Sure Could Have Fooled Me: John McEnroe

Tennis' bad-boy reached the semifinals of Wimbledon (Singles) the first time he entered the even, and also his final appearance. In between (1977 and 1992), John McEnroe left quite an impression.

Only 18 years old in 1977, John had to qualify to get into the All-England Lawn Tennis And Croquet club. But he sure hung around. The first four rounds were won with the loss of only two sets. In the quarterfinals, McEnroe went four with South Africa's Bryon Bertram. Finally, he lost to Jimmy Connors in the semifinals, also in four sets.

But his great start to Wimbledon didn't carry over. McEnroe lost in the first round in 1978 and then in the round of sixteen the next year. However, in 1980 he was back with a vengeance. There's be no stopping in the semifinals, as he pushed aside Connors in four sets. Waiting in the finals was the Swede, Bjorn Borg.

Borg was going for his fourth Wimbledon in a row. John took the first set, 6-1. Borg woke up and took the next two sets. The fourth was a classic. It went to a tiebreaker. There, it was the underdog John winning it 18-16!

Borg, alas, won the fifth set, 8-6, for his fifth straight Wimbledon. McEnroe, though, walked off the court with his head held high. He'd pushed the Super Swede to the limit in this classic match. McEnroe had been outlasted rather than outplayed.



Don't feel too bad for John. He got his revenge on Borg late that year at the US Open, as he overcame the Swede 6-4 in the fifth set. John McEnroe now had two Grand Slams to his name, both US Opens. But it was Wimbledon that John so coveted!

The 1981 Wimbledon Men's Championship was a rematch of the previous year. McEnroe beat South Africa's John Kriek to reach the semifinals, then took care of the surprising Australian Rod Frawley in straight sets.

Bjorn Borg was waiting. He bested McEnroe 6-4 in the opening set of the finals. McEnroe used his experience and slice serves to win the second set in a tiebreaker. But it wasn't close in that. McEnroe won it, 7-1. The next set was also a tiebreaker and much closer. However, it was the younger American that took it 7-4. One set away. Through nine games of the fourth set, each player had held serve. Bjorn Borg looked to extend it as he went ahead 30-0 in the tenth game. But John McEnroe, ahead in the set 5-4, saw the finish line. He took the next four points for the title!



Borg sort of walked away from tennis not long after, alas. McEnroe had beaten him in the finals of the US Open later in 1981. Like their Wimbledon match, it was four sets. Borg only played in one ATP event in 1982, Monte Carlo. McEnroe was back in the Wimbledon Finals, though. A rejuvenated Jimmy Connors needed five sets to deny him a second-straight title at the Big W.



Having lost in the US Open semifinals against Ivan Lendl, the up-and-coming Czech, McEnroe had to regroup the next year. Armed with a new racquet, he beat Lendl at Wimbledon in the semis and overwhelmed New Zeland's Chris Lewis 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 one round later. 1984 was an even better version of McEnroe. He nearly won the French Open, as Lendl battled back from two sets down to stop McEnroe from winning their for the first time. At Wimbledon, he won the title for the second straight year, dropping just four games in the finals against Connors.



Things were much closer as Jimmy and John met in the semifinals of the US Open that year. The two Americans battled for a spot in the finals of their home tournament. McEnroe prevailed in five, then routed Ivan Lendl in the finals.

1985 was a bizarre year for John. As was the case in 1982, McEnroe didn't win a Grand Slam. However, he was dominant in many of the other big events. McEnroe even won the fist four ATP events he entered. At the French, he made the semifinals. But surprisingly, the American didn't repeat that in the next slam. Kevin Curran pulled off an upset. He beat McEnroe in the Wimbledon quarters, Connors in the semis, and then lost to a 17-year old named Boris Becker in the finals.



