Croatian Goran Ivanisevic triumphed over Patrick Rafter in one of the most dramatic Wimbledon finals in history on Monday, as thousands of fans, including actor Jack Nicholson, crammed into the All England Lawn club. Just two points away from defeat, unseeded Goran came back to beat the third-seeded Aussie 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7, taking his first ever Grand Slam title.
“This was my dream all my life,” Goran said following the gruelling 3-hour-plus match. “When I came here, nobody even talked about me. Now I’m holding this trophy.”
Goran was a Wimbledon finalist in 1992, 1994 and 1998, but suffered a tumultuous year winning just nine games in all and contending with a shoulder injury. Though at one point ranked in the top five worldwide, he’d recently fallen to 125 – only a wild card allowed him entrance in this year’s championships.
The 6ft 4in left-hander advanced to the finals after defeating British hopeful Tim Henman on Sunday, after rain delays stretched the match over three days. “God sent me that rain and saved me,” Goran said.
The Croatian player is the first wild card ever to reach the finals of Wimbledon. He is only the second unseeded player in Wimbledon history to capture the title. (Boris Becker was the first in 1985.)
On the ladies' side, returning champion Venus Williams added a second Wimbledon trophy to her mantelpiece as the first back-to-back All England Lawn champ since Steffi Graf in the mid-Nineties.
The elder Williams sister crushed first-time Grand Slam finalist Justine Henin of Belgium 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 on Sunday after inclement weather pushed the match back one day. And while the 5ft 6in Justine took a set, Venus swiftly grabbed the third set capitalising on her own strength and serve-and-volley technique.
“I love Wimbledon,” said Venus, who had played a decidedly lacklustre 2001 thus far. “It’s going to be a great place for me for years to come.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
