Born: February 16, 1959 in Wiesbaden (Heßen in West Germany)
Height: 1.81 m
Played: Left-handed
If someone unaware of tennis history compiled both singles and doubles achievements to find the best tennis player in modern history, it would be John Patrick McEnroe without any doubts. The American, of Irish descent (original Gaelic surname: Mac Conruadh) and born in a German city (he moved to New York City with his parents after one year), has gone down in sports history not only as an outstanding player with unorthodox technique but also as someone completely unpredictable in his on-court reactions.
McEnroe first caught the attention of a wider audience in 1977. Being mainly intended to compete in juniors, he went through the qualifying rounds of Wimbledon and advanced to the semi-finals. Nobody had done it before, and no one has reached the Wimbledon semi-finals with so little experience – McEnroe was only playing the fifth main-level tournament of his career! A year later, as a 19-year-old, he decided to completely sideways when serving – a technique not seen before or after – and it helped him to serve better and find himself at the net faster. He ascended to the top of the tennis world, winning five events at the end of the season, including the first of his three ‘Masters’ titles, furthermore he was unstoppable in the Davis Cup final demolishing two British players. Thanks to diversity/accuracy more than speed, he was perceived as the best server as well as the most brilliant volleyer in the world. Even though neither of his baseline wings could be called ‘spectacular’, he was tough to outmanoeuvre from the back of the court because he was patient & taking the ball on the rise, keeping opponents under constant pressure, forcing them guessing when he would attack the net with unconventional approach-shots.
His top position in tennis was cemented at the turn of the ’70s and ’80s when he co-created excellent duels with the most significant players at that time, Jimmy Connors (their five clashes went to the distance in the ‘best of five’ format) and Björn Borg. The rivalry with the Swede, in particular, captured the imagination of fans. McEnroe and Borg, manifesting contrast game-styles & personalities, met nine times in finals, and their final clash at Wimbledon ’80 became part of sports history. Borg was leading 2-1 in sets, 5:4 (40/15) and serving, yet he lost the set after the most famous tennis tie-break, 16/18, lasting twenty-two minutes! In the fifth set, they held serve up to 7:6, when Borg passed McEnroe on the eighth match point and fell to his knees in a triumphant gesture. The immortal contest lasted nearly four hours – very long given grass-court standards from the era of wooden racquets. A year later, McEnroe repaid Borg in the Wimbledon final, snapping a 41-match winning streak of the Swede at the All England Club. A few months later, McEnroe won the US Open final against Borg, becoming the first player since the 1920s (Bill Tilden) to win three consecutive titles in New York. Soon afterwards, Borg suspended/ended his career prematurely, but BigMac’s new, exceptionally challenging rival, Ivan Lendl, emerged, and spectators could witness the full transition from wooden to graphite racquets at the highest level, following their meeting in Philadelphia. It was at the hands of the Czech that McEnroe suffered perhaps the saddest defeat of his career at Roland Garros ’84, missing a great opportunity to achieve one of the toughest feats in tennis – triumphing in Paris while constantly attacking the net (Stefan Edberg came close five years later as well).
A few words about McEnroe’s devastating loss… June 10, 1984, after a series of 42 victories in a row, in the Roland Garros final McEnroe met Lendl, whom he had defeated four times that season before the Parisian final, including “a piece of cake” on three occasions (Masters ’83 the most notable). And in the memorable final, it looked like another smooth win through two and a half sets. Lendl, however, managed to survive that match, even though in each of the last three sets, McEnroe was only two games away from victory. Never again has an offensive tennis player been so close to winning the French Open. A few months after that painful defeat, McEnroe took his revenge on Lendl, outclassing him in the US Open final. BigMac was 25 years old and already had seven Grand Slam titles to his name (he’d have won more if the Aussie Open had had a similar status to the other Grand Slam tournaments – McEnroe did not play there until 1983, when he reached the semi-finals), and probably no one thought he would not improve his achievements in majors. At the end of 1984, he was still young and almost unbeatable – his win/loss record for the season was extraordinary, 82-3! No one could compare to such a great season until Roger Federer in 2005.
The year 1985 was pivotal in McEnroe’s career though – he failed to win any Grand Slam event and felt weary of tennis playing a few rounds of doubles in almost every singles event, at the same time two great youngsters entered the picture, Boris Becker and Edberg. Lendl did to McEnroe in New York more or less something McEnroe had done to Borg four years before on the same court – he took away the belief in being the best on the planet. After a sensational defeat to Brad Gilbert at Masters ’85, held in January 1986, McEnroe suspended his career for seven months. During that time, he married actress Tatum O’Neal, with whom he has three children. After his return, he did not regain his former glory, although he remained dangerous to the end of his career, maintaining a Top 20 ranking, claiming several titles (Dallas ’89 being the biggest in the last professional years). Concluding the 1987 US Open, he again had a seven-month hiatus – this time, however, partly not voluntarily – he was disqualified for two months and fined 17.5 thousand dollars. Upset by the decision of tennis authorities, he extended his absence for five more months, and immediately after his return, he won the tournament in Tokyo in impressive style (April 1988)! McEnroe was losing more often and displaying unsportsmanlike behavior with increasing frequency. At the Australian Open ’90, he was finally disqualified against Mikael Pernfors after offending the line judge, head judge, and supervisor. During the tournament in the Paris hall, Bercy (1990), he did not even shake the hand of Jakob Hlasek, with whom he had won a doubles title a year before. Usually, players calm down as they age, but not McEnroe; his way of acting became more controversial over the years. He announced 1992 as the final season of his turbulent, yet beautiful tennis career. As a farewell to his beloved grass, he once again showcased his wonderful, old-fashioned game (all strokes with a continental grip, shorten backswings) at Wimbledon. He reached the semi-finals in singles and triumphed in doubles alongside fellow serve-and-volley artist Michael Stich after the longest doubles final in history (19-17 in the 5th against Jim Grabb/Richey Reneberg), lasting 5 hours and 1 minute.
