

Lendl's win over McEnroe in the 1985 US Open signalled a changing of the guard. It was the first US Open win for LEndl, and last major final appearance for McEnroe. Lendl's 1984 French win was almost as important, since it was hist first major win.  

 

Great post Jonathan!!

Super post Jonathan.  Wow.

Definitely learned something from your post - thanks for sharing those Jonathan! There's a great Kings of the Court tape of Vines' serving and he has some serious explosiveness have read a bit about him and seen a little film footage and supposedly Vines was one of the best pure athletes to play tennis certainly pre-Open Era - he was also apparently a great runner and apparently became a very good golfer. Also on the old Kings Of the Court video they tell a story about Budge that Budge had a reputation as not the fastest guy in the world but, according to the film, he once raced Riggs on the streets of NYC (believe it was down 5th Avenue) and was equal to Riggs, who was incredibly quick. Have to think those guys would have been fantastic in any era.

How about Connors vs. Rosewall US Open 1974 and Wimbledon 1974? That marked the passing of the Aussie age forever and ushered in power tennis. Let's not forget that Jimmy was known for overpowering guys in that era.

How about Ashe-Connors, 1975 Wimbledon? That marked Arthur's arrival into the tennis pantheon. He had only one GS win before that. It also was the tennis equivalent to the Buster Douglas-Mike Tyson fight back in 1991. It made the other players understand that Connors was not unbeatable. Orantes then demolished Jimmy at the US Open two months later (Interesting, I can't find any video of the Connors-Orantes match onyoutube. I guess it is lost to history).

How about Peter Korda over Pete Sampras at 1997 US Open? That marked the beginning of the end of the Sampras era. Rafter had some big wins over Pete after that and Pete's aura was effectively over.

How about McEnroe beating Borg in 1979 to win the WTC championship? This match is long forgotten but teenage McEnroe was already on his way to dethroning Borg. Although Borg was an infinitely better player than McEnroe, for some reason McEnroe matched up will against Borg.

How about Marcelo Rios winning over Rusedski in Indian Wells and then over Agassi at Miami in 1998, back to back? That could have been the beginning of a 3 year run at the top for Marcelo but the injuries prevented that.

How about Lendl whupping McEnroe in 1985 US Open finals? That marked the end of McEnroe as a major contender. He had been manhandled by Kevin Curren at Wimbledon two months earlier and with the arrival of Becker, McEnroe was never again a serious threat at a major.  It makes you wonder if Roger's loss at the French and Wimbledon to Rafa will be like Ivan's win over McEnroe.  

Dobey:

 

 Wimbledon? That marked Arthur's arrival into the tennis pantheon. He had only one GS win before that. It also was the tennis equivalent to the Buster Douglas-Mike Tyson fight back in 1991. It made the other players understand that Connors was not unbeatable. Orantes then demolished Jimmy at the US Open two months later (Interesting, I can't find any video of the Connors-Orantes match onyoutube. I guess it is lost to history).

Quick note:  Ashe had won both the 1968 U.S. Open and the 1970 Australian Open.

How about Peter Korda over Pete Sampras at 1997 US Open? That marked the beginning of the end of the Sampras era. Rafter had some big wins over Pete after that and Pete's aura was effectively over.

I definitely agree with you here. 

How about Marcelo Rios winning over Rusedski in Indian Wells and then over Agassi at Miami in 1998, back to back? That could have been the beginning of a 3 year run at the top for Marcelo but the injuries prevented that.

Unfortunately, I think the fact that Rios didn't go on to have that sort of run diminishes the importance of this match.  : (