Anything can happen when it comes to Australian Open tennis! That’s partially because Australian Open tennis players often arrive in Melbourne out of shape and not ready for a Grand Slam event after a long offseason.

Just because some players show up unprepared doesn’t mean that the land Down Under hasn’t witnessed what rank among the greatest tennis displays in the history of the sport. Let’s take a moment to look back at the all-time greatest Australian Open matches -- regardless of the year or round of competition -- in this Betway Insider top 10 list.

What was the longest single match in Australian Open tennis history?

The longest Australian Open match of all time was the 2012 men’s singles final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Djokovic prevailed in five sets after a staggering five hours, 53 minutes.

Ranking the Top 10 Australian Open Matches in History

  1. 1984 Women’s Semifinals: No. 9 Helena Sukova defeats No. 1 Martina Navratilova

Match Result: 1-6, 6-3, 7-5

The first match to make this list is a rather shocking semifinal. World  No. 1 Martina Navratilova was riding a 74-match unbeaten streak and in the midst of winning six Grand Slam events in seven attempts when she arrived in Australia in 1984.

Her semifinal matchup against No. 9 Helena Sukova was her lone setback in that run. Despite storming out to a 6-1 first-set victory, the former champion fell apart after that. Sukova, who was playing in her first major tennis tournament, took the next two sets to secure a finals date with Chris Evert.

Had Navratilova met Evert in the final, those legends would have faced each other there four times in five years, which would have made for some interesting women’s Australian Open tennis alternative history.

  1. 2005 Men’s Semifinals: No. 4 Marat Safin defeats No. 1 Roger Federer

Match Result: 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 9-7 

We’ll turn to another semifinal from the men’s side of the tournament that featured a similar situation. In 2005, Roger Federer was smack in the middle of one of the most successful stretches of all time. He won three of four Grand Slam tournaments in 2004 (including the Australian Open), and would win three of the next four as well.

He didn’t choke against fourth-seeded Marat Safin in the 2005 Australian Open semifinals -- he simply got outplayed by someone who turned in a career performance. Federer managed to fend off five match points from Safin, but on this day, the Swiss star struggled with back tightness and an inability to play from ahead.

  1. 2009 Men’s Final: No. 1 Rafael Nadal defeats No. 2 Roger Federer

Match Result:  7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-2

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s most recent meeting prior to the 2009 Australian Open was one of the most famous tennis matches of all time -- the legendary 2008 Wimbledon final. That duel lasted four hours, 48 minutes. The pair would meet again in Melbourne for the 2009 final, and there was great anticipation surrounding the rematch.

This match only went on four hours, 23 minutes. Despite it being his first Australian Open final, Nadal would outlast his rival. The Spaniard’s five-set victory extended the his win-streak over Federer to five matches and was yet another legendary episode in the duo’s lengthy competitive history.

  1. 2017 Men’s Second Round: Denis Istomin defeats No. 2 Novak Djokovic

Match Result: 7-6 (10-8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4

The earliest-round match in this list was a Round 2 pairing of unseeded Denis Istomin and 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic. This type of match was usually a straight-sets formality for the Serbian maestro on his road to the finals.

That was not the case, however, in 2017 against Istomin. A poorly played first set and a loss in the tiebreaker stunted Djokovic’s momentum. Despite his rocky start, Djokovic went on to battle for nearly five hours against the 117th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan before falling in five sets. Australian Open fans couldn’t believe their eyes.

For context: Djokovic won four out of the next five Australian Opens he entered.

  1. 2002 Women’s Final: No. 1 Jennifer Capriati defeats No. 3 Martina Hingis

Match Result: 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2

The 2002 Australian Open women’s singles final was a rematch of the surprising 2001 contest in which No. 12 Jennifer Capriati took down world No. 1 Martina Hingis in straight sets.

Capriati had been a 14-year-old sensation on the WTA Tour before struggling through the next 10 years of her career. She had marked her comeback with the 2001 Australian victory over Hingis. Meanwhile, Hingis was a three-time Australian Open champion playing in her sixth consecutive final in 2002.

