Wimbledon 2020

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Flashback: Federer Saves 3 M.P. To Deny Cilic At Wimbledon

Spoiler:

Swiss completes 10th comeback from two sets down

Bidding to lift a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon title after runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015 to Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer cruised through to a quarter-final meeting against Marin Cilic at the All England Club in 2016.

Meeting Cilic for the first time since suffering a straight-sets loss to the Croat in the 2014 US Open semi-finals, Federer entered the pair’s seventh ATP Head2Head clash in peak form after straight-sets victories against Guido Pella, Marcus Willis, Daniel Evans and Steve Johnson.

After a semi-final run at the Fever-Tree Championships, Cilic also made his way onto Centre Court with confidence. The 2014 US Open champion had dropped just one set to reach his third straight quarter-final at SW19. In his two most recent campaigns at the All England Club, Cilic’s title hopes were ended by eventual champion Djokovic on both occasions.

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In the opening two sets, Cilic dictated proceedings on Centre Court. The World No. 13 won 87 per cent of first-serve points, landed 12 aces and saved all three break points he faced to establish a two-set advantage. In the third set, the 6’6” right-hander earned three consecutive break points at 3-3, 0/40, but could not find a way through the Swiss.

Boosted by that escape, Federer charged back into the match. The 17-time Grand Slam champion claimed three straight games to force a fourth set, where he survived three match points. On two of those points, Cilic was unable to find the court on second-serve returns.

“If we would go back to play again, I would try to be more aggressive on the chances when I had them in the fourth. Maybe there was a slight hesitation [during] some of them,” said Cilic.

After edging a gripping fourth-set tie-break, the seven-time champion completed a 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-3 victory after three hours and 17 minutes. It was the 10th time in Federer’s career that he had won a match from two sets down.

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“Today was epic,” said Federer. “ probably going to look back at this as being a great, great match that I played in my career, on Centre Court here at Wimbledon... I'm very, very happy.”

In another thrilling five-set clash, Federer’s title bid was ended in the semi-finals by Milos Raonic. The Swiss, who underwent arthroscopic left knee surgery earlier in the year, ended his 2016 season following the tournament.

One year later, Federer and Cilic met in the championship match at Wimbledon. On that occasion, Federer clinched the trophy with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 win to become the first player to win eight Gentlemen’s Singles titles at the All England Club.

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Nadal & Del Potro's Wimbledon Battle: 'Rafa Is Rafa'

Spoiler:

Nadal needed almost five hours to battle past Del Potro in the 2018 quarter-finals
Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro are known for their courage on court. Both men would need it in what turned into a heavyweight showdown in the 2018 Wimbledon semi-finals.

The always-motivated Nadal was hungry for a breakthrough at the All England Club that year, having failed to reach the quarter-finals since 2011. The Spaniard had only earned a 7-5 record in his five most recent appearances at SW19.

But Nadal carried plenty of momentum into the grass-court major. He was the second seed behind Roger Federer, but Nadal was the No. 1 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The lefty was also fresh off his 11th Roland Garros title.

You May Also Like: Nadal Edges Delpo In Wimbledon Epic
Del Potro was finally back in top form after three left wrist surgeries in 2014 and 2015 kept him out of the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings until September 2016. The Argentine hadn’t made it past the third round at The Championships since 2013, but he only lost one set en route to the 2018 quarter-finals.

Nadal only dropped seven games against Del Potro in that year’s Roland Garros semi-finals, but the ‘Tower of Tandil’ pushed him to the brink at Wimbledon. Nadal needed four hours and 48 minutes to battle past Del Potro 7-5, 6-7(7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

"I think I played really good tennis today, but Rafa is Rafa," Del Potro said. "Sometimes you play your best tennis and it's not enough to beat him.”

Nadal, Del Potro

It appeared Nadal was poised to take a two-set lead when he led 6/3 in the second-set tie-break, but that’s where the match turned.

Nadal double faulted at 6/5 to allow Del Potro back into the tie-break. The Argentine took full advantage at 8/7, his first set point, striking a cross-court forehand that hit the net cord and bounced too low for Nadal.

