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Goran Ivanisevic: A hero for all seasons (Part 1)

2017 Australian Open is done and dusted. Roger Federer is once again the Australian Open Champion standing tall at the end of it all. The news headlines have been talking all week about what a great comeback this is from Federer. While I agreed with them, I couldn't help but go back in time to remember the comeback of comebacks. Yes, back in the day there was a comeback made by a man who was all but forgotten. He was a fighter, a champion and a hero for all seasons. He was Goran Ivanisevic.

Goran Ivanisevic

I hadn't started watching tennis yet when Goran Ivanisevic (Pronounced as ee-wan-is-a-witch) burst onto the tennis scene as a precocious teenager. The year was 1990 and Goran stamped his presence on the Wimbledon Championships when he gave three time Wimbledon Champion, Boris Becker a real scare in the semis. The next time we heard about Goran was in the 1992 Wimbledon Championships. I had only just started watching tennis in 1992 but little did I know then that Goran's life and career would run parallel with Wimbledon for the next decade. Wimbledon would be the site of his lows but would also play the center stage for probably the greatest comeback ever in sports history.

Wimbledon 1992

The world had changed by the time of the 1992 Wimbledon Championships. The Berlin Wall had come down, USSR and Yugoslavia had fallen apart and in tennis a new era was about to dawn. Ivanisevic represented Yugoslavia in the 1990 Championships but come 1992 he was carrying the hopes of the young nation of Croatia (which had just gained its independence from Yugoslavia) and he didn't disappoint. He stormed into the finals after beating Stefan Edberg (the 1990 Wimbledon Champion) in the quarters and steam rolling Sampras (who had beaten 1991 Wimbledon Champion Michael Stich) in the semis. I took an immediately liking to Ivanisevic's big serve and cool and calm demeanor and rooted for him to become the 1992 Wimbledon Champion. Ivanisevic's opponent in the final was Andre Agassi. Considering Agassi never fancied himself on grass, Ivanisevic was expected to easily win but Tennis makes a mockery of such expectations and predictions. 

Ivanisevic won the first set and then gave away the next two sets. He gave Agassi the beating of his life in the 4th set. With two sets a piece Ivanisevic headed into the 5th set with all the momentum in the world but at a crucial point in the match double faulted twice to lose his serve and gift wrap the championship to Agassi ( 6–7(8–10), 6–4, 6–4, 1–6, 6–4). Even in defeat, Goran Ivanisevic was unarguably the bigger man congratulating Agassi on his first slam victory. I was disappointed but considering he played so well I hoped to see him win a grand slam soon.   

A match he should have won!

Wimbledon 1994

After a forgettable 1993, Ivanisevic found his rhythm in 1994 and reached the Wimbledon finals once again by squashing Boris Becker (the man who beat him in 1990). His opponent in the final was none other than the defending champion and world No.1 Pete Sampras. I wasn't supporting Ivanisevic this time as he had beaten my favorite Boris Becker in the semis and I wanted Sampras to exact revenge (that's what little kids do when their favorite players get beaten, they route for the opponent). Experts on the other hand expected a humdinger of a contest considering the fact that both players were big servers and had previously exchanged victories over each another but once again the game eked out it's own trajectory. After losing the first two sets narrowly in tie breaks, Ivanisevic's serve unraveled completely in the 3rd set. Sampras not one to miss out on an opportunity capitalized and handed Ivanisevic his 2nd defeat (7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–5), 6–0) in 2 finals. Although I didn't support Ivanisevic at that time I couldn't help but feel bad for him during the awards presentation. He had narrowly lost the first one and was totally wiped out in the second. If only he played the big points well he would have been the 1994 Wimbledon Champion. I once again hoped that there would be a third time to take what was rightfully his.

1995-1997

Ivanisevic's tennis took a back step for the next few years but he did develop a colorful personality (see the video below). The cool and calm demeanor gave way to a boisterous personality which seemed to take on everyone from the opponent to the chair umpire. Yet for all of his tantrums he still looked a school boy who was more angry with himself than anyone else. The fight within slowed his progress and prolonged the wait for respect and acceptance from the general public. With regards to tennis there was the odd semi-final appearance (at Wimbledon in 1995) where he once again troubled Sampras but nothing went far enough to turn into championship gold. Wimbledon 1996 where all the top seeds including Sampras fell by the wayside was a missed opportunity as Ivanisevic was himself knocked out in the quarters after a lackluster effort. Come 1997, Ivanisevic's game slipped even further as he was knocked out in the 2nd round of his favorite tournament. Things seemed bleak but I still had hope. If there was someone who could step up and halt Sampras' run it had to be Goran.

Ivanisevic teaches the chair umpire to pronounce his name


Wimbledon 1998

Sometimes a change in appearance also signifies in a change in performance. 2 years of sub-par results seemed to have reignited Ivanisevic's thirst for gold as he took to Wimbledon like a long haired messiah and made quick work of the competition.  His opponent in the semis was the 1996 Wimbledon Champion Richard Krajicek. Ivanisevic seemed to have the match won (after winning the first two sets) but let Krajicek come up back and take the next two. The fifth set seemed to go on forever but when Krajicek made an unforced error, Ivanisevic ended up in his 3rd Wimbledon final (6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-7, 15-13) . This time around I had high hopes for Goran. He had beaten Sampras before (1992 Wimbledon Semis), he was 26, he had the experience of being in the finals and had shown tremendous mental strength in overcoming Krajicek. Surely nothing could go wrong this time, it had to be 3rd time lucky. 

I watched the 1998 final along with my father and both of us hoped to see Ivanisevic win. For the first hour and half of the match, Goran thrilled us with his play. He took the first set, outgunned Sampras for the most part in the second before..... losing the second set tiebreak and handing over the momentum to Sampras. Sampras not one to slow down took the third and things were going down the familiar path. Unable to see Goran go down, I wanted to switch the channels but just then something happened. Sensing defeat, Goran unleashed his devastating forehands and broke Sampras' serve to take the the fourth set. When the fifth set began we hoped that Goran would continue his impetus but it was Sampras who came back like a wounded tiger and before we knew he broke Goran's serve and resolve to take the match ( 6–7(2–7), 7–6(11–9), 6–4, 3–6, 6–2). Neither me nor my father could believe how quickly the match turned. Goran cut a sorry figure during the presentation and looked as though someone knocked the life force out of him. 92 was close, 94 was a lost opportunity but 98 was the real heart break, He dominated the match for the most part yet allowed it to slip. Would there be one more chance? This time even I wasn't sure. 


A picture of despair with 1998 Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras

Wimbledon 2000

At the millennium championships, Ivanisevic lost in the first round. A shoulder injury and problems at home had sent his career on the downward spiral and losing in the 1st round of his favorite championship was as low as it could get. There was a silver lining to the cloud however in the form of parade of champions which was organized as part of the millennium championships to honour past champions. Even though he had never won the tournament, Ivanisevic was invited to be part of the ceremony and received a crystal plate for his contributions. When I saw Ivanisevic amongst the champions I was both thrilled as well as sad. Sad that he would be retiring soon without ever having won the tournament he so loved but thrilled that he wasn't walking away into the sunset without being recognized for his efforts. I silently thanked him for all the memories and thought that this would be the last time I would see him on the Wimbledon Centre Court but little did I know then that the last and the best chapter was yet to come.


The Parade of Champions

To be Continued Soon...

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