Hingis stormed to an early lead in the scorching heat, which caused a frustrated Capriati to tell the crowd to “shut the hell up.” The American dragged the set to a tiebreak and survived a series of match points to draw even. Hingis smashed her racket and fell apart, giving Capriati yet another victory over the Swiss star.

  1. 1995 Men’s Quarterfinals: No. 1 Pete Sampras defeats No. 9 Jim Courier

Match Result: 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3

This next entry on our list of the best Australian Open matches of all time takes us back to the 1995 quarterfinal meeting between world No. 1 Pete Sampras and No. 9 Jim Courier. This match is best remembered for one reason: Sampras breaking down into tears at the start of the fifth set. The American was reeling from the recent news that his longtime coach, Tim Gullikson, had a blood clot in his brain.

Sampras was in the middle of a ferocious comeback, having dropped the first two sets before forcing a decisive fifth. A fan shouted out, “do it for your coach.” Sampras fought off the tears and closed out the match against Courier, who had offered to finish the contest the next day.

Unfortunately, Sampras was unable to defend his 1994 title and fell to Andre Agassi in the finals.

  1. 1981 Women’s Final: No. 3 Martina Navratilova defeats No. 1 Chris Evert

Match Result: 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-5

Martina Navratilova vs. Chris Evert was among the most famous tennis rivalries of the 1980s, and the December 1981 Australian Open final added to its mystique. Navratilova had just defeated Evert at the 1981 U.S. Open and was looking to maintain her winning ways in Melbourne.

A brutal first-set tiebreak loss was not part of her plan. She turned the tide and bested her fellow American in a lengthy and narrowly-contested three-setter. Evert was visibly distraught after losing and needed to be consoled by Navratilova, since the pair were friends who shared no ill will.

Friends or not, they managed some of the most hotly-contested Australian Open matches of all time.

  1. 2022 Men’s Final: No. 6 Rafael Nadal defeats No. 2 Daniil Medvedev

Match Result: 2-6, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5

What was the greatest comeback in Australian Open history? The answer is simple: Rafael Nadal’s 2022 Australian Open final-round win over No. 2 Daniil Medvedev. On that day, Nadal literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

The door was wide open for a new champion at the 2022 Australian Open because Novak Djokovic, the three-time reigning title-holder, missed the tournament due to visa issues related to his COVID-19 vaccination status. However, the new winner would be an old face in Nadal. Of course, it didn’t look like that was going to happen after the Spaniard fell two sets behind Medvedev, a hard-court maestro.

The 35-year-old superstar had one last burst in him. Nadal rallied behind a raucous crowd and a suddenly accurate first serve (70 percent in the fifth set) to complete his comeback and end one of the greatest Australian Open matches ever.

  1. 2003 Women’s Final: No. 1 Serena Williams defeats No. 2 Venus Williams

Match Result: 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-4

The 2003 Australian Open women’s singles final was a true family affair -- the first Australian Open championship match between sisters Venus and Serena Williams. Over the course of their two-decade rivalry, both players were arguably at the top of their games in this one. Serena was in the midst of four straight Grand Slam tournament victories, and Venus had lost to her in all of them.

The 2003 Australian Open was the last final in this incredible run, and it was the best of the bunch. Serena survived Venus in a first-set tiebreaker before dropping the second set. The world No. 1 then battled back to win the final set and complete the famous “Serena Slam.”

  1. 2012 Men’s Final: No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeats No. 2 Rafael Nadal

Match Result:  5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal’s duel in the 2012 Men’s Australian Open men’s singles final has a credible claim to be named the greatest tennis match of all time. Consider the facts surrounding it:

  • It pitted two of the world’s best players against each other in one of their earlier final duels.
  • It featured Djokovic playing on his favorite type of court.
  • It lasted five hours, 53 minutes, making it the longest Grand Slam tourney final ever.
  • Four of its five sets were decided by just two games.

No doubt about it -- Novak Djokovic’s 2012 victory represented the peak of Australian Open tennis.

Parameters of Rankings

These rankings are based on the performances of each player involved, each player’s tennis legacy, the length of the match, and the match’s significance in Australian Open history.

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