The turn of the millennium signaled the business end of school for me. With the retirement of most of my favorites I no longer found the time to follow and watch tennis. But all of that was about to change with the comeback of a hero whom no one gave a chance.
2001 Wimbledon
I had just finished school when the 2001 Wimbledon Championships rolled in. I had plenty of time on hand but had no interest in the championships as Pete Sampras the defending champion was in ominous form and with all due respect to Sampras I had no interest seeing him lift the trophy once again. Two days into Wimbledon I was extremely surprised and thrilled to know that Ivanisevic was playing in the championships on a wild card. By that point Ivanisevic had almost retired with a recurring shoulder injury. If a slump in form and fitness wasn't enough his father's heart problem and sister's cancer diagnosis pushed him to the edge. Ranked 125 in the world, his final attempt at glory was a long shot but I was determined to catch every glimpse of his fight.
The first thing I did after finding out that Ivanisevic was playing was to check his draw and it was anything but easy. If everything went well and Ivanisevic reached the quarters he would run into former world No.1 and 2000 US Open Champion Marat Safin. If Ivanisevic got past Safin he would most probably face Sampras in the semis. Things looked didn't look great for Goran but I felt as this was his farewell even making it to the quarters would be considered a success. Little did I know then how wrong I was.
Goran almost sleep walked through the first week to enter the quarters (it just didn't look as though he was away for so long but I learnt later that men like Goran are made of much sterner stuff, when their bodies fail their iron will to succeed keeps them going). Goran didn't miss a beat in the quarters too and made short work of Safin in four sets to march into semis. Goran would later go on to say that there was something different about the sound he heard when his racket made contact with the ball in the second round. He hadn't heard that sound in years and felt something magical was about to happen from that point. May be it was all magic that everything happened so easily until that point but who was his semi-final opponent going to be? As per the draw Sampras should have made it to the semis but tennis makes a mockery of such expectations and predictions (I know I've already said that). 7 time Wimbledon champion and world No. 1 Pete Sampras was gently relieved of his champion duties by up an coming Roger Federer in the 4th round (we started this story with Federer and lo behold Federer does have a key role in this story). Yes, Federer beat Sampras in their only meeting (that's for all you trivia lovers out there). No one knew then, the seismic changes that match would have on the championships and on the world of tennis but Sampras' exit threw the tournament wide open.
After beating Sampras, Roger Federer faced hometown favorite Tim Henman in the quarters (who was aiming to become the first British player since Fred Perry to win the championships). With the vociferous support of the crowd behind him, Henman raised his game and launched himself into his young opponent. Federer looked nothing like the man who beat Sampras and was sent home in four sets. So instead of facing the no.1 player in the world, Goran ended up facing the no.1 player in Britsh hearts. With a partisan crowd of passionate supporters, facing Henman in Wimbledon was as tough as (if not tougher than) facing Sampras. I for myself was optimistic about Goran's chances and eagerly looked forward to the match (little did I know then how long I had to wait for that match to begin).
After a marathon semi-final between Agassi and Rafter which Rafter won after five looong sets, the second semi-final between Ivanisevic and Henman began on late Friday night (India Time). Ivanisevic once again started well (quite frankly that meant nothing to me because I saw Ivanisevic lose countless matches that he started well). Soon enough my worst fears came to life, Ivanisevic lost a close second set and then was completely blown away in a one sided third set (6-0). When Ivanisevic was broken early in the 4th set, I could see the writing on the wall. Just when my despair was about to hit the roof, rain intervened and the match was postponed to the next day. I went to sleep that day with my dreams half shattered.
I really wanted to know what Ivanisevic had for dinner that night because when play resumed the next day he broke Henman back to force the tie-break and won the set. If that wasn't enough he started the fifth set strongly. I got to admit after seeing Ivanisevic play for almost a decade, I hadn't seen this coming and was mightily surprised by the sudden turn of events. Before my nerves could settle, rain interfered once again to stop the play for the day.
Sunday, the day designated for the men's singles final saw the players come out for the third consecutive day to finish their long over due semi-final. I feared that an overnight break would disturb Ivanisevic's concentration (just as it did with Henman the previous day) but Ivanisevic proved there was no stopping him that day. After surviving a tough service game, Ivanisevic broke Henman to close out the match 7-5, 6-7(6), 0-6, 7-6, 6-3 exactly 45 hours and nine minutes after it began (stats courtesy: www.wimbledon.com). Can dreams come true? Do fairy tales have happy endings in real life? Can a 125th ranked outsider put the best the sport had to offer to sword and fulfill his destiny? I couldn't sleep that night because I knew I was about to witness something special.
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| Ivanisevic applauds his opponent after a marathon semi-final |
The Final
So it was written that a man who has never won a Wimbledon Final on a Sunday would get his chance to win his first Wimbledon Final on a Monday. I still remember that evening just as though it was yesterday. Nine years after I had first watched Ivanisevic play for the title, I once again had the privilege of supporting him along with my family (who understood how much it meant to me to see Ivanisevic win). .
As for the match it had everything that an Ivanisevic's match always has. Ivanisevic started well, Rafter came back, Ivanisevic fought back only for Rafter to come back and close.. hmm not this time though. Rafter did come back to take the fourth set and Ivanisevic did have a meltdown of sorts when he lost that set but by the time the fifth set began Ivanisevic regained his composure. Serving second in the deciding set of a major championship is never an easy job but Ivanisevic with the baggage of three final defeats stood his course to break Rafter's serve and serve out the match 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7. The match point especially moved me. Rafter after saving three match points netted his return on the fourth match point sending Goran sprawling onto the ground unable to contain his tears of joy. It took four finals and four match points for Ivanisevic to get his moment in the sun. That was the moment I fell out of my own chair with sheer euphoria. My ten year journey as a fan reached it's pinnacle with Ivanisevic embracing his father and lifting the trophy that truly belonged to him. He was still unsure whether it was all a dream when he lifted the championship but little did he know then he taught me to believe in my own dreams. I cannot conclude this story without acknowledging Pat Rafter who was gallant and extremely gracious in defeat. Rafter would retire that year but he didn't retire without teaching me how important it is to hold your hand out to a worthy opponent. He shined like a superstar in defeat and remains to this day one of my heroes.
Goran Ivanisevic 2001 Wimbledon Champion (Courtesy: TennisWorldUSA)
The Legacy
Years after that final. I still remember 2001 Wimbledon Championships for teaching me one valuable lesson that magic in life happens to those who persevere. You need people, you need events, you need moments to tell you that this long dreary journey called life is worth it and ultimately pays off. If it weren't for Ivanisevic I would have never learnt this. His success as a player after years of struggle vindicated my belief in hard work, perseverance and persistence and opened my eyes to a few more life lessons such as:
- Back yourself up, trust your talent and stop not till the goal is achieved.
- No one gets you like you do. When others say you are finished you are not. When others say you are great your are not. The truth is somewhere in the middle so develop your own sense of judgement.
- Have your own measure of success and don't go by other's standards. That's the key to a content and peaceful life.
In the years that passed by whenever life turned bleak, I remembered Ivanisevic's comeback from similar lows to inspire myself. Life is a fight worth fighting and anyone who fights that fight the right way is a hero, That's the reason why Ivanisevic is a hero for all the seasons and also a hero for all the right reasons.
Until Next Time,
Your Life Analyst & Tennis Fan,
J.J. Chaitanya
Until Next Time,
Your Life Analyst & Tennis Fan,
J.J. Chaitanya
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