Officially, he played his last singles match in Munich ’92 (Compaq Grand Slam Cup), a few days after helping the United States to regain the Davis Cup trophy as a Pete Sampras‘ partner, but more than a year later, he made a cameo in Rotterdam, losing to a very solid Magnus Gustafsson 2-6, 6-7. McEnroe began the match trailing 0:4; since then, until the end of the match, he played as if he had never retired. In the same tournament, along with Becker, McEnroe won two matches, advancing to the semifinals where they were beaten by Jeremy Bates and Jonas Björkman, who would become McEnroe’s partner twelve years later! Björkman and McEnroe played two events together in 2006, the Swede was already at the end of his career but still considered one of the best doubles players in the world. They triumphed in San Jose (February) but lost in the Stockholm quarterfinals eight months later. “I’m surprised that it went to the final tiebreaker, but the right team won,” the 47-year-old, with a head full of grey, McEnroe told reporters after the San Jose final. “Jonas carried the weight. When I came here, I thought we could either lose in the first round or win the whole thing.” In 1999, he joined the elite International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. That same year, he became the US Davis Cup coach. He led the team to the 2000 Davis Cup semi-finals, but after a miserable 0-5 defeat to Spain, he resigned, and his function was taken over by his younger brother Patrick McEnroe (as players they met thrice, the middle match in the final, coincidentally John’s last title).
Career record: 883-198 [ 263 events ]
Career titles: 77
Highest ranking: No. 1
Best GS results:
Australian Open (semifinal 1983; quarterfinal 1985, 89 & 92)
Roland Garros (runner-up 1984; semifinal 1985; quarterfinal 1981, 83)
Wimbledon (champion 1981, 1983-84; runner-up 1980, 82; semifinal 1977, 89, 92; quarterfinal 1985)
US Open (champion 1979-81, 1984; runner-up 1985; semifinal 1978, 82 & 90; quarterfinal 1987)
Davis Cup champion 1978-79, 81-82 & 92 (the last time only as a doubles player)
Masters champion 1978, 83-84
Year-end ranking 1976-92… 264 – 21 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 2 – 14 – 10 – 11 – 4 – 13 – 28 – 20
Born: March 3, 1967 in Kaliningrad (Kaliningrad Oblast in Soviet Union)
Died: October 19, 2019
Height: 1.87 m
Plays: Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Александр Владимирович Волков – the only one among the best players born in the 1960s, introduced to my website, who is no longer alive…
“He was a tough player to play. He could have played terribly, but if he was on and he was feeling the ball well, he was tough to play on grass because he took the ball very early. He was not a great server and not a great volleyer. He wasn’t great at any stroke in particular, but he had a very good all-court game if he was on. He played very unconventionally… if you didn’t play your best and he was playing well, it was that little fraction of one ball here, one point there that could have made the difference.” 
Michael Stich said on Volkov shortly after the Russian passed away; the player who almost defeated Stich in their fourth-round match at Wimbledon ’91. Stich needed a miracle to win, serving a curved second serve ace on the line at 1:3, 30/40 in the 5th set, before ultimately triumphing in the tournament and becoming an unexpected champion. Volkov came to prominence at Wimbledon four years before when ranked 503 (!) and without any main-level wins, he advanced to the fourth round as a qualifier. It was revealed that as a teenager he’d played two-handed from both sides and switched to a one-handed forehand at the age of 18. He explained: “My coaches told me that against the best players I had to hit the ball with one hand or I wouldn’t have a chance. They were right. Until this tournament, though, I haven’t done so well.”
“Tricky” is the key to Volkov’s playing style. He was a less consistent version of Marcelo Ríos; with a similar ease they were executing all the basic shots. Unlike the Chilean, however, the Russian wasn’t fond of running. It was quite amusing to watch him especially on grass; while most players used serve-and-volley tactics and hit their approaching volleys within the service boxes, Volkov often volleyed behind the boxes. His movement toward the net was more a few quick steps than actual running. As Stich noted, when Volkov had a good day, he was a threat to all the top players. He defeated Pete Sampras twice, moreover scored wins over Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier, and Andre Agassi (in their only meeting). The only top player who consistently had Volkov’s number was Boris Becker, who defeated him ten times without ever being close to losing (twice in the indoor finals: 1989 and 1992), although five of those matches went to deciding third sets. Volkov had the most puzzling record – facing multiple Grand Slam champions – against Stefan Edberg (3-4 H2H, with two dramatic defeats); as they met for the second time, the Swede was the favorite to win the US Open ’90 title after an impressive summer on US hardcourts, but the Russian blew him off the court in the first round. “It’s much freer, it’s because Mr. Gorbachev came,” said Volkov after the biggest upset of 1990, commenting on the geopolitical situation at the time. “I can play anywhere I want to, with someone along or on my own. I can keep all my prize money; I just have to pay taxes. Mikhail Gorbachev came and everything became more open.” Dissolution of the Soviet Union occurred the following year, in December. The years 1993-94 were the best for Volkov: in 1993, he reached the semifinals of two big tournaments on hardcourts (Indian Wells and the US Open); in 1994, he significantly contributed to Russia advancing to the Davis Cup final, where he suffered what could be considered the most bitter defeat of his career to Edberg. It’s difficult to determine Volkov’s most significant title among the modest three he collected. I would argue that his maiden title holds special importance because he defeated three potential Top 10 players, whereas his other two triumphs involved defeating only one such player each. He spent his entire life in Калининград, a unique Russian exclave city, which had been established by Baltic tribes (Twangste) in the High Middle Ages, and belonged to either Germany (KönigsBerg) or Poland (Królewiec) for centuries before World War II.
