The History of Men's Tennis (Open Era)

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, these two towering giants introduced something entirely new to the game in the 2010s. Though both had established themselves as ATP tour players a decade earlier (Karlović in 2003, Isner in 2007), their presence on the court evolved into something almost unprecedented – a type of “tennis without tennis.” Matches against them often felt like a distinct sport where the outcome hinged on a handful of points. They racked up countless aces, engaged in innumerable tie-breaks, and frequently played marathon fifth sets. Isner, in particular, shattered previous records with his extraordinary battle against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon 2010.
Isner’s remarkable capabilities were on display as early as his second main-level event in Washington, 2007. He reached the final by winning five consecutive matches in deciding third-set tie-breaks – a feat that was unparalleled in tennis history. Unlike Roger Federer, who had won three straight deciding tie-breaks in 2005 across two tournaments, Isner accomplished his streak over five consecutive days on the same courts! This led many to believe that he was one of the most mentally resilient players ever. While his results from the Challenger circuit and college years painted a more nuanced picture, that week in Washington, Isner’s excessive luck defied probability. Among the five players he defeated in those tie-breaks were notable names like Tim Henman, Tommy Haas, and Gaël Monfils.
Sixteen years later, Isner retired from professional tennis. Looking back, he should feel fulfilled, having achieved far more than Karlović, who was six years his senior and possessed a similar skill set. Isner’s crowning achievement came at the 2018 Miami Open, where he claimed his biggest title after reaching three previous Masters 1000 finals (Indian Wells 2012, Cincinnati 2013, and Paris 2016). Surprisingly, he won Miami with minimal reliance on tie-breaks, breaking his opponents several times throughout the tournament. Among those he defeated were top-tier players and fellow giants, though considerably shorter than himself, like Marin Čilić, Juan Martín del Potro, and Alexander Zverev.
Throughout his career, Isner was consistently reliant on tie-breaks and extended fifth sets at major tournaments. He holds the unfortunate record for losing the most matches after holding match points (33 losses, compared to Karlović’s 22). Contrary to popular belief that such losses indicate a lack of mental toughness, Isner was anything but mentally fragile. The term “choke” doesn’t fit him. Like any seasoned player, he had matches that slipped through his fingers, but these were often due to his weaker backhand and limited movement rather than a mental collapse. No matter how skilled or confident his opponents were on any given day, they always knew what to expect against Isner – a moment in the second or third decisive set when he might face the only break(match) point, with their fate hinging on exploiting Isner’s backhand (if he had missed his first serve), forcing him to move quickly along the baseline. Beating Isner ‘7-6, 6-4’ or losing to him ‘7-6, 6-7, 4-6’ very often depended on the efficacy of his first serve at a critical juncture, regardless of how he felt the ball when hitting it from the back of the court. Tomáš Berdych was an intriguing exception, consistently breaking Isner’s serve. My explanation is that the tall Czech’s ability to hit the ball effectively at shoulder height with his backhand neutralized Isner’s kick serves, which typically troubled other opponents. Berdych was less productive returning Karlović’s serve though.
Isner was a more well-rounded player than Karlović. While the Croatian relied heavily on his serve-and-volley game, often slicing his backhands and waiting for a slower ball to attack with his forehand, Isner employed a more “one-two punch” strategy as a server, mixing up the serve speed (second serve faster than the first one, Karlović was never doing that), at times sneaking to the net behind kick-second serves. As a returner, he tended to wait until the final stages of sets to press, at which point he was much more effective than Karlović in retrieving balls. Isner even led Rafael Nadal 2-1 in sets at the 2011 French Open, a testament to his adaptability and resilience. Excluding the Laver Cup, which I don’t consider a main-level event, Nadal is the only great player born in the 1980s that Isner never defeated. Over the years, Andy Murray seemed to be Isner’s toughest opponent, but the American finally got the better of him in their ninth meeting at Wimbledon 2022, when Murray, playing with a metal hip, was far from the agile defender who had previously bested Isner at crucial moments.
With his booming serve, Isner always had the potential to reach a major final at Wimbledon or the US Open, where the electric crowd energized him. However, New York typically saw him exit in the third round, while London witnessed his deepest run in 2018 when he reached the semifinal before losing an epic match to his old college rival, Kevin Anderson. That match played a significant role in Wimbledon’s decision to introduce a tie-break in the fifth set starting in 2019.
Now that both Isner and Karlović have retired (both played their last matches at the US Open, the Croat two years earlier), Reilly Opelka (211 cm) remains the lone tennis player with the height more typical of a volleyball or basketball player. While Opelka’s movement & backhand appear better than Isner’s, and his tactical approach mirrors the latter’s, he lacks Isner’s commitment and passion. In Dallas 2022, Opelka and Isner co-created a new record for the longest tie-break. They played six times against each other: 17 sets, 14 tie-breaks (10-4 Opelka) – it explains there’s nothing special that these two US giants overcame Björn Borg‘s “eternal” record.

