Jiří Novák

Born: March 22, 1975 in Zlín (Jihomoravský kraj in Czechoslovakia)
Height: 1.91 m
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

A man with flushed cheeks. I’d describe him as “a milder version of Yevgeny Kafelnikov” – both native Slavic speakers, of identical height, with unremarkable serves and restrained demeanour (the Russian more agitated, Novák rarely displaying emotions), shrewd baseliners disinterested in excessively prolonged rallies, occasional net assailants despite frequent doubles participation where they routinely employed serve-and-volley tactics. Kafelnikov wavered in singles but somehow navigated a notably more triumphant career. At times, observing certain players, it’s genuinely challenging to account for the disparity in their accomplishments.
Novák managed to overcome all the premier players of his generation, except Gustavo Kuerten (never encountering either Jim Courier or Michael Chang); some of those victories were truly astonishing: 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 over Pete Sampras (Davis Cup ’00 in the United States!); two years later 7-5, 6-1 over Andre Agassi; and a commanding 6-1, 6-1 (!) over his refined counterpart – Kafelnikov in Dubai ’02! He was fortunate or skillful enough to also prevail against the young Roger Federer as many as four times (Gstaad ’03 the most important match) and emerging talents Rafael Nadal )Nadal’s Davis Cup debut, afterwards the great Spaniard won 29 consecutive matches in those competitions) and Andy Murray, once each. It’s noteworthy that Novák ranked among the most formidable early adversaries for Federer; the Swiss maestro edged their head-to-head just 5-4 (two finals: Vienna ’02 and Dubai ’03), consistently faltering in their closest contests. Novák came tantalizingly close to a major title twice in 2002:
– the first instance in the Australian Open semifinal, where he stood six points from defeating Thomas Johansson, who ultimately claimed the title… could he have bested Marat Safin in the final too? Perhaps, given their 1-1 H2H record, with Novák winning their sole Slam encounter;
– the second instance in Madrid, where he withdrew from the final against Agassi due to a leg injury he fuffered at the end of his semifinal… could he have triumphed over the renowned American? Possibly, considering he overwhelmed him weeks later in Shanghai (eralier that year they faced each other in Rome semifinal and the match was balanced)
Trivia:
– his first two ATP events came in Praha (years 1993-94), falling twice to Sergi Bruguera, who arrived in the Czech capital as a Roland Garros champion on both occasions.
– within half a year, he toppled Carlos Moyá twice, saving match points each time – first in the aforementioned Madrid (indoors), then at the World Team Cup (outdoors). He secured 13 of his 18 doubles titles alongside David Rikl (born 1971), Kafelnikov’s initial doubles partner, incidentally.

Career record: 337-260 [ 259 events ]
Career titles: 7
Highest ranking: No. 5
Best GS results:
Australian Open (semifinal 2002)