Trivia: as a Top 20 player, Volkov saved match points to defeat two tennis legends in their final matches. First, in Atlanta ’92, Volkov survived against fifteen years older Guillermo Vilas, 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-3. A year later, he did the same against eleven years older Björn Borg, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(7) in Moscow. Interestingly, Volkov had also defeated fifteen years older Jimmy Connors in Wembley ’89, saving a match point with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6)!! The American was ranked higher during their only meeting while Vilas and Borg were ranked very low, and it was super surprising that Volkov needed MP-down tie-breaks to outlast them. There’s no other player born in the 60s/70s, overcoming three legends of the 70s in the latter stages of their careers. Volkov faced the fourth titan of the 70s John McEnroe twice, losing both matches in straights… Throughout his career, Volkov was loyal to the racquet of the German brand Völkl. After retirement, he played a substantial role in helping Marat Safin become the best player in the world as his coach. “We always talked well, lived in the same room, played together. He was part of my life in tennis. Five years ago we performed at a tournament. In the evening we sat down to dinner, I ordered a bottle of wine asking him to drink by the glass, to which he replied: <I don’t want, because I won’t be able to stop later.>” – said Andrey Chesnokov after Volkov’s unexpected death at the age of 52, giving a clue about the cause of decease.
Career record: 304–256 [ 240 events ]
Career titles: 3
Highest ranking: No. 14
Best GS results:
US Open (semifinal 1993; quarterfinal 1992)
Born: November 15, 1983 in Madrid
Height: 1.88 m
Plays: Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
“It’s the most exciting victory of my life. Playing for my country, against the best players, it’s a dream,” said Verdasco, one of the most hardworking and long-lived players in history, after his Davis Cup clincher against José Acasuso, which gave Spain its third trophy in the most prestigious tennis team competition. Known for several years as a dangerous floater, Verdasco did in the decade of the 2000s what Nicolas Escudé, Mikhail Youzhny, and Mario Ančić had done before him – players who reached major semifinals and clinched Davis Cup victories for their countries: France, Russia, and Croatia, respectively.
The 25-year-old Verdasco hadn’t even played a major quarterfinal when Emilio Sánchez appointed him to the final against Argentina, but soon he confirmed that winning a Davis Cup clincher was worth a semifinal in one of the four biggest events. In late December 2008, instead of enjoying the success of his life, the elevated Verdasco went to Las Vegas to train intensely on his physical preparation with Gil Reyes, the former fitness coach of Andre Agassi. The rigorous work during a month when many players rest definitely paid off. Verdasco began 2009 in sensational form. Although he lost the Brisbane final to Radek Štěpánek, he avenged that defeat a few weeks later by destroying the Czech 6-4, 6-0, 6-0 in the Australian Open third round. The Spaniard advanced to the fourth round, dropping just twelve games in three matches – no one before him had progressed through the opening three rounds in Melbourne so convincingly.
In the following two rounds, Verdasco ousted higher-ranked Andy Murray (one of the main favorites for the title) in five sets and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (the 2008 runner-up) in four, playing spectacular tennis. At the time, Verdasco’s play reminded me of Marcelo Ríos when the Chilean won back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Key Biscayne, becoming the best player in the world. Verdasco exhibited the same ease in hitting the ball off both wings in all directions at various speeds, creating very tight angles. However, Verdasco had a much better serve than Ríos. His flat serve down the middle on the ad-court was exceptionally impressive, keeping his opponents in uncertainty because his sliced serve was also effective. Thus, his 160 kph serve out-wide could be as efficient as his 220 kph bomb if the opponent guessed wrong.
In the semifinal, Verdasco faced Rafael Nadal, and the two Spanish left-handers created an unforgettable spectacle, breaking the record for the longest match played in Melbourne (previously Boris Becker defeated Omar Camporese of 1991 in a match lasting more than five hours). The 2000s saw unexpected Australian Open runners-up almost every year: Arnaud Clément (2001), Thomas Johansson (2002, champion!), Rainer Schüttler (2003), Marcos Baghdatis (2006), Fernando González (2007), and Tsonga (2008). Verdasco nearly joined this list. He perhaps played the match of his life against Nadal, winning only one point fewer [192 vs. 193], the point that separated them: Verdasco’s double fault on the third match point. Four years later Verdasco was very close to play another major semifinal, but again lost a dramatic five-setter to a great player/eventual champion, this time to Murray.
Verdasco continued his good form following the Aussie Open ’09, impressing with his consistency in every tournament by winning two-three matches before usually losing to the top players. These defeats showed that something was missing in his game – perhaps the loss to Nadal was quintessential. Over the years he cemented his reputation as a player who might have lost to an inferior opponent quickly, but stepped up his game against higher-ranked players inside big arenas. The large audience usually stimulated him positively. Verdasco’s lone Masters 1K final, as he faced Nadal in Monaco ’10, unfortunately turned into an anticlimactic disaster, but the left-hander didn’t lose his self-confidence and the following week he captured the biggest title of his career in Barcelona. A few weeks later he lost another final in the French speaking city (Nice) – it marked the end of his super-consistent period which lasted about 1.5 years.
He has defeated all the best players in the world of the late 00s/early 10s except Roger Federer; only once out of seven official meetings he came relatively close to defeating the Swiss champion. Nadal, Murray, David Ferrer and Novak Đoković are considered as ultimate warriors in the 21st Century, specialists of winning very long matches, yet Verdasco, often accused of the lack of fighting spirit & excessive nervousness at key moments, overcame each of them trailing 1-2 in sets (Ferrer even 0-2)!
