"I’ve grown most from not winning but setbacks, if winning is god’s reward then loosing is his way of teaching us. "- SERENA WILLIAMS
Tennis is basically a mental sport because you win or loose the match before even you go out there. So it’s all in our mind what we need and how do we get it. no, matter how many times you try, if you keep making the same mistake and don't practice to get it right you'll never get better.
Every sport is as unpredictable as one's life. You never know what the next match has to offer you and how it might change your life.
And so here we are going to talk about some unpredictable surprises that The Grand Slam 2019 gave us:
1. SUMIT NAGAL 1ST INDIAN TO TAKE A SET OFF ROGER FEDERER
Sumit Nagal came up with a valiant effort to take the first set off Roger Federer 6-4 after forcing to the 20-time grand slam winner to make 19 unforced errors at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
Sumit Nagal became the first Indian player to take the first set during his first-round defeat to 20 time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.
Nagal is the fourth player after Peter Wessels, Jose Acasuso and Frances Tiafoe to take the opening set off Roger Federer.
Federer had faced 2 Indians and defeated both Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman in straight sets in three meetings.
The former junior Wimbledon champion Sumit Nagal became the first Indian player to take the first set during his first-round defeat to 20-time-grand slam champion Roger Federer.
The first set was a closely fought affair as both Federer and Nadal went back and forth and at one stage the set was tied at 4-4 it was then that Nagal won games continuously and the 22-year-old won the set by 6-4.
However, Nagal couldn't keep up the momentum as Federer bounced back to his defeat and won the 2nd, 3rd and 4th set by 4-6, 1-6, 2-6, 4-6 to knock the Indian qualifier out.
World number 190 Nagal who has never earned a tour-level victory came out swinging and making his name even after the defeat.
2. Bianca Andreescu wins US Open 2019 defeating Serena Williams
On a day when Serena Williams was looking to tie Margaret court in the tennis record book, the 19-year-old Bianca made some history of her own.
Playing in her first-ever US Open main draw the No.15 seeded Andreescu defeated the No. 8 Williams, 6-3, 7-5, to become the first Canadian man or woman to win the grand slams.
She closed the match out with a forehand service return that Serena couldn't get to.
For the last 2-years, Bianca had been trying to get into Grand Slam but used to loose in the first qualifying round, and now she is grand slam champion and 10th different woman to win a title in last 12 majors. Andreescu picked $3.85 million for the championship more than her career earning heading towards the final.
Andreescu's victory came on the biggest of stages, in front of 26,191 in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"It's so hard to explain in words but I am just beyond grateful and truly blessed" says the 19-year-old after her extraordinary victory in the US Open she also adds "I have been working so hard for this moment, this year has been like a dream come true, and now being able to own the stage against the legend of this sport Serena Williams is amazing."
3. Nadal and Medvedev meet in the US Open Final 2019
Rafael Nadal set up a US Open final showdown with Daniil Medvedev after beating Italian Matteo Berrettini in straight sets.
In a rematch of the Canadian Open final from last month, Rafael Nadal turned out triumphant against Daniil Medvedev by 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 in the US Open 2019. World No.2 Nadal clinched his 19th Grand Slam title and his 4th US Open title against the 15th seeded Medvedev in the Arthur Ashe Stadium. repeating the results of the previous encounter when Nadal beat Medvedev 6-3,6-0 in their last meeting last month at the Rogers Cup the player took nearly 5-hours to come to a result.
Nadal serves for the championship and the first point went to Medvedev. Another rally and another near impossible Nadal shot that went to 15-15. Medvedev tried his best and went ahead to 30-40. Nadal brings it to deuce, and to advantage, and finally to the Championship.
The game was like a pendulum that went on both sides equally, the game held the crowd's hearts on hold that who would be winning the game as it was like Nadal the one moment and then Medvedev the other moment. But in the end, Nadal slew the game as he always does and won the match!
4. Australian Open: Naomi Osaka, The New Queen
The 21-year-old Osaka won the Australian Open by defeating Petra Kvitova 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-4 in the finals. Osaka also became the first tennis player from Japan to reach No.1 in the ranking.
The 21-year-old added this title to her US Open crown she won last September by beating the legendary Serena Williams.
Osaka who was was ranked outside of the top-70 only a year ago was handed a Daphne Akhurst memorial cup by Li Na, the Chinese superstar, Asia's first major winner who won on these courts in 2014.
It was for the first time that an Asian won the No. 1 spot when Osaka held that place.
"It's an honour to have played Petra in the final of a grand slam," says the 21-year-old Osaka in a speech before thanking her team. she adds "I wouldn't have made it without you, behind every tennis player there's a team".
This was the 2nd grand slam for the 21-year-old, in other words, it's been a meteoric rise for Osaka and there's no reason that can be seen why she cannot continue to maintain her position as No.1 in the world and set many more such records in the future events and tournaments.
5. Ashleigh Barty ends Australia's 46-Year wait for French Open Title
The 23-year-old will now be holding the No.2 position in the world after Naomi Osaka.
Ashleigh Barty was all poise and precision in the French Open finals the 23-year-old Aussie was on top of it she crushed an overhead to crush out on title clash against the Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-3 in a one-sided women's finals in just 70-minutes.
She will be best ranked Australian women since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1976.
The 23-year-old who took a break from tennis to try her hand in cricket 4 years ago said "It is absolutely unbelievable, I am speechless" she adds "I played a perfect match today, I was very nervous starting out. Marketa has had a great tournament and also a great season so far. She is just starting out and she'll be in many more grand slam finals. It has been crazy 2 weeks and I am so proud of what I have achieved it's unbelievable".
When Barty returned to the WTA tour three years ago after enjoying a season of cricket she was ranked No.623 and after winning the French open her ranking would rise to No.2 the highest for Aussie since 1976.
Who doesn't like surprises? But these were the kind of surprises that world would love because when people coming from nowhere set a mark and reach somewhere they want to be doesn't only make them happy but also gives hope to many other people like them waiting for change to take place in their life.
And besides surprises in this Grand Slam 2019, it was so good to see women making a mark for not only themselves and their family but also for their country.