Career record: 489-317 [ 308 events ]
Career titles: 16
Highest ranking: No. 8
Best GS results:
Wimbledon (semifinal 2018)
US Open (quarterfinal 2011, 18)

Born: November 25, 1977 in Buenos Aires
Height: 1.85 m
Plays: 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 similar name didn’t propel Cañas to mirror Vilas’ achievements, he is still regarded as one of the finest Argentine players born in the 1970s, perhaps even the best. Known for his powerful physique, remarkable agility, and relentless “never-say-die” attitude, Cañas had an unbelievable ability to win points in seemingly lost situations (splits in defence), a skill unmatched before Rafael Nadal emerged. A versatile competitor, Cañas was the first Spanish native speaker in the 21st Century to reach finals on all primary surfaces: outdoors (clay, grass, hard) and indoors (hard) – and he did it in just seven months between June ’01 and January ’02. The year 2001 it was the first one when grass slowed down, certainly helping players of Cañas’ type.
His most memorable moment came in July 2002 when he claimed the title in Toronto. In retrospect, his path to the championship was nothing short of extraordinary. Cañas defeated Roger Federer (1), Paradorn Srichaphan (9), Yevgeny Kafelnikov (1), Marat Safin (1), Tommy Haas (2), and Andy Roddick (1) in succession. The numbers in parentheses denote each player’s career-high ranking (before or after that event), making his feat all the more remarkable. “Day by day, I felt more confident in my game,” said the 24-year-old Cañas, then ranked 19th. “It’s incredible to feel like you can beat anyone on the tour. Maybe I surprised myself. I knew I had the potential, but I had never executed it like this. To beat five top-10 players in one tournament feels amazing.” Cañas waited five years to contest another Masters 1000 final, which came after his return from a two-year suspension for testing positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. His ban was eventually reduced to a year, but by that time, the Argentine had lost his career-best ranking, vanishing from the list of active surnames. This marked his third extended break from the sport, with the first two in 2000 and 2003 resulting from persistent wrist injuries. Despite these setbacks, Cañas climbed back into the Top 100 within just seven months, largely thanks to his success in Challengers (five titles). He then enjoyed an ATP resurgence, defeating five Top 20 players in Miami before being schooled by ten years younger Novak Đoković in the final.
Given his ability to challenge the game’s elite across all surfaces and for his extraordinary fighting spirit, perseverance (only he and Nicolás Massú were regularly involved in three-hour Bo3 battles at the beginning of 00s), Cañas seemed destined to reach a Grand Slam semifinal at least. However, despite coming close twice – in 2002 and 2005 – he fell just short on both occasions. In 2002, facing eventual champion Albert Costa, Cañas held a 2-1 set lead and was up *4:2 (30/15) in the fourth set, only to lose the next ten games in a heartbreaking defeat.