Trivia: ‘Nando’ skipped the US Open ’20 held with empty stands, ending a streak of 67 consecutive Grand Slam appearances – the second longest of all time behind his friend Feliciano López‘s 79 (the third in the list Federer has 65). Actually, the beginning of Covid-19 in March ’20 correlated with Verdasco’s decline. He was 37 at the time and his body seemed to be in a great shape because he was always a gym-lover, but he tested positive twice for the virus. Later on, he was banned for two months for taking methylphenidate. After losing his status as a Top 100 player, he couldn’t regain it, trying for two years. In 2023, as he nearly reached 40, he participated in just five ATP events, losing in the first round every time… Along with López, Verdasco won a Davis Cup clincher in 2009, making him unique in achieving this in both singles and doubles. Before him, only icons of the game such as Stan Smith, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, and Stefan Edberg had accomplished this feat in the Open Era. Both left-handed Spaniards are infamous leaders as far as the most main-level defeats are concerned, a perverse longevity effect – they also occupy the first two places in terms of main-level tournaments played – 486 López, Verdasco 39 fewer.
Career record: 559-447 [ 447 events ]
Career titles: 7
Highest ranking: No. 7
Best GS results:
Australian Open (semifinal 2009)
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 2013)
US Open (quarterfinal 2009-10)
Davis Cup champion 2008 (singles) and 2009 (doubles)
Born: July 5, 1977 in Holzminden (NiederSachsen)
Height: 1.82 m
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
When he appeared on the big scene in the late ’90s along with Tommy Haas as potential successors of Boris Becker and Michael Stich, I knew they had relatively slim chances to win at least one major. However, considering Kiefer’s stunning 1999 season (he was twenty-two years old then), I’d say he finished his career as an underachiever, given his modest six titles (¡he lost the last ten finals of his career, in Moscow ’05 despite leading 7-5, *4:0 against Igor Andreev) and the fact 
that he never won a Masters Series tournament.
During the aforementioned 1999 season – undoubtedly the best one in his career, concluded with a Masters semifinal – he was working with a veteran coach Bob Brett (twenty years on the tour then), and they implemented an interesting tactic: Kiefer played almost all his service games from the back of the court, but every time he faced a break point, he adopted serve-and-volley tactics, often doing the same at game points. Despite the predictable pattern, it worked perfectly. However, in 2000, when he seemed poised to become a Top 5 player for years to come, his career in some sense collapsed, and he never regained his composure after that.
He was an interesting player overall seeking new solutions, and around 2004, he changed his on-court strategy to become almost a regular serve-and-volley player (at least behind the first serve) on faster surfaces, he did it rather paradoxically when this style was dying out. This approach clicked well two times, allowing him to achieve his two best results, intertwined with several unexpected defeats. The first was at the Australian Open in 2006 when he reached the semifinal after a controversial marathon win over Sébastien Grosjean (having lost his previous four Slam quarterfinals: WB ’97, AO ’98, AO ’00 and UO ’00). The second came two years later at the Canadian Open when, once again, a victory over a Frenchman (Gilles Simon) preceded his loss to a great player, this time Rafael Nadal. As the son of a French mother (thus his name is not Nikolaus), he was always extra motivated when facing players from across Germany’s western border.
Kiefer will be definitely remembered as a very talented man with a stroke of genius, possessing “exceptional hand-eye coordination” according to Becker, who mentored Kiefer before the two fell out for unclear reasons. Kiefer was good to watch on every surface albeit his impatience in the course of longer rallies, didn’t allow him to get any interesting result on clay. At the Olympics in Athens 2004, he experienced the most bitter moment of his career fighting for the Gold medal in doubles. Similarly to his partner Rainer Schüttler, Kiefer didn’t often lose after squandering match points, but in arguably the most important encounter of their careers, they wasted a quadruple match point before losing to the Chilean duo. Before the Olympic Games, the Germans would certainly buy the silver medal sight unseen, but during the medals ceremony they both seemed mentally devastated…
Career record: 366–274 [ 260 events ]
Career titles: 6
Highest ranking: No. 4
Best GS results:
Australian Open (semifinal 2006; quarterfinal 1998 and 2000)
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 1997)
US Open (quarterfinal 2000)
World Team Cup champion 1998
Born: August 9, 1961 in Oakland (California)
Height: 1.85 m
Plays: Right-handed
He will be remembered as an excellent coach who considerably helped many great players, especially three who share the same name “Andrew”: Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray. Gilbert played a huge role in each of them reaching the No. 1 spot. His cooperation with his compatriots, Agassi and Roddick, is particularly significant as both reached their peak under Gilbert’s guidance. Additionally, Gilbert is known as the author of the book “Winning Ugly”, a TV personality, and a tennis pundit on Twitter/X.
During his 20s, Gilbert belonged to the tennis elite, despite never reaching a major semifinal. Even though he had no problem with changing tactics depending on the opponent or conditions (he was generally playing delicately, precisely, attacking the net with inside-out forehand approach-shots), clay remained the most challenging surface for him throughout his career. He won more than 500 matches and 20 titles (a unique feat for someone without a Slam semifinal), with his biggest title coming from Cincinnati ’89. The summer of 1989 was a time when he could have almost perceived himself as the best player in the world. First, he helped the United States to defeat West Germany in a Davis Cup semifinal with a five-set win over Carl-Uwe Steeb. He then reached the final in Washington, losing to Tim Mayotte in a rain-suspended match (Gilbert defeated Mayotte just once in nine meetings, losing to him two very important clashes: Paris-Bercy ’87 final and the Olympic ’88 semifinal). Following that defeat, he captured three titles within three weeks (Stratton Mountain, Livingston, Cincinnati), winning 17 matches in a row!