McEnroe also yielded his US Open crown. Ivan Lendl got some revenge from 1984 when he straight-setted the American in the final. Lendl also took the year-end #1 ranking from McEnroe. Oddly enough, John had reached the quarterfinals of every Grand Slam as he then reached that stage at the Australian Open. The tournament Down Under was the last major of the year back then. And it was still played on grass. McEnroe had reached the semis there in 1983 (He didn't play the next year, though) but fell to Yugoslavia's Sloban Zivojinovic in the last eight as 1985 ended for McEnroe. He'd won some big events, Philadelphia, Canada and Stockholm, and ended the year with eight overall on the ATP circuit. McEnroe added two non-ATP titles to his name, in Inglewood and Las Vegas, for good measure.

But for the first time since 1979, Wimbledon's Final Four (Kevin Curran, Jimmy Connors, Andres Jarryd and Boris Becker) hadn't included our man. John took some times off in 1986, and while he picked up another three ATP titles (Bringing his overall singles total to 70 at age 27), McEnroe didn't even enter the big one on grass. The other big one on the lawn wasn't held Down Under in '86. McEnroe lost in the first round at the only slam he played in, the US Open. Hmmmm...Something was wrong. Though he improved his Grand Slam results in 1987, reaching the US Open quarters, Wimbledon was again a no-go. Skipping the tournament you are so good at is puzzling. McEnroe's 1988 wasn't much better. His ranking was really starting to slip, too.

He'd finished 1986 ranked 14 despite three titles. In '87 McEnroe was back in the top-ten at exactly ten. But 1988 was 11. Not only that, John lost in the first round of the US Open. He'd finally gone back to Wimbledon that year, but the result was the same as the US Open.

What had happened? McEnroe was thirty in 1989. An old thirty. Guys like Lendl, Becker, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg had shoved McEnroe aside in the previous three years. Plus new guys like Miloslav Mecir, Michaell Pernforms and Henri Leconte had emerged. There was 1987 Wimbledon champ Pat Cash. Micheal Chang won the French Open in '89, age just seventeen. And there was 1988 US Open semifinalist Andre Agassi, all of eighteen years old. Pete Sampras was also on the horizon, but he wouldn't win his major for another year. McEnroe, along with Connors, was the old guard. Borg was long gone.

But 1989 was much better for McEnroe. He'd seemingly matured and rededicated himself. The results were much-improved. Only Lendl, Edberg and Becker really stopped him that year. McEnroe was better at thirty than he'd been from 27 to 29.

Having won two tournaments earlier in the year, McEnroe nevertheless skipped the French Open (The Australian Open, now on hard courts and played in January, had seen McEnroe lose to Lendl in the quarters) and set his sights on a return to form at Wimbledon. John McEnroe made good on his vision.

The Australian, Darrin Cahill, nearly derailed the American in the first round as he took the first two sets, 6-4, 6-4. But Johhny Mac prevailed 8-6 in the fifth. McEnroe was pushed by Richey Reneberg to four sets the next round. Following a straight-set win over Jim Pugh in the third round, John McEnroe dropped a set to both John Fitzgerald in the round of sixteen and Mats Wilander in the quarterfinals. The win over Wilander was important as both players were trying to regain their old form. Mats had actually beaten John in their previous Grand Slam match on grass, way back in the 1983 Australian Open semifinals. This time, it was the sports great veteran who prevailed 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, denying an All-Swedish semifinals (Lendl and Becker were in the other Final Four match) in England.

But Stefan Edberg stopped John McEnroe dead in his tracks next. The sets were close, but McEnroe couldn't win any, and Edberg won 7-5, 7-6, 7-6.



Still, it was not only John's first Wimbledon semis in five years, but his first Grand Slam semifinals appearance since the 1985 US Open.



But it was back to losing early at Wimbledon at the 1990s dawned. Derrick Rostagno who eliminated John McEnroe in the first round in 1990. McEnroe had finished 1989 ranked fourth and added another three titles to his name. Despite reaching the semifinals at the US Open in '90, John McEnroe won only one singles title and finished the year ranked outside the top-ten (13).