…Fun Facts about Cañas…

• Tim Henman‘s worst torture on the court. Even though the man from Buenos Aires lost their first encounter in Toronto ’98, holding a 6-3, 5:2* lead, he won their next six meetings, including two gruelling five-setters, clinching 7-5 (French Open ’01) and 9-7 (Aussie Open ’04) in the 5th sets as well as 7-6 in the deciding 3rd set (Vienna ’01)

• He was one of the toughest challengers for Lleyton Hewitt as the Australian ascended to the top of the tennis world. It’s quite rare for two players without dominant serves to engage in marathon tie-breaks against each other, yet this is precisely what transpired between Cañas and Hewitt. Remarkably, the Argentine triumphed in both instances, on clay: a 14/12 tie-break at Delray Beach ’99, where he saved six set points, and a 15/13 tie-break at the 2002 French Open, saving five set points along the way.

• In 2007, he stunned the tennis world by defeating Federer 7-5, 6-2 at Indian Wells, ending the Swiss maestro’s 41-match winning streak. Just two weeks later, Cañas triumphed again over Federer in Miami, this time after a dramatic encounter. “I don’t know the secret to beating him,” Cañas remarked. “I just fight for every point, and maybe that’s why I won. Playing great tennis against Federer – it’s like living a dream.”

• He holds the unique and somewhat dubious distinction of being the only player known to lose a match after leading two sets to love and 5:0! This nightmarish collapse occurred in his Davis Cup vital debut in 1999, where he fell to Venezuela’s Maurice Ruah 6-3, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 3-6 in Caracas, without holding a match point. Argentina still won the tie 4-1.

Career record: 252–195 [ 196 events ]
Career titles: 7
Highest ranking: No. 8
Best GS results:
Roland Garros (quarterfinal 2002, 05 & 07)
World Team Cup champion 2002