The end phase of the winning streak was remarkable. In back-to-back matches, Gilbert defeated Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, the best players in the world at the time, just behind Ivan Lendl. By the way, Gilbert never managed to beat Lendl, with a 0-16 record against him! It’s a pity they didn’t play against each other during Gilbert’s amazing summer at the end of the 80s. As the hottest player on the tour, Gilbert was stunned in the first round of the US Open ’89 by a fellow US player Todd Witsken […lived 1963-98, the would-be uncle of Ben Shelton…] in what seemed to be a routine three-set victory. Gilbert reflected on the shocking loss: “I was trying to eat, but I wasn’t keeping much down. I tried to eat some bananas. I tried some chocolate and brownies, which were good for a buzz for a few games. Then I got too much of a sugar rush. But I still had my chances. I was up a set and 4:2 and I had a chance to go up a double break. If I had been able to tough that out, I would have been up two sets and I could have played around a little more in the third set. Todd played well and made some good shots.” In that great form Gilbert was expected to play the semifinal at least; given the number of matches and titles won, his results at Slams are very modest, just two quarterfinals (1987 and 1990).
The 28-year-old Gilbert was never quite the same in the aftermath of the Cincy ’89 final. However, in the early 90s, he took an opportunity to become one of the richest players thanks to a controversial event in München, the Grand Slam Cup. In the first edition, Gilbert, as an alternate, advanced to the final after a five-set victory over David Wheaton, a match that almost led to a fight between the players after the third set. He had no chance in the final against Pete Sampras whom had defeated twice before. His three wins in the tournament were worth 1 million dollars, an incredible sum at the time. To compare, the event in Key Biscayne, considered the fifth Slam then, offered $1,200,000 for 96 players in the main draw!
In 1994, as a Top 50 player, shortly after his 40th (Memphis) and last main-level final, Gilbert became the coach of Agassi, helping him triumph at the US Open in the initial period of their cooperation, which lasted eight years. Gilbert wasn’t successful as a player once he became a coach, regularly losing in the first or second rounds. Within exactly twelve months of taking on the role of Agassi’s coach, Gilbert won only 11 of 30 matches and decided to quit when the prospect of playing qualifiers in the French Open ’95 appeared on the horizon (he didn’t need to bother about automatic entrance to Slams since the French Open ’83).
Gilbert’s legacy is marked by his exceptional coaching skills and significant impact on some of the greatest players in modern tennis. His strategic insights and ability to analyze and exploit opponents’ weaknesses made him a highly sought-after coach. Beyond coaching, his contributions to tennis as a commentator and author have enriched the sport, making him a respected figure both on and off the court.
Career record: 519–288 [ 294 events ]
Career titles: 20
Highest ranking: No. 4
Best GS results:
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 1990)
US Open (quarterfinal 1987)
Bronze medallist at the Olympics ’88 in Seoul
Born: March 19, 1979 in Banja Luka (Bosna i Hercegovina in Yugoslavia)
Height: 1.93 m
Plays: Right-handed
Due to the Yugoslav Wars in the early 90s, he emigrated with his parents to Italy, where he began his serious tennis voyage. Perhaps the traumatic experiences of the war induced post-traumatic stress disorder, which likely contributed to his hair loss, resulting in him remaining bald throughout his entire career. His teenage years coincided with Goran Ivanišević being one of the best players in the world. Because of this, Ljubičić modeled his serve after his famous compatriot – the toes of his front foot didn’t touch the surface in the first phase of preparation whilst the racquet was in a position below his waist. His booming serve allowed him to become a regular ATP player at the turn of the millennium, but his other shots required a lot of practice and improvement. A rather one-dimensional player, Ljubičić often suffered dramatic defeats. Notably, in 2002 (extending into the Australian swing of 2003), he lost seven matches in which he held match points (twenty match points in total!). There were also dramatic 2-set or 4-set defeats, the most famous being at the US Open ’01, where he lost in four tie-breaks to the defending champion, Marat Safin.
The Croat was a challenging opponent for all the top players, but he seemed capable of losing every tight match possible. His return games weren’t the only issue – the most severe case was at the Australian Open ’02, where he lost to Wayne Ferreira despite leading 6-4, 6-4, 5:1 and 5:3 (40/15) on his powerful serve. Unbelievable!
The hard work finally paid off in the years 2005-07. Ljubičić showcased his enhanced game, with a stable backhand and good volley skills, crucial for guys who serve very well. It all allowed him to be a Top 20 player for almost three years. The fruitful period began in the first quarter of 2005 as Ljubičić reached three hardcourt finals (Doha, Rotterdam, Dubai) and, quite amusingly, lost them all to his future pupil, Roger Federer, but twice making things complicated for the almost unbeatable Swiss. This was a huge boost of confidence for the 26-year-old Croat, who shortly after the third of those finals, stunned the United States in the first round of the Davis Cup. Ljubičić not only defeated higher-ranked Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, but he also – partnering with Mario Ančić – overcame the Bryan brothers, who had won 16 straight Davis Cup rubbers at the time. For Ljubičić it was the beginning of the sensational conquest of the Davis Cup for Croatia (in the final against the equally unexpected Slovakia). Before that triumph, Ljubičić had been the hottest player of European indoor Autumn ’05, winning 16 matches in a row (titles in Metz and Vienna) and almost another that could have meant his third straight indoor title (he led 2-0 in sets vs a teenage Rafael Nadal in Madrid). Ljubičić also lost to Nadal in his lone Grand Slam semifinal, in Paris, an unexpected venue for him. Although not a serve-and-volley specialist, he could have been more likely to reach the Wimbledon semifinal, assuming the tie-break ratio would be favorable for him.