Things were a little better for McEnroe 1991. He got through to the round of sixteen at Wimbledon. John topped Jamie Oncins of Brazil to the tune of 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round to avoid any repeats of the previous year (Or 1978). In the second round, he faced Australia's Sandon Stolle, the son of a three-time Wimbledon runner-up. Except for John's 6-0 third set performance, it was quite a match. McEnroe got it done in four.



McEnroe was even better in the third round. He beat Jean-Philippe Fleurian in straight sets (Only the second set, a tiebreaker, was close). However, it was Stefan Edberg who beat him, again. Again in straight sets, 7-6, 6-1, 6-4. McEnroe added his 77th (And final) ATP title to his name that year, beating his younger brother Patrick in the finals in Chicago. But John had skipped the Australian Open (He'd been defaulted in the fourth round the previous year), lost in the first round at Rolland Garros. Michael Chang topped him in the third round at the US Open. McEnroe was 32 years old in 1991 and finished the year ranked twenty-eighth. He'd never been ranked that low since 1977.

McEnroe did play in Australia in 1992, and this time, no default. He even upset Boris Becker on his way to the quarters. Not bad. Ah, but then he stared losing early in events. John was again beaten in the first round at the French Open. He made the semis of his first grass court tournament that year in Rosmalen. Micheal Stich, the German (And 1991 Wimbledon winner) needed just two sets to overcome him there.

But it was time to roll back the clock at Wimbledon. Could he get to the semis again? It had been three years since McEnroe had done that. He was now 33 years old. And John was ranked thirtieth in the world!

The first challenge came in the form of Brazilian Luiz Mattar. McEnroe dropped the first set on their first round encounter. From there, however, it was all John, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. Then, John McEnroe overcame Pat Cash in the second round. It took five sets to subdue the 1987 Wimbledon winner.



McEnroe surprised everyone by winning his next three matches in straight sets. That included a win over number nine-ranked Guy Forget of France. Their quarterfinal match saw McEnroe hit just two double-faults all match! The second set, which McEnroe won a marathon 11-9 in the tiebreaker, must have reminded John about his classic with Borg twelve years earlier. Mac still had it in the clutch!



John McEnroe's luck ran out the next round. It was eventual winner Andre Agassi who beat him in there, also in three sets in an All-American semifinals. John was really the elder-statesman of Wimbledon in 1992, you see. Two other players who would eventually win Wimbledon, faced off against one another in the other semifinals. American Pete Sampras and Croatian Goran Ivanisevic, were both only 20. Agassi was just 22 when he lifted the trophy that year.



The straight-set loss to Agassi ended McEnroe's Wimbledon career. Well, the singles portion of it. Unseeded, and partnering with 1991 singles winner Michael Stich, they beat the team of Guy Forget (Who McEnroe had beat in the singles quarterfinals) and Jakob Hlasek in the semis and the combo of Jim Grabb and Rickey Reneberg in the finals. It was the fifth time he'd won the doubles title at The Big W.


John played in just one more Grand Slam, the 1992 US Open. He sort of went out with a wimper. His results in Australia and England must have given him some hope that he could make a deep run at Flushing Meadows. Seeded sixteenth, John lost to fellow American Jim Courier in the round of sixteen. Although McEnroe had reached double-digits in matches won at the Slams for the eighth time in his career, John finished the year ranked only twenty-eight.

McEnroe played Wimbledon fourteen times between 1977 and 1992. His win-loss record there was excellent, 59-11 (84%). His three titles and five straight finals put him right up there with the all-time greats on grass. His 1985 loss to Kevin Curran is his only defeat in the quarterfinals of his Wimbledon career (8-1 at that stage).