"Of course I was worried when I lost the second set,” Nadal said. "Winning 6/3 in the tie-break, it's true that he played two great points with his serve, but then I made a very important mistake. That double fault was a big mistake. That's how it is. Then the match changed. He played well. I believe I increased little bit the level in the fourth and the fifth. But the fifth, he was playing huge. It was so difficult to stop him."

Both players often found themselves on the grass in an all-time great match, which transfixed spectators on-site as England's footballers played Croatia in Moscow in the World Cup semi-finals. Nadal twisted and slid about from behind the baseline, once chasing a ball and ending up in the crowd, while Del Potro produce multiple diving volleys in the Centre Court classic.

Nadal ultimately advanced to his sixth Wimbledon semi-final, taking an 11-5 ATP Head2Head series lead against Del Potro. In the next round, Novak Djokovic outlasted Nadal 10-8 in a fifth set.

Del Potro’s loss against the legendary lefty was a tough one, but it showed the Argentine was flying as high as ever. The ‘Tower of Tandil’ climbed to a career-high World No. 3 the following month. At the US Open, Del Potro took a two-set lead against Nadal in the semi-finals before the Spaniard retired due to knee tendinitis. That set the Argentine into his second Grand Slam final, nine years on from triumphing at the 2009 US Open.

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Flashback: Down But Not Out, Tsonga Shocks Federer

Spoiler:

Frenchman brings the heat in epic 2011 Wimbledon quarter-final
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga hadn’t yet lost to Roger Federer in their 2011 Wimbledon quarter-final, but it appeared inevitable after he dropped the first two sets. The Swiss had never lost from two sets up in his 255 career Grand Slam matches.

But on the back of what arguably remains Tsonga's best display of serving, he did the unthinkable. Landing well over 70 per cent of his first serves and only offering Federer a single break point throughout their lengthy clash, he fought back to unseat the six-time Wimbledon champion 3-6, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

“I served unbelievably. I’m the kind of player who likes these big moments, so I hope I will have some more,” Tsonga said afterwards. I felt so good on the court. I was quick. I was just perfect today. It was feeling like a dream.”

The Frenchman’s runner-up showing at the 2008 Australian Open already proved that he could deliver his best tennis at the world’s biggest events. Inconsistency and injuries prevented him from building on that breakthrough run, but the 26-year-old remained a player that no one wanted to face. Tsonga’s attacking style is perfectly suited for grass and he felt emboldened by his decision that May to split with longtime coach Eric Winogradsky, opting for more ownership of his career.

After dropping his opening service game against Federer and trailing 0-3 after seven minutes, Tsonga settled in and found his range. But while the Frenchman continued to comfortably hold serve, he was unable to assert himself in their baseline rallies.

With little to lose after falling behind two sets, Tsonga charged the net whenever possible and attempted to hit winners from unlikely positions at the baseline. His bold gambles paid dividends as he cracked 63 winners to just 22 unforced errors on the day, with most of the winner tally coming in the final three sets.

After another strong serve on match point led to Federer hitting a return long, Tsonga dropped to the ground in celebration. Federer graciously tipped his hat to the Frenchman afterwards and acknowledged there was little he could do against an opponent playing so well.

"He believed in shots that maybe you don't hit as often. But exactly when he needed them, he was able to pull them off,” Federer said. “When it got important, he went for it. It all worked out for him today.”

Although Tsonga fell in the semi-finals to Novak Djokovic, his inspired run at the All England Club spurred him on to an outstanding second half of 2011. He picked up a pair of titles in Metz and Vienna and finished runner-up at the Rolex Paris Masters to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, where he defeated Rafael Nadal en route to the championship match.

Federer would get his revenge that year, though. Although he fell to Tsonga again at the Coupe Rogers, the Swiss rebounded to defeat his rival four times in a two-month period. He dominated Tsonga in their US Open quarter-final clash, then scored another straight-sets victory in Paris before twice defeating the Frenchman at The O2, prevailing in round-robin play and an entertaining three-set final.

More Stories Like This In: Wimbledon Player Features 2020 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

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The Match That Kickstarted Sampras' Wimbledon Dominance

Spoiler:

Defending champion Agassi dismissed in 1993 quarter-final
For all of their epic battles, one thing that the ATP Head2Head series between Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras lacks is five-set battles. But their 1993 Wimbledon quarter-final that started as a mismatch would end as a compelling affair that marked the first of only two five-set matches in their rivalry.