With two more finals in Masters 1K events (Paris ’05, Miami ’06), Ljubičić’s career seemed to be defined. However, fortune favored him, and after relatively average years 2008-09, the 31-year-old Croat delivered the performance of his career at Indian Wells ’10. In hindsight, his path to the title is even more remarkable as he defeated Novak Đoković in the fourth round (the Serb had only won one major at the time). Two years after that triumph, “Ljubo” decided to conclude his career at Monte Carlo ’12 – his main-level journey began to flourish in Monaco ’99, stunning Andrei Medvedev and Yevgeny Kafelnikov in successive matches as a lucky loser. In the last entrance of his career, he was defeated by a fellow Croat and namesake, also born in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Međugorje) – Ivan Dodig.
Career record: 429–296 [292 events ]
Career titles: 10
Highest ranking: No. 3
Best GS results:
Australian Open (quarterfinal 2006)
Roland Garros (semifinal 2006)
Davis Cup champion 2005
World Team Cup champion 2006
Born: January 4, 1978 in Bratislava (Bratislavský kraj in Czechoslovakia)
Height: 1.82 m
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
The youngest Top 100 player of 1996 as the “King of Challengers”. The 18-year-old Slovak began that year ranked No. 315 participating in Egyptian and Croatian Satellites, he then won two Challengers, losing finals in four others. When he entered the Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open ’97 to play a fourth round match against Pete Sampras, he was virtually unknown. He shocked the world though – not only did he outace one of the best servers in history, he also almost beat him in five sets, squandering 
three mini-match points in two different games! All of a sudden, he was a man to watch. Two months later, when he reached the fourth round of another big event (Key Biscayne), he said he would be a better server than Sampras! That cocky sentence contrasted with Hrbatý’s mundane on-and-off court attitude. Once, he said that he enjoyed the most in his leisure time… simply fishing in remote areas. I passed him once in Sopot ’03 at the city’s main avenue – he was walking in casual clothes with an obscure carrier bag hanging on his shoulder. No one outside the tennis world could guess that this guy had earned seven million dollars on the court…
Considering his style, I would put him in the same group with Thomas Enqvist as far as guys born in the 70s are concerned: two bold servers (the Slovak was tossing the ball unusually high) from the chilly area of Europe (encouraging to play indoors more in the formative years), quite prone to double faulting, eager to play the majority of points from the baseline, operating very close to it, endowed with very hard and flat strokes off both sides. Hrbatý was a slightly weaker version of Enqvist overall, but achieved more on clay courts, including arguably two career-best results: the Roland Garros semifinal in 1999 (a quite unfortunate four-set defeat to Andre Agassi), and a final in Monte Carlo ’00 in which he succumbed to Cédric Pioline. Hrbatý was coached at the time by a fellow Slovak – Marian Vajda – the future coach of Novak Ðoković.
Analyzing Hrbatý’s scorelines, I may argue that he was a different animal playing in the ‘best of five’ formula. His great physical preparation helped him a lot in winning many complicated four- and five-setters. Of course, it contributed to the fact that he nearly alone won the Davis Cup for Slovakia in 2005 (a 6-1 record in singles with two wins in the final vs Croatia). But in the ‘best of three’ matches, he was that guy you generally couldn’t have counted on, especially when it came to – let’s say – “3:4” in the 3rd set. Nevertheless, he won as many as three matches in the deciding tie-break against Marat Safin (the Hopman Cup final ’09 is one of them – Hrbatý triumphed twice in Perth with different women as partners: Daniela Hantuchová and Dominika Cibulková). But Safin was completely unpredictable when drama and additional tension were involved. Hrbatý loved to play Down Under in January because he felt stronger than his opponents after solid preparation in December the previous year. Following several years with a vibe of underachievement, the perception was in 2004 that a breakthrough year lied in front of him as he collected back-to-back titles (Auckland-Adelaide). He lost an 11-match winning streak after being easily outplayed by Sébastien Grosjean in Melbourne, and the successful period quickly evaporated.
At the end of 2006 when he seemed to be entering the twilight of his career, he almost did what a few other significant players had done around 30, namely get a title which would fulfill his career. At Paris-Bercy he luckily avoided playing in the first round, and handily won four matches. Despite being fresh, he was dismantled by Nikolay Davydenko in the final. Following the final in France, he was struggling with an elbow injury, and poor results in the years 2007-08 caused his decision to return to the Challenger circuit, interspersed with qualifying rounds to the ATP tournaments. However, trying for a few years, he didn’t regain his former self-confidence at the lower levels, and decided to quit in 2012, two and a half years after his last ATP event (he briefly returned in 2013, only to play two exotic Futures events).
Given his impressive five-set record, certainly he could be expected to play another major semifinal in the first decade of the new millennium; he failed thrice in the night session quarterfinals though, at the Australian Open ’01 and US Open ’04 he was strangely deflated in the fourth sets against serve-and-volley specialists. Trivia: he has a positive H2H record against the greatest players of the 2000s, 2-1 against Roger Federer and 3-1 against Rafael Nadal, having also defeated the greatest of the 90s (Sampras & Agassi).
Career record: 359-318 [ 304 events ]
Career titles: 6
Highest ranking: No. 12
Best GS results:
Australian Open (quarterfinal 2001, 2005)
Roland Garros (semifinal 1999)
US Open (quarterfinal 2004)
World Team Cup champion 2000
Hopman Cup champion 2005 and 2009
Born: January 3, 1967 in Lund (Skåne)
Height: 1.86 m
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
He came into the world in a city by the Baltic Sea where was also born the most famous Swedish actor (Max von Sydow), and began playing tennis at the age of six. For a long time, he trained alongside Jonas Svensson and Christian Bergström, other successful Swedish players; their main rule was, “whoever earns the most, 
pays for the travel of their colleagues.” A serious injury sidelined him between May ’94 and May ’95 (missing all main-level events between two editions of Roland Garros). In the meantime, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and dropped from No. 13 to 611 in the rankings. However, with the help of Challenger tournaments in Germany, he rapidly returned to the Top 100, and by early 1997, he nearly regained his pre-injury ranking.
