There is nothing journalists like more than making lists. We suffer through the entire year just so we can spend December recounting what happened the previous 11 months. Its even more fun when you have a whole decade’s worth of events to recap in list form. With December being the sporting off-season (only cricket continues thanks to the Australian summer), now is a good time to look back at the 2000s, the aughts, the noughties, or whatever else you want to call them.

For the next two weeks, I’ll be making a bunch of lists covering every sport I watch, starting with my favourite: tennis. Here, in reverse  order, are the five best tennis matches of the decade. There are many matches that would have made the list had aesthetics been the only factor; the 2007 Australian Open semi final between Roger Federer and Marat Safin may have been the highest quality match of the decade but it lacked a storyline that would have made it that something extra. Share your suggestions of the best matches of the decade in the comments, but if you disagree about the best match you really need to follow another sport.

5. Serena Williams defeats Maria Sharapova, 6-1, 6-2. Australian Open 2007 final

The world’s 81st ranked player gave the number one the thrashing of her life. Before this tournament, many had written off Serena Williams as a force in tennis since she seemed to prefer making cameos in D-grade Hollywood flicks. Sharapova was going to be the dominant player of her era, combining the looks of Anna Kournikouva with the forehand of Steffi Graf. This match set the tone for the rest of the decade. Serena attacked at every opportunity and Sharapova’s serve wilted. The greatest comeback of the decade began here.

4.  Andre Agassi defeats Marcos Baghdatis, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5. US Open 2006 second round

This was an ugly match as an injured Agassi, playing his final tournament, battled the erratic Cypriot. But it serves as a fitting coda to the second half of Agassi’s career as he fought it out and never lost hope even as he faced four break points at 4-4 in the final set. Agassi limped out against Benjamin Becker in the next round, but this is the match that will be remembered as his finale. Agassi’s autobiography, Open, has further added to the poignancy of the match as he revealed that the two fatigued, broken men held hands in the dressing room as they watched a replay of the fifth set.

3. Pete Sampras defeated Andre Agassi, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6. US Open 2001 quarterfinal

For 52 consecutive games there wasn’t a single break of service as two champions into their 30s refused to bend. As happened all to often in their rivalry, Sampras won most of the crucial points. In a way, this match can be seen as an epilogue to the 90s, except with tennis played at an elevated quality that the two men rarely managed against each other.

2. Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated Jennifer Capriati, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6. US Open 2003 semi final

This match had it all. The young Henin outlasting the veteran. Capriati failing to hold while serving for the match in both the second and third set. Best of all, there were the endless rallies, with each woman striking the ball in anger and refusing to give up. Never once over three hours did the intensity flag as the unflappable Henin held off the excitable Capriati. Since then it’s been all downhill for women’s tennis.

1. Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7. Wimbledon 2008 final

Just writing the scoreline was painful for a Federer fan like me. This is probably the greatest match ever, but I don’t think I can ever watch it again. Reading Jon Wertheim’s excellent book on the match just aggravated wounds that are yet to heal. Forget for a moment the quality of tennis on display and consider the circumstances. Nadal had just massacred Federer at the French Open, and the latter was having his manhood questioned by Mats Wilander. Federer desperately needed to show that he had some fight in him. The two best players in the world were facing each other at Centre Court in Wimbledon: no matter how badly both played this would still be a classic. And the first two sets weren’t particularly inspiring, while the third was exciting only because of the unfamiliar sight of seeing Federer barely hang on. But no two players have ever played better tennis than what we saw in the fourth and fifth sets. I can still visualise Federer’s backhand winner at match point down in the fourth-set tiebreak. Forget best tennis match of the decade; this may be the greatest sporting contest I have ever watched.