McEnroe is always going to be more remembered for his emotional outburst on the courts than his brilliance in both singles and doubles (He won 78 doubles titles), not only just at Wimbledon but everywhere he played. Even at the end of John McEnroe's career, his game,(Which was so brilliant, as it was more about touch and placement than raw power) could inspire awe from anyone who was watching him play. And during his prime, especially at Wimbledon against Borg, McEnroe could put on a show that both inspiring and brilliant.


References


Borg, Bjorn, and Gene Scott. Bjorn Borg, My Life And Game. Sphere Books Ltd, 1981. Print.

Callery, Sean. The Pictorial History of Tennis. New York: Gallery, 1990. Print.

Cross, Tania. McEnroe: The Man With The Rage To Win. Arrow, 1982. Print.

Collins, Bud, and Zander Hollander. Bud Collins' Tennis Encyclopedia. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1997. Print.

Feinstein, John. Hard Courts. New York: Villard, 1991. Print.

Haylett, John, and Richard Evans. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Tennis. New York: Exeter, 1989. Print.

Infosys, FedEx, Peugeot, and LeSports. "Official Site of Men's Professional Tennis | ATP World Tour | Tennis." ATP World Tour. Emirates. Web.  11 July 2019.  <http://www.atpworldtour.com/>.

Parsons, John. The Ultimate Encyclopedia Of Tennis. Carlton Books Ltd, 2018. Print.

Robertson, Max. Wimbledon: Centre Court Of The Game; Final Verdict. BBC Books, 1987. Print.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 11 July 2019. <https://en.wikipedia.org>.

Youtube. Youtube. Web. 11 July 2019. <https://www.youtube.com/>.

McEnroe: French Open Antics Proved Costly!

John McEnroe was by far the most entertaining tennis player I ever saw play. Alas, I didn't catch him until the end of his career. His career, as a whole, was also missing an important pierce: A championship at Roland Garros!

McEnroe had not won it by time his old pal Bjorn Borg played (and won) the 1981 French Open. It ended up being the last time Borg played at Roland Garros. The next year saw another Swede put his name on the map: Mats Wilander

So McEnroe had the task of trying to stop him from a repeat in 1983. And John came out smoking in their quarter final contest:

Pretty good stuff from Johhny Mac, eh? But the Swede then took over. Soon it was a set all. Then, here's where McEnroe lost his concentration, and the match. McEnroe took a 4-1 lead into the third set, and seemed primed for a 2-1 lead in sets. Do that, and all John had to do is win one of the two remaining sets. But we are getting ahead of ourselves here.

McEnroe lost the lead. That was bad enough.

And then, at 4-4, a call went against him. McEnroe was soon fighting everyone in the stadium over that!

Things didn't get too pretty from there. If you can believe it, McEnroe did not win another game. Yep, Wilander won the last eleven games in the match, and McEnroe was out of Paris.

The next year, McEnroe was back in the finals, where he faced Ivan Lendl. The Czech had still not a slam to his name. He was 0-5 in Grand Slam finals. 0-3 at the US, 0-1 at Australia, and 0-1 at the French. And after two sets in '84 vs. McEnroe, all signs pointed to 0-6.

But Lendl wasn't having any of that. McEnroe, however, must take a little of the blame for what transpired. He was up 2-0 in sets, but his mind was wandering...And chances were slipping by...And Lendl was charging...Charging...

The Czech had his first slam! But let's face it. You just watched those youtube vids. What did you see? I see a guy (McEnroe) who wasn't focusing on the "Here and now," to tell you the truth. Even on the very last point, it was clear McEnroe should have had it!

That loss, of course, was not the last you would see of McEnroe. Lendl, McEnroe, Wilander and Jimmy Connors were the final four of the 1985 Roland Garros tournament. McEnroe stormed through the first four rounds without the loss of a set. Joakim Nystrom presented a challenge in the quarter finals, however. McEnroe needed five to take care of another Swedish pest (To him, at least). Nystrom had a pair of clay-court titles to his name in '85, and gave John all he could handle. But another Swede was waiting. "Swede Dreams", McEnroe!