In the early years of his career, he was labeled as a clay-courter, but over time, he improved his volley game, which helped him become a dangerous player indoors (Stockholm ’89 final) and even on grass. At Wimbledon, he equaled his career-best result from Roland Garros. What’s quite peculiar, and I don’t know the reason behind it, he was avoiding regular starts in the United States, except the US Open where he recorded much more defeats than wins. It’s quite strange that he never played a quarterfinal at the French Open (he played a semifinal at Bercy though) having made the last 16 not dropping a set in his debut in 1988; he unfortunately had bad luck with draws in Paris. For instance, in 1995-97, he faced Top 10 players in the initial rounds of three consecutive French Open editions; third time lucky, in 1997, he defeated Goran Ivanišević on Centre Court only to be shocked by Galo Blanco in the following round on an outside court (the nine years younger Spaniard sensationally reached the quarterfinal then).
An extensive forehand was his trademark shot; I assume only Wayne Ferreira could have played with a comparable huge swing in the ’90s generating similar average velocity. Another notable aspect of the Swede’s game was his serve on the ad-court; he used to serve from his backhand corner to start constructing the point with his massive forehand. He was increasing his level representing his nation in the Davis Cup (an impressive 10-2 record for a while), and twice – vs Canada ’92 and Slovakia ’98 – he survived decisive fifth rubbers. In the Davis Cup ’98 final, he easily won his Friday encounter, perhaps the most forgotten vital rubber in the Davis Cup finals of the 90s, helping Sweden to destroy Italy in Milano. Seven years earlier, he collected one more singles win than the great Stefan Edberg when Sweden triumphed at the World Team Cup in Düsseldorf.
Taking into account his entire career, he is one of the most unfulfilled players of the Open Era considering majors. With the potential to play a semifinal at least, the Swede reached the quarterfinals just once in 42 appearances, Melbourne, where he played a competitive four-setter against the eventual champion Pete Sampras (btw, Sampras is the only prominent player of the 90s whom Gustafsson never defeated). He participated in twenty-six ATP finals, the vast majority on clay – the two biggest in Germany (runner-up in Hamburg ’91, triumphalist in Stuttgart ’93). Barcelona ’92 – where he lost the final – had a similar status to Stuttgart at the time.
Career record: 415–260 [ 268 events ]
Career titles: 14
Highest ranking: No. 10
Best GS result:
Australian Open (quarterfinal 1994)
Davis Cup champion 1998
World Team Cup champion 1991
Born: September 10, 1976 in Florianópolis (Santa Catarina)
Height: 1.91 m
Plays: Right-handed
Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten, of German descent, had a paternal great-grandfather named “Kürten” and a maternal great-grandfather named “Thümmel“. In 1995, Kuerten made his first trip to Germany as a young professional to play in the qualifying rounds in Hamburg (ATP) and Dresden (Challenger). He failed on both occasions. The following year, he transitioned from a Challenger to a main-level player, but without spectacular results.
When the “fairytale” French Open ’97 began, Kuerten was one of many young South American players who hadn’t attracted much attention (without a Davis Cup tie in which Brazil lost to the United States, he would be virtually unknown outside his 
continent). Everything changed after his third-round match against Thomas Muster, arguably the best clay-courter of the 90s. Muster, although not as dominant as in 1995-96, was still a Top 5 player and one of the main favorites for the title. Kuerten, ranked 66th and having never won three main-level matches in a row, stunned the former champion in a short five-setter.
When the Brazilian won another round against Andrei Medvedev in a similar five-set encounter, he suddenly became a serious contender for the title because the draw was wide open. In the quarterfinal, he faced the defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who had been playing poorly on clay before the event. Kuerten prevailed in another five-setter, his third in a row, winning by a two-game margin in the decider again. He won his last two matches more easily, defeating two-time French Open champion Sergi Bruguera in the final. “I did every shot perfectly,” Kuerten said after the final. “Today was my best match of the tournament. I didn’t think, ‘Wow, it’s a final and I have to win.’ I just played like I practice. I was pretty relaxed.”
Kuerten captured the hearts of the French public and tennis fans worldwide with his “samba” tennis. Unlike previous French Open champions of the 90s, who wore down opponents with consistent heavy topspins, Kuerten displayed an all-court versatile game with better serving, a more variable backhand, and numerous points won at the net. Before Kuerten, inexperienced players had won in Paris (Björn Borg ’74, Mats Wilander ’82, and Michael Chang ’89), but they were tennis prodigies with great futures anticipated from the start, while before French Open ’97, the refreshing 20-year-old Kuerten seemed to be just another clay-courter from South America; yet he soon confirmed his game suited hardcourts as well, reaching the Canadian Open final and Cincinnati quarterfinal, thrashing Chang and Andre Agassi with the same scoreline (6-3, 6-1).
Although the end of the 90s was somewhat disappointing, the years 2000-01 brought more than could have been expected from him. Kuerten conquered his second title in Paris, became the best player in the world, spending 43 weeks at the top, 31 more weeks than the great Boris Becker! He secured the No. 1 ranking at the end of 2000 in the nick of time claiming the title in Lisbon (against all odds surpassing Marat Safin) and lost this position in similar circumstances exactly a year later to Lleyton Hewitt. “As a tennis player, nothing could be higher than becoming No. 1 at the [Tennis Masters Cup], beating Pete and then Andre back-to-back. This is the highlight of my career by far,” stated the Brazilian.