Sampras withstood a fightback from defending champion Agassi to prevail 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4 in their debut grass-court meeting. Both of them earning the right to face each other in the last eight appeared unlikely 10 days earlier. Agassi struggled with tendonitis in his right wrist before the start of the tournament and Sampras dealt with intense pain in his right shoulder, but Agassi refused to make excuses in defeat.

“The only time I’m devastated over a loss is when I don’t feel like I gave it everything, when I felt like there was something else I could have done. I’m not convinced I could have today,” Agassi said. “He turned out to be the better man in the end."

Agassi admitted that he was “borderline embarrassed” in the first two sets as Sampras’ game plan worked perfectly. He blocked the defending champion’s serve back and frequently sliced his backhand, giving Agassi no pace to work with.

“You’ve really got to make it a mental match with Pete, keep it close and take advantage of a few opportunities,” Agassi said. “But if you allow him to get up… He starts playing off confidence and his ability really shines at that point. It’s hard to stop.”

You May Also Like: Beyond The Numbers: Sampras Serves Up Wimbledon Success
Eager for more tennis, the already pro-Agassi crowd became boisterous as they tried to urge him back in the match. He obliged by beginning to gamble more on his returns as Sampras let his guard down slightly. As Sampras’ first-serve percentage dropped and the pain in his serving shoulder appeared to return, Agassi dictated more of their rallies and eventually brought the match to a fifth set.

The medical timeout that Sampras took for shoulder treatment early in the deciding set did wonders in restoring his game. He broke Agassi at 2-2 and wasted no time serving out the match, firing three consecutive aces before advancing to his second consecutive semi-final at the All England Club.

“The crowd was really pulling for Andre to come back because in the first couple of sets, I was dictating play,” Sampras said. "The third and fourth sets, he started serving much better… I’d like to think the crowd was pretty partial in the fifth. I hope that I have a couple of fans out there against Andre.”

Buoyed by his victory, Sampras scored two more impressive wins against Boris Becker and Jim Courier to lift his maiden Wimbledon crown. It proved to be the start of his dominance at this event as he prevailed seven times in an eight-year stretch (1993-1995, 1997-2000), putting him only behind Roger Federer on the all-time list at this event.

More Stories Like This In: Wimbledon Player Features Andre Agassi Pete Sampras 2020

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Dzień legendarnych ćwiartek na Wimbledonie:

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A Titannic Clash In Djokovic & Nadal's Record Rivalry

Spoiler:

Relive Djokovic and Nadal's 2018 Wimbledon semi-final
Novak Djokovic faced a massive test in the 2018 Wimbledon semi-finals. The Serbian underwent a ‘small medical intervention’ earlier that year on his right elbow after the Australian Open, and later suffered his first three-match losing streak since 2007. In June, he fell to No. 22 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, his lowest standing in more than a decade.

But the Serbian had a golden opportunity against one of his greatest rivals, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, to prove he was back in form by reaching the final at The Championships. Nadal had just won his 11th Roland Garros title, and after battling past Juan Martin del Potro in a quarter-final thriller, he was keen to advance to the championship match at SW19 for the first time since 2011.

If Djokovic was going to make a splash on the London grass, he’d need to find his very best tennis in his record 52nd ATP Head2Head clash against Nadal. That’s exactly what the Serbian did in a memorable 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(9), 3-6, 10-8 win over five hours and 15 minutes.

"I'm really, really pleased. I was very emotional after the match, as well, because it's been a long 15 months for me, trying to overcome different obstacles," Djokovic said. "To be where I am at the moment is quite satisfying."

Djokovic

Djokovic moved into his fifth title match at The Championships, earning his 250th Grand Slam victory to end Nadal's 16-Grand Slam semi-final winning streak.

Play was suspended Friday evening due to curfew after three sets, with Djokovic leading two sets to one. There was no doubt that the Spaniard would come out swinging in the fourth set with his back against the wall. And after saving two break points in the first game of the resumption Saturday, Nadal broke Djokovic with aggressive returning, dictating play with his forehand. He won the fourth set, but it was not enough for the second seed.