Well, not really. Wilander took the first set, 6-1 (Quite the reverse of '83, eh?). McEnroe was not serving well. When the match was over, he'd made just 46% of his first serves. That was not the only problem (Yes, Mats was also playing well), as McEnroe wasn't behaving well.

The rest of the match was close (And very similar to the Men's Australian Open finals of 2016), but McEnroe wasn't close to playing in the present. By the third set, after Wilander edged him in the second, McEnroe had to make a match of it. Or lose, of course.

McEnroe built a 5-1 lead. Wilander even got a little frustrated.

And then the wheels came off the chariot.

Well, that was a bad stretch of six games! Mats went on to beat Lendl (Who routed Connors) in four sets to win his second French (He'd lost in '83 to Yannick Noah in the finals). Mats added a third in 1988 after Lendl won it again in 1986 and '87.

The French Open eluded John McEnore. He'd come close. Tennis is (along with golf) the sport that requires the most concentration. The slightest lapse and the break and / or lead is gone. Johhny Mac was entertaining when he lost his cool, but here, but he could not afford to. Lendl and Wilander were formidable clay-court players, but McEnore had this aura about him in the early to mid-80s. With Borg out of the picture, he took over from Connors as the male tennis player. But while he may have had the talent, he didn't always have the cool head on the court. And yes, that proved to be fatal sometimes.

Tennis History On Youtube!

McEnroe 1, Cameraman, 0.

Thus was the score for the fiery three time champion in the US Open semifinals of 1982. John had won this even, his event, the last two years. Beating Bjorn Borg back-to-back made John feel good. But losing to Ivan Lendl so soon afters? Must of left a bad taste in his mouth. He'd beaten Ivan in four sets two years earlier. However, it wasn't like this was the first defeat that the American had suffered in a Grand Slam at the hands of the Czech. Indeed, a quick check of the record books shows that McEnroe had lost in the 1981 French Open quarterfinals in straight sets.

But the 1982 loss was painful. It was again straight sets, but McEnroe had to endure it in front of his fans. But, of course, this is McEnroe we are talking about! Are there any theatrics from him we've never seen before? Or up to this point?

I remember John giving the camera a nudge late in his career, circa 1991 or 1992. But in this match with Ivan a decade earlier, John saved a match point with the easy volley in the tiebreaker, tying the score 6-6 (The same score in the games' column). However...Well...Watch what happens!



That little mental lapse proved costly.

Things To Watch For

Johnny Mac had been a little ruffled earlier. See @ 7:44. And he was playing slow, which was probably to his advantage.

But from the shot of his father @ 11:11, watch!

As you can see starting @ 11:16, he's not happy! Something has to be done!

Granted, I thought McEnroe was right in the sense that the cameraman shouldn't have been so close to either player (In this case, Lendl). However, McEnroe lost all his momentum there, and the next two points. And the match!

McEnroe needed a net cord, not a camera cord in this contest!

References

Feinstein, John. Hard Courts. New York: Villard, 1991. Print.

Collins, Bud. The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. Washington, D.C.: New Chapter, 2010. Print.

Haylett, John, and Richard Evans. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Tennis. New York: Exeter, 1989. Print. 

Callery, Sean. The Pictorial History of Tennis. New York: Gallery, 1990. Print.

Amdur, Neil. "MRS. LLOYD WINS SIXTH OPEN TITLE; LENDL OUSTS MCENROE, GAINS FINAL." The New York Times. 11 Sept. 1982. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/12/sports/mrs-lloyd-wins-sixth-open-title-lendl-ousts-mcenroe-gains-final.html>

John McEnroe Channel. "Lendl vs McEnroe Semi Final - US Open 1982 - 12/12." YouTube. 01 Apr. 2011. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-EYkuNBtgs>

Sure Could Have Fooled Me!

Ivan Lendl reached 10 semifinals or better on grass courts in the grand slams.

