Wimbledon 1996

It was an amazing and one of the most memorable Wimbledons ever: first major without net-judges, plenty of astonishing upsets of a different caliber, farewell of two-time champion Stefan Edberg, birth of “Henmania”, Cliff Richard’s concert a cappella during a long rain delay, finally a streaker running across the court before the final, in which the only time in the Wimbledon’s history two unseeded players met (!) – both were completely unexpected in that place when the tournament kicked off – Richard Krajicek [13] had lost Wimbledon’s first rounds in two previous editions, MaliVai Washington had never passed beyond the second round in six previous Wimbledon attempts! Krajicek, who eventually became the champion, throughout career was known as one of the biggest servers with a huge net-coverage and a crisp forehand. The backhand was his big hole… not at Wimbledon ’96, miraculously he obtained the most important points during the fortnight with his weakest shot, also against Pete Sampras in a sensational quarterfinal (three relatively long breaks due to rain), snapping Sampras’ 25-match winning streak at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. It was a special tournament for myself too, because Krajicek had been my favorite player since Australian Open 1992. Read more…