"I think I played a great match," Nadal said. "I have not much more inside me. I gave it my best, and that's it. It's fair to say that was a great match and he beat me. Well done for him. That's all. That's sport."

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Nadal earned five break points in the fifth set, and one opportunity at 7-7 appeared ripe for the taking. Djokovic, the 12th seed, answered Nadal’s pressure with a curling cross-court forehand passing shot winner, gesturing to the crowd to cheer.

Five games later, Djokovic closed out his marathon victory, advancing to the final in which he beat Kevin Anderson for his fourth Wimbledon title. It was the Serbian’s first Grand Slam triumph since 2016 Roland Garros.

It was a disappointing loss for Nadal, but the Spaniard retained top spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings. That didn’t last all year, though, as Djokovic came full circle in his comeback, winning the US Open and returning to World No. 1 on 5 November, ultimately finishing as year-end No. 1 for the fifth time.

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Andre Agassi... Remembering 1992 Wimbledon

Spoiler:

Twenty five years ago, Andre Agassi wrestled away the Wimbledon trophy from the world’s finest serve and volleyers. It was a title few believed he was destined to win.

Editor's Note: But for the COVID-19 pandemic, Wimbledon would now be underway. During the next two weeks ATPTour.com will look back on memorable matches and happenings at the grass-court Grand Slam. This story was originally published in June 2012.

Green fees are around $500 per round. Tee times are one-hour apart. Only a handful of guests each day get to play the 7,239-yard Shadow Creek Golf Course, built by business magnate Steve Wynn, in 1989, in northern Las Vegas. Here Andre Agassi came to re-group immediately after his 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 loss to Jim Courier, his former Bollettieri Academy sparring partner, in the 1992 Roland Garros semi-finals.

Speaking exclusively to ATPWorldTour.com, Agassi remembers, 20 years on, “When we were playing, Steve asked me, ‘So what is next?’

I said, ‘Wimbledon.’

He asked, ‘Do you think you can win it?’

I told him, ‘Very few people show up thinking they can win it.’

He then said, ‘If you get to the final, I will watch you play. I will be in the Mediterranean at that time.’”

Agassi played nine holes.

Ten days later, the world’s 14th-best player had yet to hit a tennis ball. At midnight, five days before the start of The Championships on 22 June, Agassi made a decision. Picking up the phone, he dialled his coach of eight years. The man his father, Mike, had entrusted his faith in 1984.

“I always found that the more I practised on grass, the worse I became”

Two thousand, three hundred and seventy miles away, in Bradenton, Florida, Nick Bollettieri had been waiting. He knows it’s Andre. It’s three o’clock in the morning. It can only be Andre. He must be ready to hit. Bollettieri recalled to ATPWorldTour.com his conversation with Agassi.

“‘Nick, what are you doing?’

‘I’ve been waiting to hear your call, Andre.’

‘Nick, let’s go down to Boca Raton and we’ll practise.’

‘Okay.’”

Bollettieri arrived early, a few racquets under his arm. Agassi handed him a bag of clubs. Joining Robert Seguso and watched by Agassi’s girlfriend, Wendi Stewart, they played a round of golf until 4 p.m.

“The day before we were supposed to leave [for Wimbledon], he said, ‘Nick, let’s go and hit some balls on a hard court,’” recalls Bollettieri. “We set a time. Hit for 20 minutes on a green-coloured hard-court, then stopped and headed home.

“Andre was a character. I understood that. All the boys at the academy said, ‘How do you put up with this guy?’ But I saw something special.”

It’s a pity that Agassi didn’t see something special in Wimbledon.

“I always found that the more I practised on grass, the worse I became,” says Agassi. “I started to develop twitches in my swing and doubts would spread in my game.”

His first appearance at the All England Club, in 1987, lasted almost as long as it took Bollettieri to settle in his courtside chair. “He played [Henri] Leconte. I didn’t even sit down. The match was over [6-2, 6-1, 6-2]. He hated the grass and told me he’d never return. In fact, he didn’t return for four years, until 1991, when he reached the quarter-finals [l. to David Wheaton].” During his self-imposed exile from The Championships, Agassi stayed at home, jogged and lifted weights.

