Tennis quiz question

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

I just did a bit of research, prompted by a possible outcome of the remaining R4 matches and QF matches in the current Aussie Open men's singles. If the next 6 matches involving Djokovic (2 matches), Wawrinka (2 matches), Nadal (1 match) and Murray (1 match) all go with seeding (and I suppose that if you multiply the probabilities that probably won't happen even if each such result taken separately is likely), then we'll have a line up of 4 semi-finalists who are all previous winners of a men's slam title.

With that long-winded introduction, here's the obvious question: when was the last time that a tennis men's singles slam competition featured 4 previous slam winners as semi-finalists?

I'll be very impressed if anyone can tell me that without doing his or her own digging. It took me a while to find it. And the line up was not a collection of the obvious candidates*.

I haven't had time to doing the equivalent fact-finding on the women's side.

* edit: although, to be fair, it probably didn't seem that strange at the time, as they were seeded 1, 2, 3 and 12 in the tournament in question.

[Outside Agent]

Tennis quiz question

This is a good question.

So I'm working my way back, starting with the Big 3 / Big 4. Since Murray won his maiden slam in 2012, we haven't had the Big Four making up a semi-final. So I'm thinking it will be an event with the Big 3 and one previous slam winner making up the semis, but Del Potro is the only 'outsider' to win one since 2005, and he hasn't made a semi since his maiden win in 2009, so we have to go back further. I don't think Gaston Gaudio, Juan Carlos Ferrero or Alberto Costa made a semi after their maiden wins in Paris.

Almost certainly going back to the pre-Federer era, I think.

[via vicaria]

Tennis quiz question

Worked my way back (it's a Sunday night, forgive me). Thought you'd made an error in thinking Youzhny had won a GS (as the seedings matched in that particular year) but it was a lot further back than that. I'd actually forgotten who that 12th seed was if I'm honest.

Ed: OA, it wasn't all big 3 and one other. Federer was there though.

I haven't looked at the womens', but I don't think you'd need to go as far back.

[Outside Agent]

Tennis quiz question

I think I have it.

I won't post my guess in case others are working on it.

[Kevin S]

Tennis quiz question

You can put a spoiler tag around it {spoiler} {/spoiler} but with square brackets instead to give [spoiler] this. [/spoiler]

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Tennis quiz question

Well, sounds as if vv and OA both have it.

Others' posts above have indicated in very broad terms a range of possible years. Without disclosing anything more by way of a spoiler, I can give the answer in code for those who want to look it up easily, by using the aforementioned Youzhny's career stats table, on his Wiki page.

Answer: it was in the calendar year in which Youzhy's slam results were twice 2R, once 3R and once 4R (but not in that order, so as not to give a spoiler immediately below about which slam), and it was in the slam in that year in which Youzhny reached 4R.

[Outside Agent]

Tennis quiz question

If that's how you kids do it...

(SPOILER)

2005 Australian Open - Marat Safin, Leyton Hewitt, Roger Federer & Andy Roddick were all previous Slam winners

[Janik]

Tennis quiz question

Without looking it up I wouldn't have a clue. But mention of Federer and none of the rest of the big four instantly puts it in a pretty specific time frame, roughly US Open 2003 to Aussie Open 2006. So I'm thinking names like Hewitt, Safin, Ferrero, Roddick, Kuerten, late period Aggasi. Has to be one of the hard court events where the likes of Ferrero and Kuerten could conceivably have made the Semis.

My wild stab in the dark would therefore be the 2004 US Open. Names? Oh, um, Federer, Roddick, Aggasi and Ferrero.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Tennis quiz question

OA, there was an instance more recent than the 2005 Aussie. See my post above giving the answer by reference to Youzhy's career stat table.

[Outside Agent]

Tennis quiz question

What about 2005 Wimbeldon? Federer v Hewitt in one semi ticks the box, Roddick in the other also does, but I can't recall who completed the final four.

[via vicaria]

Tennis quiz question

Yeah 2005 Wimbledon was my one. Thomas Johansson (winner of the '02 Aussie Open) vs Roddick was the other semi.

[Outside Agent]

Tennis quiz question

I've no recollection of Tommy Johansson reaching a Wimbledon semi, even though I used to back him and his fellow Swede, Magnus Norman, quite a bit in the slams in the early 00's.

Edit: I was in Italy for the second week of Wimbledon in 2005, so not surprising that I can't remember much. Also missed the great Williams v Davenport final that week.

[via vicaria]

Tennis quiz question

I'd pretty much forgotten his entire career, which is a little embarrassing. Over that summer I was finishing my degree, graduating and moving back home, so had little interest in sporting matters (that's my excuse anyway)