In 2001, he enjoyed the best period of his career, winning three prestigious titles between June and August (Roland Garros, Stuttgart, Cincinnati), moreover reaching final and semifinal in two hardcourt events. However, including the US Open quarterfinal, he suffered 11 defeats within 12 matches afterwards. Struggling with a hip injury, he underwent surgery on February 26, 2002, in Nashville, Tennessee. After his comeback, Kuerten continued his career for another six years, but his fantastic footwork, allowing him to hit freely off both wings, was compromised. Between 2002-04, there were sporadic good results and some great matches, but Kuerten was unable to maintain a high level over several day-by-day matches. The last three years were miserable, and he was a shadow of his former self despite his relatively young age.
In 2006, for instance, he played just two pro matches, losing both to players who combined won fewer main-level matches in their careers than Kuerten had within one event! Kuerten played his last career match on Philippe Chatrier in Paris (after skipping nine consecutive majors), the court where he felt the best outside his native country. Wearing Diadora‘s blue-yellow outfit, almost the same in which he triumphed in 1997, he lost in straight sets to Paul-Henri Mathieu, then drew a heart inside the court, something he had done for the first time seven years before, miraculously surviving a unique contest against an inspired U.S. journeyman Michael Russell. “In terms of emotions, it’s the finest moment of my career. Nothing compares to that moment,” said Kuerten about the ‘Russell match’. “It’s the match – the one that I would take with me if I could choose only one. My connection with the fans was so strong… This heart was my way of thanking them for their support and for the emotions that we were going through together at that moment.”
Career record: 358–195 [ 198 events ]
Career titles: 20
Highest ranking: No. 1
Best GS results:
Roland Garros (champion 1997, 2000-01; quarterfinal 1999 & 2004)
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 1999)
US Open (quarterfinal 1999 & 2001)
Masters champion 2000
Born: July 29, 1980 in Santiago (Región Metropolitana)
Height: 1.83 m
Plays: Right-handed
One of the most captivating players to watch in the 2000s, he claimed the French Open junior championship in 1998 by defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final (Ferrero would exact revenge in the Parisian quarterfinal five years later). On the professional tour, the Spaniard made swift progress, reaching the French Open semifinals in the years 2000-01, while 
González barely made it through the qualifying rounds. Although it took him a few years to meet the high expectations in Chile, set after Marcelo Ríos ascended to world No. 1, he triumphed in Orlando in 2000, only his third main-level event, having saved four match points in the qualifying second round against an obscure player Giorgio Galimberti. Before and after Orlando, he was tirelessly working, alternating between Futures, Challengers and ATP qualifying rounds to elevate his game.
His breakthrough victory against Pete Sampras in Miami ’02 signalled that he was not just another clay-courter from South America. Later that year, he confirmed that defeating Sampras wasn’t a fluke as he advanced to the semifinal in Cincinnati and the US Open quarterfinal.
Throughout his career, he proved to be equally dangerous on all surfaces except grass, where his extensive forehand preparation and somewhat unnatural slice were less effective. Nonetheless he won distinctively more matches than lost on the green surface. The forehand was his signature shot, ranking him among the top contenders for the biggest forehands in tennis history. González’ unwavering confidence in this shot mirrored Mark Philippoussis‘ belief in his serve (and forehand too). Both players were the biggest risk-takers in their “new balls please” generation, who refused to concede hope to their opponents in tense rallies. Whether facing set point or match point down, Philippoussis and González were determined to unleash their signature shots to turn the tide. Their bold approach paid off statistically, as both players ended their careers with positive records in dramatic conclusions.
González experienced heartbreak in the two biggest finals of his career (the Australian Open ’07 and the Olympics ’08), facing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at their peak, respectively. Two major finals were within his grasp, but in the French Open ’09, he succumbed to Robin Söderling despite holding a 4:1 (30/15) lead in the deciding set.
Alongside Nicolás Massú, he clinched the gold medal in doubles at the Olympics in Athens ’04 and secured the bronze medal in singles after a thrilling victory over Taylor Dent in the third-place match, where he saved two match points at 13:14 with service and forehand winners (four years later, he secured another memorable “MP down” victory in a prolonged deciding third set against a US player at the Olympics, this time in Beijing, where he faced James Blake). Known for his massive “la derecha”, González consistently outperformed his opponents in forehand winners, making it nearly impossible to witness a match won by “Gonzo” with fewer of these electrifying shots.
Certainly, considering the level he reached in men’s tennis, he would have been satisfied with at least one Masters 1000 title. However, luck wasn’t on his side in the finals in Madrid ’06 and Rome ’07, where he faced the toughest opponents available at the time. Given his and Massú’s dedication, as well as their doubles success in Athens, it’s a bit strange they never led Chile to the Davis Cup semifinal at least. The closest they came was in 2006 when visiting the United States. González made a heroic effort in securing the first rubber for Chile, but Andy Roddick collected two crucial points against Massú and González.
Trivia: he defeated Novak Đoković twice in three confrontations, both wins (Cincinnati, Madrid) when the Serb was a teenager, and on each occasion Đoković was within two points from victory – his first two defeats of this type at the main-level.
Career record: 370–202 [ 204 events ]
Career titles: 11
Highest ranking: No. 5
Best GS results:
Australian Open (runner-up 2007)
Roland Garros (semifinal 2009; quarterfinal 2003 & 08)
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 2005)
US Open (quarterfinal 2002 & 09)
Olympic medals (Bronze in Athens ’04, Silver in Beijing ’08)
World Team Cup champion 2003-04