Conditioning coach Gil Reyes entered Agassi’s life shortly after his 6-3, 4-6, 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-1 final loss to Alberto Mancini at the 1989 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. Reyes told ATPWorldTour.com, “He said his body had nothing left. He felt weak against Mancini. He was overpowered and his movement was impaired. On clay, the centre of movement, on soft courts, is in the thighs. He said he never wanted to feel that way on the court again. That was his main drive.” By February 1990, Gil had ‘officially’ signed on to work with Agassi. They won their first tournament together at the San Francisco indoors (d. Witsken).

Reyes knew Agassi wasn’t a weight-lifter. “I knew I couldn’t go to any gym and put Andre on any machine unless I knew for certain what area it worked. That’s why I started to build machines. Andre asked me, ‘Do you know how to weld?’ ‘No,’ I admitted. But in order to use safer machines, I used my garage to produce safe and productive machines that worked different body parts.” In March 2012, BILT by Agassi & Reyes was launched to promote 12 machines the Las Vegan used during his career.

“That began the process of getting stronger. I told him, ‘I know nothing about tennis. I make no tennis promises.’ He knew I was an athlete guy. I wasn’t a tennis guy. He said, ‘No worries. I’ll handle that. Just get me stronger.’ Sometimes he would ask a question I did not know the answer to. I didn’t bluff it and went away and found out. Our relationship was based on faith that we each gave 100 per cent.”

Ten months after their first introduction, Reyes - who had already learned to weld together his own fitness machines in his garage - was standing in an Indian Wells hotel lobby with Bollettieri and Agassi’s International Management Group agent, Bill Shelton. It was Reyes’ first year on tour. “Bill introduced me to Arthur Ashe, who was courteous, polite and cordial,” says Reyes. “As I was ready to leave, Arthur whispered to me, ‘Take care of the kid, he is going to be very important. If he gets injured or anything, it is over.’” Reyes would never forget that advice.

Agassi weighed 152 pounds (70 kilograms) in May 1989. Shortly before Wimbledon in 1992, Agassi tipped the scales at 174 pounds (80 kg), having developed a “love-hate relationship with Reyes’ homemade Flexas machine, which helped to provide him speed and acceleration”, and taken part in sprints training, “to get faster”, with Carl Lewis. Leroy Burrell and their coach Tom Tellez at the University of Houston in January 1992. Says Reyes, “Andre never once told me to tone down the training. He knew the way the game was being played was going away from him. He was a baseliner, in an era of power and serve and volleyers. He felt guys were getting taller and bigger, so he knew he needed to fortify his body.”

Agassi lost seven of his first 13 matches to open the season and questions began to surface over the extra muscle that he had added. Did it hinder his swing? Maybe. But Agassi never criticised Reyes. “We implemented our plan and went over bumps,” says Reyes. “He felt good. He started to think it was all coming together. He felt strong and ready.”

Seventy-two hours before the start of the sport’s biggest tournament, in 1992, Agassi and his team - Wendi; his brother, Phillip; Shelton and Bollettieri - flew into London. Reyes, his strength coach, stayed in Las Vegas, to rest, after a lengthy period away from his family during the clay-court swing.

“When we went to Wimbledon, we gave a clinic in a department store,” remembers Bollettieri. “When he was asked, ‘How have you been practising?’ Andre said, ‘We’ve been practising for two weeks in Boca Raton.’ He then winked at me.”

For Agassi, it didn’t matter. He felt confident. He was ready to mix it with serve-volleyers, such as Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Michael Stich, and a new generation of emerging talent, Goran Ivanisevic and Pete Sampras. “Twelve months before, I had a chance to win the 1991 title,” says Agassi. “I was up a double-break in the fourth set against David Wheaton in the quarter-finals [but lost 6-2, 0-6, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2]. I therefore returned to Wimbledon excited at the prospect of being able to reach another Grand Slam final.”

Agassi’s ability to assimilate information and to know what might happen in different situations had stood him in good stead at Bollettieri’s academy. In his first-round match, against World No. 31 Andrei Chesnokov, he rode his luck. “The first match, we should have been thrown out of the tournament due to conduct,” remembers Bollettieri. “He played Chesnokov. He gave the referee Alan Mills, a great guy, all sorts of grief. Really, not very nice. We were fortunate to get through that [5-7, 6-1, 7-5, 7-5]. We could have bombed out.” Agassi was fined £850. He beat Eduardo Masso in the second round.

