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>
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>