Born: September 8, 1976 in Weert (Limburg)
Height: 1.93 m
Plays: 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 in a minimum of 200 main-level events. Some might ask, “Why did you incorporate him and not Sam Querrey?” After all, their achievements are nearly identical. My response would be, “because it’s a subjective list of the best players.” Three factors influenced my choice of Schalken over Querrey: his impressive record in finals (9-3 vs. 10-10; one of nine titles captured in a ‘best of five’ final – Stockholm ’01), his remarkably consistent performances in Grand Slams from Wimbledon 2002 to Wimbledon 2004 – worthy of a Top 10 player, though he never quite reached that rank, and his transitional status, having competed admirably against the best players of the 90s and 00s, bridging two transformative eras.
Schalken began his tennis journey hitting against a wall, which might explain some of his stiffness. The wall is excellent for developing patience, flat hitting (Schalken’s backhand down the line his trademark shot), but it doesn’t encourage the movement that young players need. The Dutchman was indeed patient, favoring clay courts in his early years on the tour before slightly improving his serve to become more successful on hard courts. His serving approach prioritized accuracy over speed, and in the early 2000s, he consistently ranked among the best in first-serve percentage, maintaining an impressive average of around 68%. Despite his ability to challenge the best players of the 90s, Schalken struggled for a long time to achieve results that matched his potential at major tournaments. For 28 consecutive Slams, he never advanced beyond the third round. However, when he finally broke that barrier, he reached the quarterfinals, and over the next three years, the second week of majors became his natural habitat. Between July 2002 and 2004, he reached the last 16 as many as six times and won five of those fourth-round matches; he was three times (UO ’03, AO ’04, WB ’04) eliminated by Andy Roddick – the best player in the world at the time. On one occasion, he even secured a victory in the quarterfinals when he faced Fernando González, a novice at that level, outsmarting the hard-hitting Chilean in a thrilling encounter. In his lone major semifinal, the Dutchman had no chance to beat Pete Sampras – the only great player born in the 70s, whom Schalken never defeated. Quite surprisingly Schalken was unable to play a Masters 1K semifinal (the same applied to Querrey), five times losing in the quarterfinals at this level (Querrey lost four), being very close to go one round further in Paris ’01.
Luck finally favored Schalken after years of heartbreaks at the turn of 90s/00s, when he lost several nail-biting matches, particularly at Wimbledon. These defeats seemed to defy probability because he didn’t appear overly tense or physically spent; rather, a combination of volitional factors led to these losses. Year after year (except 2001), he fell in London to American and Australian players in epic five-set matches: 6-8 (Jan-Michael Gambill), 11-13 (Jim Courier), 18-20 (Mark Philippoussis), and 5-7 (Lleyton Hewitt) respectively in fifth sets. All this painful experience was eventually rewarded in the latter stages of his career, as he improved his record in five-setters from a dismal 6:14 to a respectable 12-14, including a dramatic victory over a five-set specialist Nicolás Lapentti at Wimbledon ’03.
From the perspective of Dutch tennis, Schalken was a bridge between two generations: the older, more successful players (Richard Krajicek, Jan Siemerink, Paul Haarhuis, and Jacco Eltingh) and the younger, less accomplished ones (Raemon Sluiter, Martin Verkerk, Peter Wessels, Dennis van Scheppingen and Johan van Lottum). In 2001, Schalken played a key role in the Netherlands’ only advancement to the Davis Cup semi-finals; in the first round, he defeated Carlos Moyá in straight sets, helping secure a 4-1 victory over Spain; in the quarterfinal, he won the doubles match alongside Haarhuis against Germany (4-1). Ultimately in the semifinal, he suffered one of his many heartbreaking five-set losses, this time to Nicolas Escudé, after nearly five hours of play (7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-7, 6-8), despite being just points away from winning each of the three sets he lost.
Like Wayne Ferreira, Schalken enjoyed an injury-free career for nearly its entirety. But when injury finally struck, it marked the end of his career. Schalken had to withdraw from Roland Garros in 2004, ending a streak of 35 consecutive majors played; he couldn’t participate due to a diagnosis of mononucleosis. Despite this, he still managed to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals. However, on more demanding surfaces, he could no longer muster the power needed, retiring from four matches in one season after having only five retirements in the previous ten years of his career (counting all levels). Suddenly, at the age of 29, he decided to retire.
His final noteworthy achievement came in a Davis Cup tie against Switzerland in the first round of 2005. Schalken won the deciding match against a young Stanislas Wawrinka in dramatic fashion. The Swiss led 4:1 in the final set with two breaks and served for the match at 5:4, only to squander four or five match points – depending on the count, as one of the match points was replayed after a controversial call was overruled by the umpire, Enric Molina. Reflecting on the match, Schalken said: “All I see is that yellow thing. When I find some calm in my game, the tennis ball appears larger. If that peace isn’t there, it looks like a golf ball coming at you rapidly, leaving you constantly on the defensive.” Schalken achieved much less than Krajicek, but given the Netherlands in the Davis Cup, his contributions were more instrumental to the team over the years.

Career record: 292–267 [ 263 events ]
Career titles: 9
Highest ranking: No. 11
Best GS results:
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 2002-04)
US Open (semifinal 2002; quarterfinal 2003)