“Two of my first three opponents were baseliners [with the exception of Derrick Rostagno], which were always hard to face on grass,” says Agassi. “Chesnokov made you hit a lot of balls, but I started to dial in my game by the time I faced [qualifier Christian] Saceanu, in the fourth round, where I hit a clean ball. I let my shots fly.” Agassi was never seriously threatened in a 7-6(1), 6-1, 7-6(0) win.

At the house Agassi rented nearby, he sheltered from the rain, played backgammon, watched horror movies and got his agent Shelton to sing Nat King Cole songs. Never once did Agassi look at the draw. He would play one match at a time. No one in the team talked about tennis. That fortnight, nobody ran out for $250 McDonald’s orders as had happened in the past.

In a year when there had been so much discussion about the dominance of the serve in men’s tennis, Agassi was clearly moving towards the sort of form on his service returns - in a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory over three-time former champion Becker - that would provide the perfect antidote. Afterwards, Becker said, “I have not seen anybody on grass playing that kind of tennis - I mean, from the back.”

Agassi, 20 years on, remembers, “Even after I beat Becker, who had reached four straight Wimbledon finals [1988-1991], in the quarter-finals, I did not feel I could beat anybody. I’d beaten Becker, who owned Centre Court, but there were too many great grass-court players, such as McEnroe, Sampras and Stich left in the draw. But it did give me an inner belief that made me feel this could be it.” For the first time since 1951, none of the top four seeds had reached the semi-finals.

Next up was 33-year-old John McEnroe. Appearing in his first Grand Slam championship semi-final since the 1990 US Open, McEnroe was the sentimental favourite. Eleven years older than the other three semi-finalists - Agassi, Ivanisevic and Sampras - he was playing his 200th major match and hoping to reach his sixth Wimbledon final. But there was one problem: McEnroe had been Agassi’s practice partner for the past two weeks and recommended that the 22 year old “shorten my strokes on the grass and to forget about hitting neutral balls like I’m playing on clay”. They had also played doubles together at Roland Garros, one month earlier.

Bollettieri recalls how the match unfolded. “McEnroe wanted to get into my boy’s head a bit. He tried to slice and keep the ball low, but Andre was able to strike the ball cleaner and his groundstrokes - including his return of serve - were magnificent.” Agassi operated his forehand like a pile-driver. Watched by the Archbishop of Canterbury and in glorious sunshine, he triumphed 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 51 minutes.

“The McEnroe match was the cleanest I played,” admits Agassi. “I saw the ball big, letting it fly. McEnroe had a different serve to Boris. He was an artistic performer. I never played perfect tennis in my career, but I did play matches where I felt in control and never left third gear. Against McEnroe, I felt I had another gear I could go to if I needed it. I was disciplined in the risks I was taking and everything worked.”

Agassi had reached his fourth Grand Slam championship final, his first on a grass-court - supposedly his worst surface. The press had already labelled him as a person who couldn’t get over the finish line, after he had been beaten by Andres Gomez at 1990 Roland Garros, Sampras at the 1990 US Open and Courier at 1991 Roland Garros. Agassi was believed to be his own toughest opponent. But, “for the first time, playing Ivanisevic, I wasn’t the favourite,” says Agassi. “It freed me up to play. I didn’t play scared and it taught me to go out and strike clean.”

Eighth seed Ivanisevic was a big serving left-hander. His ace count after six matches stood at 169. The 20-year-old Croatian had hit a personal best 36 aces past Sampras in a 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-2 semi-final win. Agassi had never beaten Ivanisevic in two previous matches. “Back then the big servers had an advantage, but if a player could execute a first return you were able to take control of the point,” says Agassi. “For me, it was very hard without a big serve, so I had to take my chances.”

As a left-hander, McEnroe had enabled Agassi to find his rhythm on returning serves. The day before the final, McEnroe - who won the last of his three Wimbledon titles in 1984 - called his conqueror. “McEnroe told me, ‘Listen, you know what is going to happen. He will ace you a lot and have easy service games. But don’t get discouraged. You’ll have a few chances, so you must stay positive when he aces you.’”