Lendl's struggles at Wimbledon are well-documented, but of course, it's not to say he didn't do well there. What many fans of tennis have forgotten is his Ivan's results in another slam held on grass were pretty good, too.

The Australian Open was the grand slam that no one wanted to play. For one, it was played in December, when you want to be at home. For another, the prize money was very little. Finally, it was played on grass. Around December and even in January where it was eventually moved (They even played two, one in January and one in December of 1977) in 1987, were many tournaments played indoors. So it didn't make sense to break the cycle of playing on the same surface to travel all the way Down Under. The Australian Open was played on grass.

So that should have discouraged Lendl. He actually gave it a try down there in 1980, and was seeded second. But Ivan lost in the second round. Three years later (He did not play in it in 1981 and 1982), Lendl gave it another shot. This time, he beat hometown boy Pat Cash in the round of 16, fellow countrymen Tomas Smid in the quarters and Tim Mayotte in the semifinals. But waiting in the finals was Swede, Mats Wilander. Lendl won only nine games in the straight set defeat.

Lendl had played in his first ever semifinals in a grand slam played on grass earlier in '83. He lost to John McEnroe at Wimbledon. The next year, he got to the same round, losing to Jimmy Connors. McEnroe routed Connors in the finals. Lendl again played in Australia that year, but only won three matches.

At Wimbledon in 1985, the year Boris Becker made his first big splash at the tender age of 17, Lendl only made it to the fourth round, losing to France's Henri Leconte. His Australian Open was much better. Having finally won the US Open following three straight finals losses, Lendl headed back to Australia, determined to win his first Grand Slam on grass. But waiting in his path was Stefan Edberg. Stefan was a Swedish teenager at the time, much like Wilander in 1983.

But Edberg had that serve-and-volley game that drove Lendl crazy. Ivan stayed right with the young man, and this thing was destined to go five. Edberg, seeking his first grand slam tournament win, snatched it 9-7 in the fifth. In the finals, he made short work of Wilander.

Lendl might have had thoughts of coming back and winning it in 1986, because he reached the finals at Wimbledon for the first time. Lendl, however, had all sorts of problems in the semifinals again. While he managed to prevail against unseeded Slobodan Zivojinovic, it took five sets. Boris Becker, back for a chance at back-to-back wins, made it abundantly clear his win the previous year was no fluke. He beat Lendl 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 in the finals. This was the first of three losses to Becker by Lendl at Wimbledon.

No Australian Open was held in 1986, however. The decision was made to move it to January, hoping to attract a larger audience. Obviously, it could not be held in '86.

The first slam of 1987 was a grim reminder to Lendl of what he would face at Wimbledon. Reaching the semifinals for the second straight time, he faced Pat Cash. It went four, and Pat took the first and third sets in tiebreakers. That helped propel Cash to the win. Pat could not, however, overcome Stefan Edberg in the finals. This ended up being the last ever Australian Open held on grass, as the tournament moved to Flinder's Park the next season. The surface was now a form of hard court that Lendl found to his liking. Within three years, Ivan had himself a pair of Australian Opens.

But Wimbledon remained elusive.

1987 was Lendl's best chance to win it. Becker somehow lost early. Ivan beat Stefan Edberg in the semifinals. He was playing well. Now, only Pat Cash remained. But the frequently injured Australian played one amazing finals. He put pressure on Lendl's serve from the get-go. Cash had a set point at 4-5 in the first, only to see Lendl come up with some big serves and net play. The set went to a tiebreaker. Lendl fought off four set points from 1-6, but Cash took it eventually, 7-5.

Cash raced through the second without losing a point on his serve. Lendl, making one last gasp, broke him early in the third. But serving for the set at 5-3, he came undone with a double fault. Pat motored on in from there. Lendl didn't win another game.

