With the United States looming two weeks in the future and the COVID-19 pandemic bringing an element of danger to the tournament, many players have chosen not to take part in 2020, citing concern over safety or the packed schedule in the coming weeks. Whether or not the major will have an “asterisk” for its weaker-than-normal fields is up for debate, but what’s for certain is that this year’s event will be unlike past installments. With that in mind, let’s relive some memories from previous years.

1. Andy Murray’s breakthrough in 2012

Murray made his first major final in 2008, but struggled to win a championship match at the highest level. Roger Federer had dismissed him in two major finals, both times in straight sets, while Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal also proved forceful in their barring of Murray from a major title. But in 2012, Murray arrived in Flushing Meadows with confidence bolstered by his earning of an Olympic gold medal in singles not one month earlier.

Murray rocketed to the final, surviving a tricky quarterfinal with Marin Čilić in which he turned a 2-6, 1-5 deficit into a four-set win that was fairly comfortable in the end. His opponent was Novak Djokovic, who had beaten Murray in the 2011 Australian Open final and in the semifinal of the same tournament a year later.

Murray rose to the challenge, winning enough of the decisive points early to grab the first two sets by narrow margins, then refused to buckle when Djokovic’s trademark resistance gave him the next two frames. Murray broke twice in the fifth set, showing few signs of wear and tear in the four-hour, 54-minute final.

The match signaled the rise of Murray as a powerful threat to the dominance of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, but it was also a representation of his hard-earned place at the top of tennis history. Murray’s celebration after Djokovic’s return flew long on match point was unusual; elation wasn’t the first emotion his reaction indicated, rather he seemed relieved and in disbelief. Murray would go on to win Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, and upon claiming those titles appeared much more effusive in his joy. He knew he was where he was supposed to be.

2. Taylor Townsend’s storm of volleys overcoming Halep in 2019

After her devastating performance in the final of Wimbledon in 2019, Simona Halep was a pre-tournament favorite for the U.S. Open, but American qualifier Taylor Townsend stunned the fourth seed with an awesome display of fearless net-rushing.

Townsend flew to the net, incredibly, over 100 times, and her brave strategy paid off in the form of a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory. She pulled off what is often demanded to take out a top player: she forced the issue. Townsend’s aggression put Halep on the back foot, forcing her to deliver precise passing shots time and again.

Townsend saved a match point with a strong serve at 5-6 in the third set, and her spirited performance drew huge cheers from the crowd at Arthur Ashe. Her utter commitment to her strategy reaped great rewards in the form of the biggest win of her career. It was a stunning example of a player being willing to take the risks necessary to cause a major upset.

3. Backhands down the line in the 2011 men’s final

The 2011 U.S. Open final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, which ended 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 in favor of the former, featured three of the finest rallies contested at the U.S. Open, all remarkably ending with the same shot: a backhand winner down the line.

The first came in the form of a 31-shot rally on break point, with Djokovic serving at 3-4 in the third set. Djokovic ripped shots into all corners of the court, with Nadal’s mind-bending defense keeping him in the rally and eventually getting him into a neutral position. Refusing to let up, Djokovic drew a short ball with a heavy crosscourt backhand, then powered his next backhand past Nadal into the left corner to end the magnificent point.

The second rally was a mirror image of the first, with the roles switched. With Djokovic serving at 6-5, 15-all, Nadal sent him scampering from corner to corner with huge forehands, but Djokovic retrieved them all, as well as a Nadal smash. As with the first point, the brilliant defense evened the point, but soon after Djokovic put a bit too much air under a crosscourt forehand, enabling Nadal to step in and crush a backhand down the line that flew beyond Djokovic’s sliding reach.

In the third set tiebreak, with Nadal serving at 5-3, Djokovic bullied him around the court with forehands. Concentrating his efforts on Nadal’s backhand save for a lone inside-out forehand, Djokovic gained an advantageous position, then rifled a precise crosscourt forehand that saw Nadal make a scrambling get. Presented with a potential putaway, Djokovic again went crosscourt, stepping inside the baseline, but Nadal anticipated the shot, catching Djokovic out of position with a crosscourt backhand. Djokovic made a desperate retrieval, and Nadal pounded a backhand winner down the line.

The rallies, though distinct, remarkably ended with the same killer blow. The trio highlighted the endurance, defensive capabilities, and spirit from both.

4. Serena Williams topples the best on her way to major title #1

When the U.S. Open started in 1999, Serena Williams was 17 years old. When the tournament ended, Williams was still 17, but had beaten the seventh, second, and first seeds to win her first major title.

In one of the most difficult routes to a title ever, Williams beat Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport in three-set battles, then defeated top seed Martina Hingis in straight sets to claim the 1999 U.S. Open. Williams also topped eventual three-time champion Kim Clijsters in the third round.

Beating three top-ten players en route to major is difficult for anyone, so much so that it rarely occurs. Serena Williams managed to accomplish this as a 17-year-old. For context, at the same age, Roger Federer was more than three years away from winning his first major title.

The arrival of great players on tour often comes in the form of them winning a major, but rarely does someone establish themselves in such emphatic fashion while doing so as Serena Williams did in late 1999. Her second major wouldn’t arrive until she won the 2002 French Open, but her explosive first major title was a sign of what was to come: dominance.

5. John McEnroe’s rebound in 1980

The more well-known five-set major final between McEnroe and Björn Borg in 1980 was their Wimbledon classic, but the more poignant match may have been their U.S. Open final less than two months later. McEnroe, while having had to settle for the runner-up plate in London, claimed a close win over Borg which proved the decisive match in their rivalry.

Borg made an inspired comeback after losing the first two sets, but McEnroe capitalized on a serving lapse from Borg at 3-all in the fifth and didn’t look back after breaking in the crucial seventh game. Borg, having seen his dreams of the Grand Slam dashed, elected not to play the Australian Open in December that year. The five-set loss to McEnroe also played a part in Borg’s losses to his rival at the Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals in 1981, which drove the great Swede into what some consider a premature retirement.

McEnroe’s 1980 U.S. Open title was a testament to his mental fortitude; in the semifinals against Jimmy Connors, he rebounded from losing a shocking eleven games in a row mid-match to advance anyway, then he didn’t let Borg erasing his two-set lead faze him in the championship match. The match had deafening historical echoes, but shouldn’t be remembered simply for it being what sparked Borg’s eventual departure from tennis. McEnroe had demonstrated his ability to take a heavy punch and not only remain standing, but to throw a haymaker of his own.

Though this U.S. Open will be unlike the tournaments of the past in many ways, there’s every chance that the event will produce memories of amazing tennis.

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