Minutes before the championship match, 5’10” Agassi and 6’4” Ivanisevic both waited in the locker room. Only six of the 113 light blue-fronted lockers were in use now. In all, 128 singles players showed up, but it was guaranteed all but one would go away with a loss. Agassi and Ivanisevic both hoped today was their day. Bollettieri’s advice to Agassi was simple, “Enjoy the day, baby. You’ve waited for this. Go out and be Andre Agassi. Enjoy the match. God bless.” The finalists exited to the clubhouse, walked up seven carpeted steps, through a set of swinging doors, under a quotation from Rudyard Kipling’s poem If, past the eight-feet square Waiting Room and onto Centre Court, the cathedral.

Agassi recalls everything. Even 20 years on.

“Goran was a gunslinger,” says Agassi, who wore a triangular-shaped gold ring in his left ear during The Championships. “When the chances came at the start of the second and third sets, I took them. The fourth set had an inevitable feel. I was living on the edge, I couldn’t do anything. He was firing a lot of aces and winners. The flood gates had opened and I was up against it. In the fifth set, I served first. It was an advantage, because as long as I held serve, the pressure was on Goran to level the score line.

“I never felt I had the upper hand until the match was over. Early in the fifth set, he was holding easily and I was struggling. At 4-5, he served two double faults to go down 0/30. He missed his first serve on the next point and it then crossed my mind I may be able to win it. He aced me on his second serve. At 15/30, he hit an unreturnable serve. At that stage, I thought we’d be in for a titanic battle. It would only last for as long as I held serve. At 30/30, I managed to force Goran into hitting a half volley, which I ran for to hit a passing shot.

“On match point, he missed his first serve. The crowd started to wonder if Goran might hit a third double fault in the game. At this stage, everything was happening too fast. I knew I didn’t want to have any regrets in the future, that I hadn’t swung at a serve on match point. I remember swinging with all my might, connecting with it only to see Goran, mid-court and off-balance, volley my backhand into the net.”

Agassi, blessed with great quickness of eye and feet, had triumphed 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in two hours and 50 minutes to become the first baseliner since Bjorn Borg to capture the title. He was also the first to do so wearing a cap since Yvon Petra in 1946. “I fell to the ground,” remembers Agassi. “I could not believe it. The moment was all consuming. I couldn’t process what was happening. I can remember what individual members of the crowd looked like, what the grass smelt like as I lay on it and how the hairs on my body were standing up. I was overjoyed. It was a huge relief.”

Bollettieri, who jumped for joy and punched the air in celebration, admits, “When Andre hit the backhand hard at Goran’s body, I have never ever experienced such a feeling of ‘holy mackerel’. In all my years involved in tennis, even now 20 years on. It was something you cannot purchase.” Reyes, watching with his family in Las Vegas, experienced his own emotional rush. “My emotion was of the fulfilment of so much. Goals and aspirations. It was the justification for a really, really good guy. What so many dream of, but never accomplish. The lifting of a load of expectation off a really good young man. I knew how badly it had hurt to come so close. To be disappointed in those three previous Grand Slam finals.”

As Wendi, Phillip and Bollettieri celebrated in the players’ box, Agassi hugged the trophy, $265,000 the richer, with tears running down his cheeks. Bollettieri and Agassi hugged immediately back inside the locker room. “‘Holy ****!’ Andre’s brown eyes looked at me,” remembers Bollettieri. Not wanting to jinx anything, Agassi waited until after the final to hire a tuxedo for the Champions’ Ball.

Agassi recalls his emotion. “It was a big deal. Nick had - and still does - contribute a lot to the sport of tennis. While I begrudged his environment for a lot of years, I appreciated it. He had never been in the box to watch one of his players win Wimbledon. Gil had always supported me right from the start. He has always occupied a special place in my heart. We cried, when I first saw him upon my return. It was special for my brother, [Phillip], too. Tennis had been our whole life. The way we were trained and were brought up. We realised it had all been worth it.

“If I did nothing else, I had done everything that I had dared to dream. But, of course, once I won I wanted to win again. I had more dreams. To win Roland Garros, the US Open, in my own country, and make up for the final defeats.”

