There were no shortage of memorable moments on the ATP Tour during the 2022 season. Plenty involved veteran superstars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, while a couple of emerging youngsters in Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz also made their share of memories.
And there was also time for the great Roger Federer to make one last memory before hanging up his racquet for good.
Read on below as SBOTOP takes a trip down memory lane with the five most memorable moments from the ATP Tour in 2022.
Novak Djokovic deported from Australia
The first Grand Slam of the season – the Australian Open – featured the first big moment of the year even before the tournament began. Indeed, there was much drama prior to the start of play, with Novak Djokovic’s status facing much uncertainty due to his being unvaccinated for Covid-19.
It seemed unthinkable that the tournament’s top seed, World No 1 and three-time defending champion would be barred from playing in the Grand Slam. But despite claiming he had acquired an “exemption permission” to travel to Australia to compete, that was what happened.
Amid much political and legal drama, Djokovic was duly deported from the country and unable to defend his crown a day before the start of the tournament. Not only was it one of the biggest pieces of ATP 2022 news, but it was arguably the biggest sports story in the world.
That was only the beginning of Djokovic’s drama-filled year, as he was also unable to compete in the top US tournaments due to his unvaccinated status.
Nadal completes epic comeback in Aussie Open final
Once the Djokovic drama died down and play began in Melbourne, it was a banger. The final between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev turned into a historic one as Nadal came from two sets down to defeat the Russian, 2–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–4, 7–5.
Nadal had won his 21st Grand Slam title, breaking his three-way tie with rivals Roger Federer and Djokovic. Moreover, Nadal became the first man in the Open Era to win an Australian Open final after losing the first two sets.
After claiming match point, Nadal could only stand, smile and shake his head in shock as he completed the amazing comeback to clinch the Aussie Open crown. Not only will that moment go down as one of the most memorable of another terrific season for Nadal, but it will also be one of the memorable moments of his magical career.
Frances Tiafoe tops Nadal in US Open
Nadal was also part of another memorable moment from this year, although not the part he would have liked.
Nadal faced off against American Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round of the US Open. The ATP 2022 betting odds had the Spaniard – who had won the first two Grand Slams of the season – heavily favoured to move on in search for a third.
But Tiafoe had other plans. The young American shocked the world as he upset the second seed Rafael Nadal 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, by far the biggest win of his career to date.
Tiafoe wasn’t done, though, as he beat Andrey Rublev to become the first American male since Andy Roddick in 2006 to reach the US Open semi-finals.
Tiafoe’s fairy tale run finally ended at the hands of eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz, but the memory of the 24-year-old toppling the legendary Nadal at his home Grand Slam will live on for years to come.
Alcaraz outduels Djokovic in debut matchup
Carlos Alcaraz had many memorable moments to choose from in what was a magical 2022 season for the 19-year-old Spaniard.
Even before facing Tiafoe, Alcaraz had to survive a gruelling five-set war in the quarter-finals against Jannik Sinner, which was one of, if not the best match of 2022. The teenager went on to win the US Open – the first Grand Slam of his career – en route to becoming the youngest player in ATP history to end the year as World No 1.
But those memorable moments at Flushing Meadows take a back seat to Alcaraz beating the great Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Masters in their first career matchup.
It was a brilliant match, with Djokovic winning the first set in a tight tiebreaker. But like his compatriot Nadal, the young Alcaraz battled back to complete a tremendous comeback win, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5).
That match may well go down in history as the moment the torch was officially passed from Djokovic – arguably the greatest player of his generation, and perhaps, ever – onto the next great tennis player on the ATP Tour in Alcaraz.
Roger Federer bids farewell
But with all due respect to Djokovic, Nadal, Tiafoe and Alcaraz, there can only be one choice for the No 1 moment in the ATP this year, and that’s the final match of the great Roger Federer.
Unfortunately due to persistent knee injuries, Federer did not quite have the send-off he deserved. And after last appearing at Wimbledon 2021, he played his fareewll match at the Laver Cup. Federer teamed up with old rival Nadal in doubles for his last match, which they lost to the American duo of Tiafoe and Jack Sock. But the memory of Nadal crying beside Federer during the post-match ceremony is as powerful and memorable as it gets.
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