Author Archives: Voo de Mar

Born: January 16, 1971 in Barcelona (Catalonia) Height: 1.87 m Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) Spanish tennis had to wait eighteen years for another major title after Manuel Orantes‘ US Open victory of 1975. In the interim, players like José Higueras … Continue reading →

Born: June 25, 1982 in Moscow (Moscow Oblast in Soviet Union) Height: 1.81 m Plays: Right-handed Михаил Михайлович Южный – a son of Mikhail, who served as a Soviet army colonel, carried the military tradition throughout his career, famously saluting … Continue reading →

Born: April 26, 1985 in Greensboro (North Carolina) Height: 2.08 m Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) John Isner and Ivo Karlović (211 cm) hold a unique place in tennis history. While there were exceptional servers in the 80s, 90s, and 00s, … Continue reading →

Born: November 25, 1977 in Buenos AiresHeight: 1.85 mPlays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) Guillermo Ignacio Cañas first picked up a tennis racquet at the age of 7, inspired by the legendary Argentinian player and his namesake, Guillermo Vilas. Although sharing a … Continue reading →

Born: September 8, 1976 in Weert (Limburg)Height: 1.93 mPlays: Right-handed Putting emphasis on going far in the most important events, I suppose I’d classify him as the least accomplished player among the best born between 1959 and 1989, who participated … Continue reading →

Born: May 15, 1987 in Glasgow (Scotland) Height: 1.90 m Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) The best British player of the Open Era by a country mile, yet rather paradoxically, Scottish, not English (original Gaelic surname: Mac Mhuirich). When I ponder … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →