2001 Wimbledon - Best Championship of the Open Era

2001 Wimbledon has gone down as one of the greatest championships in the Open era and Grand Slam history. 

There was great drama throughout, and great weather up until semifinals day, when the tension reached unbearable levels, climaxing with the incredible and unprecedented “people’s final” which took place on the 3rd Monday.  The final between Goran Ivanisevic and Pat Rafter will live long in the memory of those who witnessed it, watched it on television or listened to it on the radio.

What set up this particular Wimbledon to be one of the greatest tournaments was the dramatic defeat of Pete Sampras by Roger Federer in the 4th round on the 2nd Monday.  Sampras went into the event without a tournament win for a year, but was still defending champion and number 1 seed.  It was an almighty close battle which Federer edged 7:5 in the fifth set.

The defeat was hugely significant because it gave the remaining players a lift that they had a chance to win Wimbledon.  It also gave the tennis community a lift because Wimbledon would get a new winner as Sampras had dominated the field so severely.

Tim Henman battled past Todd Martin over five sets and two days to make the quarterfinal.  Henman’s reward was to play Roger Federer, a huge relief for Henman not to play Sampras, a man he never beat at Wimbledon in three tries including semifinals in 1998 and 1999.  Henman beat Federer in four sets, dropping the 3rd set.  Andre Agassi beat talented French shotmaker Nicholas Escude and Ivanisevic went past Marat Safin in four sets.

We were left with a great semifinal line up for the 4th year in a row; the big difference this time being no Sampras involved.  Rafter would play Agassi and Henman would play Ivanisevic, four players Sampras beat in semifinals and finals the previous three years.  As Pat Cash put so well in the BBC commentary, these guys were absolutely desperate to win Wimbledon, and we were about to get three amazing five set matches in a row.

The first semi between Rafter and Agassi was a repeat of their 2000 encounter and their third in a row as they also met in the 1999 semifinal.  This time the weather was red hot and the drama was incredible, the tennis was not quite of the standard of the previous year but there was definitely more tension with the prize at stake (not having to play Sampras in the final!).

Agassi came out stronger taking the first set 6:2, with stunning returns and passing shots; and stunning tactics, continually lobbing Rafter to get him off the net, then passing him when Rafter was weary of closing too tight to the net.  The type of tennis we don’t see today as no player is brave or foolhardy enough to charge the net.  

However, Rafter’s character, will to win and smart tactics of his own saw him claim the 2nd set.  Agassi won the 3rd and looked like the final was his for the taking but then made some uncharacteristic errors as Rafter took the 4th set using the classic tactic of slice and topspin to disrupt Agassi’s rthythm in some lovely baseline exchanges.  Agassi went up a break in the 5th set and even served for the match, but Rafter broke back with the chip and charge ploy, unsettling Agassi. Rafter then took the match 8:6 when Agassi got broken with a topspin backhand passing shot.

Pat Cash was right, both men were desperate to win, and we knew the match between Ivanisevic and Henman would be just as tight.  Ivanisevic took the 1st set but Henman came roaring back taking the 2nd and 3rd sets, the 3rd being an incredible 6:0 rout with Ivanisevic visibly mentally shaken. But then the heavens opened, hours after it was predicted to, it was 7:30pm and Henman would have had more than enough time to finish the job in 4 sets.

 

On Saturday, the womens final should have been played between Venus Williams and Justine Henin.  But Henman and Ivanisevic played just one and a half sets throughout the course of the whole day and had to come back on the Sunday to finish the match.  Henman would get to play on the Sunday, but not the final.  The match reconvened at midday and serving at 4:4 in the 5th set, Henman got broken leaving to Ivanisevic serve out the match, a remarkable match played over three days of unbearable tension for the British public.  

The deal was to play the womens final on the Sunday and the mens final would be played on the Monday.  The womens final turned out to be excellent value with Venus defeating a very talented but green Henin in three sets.  But the real fun was to take place the next day, the Wimbledon Committee announced that tickets were to be sold on a first come first served basis, consequently we were to see a tennis crowd we will probably never see again at Wimbledon especially in a final.  The crowd was a mixture of Australian fans with flags, painted faces and plastic kangaroos, whilst the rest of the crowd comprised young Croats and young Brits who were supporting Ivanisevic.

The crowd were absolutely amazing, loud, chanting, good natured, it was the like the best Davis cup atmosphere between nations, maybe even better considering it was  Wimbledon.  The match couldn’t help but live up to expectations, both players were keyed up from the very first point and it was inevitable it would be a five set thriller.  The points were short but the skill, bravery, endurance, power and touch were there from both guys, even acrobatics by Rafter as in combat!  Ivanisevic broke early to take the first set, Rafter stormed back to take the 2nd, Ivanisevic, the 3rd, Rafter broke twice to take the 4th; Ivanisevic lost his head exactly where Agassi did in the semifinal.

So here we were again with another 5th set and the crowd going crazy.  After a glut of break points for both throughout the set, Ivanisevic was finally able to break at 7:7 with some great backhand returns which Rafter couldn’t deal with, a combination of Rafter’s kick serve not being as effective and Ivanisevic’s great two hand return, the slightly taller man taking the ball early before it kicked too high, banging it back past Rafter when it really mattered.  After squandering three match points, Ivanisevic finally took the fourth on a 2nd serve which Rafter put into the net with a forehand. 

In the presentation, Ivanisevic thanked the All England Club for giving him a wild card, while Rafter and his coach Tony Roche were choked with emotion but still gave a very dignified interview to Sue Barker on the court.

Looking back, it seems strange to think that Andre Agassi, Pat Rafter and Tim Henman would never get another opportunity to win Wimbledon.  In fact, it’s incredible someone of Rafter’s talent on grass never won Wimbledon, being shut out in two finals by Sampras and then Ivanisevic.  Maybe these guys knew something we didn’t at that time, they gave so much to win Wimbledon that year, they seemed to have nothing left for the rest of their Wimbledon careers.  Ivanisevic was fulfilled and due to shoulder trouble didn’t play until 2004 for one last hurrah, whilst Rafter took a sabbatical for a year after losing at the US Open to Sampras (who else) and then announced his retirement a year later at the age of only 29.  Henman would make the semifinal in 2002 but lost comprehensively to Lleyton Hewitt.

It would be nice if the All England Club can give us a middle Sunday in future with tickets sold exclusively on a first come, first served basis.