GoodBye Goran. Review on Goran Ivanisevic

1985, Wimbledon Final. German sensation Boris Becker beats Kevin Curren to lift the trophy and leaves me very sad and angry. The heroes or villains that one makes in childhood remain that way forever. So Becker form that day became my enemy number one. Reason, for short, was the fact I had rooted for Curren in what was my first brush with tennis and hadn?t Curren played marvelous tennis. Yes, he had cos? he had beaten the likes of Connors, McEnroe and Edberg on his way to the final. People might argue but Becker?s route to the finals was easy in comparison.

Anyway, I never heard about Curren again and thus started my search for my new Hero.

1990, Wimbledon Semifinal. Becker was against this upcoming yet lesser known player whose name nobody knew. The only thing known about this man was that he hits aces and that too a lot of them. Why I liked this guy still remains a mystery to me. I remember he had beaten my favorite Curren in the QF and yet I have developed a liking for him. May be because of the manner in which he played his game. There was a boyish weirdness in his game and he used to do the things nobody would ever try. This guy was none other than Goran Ivanisevic, someone who I was to adore and love as my favorite sports person for the years to come. Sadly though, he lost to Becker which if nothing else made sure that for the rest of my life if there is anyone I?ll hate forever, it?ll be Boris Becker.

1992, Wimbledon. Goran beats Lendl in the Pre QF and goes on to beat Edberg in the QF. He meets another upcoming player from America in the Semis, one who as the world would see in times to come as one of the greatest tennis player, Pete Sampras. Goran beats Pete Sampras in the very first of the many fascinating Wimbledon encounters between the two. And then comes the Grand Finale, Fourth set, Goran is overall 2-1 down and yet he outclasses Andre Agassi to win the set 6-1 and even the match. However, as someone said after the match ?He who lives by the serve dies by the serve, and the serve that held Goran Ivanisevic to his first Wimbledon final and to a fifth set, finally wilted by tossing in double faults, getting passed, and whiffing a volley into the net to give Agassi his first Grand Slam title in four attempts.? He was describing the manner in which Goran gave the final four points of the match two double faults, a weak second serve and then a volley into the net.

He thought his chance will come again, I knew his chance will come again but for years if there would have been regret in Goran?s tennis career than it would have been those four points, for year after year he returned to Wimbledon hoping to realize his dream. Yet it never happened, he reached close but never finished winner. And as the time passed by so did his chances. He reached the final in 1994, Semis in 1995 and again the final in 1998, always to be beaten by the Pistol Pete. 1998 was perhaps the toughest, for Sampras (as he was never challenged so fiercely in any of his other Finals) as well as for Goran. Goran, who possesses both a quick wit and a quick temper, was neither funny nor mad afterward. He was devastated. On that black day, Ivanisevic had two set points for a 2-0 lead, could not take them and Sampras resumed normal service. The press conference afterwards saw a rare thing, ?I go kill myself? Ivanisevic had said then.

That year, Ivanisevic and Jana Novotna entered the finals trying to shake labels as the most talented active players without a Grand Slam title. Each had been a runner-up at Wimbledon twice previously. The parallel ended there. Novotna won; Ivanisevic lost and the tag of being the Greatest ever player not to win a grand slam was attached to him, something which he was never proud of.

To make the matters worse, there came a terrible shoulder injury that was destructive of his tennis power and his tennis mind. The left shoulder from where the serve came from was no longer same after that injury and, with Goran; the serve is nothing less than an aspect of himself. The injury was unmanning.

But then there are some stories which do end as a fairytale.

2001. Goran was no longer Goran of the past, the one who will boom the aces past you, the one who commanded respect because of his game. Things have changed, new people have emerged and Goran was, as some people during those days said, a spent force. McEnroe joked about him saying that if one shot alone (aces in Goran?s case) could win the Wimbledon every other player would have been a champ.

It was time to pay everyone back, Goran was given a wildcard and one week into the tournament he was still there. Unexpected, uncalled for. Experts were surprised but the fans knew that what they were seeing was unbelievable yet true. He had beaten Moya and Roddick and suddenly people were talking again. It was still far though. Rusdeski was downed in Pre QF and Safin in the QF. If there was any doubt in my or in anybody other?s (including Goran?s) mind that this is his time then they were all erased after that great match against Tim Henman in the Semis.

How else could you explain that rain break which occurred just when Henman had blown him away 6-0 in the third set to take a comfortable 2-1 lead. Yes the gods were this time on Goran?s side, so on he came to finish the hardest match of his life that covered three days and he did won. In one of the post match interviews he told the press about the three Gorans that played simultaneously. The press hailed him and yes they loved him just like his fans. The humor, the wit was back, the only thing that now lacked was that elusive title.

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