2001: My Favorite Wimbledon

[Mr. Friscus]

I think the greatest Wimbledon I ever saw was when the Wild Card Goran Ivanisevic won the whole thing... His story of failure and near suicidal torture after losing 3 wimbledon finals was wonderful to see him conquer, Everyone can relate to the ultimate underdog, Goran's quirkiness was fun and relatable, and he was absolutely red-hot with his serve, routinely acing entire games on serve.

As a WC, he tore through some worthy foes.
- 1st round straight sets over Qualifier Jonsson 6-4 6-4 6-4
- 2nd round over #21 Carlos Moya 6-7, 6-3 6-4 6-4
- 3rd round over Andy Roddick (7-6 7-5 3-6 6-3) Note: if you didn't see this match, it was two guys nuking serves like you've never seen
- 4th round over Greg Rusedski (7-6, 6-4, 6-4)
- QUARTERFINAL: Def #4 Marat Safin (7-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6)
- ALL TIME EPIC 3-DAY SEMIFINAL: Def #6 Tim Henman (7-5, 6-7, 6-0, 7-6, 6-3). Yes, a legendary 3 days to conclude this match. The first stoppage was due to darkness, the next day was halted due to rain, and it saved Goran because Henman had all the momentum and was going to end it. But on that 3rd day Goran came out hot and was able to win. Poor Tim.
- FINAL: Def #3 Patrick Rafter (6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7)

I remember watching this whole tournament, but the end of the final was heart wrenching. Goran had so many demons, and was in the 5th set and had blown 3 championship points. He hit a big serve to get his 4th championship point and looked upwards and was passionately praying to the heavens as he went to serve. It was as if the next point would complete his entire existence.

It was a captivating tournament. My favorite Wimbledon ever.

 

[nuraman00]

Nice post.

 

[Hs0022]

I think the greatest Wimbledon I ever saw was when the Wild Card Goran Ivanisevic won the whole thing... His story of failure and near suicidal torture after losing 3 wimbledon finals was wonderful to see him conquer, Everyone can relate to the ultimate underdog, Goran's quirkiness was fun and relatable, and he was absolutely red-hot with his serve, routinely acing entire games on serve.

As a WC, he tore through some worthy foes.
- 1st round straight sets over Qualifier Jonsson 6-4 6-4 6-4
- 2nd round over #21 Carlos Moya 6-7, 6-3 6-4 6-4
- 3rd round over Andy Roddick (7-6 7-5 3-6 6-3) Note: if you didn't see this match, it was two guys nuking serves like you've never seen
- 4th round over Greg Rusedski (7-6, 6-4, 6-4)
- QUARTERFINAL: Def #4 Marat Safin (7-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6)
- ALL TIME EPIC 3-DAY SEMIFINAL: Def #6 Tim Henman (7-5, 6-7, 6-0, 7-6, 6-3). Yes, a legendary 3 days to conclude this match. The first stoppage was due to darkness, the next day was halted due to rain, and it saved Goran because Henman had all the momentum and was going to end it. But on that 3rd day Goran came out hot and was able to win. Poor Tim.
- FINAL: Def #3 Patrick Rafter (6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7)

I remember watching this whole tournament, but the end of the final was heart wrenching. Goran had so many demons, and was in the 5th set and had blown 3 championship points. He hit a big serve to get his 4th championship point and looked upwards and was passionately praying to the heavens as he went to serve. It was as if the next point would complete his entire existence.

It was a captivating tournament. My favorite Wimbledon ever.

I remember that one. Goran had shoulder issues I believe if I remember correctly. Every round he beat opponents that were Grandslam winning material. I expected him to lose in quite a few of those rounds since he was on the decline and just came back for a Fairytale dream of a last chance.

Rafter was a nice guy but I rooted for Goran. Especially his losses against Sampras haunted him so finally winning was like erasing the curse of a lifetime. The only slam he ever won I believe. Was the best one!

 

[Mr. Friscus]

I remember that one. Goran had shoulder issues I believe if I remember correctly. Every round he beat opponents that were Grandslam winning material. I expected him to lose in quite a few of those rounds since he was on the decline and just came back for a Fairytale dream of a last chance.

Indeed. He was a quirky lovable goof who had a few dominant traits and lacked in others. When his serve was on, it was automatic as far as winning the game. It wasn't only his 130+ mph serve, but his placement and disguise. Speed isn't everything. Andy Roddick used to serve in the 140's, but he tipped his serve as far as direction and wasn't as dominant in serves as Goran even though he could serve faster.

I was rooting so hard for Goran when he faced Sampras in the final (I think it was 1997). The longest rally in the match was 6 strokes. While some tennis fans hate that, I loved it. It was two guys saying "I'm coming at you, stop me".. and made break points SO important.

Rafter was a nice guy but I rooted for Goran. Especially his losses against Sampras haunted him so finally winning was like erasing the curse of a lifetime. The only slam he ever won I believe. Was the best one!

Rafter was a gentleman, but I thought his chip and charge was ineffective. It likely would have worked in the 70's and 80's, and it's a testament that he was so successful with it in the 2000's. However, racquet technology made his strategy obsolete.