Born: May 15, 1987 in Glasgow (Scotland)
Height: 1.89 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 Murray’s brilliant career, I ask myself, “How many major titles could he have won if he had defeated Novak Đoković five-six times more?” They haven’t met in Murray’s last seven tormented years, with Đoković finishing 25-11 in their Head-to-Head record (they could have played in Madrid ’22 but the Scot withdrew). More importantly, Đoković has beaten Murray in all five of their meetings (2011, 12, 13, 15, 16) in Melbourne and both clashes (2015, 16) in Paris, all played in the semi-finals or finals. The Serb also won their four ATP meetings being close to lose (Shanghai is the most memorable) while Murray never did the same other way around.
The Đoković-Murray rivalry reminds me of the one between Goran Ivanišević and Pete Sampras nearly two decades earlier. Both rivalries involve players born in the same year (1971 and 1987), where one, despite having slightly more tools and coping well with tight situations, couldn’t find the medicine for his biggest nemesis. These rivalries highlight the importance of physical and mental aspects when two almost identical players face off, especially in the Đoković-Murray feud. Over the years, when they faced each other regularly, I noticed that Murray had the ability to play on equal terms with Đoković for about 2.5 hours. After that, he couldn’t maintain the same level of intensity, whereas Đoković was always prepared for punishing, geometrically complicated baseline rallies for four hours or longer.
This was especially noticeable in their three four-setters at majors: the 2013 and 2015 Australian Opens, as well as the 2014 US Open. In all those matches, they exchanged tie-breaks in the opening two sets, followed by pretty one-sided remaining sets. Murray did manage to defeat Đoković in a five-setter once though, in a crucial for his legacy 2012 US Open final, where he raised his first Grand Slam trophy after four previous final losses (Ivan Lendl – Murray’s coach at the time, the greatest player of the 80s, had also experienced the bitter taste of four Grand Slam final defeats in a row). That final followed a similar pattern to the mentioned four-setters: tight first two sets lasting over two hours, followed by Đoković dominating, but Murray had taken both opening sets, allowing him to control the rest. Although outplayed in the middle sets, he remained relatively fresh and prevailed 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2, equalling the record for the longest US Open final co-produced by his coach (1988). I consider that victory the most important of Murray’s career. “After the third and fourth sets, it was tough mentally for me… Novak is so, so strong. He fights till the end in every single match and I don’t know how I managed to come through in the end. It was close to five hours and I’ve had some really long and tough matches. I just managed to get through,” Murray said, celebrating that success in an untypical fashion by crouching at the intersection of the baseline and doubles sideline, fulfilling his dream of winning a major title.
He reasonably waited for that moment over four years. At the end of 2008, when the Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal rivalry was well-established, Murray suggested he was closer to them than Đoković. The Serb had already won his maiden major title (Australian Open ’08), but Murray seemed a better, more complex player in the latter half of that season. Between Wimbledon ’08 and the 2009 Australian Open, he defeated Đoković twice (Cincy final i.a.), Federer thrice (Madrid semis i.a.), and Nadal once (in the US Open semifinal; I reckon Murray played his best tennis there). This positioned him as a main contender for the Australian Open title and the future world No. 1. However, in the fourth round in Melbourne, he lost to an inspired Fernando Verdasco, who just became a national hero after clinching the Davis Cup final ’08. Murray had to wait four and seven years respectively (for his first Grand Slam title and reaching the top of the rankings) for those anticipated achievements when 2009 commenced. It seemed a matter of time before Murray would reach the top spot in men’s tennis, but he was unable to win the most important major matches against the toughest opponents. Federer defeated him three times in Slam finals (2008, 2010, 2012), and Nadal bested him five times in Slam semifinals, including three times in 2011. Additionally, the Spaniard won their epic Masters ’10 semifinal. It reinforced Murray’s position in the tennis hierarchy as a member of the Big 4, yet with a distinctive aura of being the weakest link.