Lendl was back in the final four in 1988, as he looked across the net to his old pal Becker (Who upended Cash in just three sets in the quarterfinals). Lendl looked lost for two sets. An exciting tiebreaker was to follow, with both competitors going back and forth, toe to toe. Lendl managed to outlast the German, 10-8. Play at this point was suspended, sadly. Becker came back the next day and scrapped his way to a 6-4 win in the fourth set.

When the two players met again the next year, same round, Lendl looked like he finally had him. Ahead two sets to one, the Czech was looking poised and ready to overcome adversary. However, fate again intervened. A rain delay stopped play in the fourth with Ivan up a break. When the action resumed, Boris stormed back to win the next two sets. So close, yet so far again for Lendl.

Lendl had one last shot at the great trophy that eluded him in 1990. Now 30 years old, and having raised his second Australian Open crown in January, Lendl decided to skip the French Open (Having already won it three times) to do some grass-court refining. This helped him beat Boris Becker in straight sets in the finals at Queens. Lendl won 6-3, 6-2. A bit of revenge.

However, none of that could stop a third straight Becker-Edberg finals. Lendl made it to the semifinals for the seventh time in his career. But it was Edberg playing at an even higher level than he'd showed Lendl in Australia five years ago. The Swede, serving and returning amazing all match long, needed less than two hours to hand the hard-luck Czech a straight set defeat. Edberg went on to conquer Becker in the finals in five.

A tough run for Lendl. He'd conquered all surfaces except grass. Despite that, he'd put together a pretty good record on lawn tennis. The play there just did not suite his style, despite a strong first serve. Lendl preferred to hang back at the baseline and win the big, long rally. But grass, ever so fast, does allow players to do that, except in more recent years. It was Lendl's misfortune to come along when McEnroe and Connors were still good, Wilander had some surprising results, and three guys named Cash, Becker and Edberg came along.

References

Feinstein, John. Hard Courts. New York: Villard, 1991. Print.

Collins, Bud. The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. Washington, D.C.: New Chapter, 2010. Print.

Philip, Robert. Agassi: The Fall and Rise of the Enfant Terrible of Tennis. London: Bloomsbury, 1993. Print. 

Haylett, John, and Richard Evans. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Tennis. New York: Exeter, 1989. Print. 

Callery, Sean. The Pictorial History of Tennis. New York: Gallery, 1990. Print.

Common Denominator: Murray And Mecir

They both lost Wimbledon to a player that they later beat that same year at the Olympics. In both cases, they ended up not only with the gold, but advanced to the Australian Open Finals the next year.

Miloslav Mecir had reached the US Open Finals in 1986, only to see his fellow countryman from Czechoslovakia, Ivan Lendl there. It wasn't pretty as Lendl won 6-4, 6-2, 6-0.



But Miloslav had taken his first step on the pro tour with that appearance. He managed to beat Lendl in the Lipton Finals the next year.



Then, in 1988 at Wimbledon, he ended Mats Wilander's bid for a third straight grand slam title with a resounding 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 win. Sweden Dreams, Mats. But next on the agenda for Mioslav came Stephen Edberg, who coached Roger Federer the last two years. For the first two sets, it was all Milo!



The Czech raced out to a 2-0 lead and it appeared that Mecir had a Wimbledon Finals date with either Lendl or Boris Becker (It was Becker who won in four). Edberg, however, weathered the storm and fought back to win 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. It was never easy, however, as Edberg needed to charged back from 3-1 down in the fifth. In the finals, Becker was going four sets again. Going down in four, I should say.

Miloslav, did however, lose early in the US Open that year. He exited in the third round against Emilio Sanchez. From there, it was off to "The Quest For Gold", as the pros were eligible to go to the Olympics for the first time in tennis. Actually, it was the first time tennis had been held as an Olympic sport since 1924! Mecir showed up in Seoul, Korea, and left not a soul wondering why here was there.