With the All England Club phasing out the tradition of the men’s and women’s singles titlists dancing together at the Champions’ Ball a few years earlier, Agassi did not get a chance to waltz with the 1992 women’s champion Steffi Graf, his future wife. But, as promised Wynn and his family made the trip. Agassi secured some tickets for the final. So, “after the Champions’ Ball, I flew back to Las Vegas on Steve Wynn’s private jet.” It was time to celebrate, but, as Reyes says, “prepare for the future”.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/agassi- ... p-heritage

[Damian]

Federer's Memorable Win Against Nadal At 2019 Wimbledon

Spoiler:

Relive the semi-final between the legends from 2019 Wimbledon
The 2019 Wimbledon semi-finals featured an ATP Head2Head clash that hadn't been seen at the All England Club in more than a decade: Roger Federer playing Rafael Nadal.

The last time the legendary foes met on the London grass was in the 2008 championship, which many experts still say is the best match in history. Entering the match, Federer had won five of their past six meetings, with three of those victories coming in straight sets.

But Nadal, who was trying to reach his first Wimbledon final since 2011, had just cruised past the Swiss with the loss of only nine games in the Roland Garros semi-finals. The Spaniard led their rivalry 23-16.

“It's always very, very cool to play against Rafa here, especially [as we] haven't played [here] in so long,” Federer said.

ATP Coach Programme

After a hiccup in the second set, Federer booked a place in his 12th final at The Championships with a 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph.

“It lived up to the hype, especially from coming out of the gates, we were both playing very well. Then, the climax at the end, with the crazy last game, some tough rallies there. It had everything at the end, which was great," Federer said. "I'm just relieved it's all over at this point.

“But it's definitely, definitely going to go down as one of my favourite matches to look back at, again, because it's Rafa, it's at Wimbledon, the crowds were into it, great weather. I felt like I played good also throughout the four sets. I can be very happy.”

Federer, first set

The Swiss superstar played at his aggressive best on return of serve, at the net and in long rallies across the three-hour, two-minute battle on Centre Court.

Federer seized the momentum in his 40th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against Nadal with a break of serve at 3-1 in the third set and, in spite of an early break in the fourth set, kept 18-time Grand Slam championship winner Nadal at bay before converting his fifth match point chance.

The 37-year-old became the third oldest man in the Open Era (since 1968) to reach a Grand Slam championship final. Federer, who registered his 100th Wimbledon match win over Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals, earned a chance to capture the 21st major crown of his career in his 31st final.

Nadal stood deep behind the baseline on return of serve and Federer soon picked up on the ploy, exposing the angles of the court and serve and volleying with great frequency.

“I thought it was a tough first set with not many chances,” said Federer. “[It] came down to I thought a really good tie-break. I think I served well there, but also came up with some really good returns and rallies. He got off the gates faster with a great lob, I believe, to get the mini break first. As the first set was dominated by a lot of good serving, I thought that was probably a big problem for me. But I was able to get out of that one."

While Nadal’s return positioning, deep behind the baseline, was questioned, the Spaniard soon won 10 points in a row, capitalising on a lapse in concentration from Federer, who lost his serve to love after a backhand error in the second set. That allowed Nadal to gain the momentum.

But as the intensity level increased early in the third set, Federer out-duelled Nadal in the key moments and took over the match.

“The early break in the third set, I had a couple of mistakes in that moment. That was a tough moment I needed to resist. The beginning of the third set probably was one of the keys of the match,” said Nadal. “I started to play much better at the end of the match, but it was too late.”

Nadal, second set

Federer converted his fifth match point and pumped his fists in celebration. He struck 51 winners, including 14 aces, saving six of eight break points against Nadal, who committed 25 unforced errors.

"It's been a tough one. I had my chances, but he played a little bit better than me," said Nadal. "Probably I didn't play as good as I did in the previous rounds, and he played well. So he deserves it. Congrats to him."

Nadal bounced back from his defeat, triumphing at the Coupe Rogers and earning his 19th Grand Slam title at the US Open. The lefty finished atop the year-end FedEx ATP Rankings for the fifth time.

Federer, however, suffered heartbreak in the Wimbledon final. Novak Djokovic saved two championship points to stun the Swiss 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3).

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/federer ... -flashback

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]