Unlike several players who reached No. 1 only to be quickly forgotten, Murray did it in great and striking fashion: 2016 belonged to him, however, he began the phenomenal period of his career already at the end of 2015, clinching the Davis Cup title for Great Britain… Federer stopped playing after Wimbledon ’16 (Murray won it, for the second time), and Nadal struggled with form and injuries, leaving Murray with one main rival instead of three. He managed well against Đoković that season, meeting him five times and winning twice, including the crucial season-ending final in London, which decided who would finish the year as the best player in the world – an unprecedented feat. “It’s a very special day,” Murray said during the trophy presentation. “It’s been a tough rivalry. I’ve lost many of them but obviously I’m happy I’ve got the win today. To finish the year No. 1 is very special. It’s something I never expected.” Really? His pursuit of the year-end top spot was exceptionally intense: after claiming the second Gold medal in singles as the first player in history, and an unexpected US Open defeat being the main favorite, he played the Davis Cup semifinal (losing the longest match of his career to Juan M. Del Potro), then won five consecutive events (two in Asia, three in Europe), extending his winning streak to 28 matches into January 2017 when he was stopped in the Doha final.
However, Murray paid the price for the enormous effort. He sensationally lost in the fourth round of the 2017 Australian Open to Mischa Zverev. Despite expectations that the older Zverev wouldn’t win a set, Murray’s body felt the burden of the previous crazy season, and he was a step slower, making the difference in the end. This marked the beginning of Murray’s decline. Soon after equalling the longest tie-break in history, he lost to several lower-ranked players in early rounds (Vasek Pospisil at Indian Wells, Albert Ramos at Monte Carlo – wasting the biggest advantage in a crucial set). He partially regained form mid-season, reaching the French Open semifinal (losing to Stan Wawrinka in one of the best major semifinals I’ve seen) and the Wimbledon quarterfinal where he was ousted limping in the decider. Following those five-set defeats, Murray’s career collapsed due to a serious hip injury which sidelined him for a year. For the next seven years following Wimbledon ’17, he was a shadow of his former self. There was even a period in early 2019 when it seemed Murray wouldn’t return at all after undergoing a second hip surgery. He still believed in his competitiveness and, after his comeback just to check his body with a “metal hip”, he won a doubles title along with Feliciano López!
A few months later, he captured his last title in singles (Antwerp), in the final coming back from behind in sets two and three against Wawrinka, his toughest rival, apart from the Big 3. The momentum was halted by COVID-19. On the other hand, another six-month break (his third such a long break since he turned 30) from competitive tennis could have helped him to save the energy and prolong his career since the ranking of all players was frozen. For 1.5 years after the COVID break, Murray, a Top 150 player, could count on “wild cards” actually everywhere, avoiding playing the qualifying events. It helped him return to the Top 100, but his objectives were always super ambitious. He badly wanted to be seeded at Slams again to make a big run there for the last time, and nearly did it in 2023. His tremendous mental spirit empowered him to win very long back-to-back five-setters at the Australian Open. In his next event, which took place in Doha, he advanced to the final, winning three matches on the verge of defeat (including a stunning 7-6, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Alexander Zverev)! Those two results as well as three Challenger triumphs gave him an advancement to the Top 40, but it was his swan song in terms of pushing his physical/mental reserves to the limit. Since Rome in May ’23, to the rest of his singles career thirteen months later, he was losing the majority of ‘best of three’ matches that went beyond 2.5 hours. In his last singles match at Wimbledon ’23, he suffered an almost five-hour loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Two Autumn defeats to Alex de Minaur, squandering match points on both occasions, made the cup of bitterness overflow. Murray realized the year 2024 should be his last on the professional tour. He inaugurated his last season winning just 1 out of 6 matches and finished it the same style in June. Being physically unable to compete at the highest level at the age of 37, Murray chose to participate in his last two tournaments in July only in doubles (Wimbledon, Olympics in Paris where he fought bravely partnering Dan Evans)… Quite bizarrely, he decided to switch racquets from Head (he was loyal to this brand throughout his career) to Yonex in the last few events.

Career record: 739 – 262 [ 289 events ]
Career titles: 46
Highest ranking: No. 1
Best GS results:
Australian Open (runner-up 2010-11, 13, 15-16; semifinal ’12; quarterfinal ’14)
Roland Garros (runner-up 2016; semifinal 2011, 14-15 & 17; quarterfinal 2009 & 12)
Wimbledon (champion 2013 & 16; runner-up 2012; semifinal 2009-11; quarterfinal 2008, 14 & 17)
US Open (champion 2012; runner-up 2008; semifinal 2011; quarterfinal 2013-14 & 16)
Two-time Olympic Gold medallist (London ’12 and Rio ’16)
Davis Cup 2015 champion
Masters 2016 champion

Year-end ranking 2003-23… 540 – 411 – 64 – 17 – 11 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 3 – 4 – 6 – 2 – 1 – 16 – 240 – 125 – 122 – 134 – 49 – 42

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