The Final Four, however, saw Edberg and Wilander again in his path. But this time, on hard court, there was no comebacks from the Swedes. Edberg did, in fact, lead two sets to one, but Mecir closed him out 6-4, 6-2 for the win. Wilander was next in the finals, and Mecir beat him in just four sets, despite losing the opening frame.



Mecir results were disappointing the rest of the year, but as 1989 dawned, so did the Australian Open. Miloslav looked impressive. He dropped just one set on the way to the finals (To Mark Kratzmann), beating a young Croatian named Goran Ivanisevic in the quarterfinals. But once again, his old pal Ivan Lendl was there in the finale to hand him a crushing, straight-set defeat.



Andy Murray was experiencing the same thing in 2012. Still seeking his first grand slam title, he pushed Novak Djokovic to five sets in the Australian Open. At the French, it was smooth sailing for the Scottish force for three rounds. Richard Gasquet got the first set off him, before Andy won three straight sets four the fourth straight match (And avenging his second round loss to Richard in Italy). In the quarterfinals, however, Andy found himself face to face with David Ferrer, who always seems to get better with age. On this day, Ferrer, who was about 30 and playing like he was about 20, prevailed in four sets. Murray's grand slam quest had been thwarted again.

It didn't look like that would happen at Wimbledon. The Great Britain faithful watched in amusement and delight as Andy turned aside one challenge after another. Nikolay Davydenko was turned aside in three sets in the opening round. Martin Cilic was also disposed of in straight sets in the round of 16. Ferrer again found himself in a four-set match with Murray in the quarters, but this time, Murray came out on top. Jo-Wifried Tsonga put up a spirited fight in the semifinals, but again Murray won in four. Now, only one man remained for Murray to sip the champagne!

Unfortunately, the man was Federer.

Andy didn't succumb to nerves or overconfidence. He took the first set, 6-4. But Roger Federer was hell-bent on capturing The Big W for the seventh time. He stormed back to win 7-5, 6-3, 6-4, dropping to his knees. So close for Andy, who could not hold back all the sweeping emotions of the packed crowd on hand to see if he could finally get it done.

Well, not here. But how about at the same place three weeks later. The 2012 Olympics aren't a slam, but does that matter? It didn't for Andy. Playing with a purpose and with poise, he swept aside the opposition. Stan Wawrinka went down in straights in the first round. Then he finished off Djokovic and Federer back-to-back in straight sets. By the time the smoke had cleared, Andy had the gold. He had also dropped one set in the whole thing.

But what about that elusive grand slam?

Well, that came in the US Open, which happened, which also happened to be the very next slam in 2012. Playing with the same fire as he had at Wimbledon and the Olympics, Andy was challenged a little more. But whatever came his way was just swept aside. As were Martin Cilic, Tomas Berdych (Who beat Federer in the quarters), and Djokovic in the last three rounds.

What happened Down Under the next year?

Well, on the way, Federer got some revenge in the Year End Tournament. Once again, a loss to Federer in front of his adoring onlookers. But still, Murray wasn't discouraged. He got through to the semis without losing a set, and took the first from Federer, 6-4. Federer won the next set in a tie-breaker. From there, the match was fast and furious, with both players exchanging sets won. Overcoming the disappointment of dropping the fourth in another tie-breaker, Murray scored a decisive 6-2 exclamation point in capturing the match in the fifth.

Djokovic was there in the finale to spoil the party, but Murray had taken 'em all for a nice ride. The 2013 season was a good one for Andy, as he got his revenge against Novak in the finals of the one he wanted the most, Wimbledon.


References


Collins, Bud. The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. Washington, D.C.: New Chapter, 2010. Print.

Haylett, John, and Richard Evans. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Tennis. New York: Exeter, 1989. Print.

Emirates. Official Site of Men's Professional Tennis | ATP World Tour | Tennis. ATP World Tour. Web. 01 Jan. 2016.  <http://www.atpworldtour.com/>

"Andy Murray." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Jan. 2016. Web. 1 Jan 2016. < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Murray>