World Tennis Magazine

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Mikhail Youzhny’s 15 Minutes of Fame

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By Bob Stockton

Mikhail Youzhny is into the semifinals of the US Open for the second time in his career.

He will face Rafael Nadal in Saturday’s semifinals – in a rematch of their 2006 US Open quarterfinal that Youzhny won 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1.

While New York and Arthur Ashe Stadium provide one of the grandest stages in sports, Youzhny’s most high profile moment came on March 31, 2008 at the Sony Ericsson Open, when the Russian became a YOUTUBE sensation.

The following is the excerpt from Randy Walker’s book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com) on the episode.

2008 – Mikhail Youzhny of Russia gains more exposure and international attention for an strange outburst of anger in the third round match at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., than he does in coming back from two-sets-to love to clinch the Davis Cup title for Russia in 2002. Trailing Nicolas Almagro 4-5 in the third set of their third-round match, the No. 11-ranked Youzhny bangs his head three times with his racquet strings, causing him to bleed down the front of his face. The video becomes a viral video sensation on the internet, registering 500,000 hits on YouTube within 24 hours. Youzhny wins the match 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (6).

The last time Youzhny and Nadal played on a hard court, Youzhny won by an incredible 6-1, 6-0 margin. The January 6 chapter from ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com) documents that infamous match.

2008 – World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has nothing left in the tank in a 57-minute, 6-0, 6-1 loss to Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny in the final of the Chennai Open in India. The previous night, Nadal defeats fellow Spaniard Carlos Moya 6-7 (3), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (1) in 3 hours, 54 minutes – saving four match points in the second-set tie-break – in the longest three-set match on the ATP Tour in 15 years.”Rafa was not Rafa,” says Youzhny of Nadal winning only one game against him in the final. “I did not win today, it was Rafa who lost. I did not expect it to be so easy. I was lucky as he just couldn’t move and couldn’t play.”  Says a classy Nadal, “Maybe I was a bit tired after the long semifinal, but I lost the final because Mikhail played very well.”

The Last Time Federer-Nadal Played in the USA

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The day was April 3, 2005.

The scene was the Tennis Center at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne in Florida, just outside of downtown Miami.

The occasion was the singles final of the NASDAQ-100 Open – the event now known as the Sony Ericsson Open.

The contestants were Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – competing for only the second time in their careers.

Federer was the reigning Wimbledon and US Open champion with four major titles in his closet. Nadal was still two months shy of winning his first major title at the 2005 French Open.

The significance of this match was that it marked the last time that the two modern legends of men’s tennis played a match in the United States.

As documented in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com), Federer, the world No. 1, was two points from defeat in the third-set tie-break, but rallied from two-sets-to-love down to defeat Nadal 2-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-1 in 3 hours, 43 minutes to win the NASDAQ-100 Open title. Federer trailed 4-2 in the third set and 5-3 in the third-set tie-break before he rallied to win his 22nd consecutive match and his 18th consecutive final. Said Federer after the match, “I’ve hardly ever come back in a situation like that. It was a big moment for me. It was uphill. I was trying to force him too much, but I got myself to relax. I thought I’d be all right if I could get him into a fifth set.”

Swiss tennis writer Rene Stauffer, in his book, the newly updated and re-released paperback ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com), summarizes the last U.S. match between Federer and Nadal in this book excerpt:

After defeating world No. 2 Lleyton Hewitt in the final of Indian Wells, Federer won the title in Key Biscayne, Fla., for the first time, defeating the young 18-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who defeated Federer decisively at the same event the previous year.

Entering Key Biscayne, Nadal moved to No. 6 in the year-to-date ATP Champions Race with victories in tournaments in Brazil’s Costa do Sauipe and in Acapulco in Mexico. His match winning streak hit 15 as he entered the Key Biscayne final with Federer. The burly left-hander played fearlessly in his first appearance on the big stage of professional tennis and to everyone’s amazement, he led Federer 6-2, 7-6, 4-1 after two hours of play. “I looked up at the scoreboard and only hoped that 6-1 would not appear there ten minutes later,” Federer explained. “I blew one opportunity after another and I thought, ‘This can’t be happening.’” In an earlier time in such a situation, Federer would have thrown in the towel but these days were well in his past. Somehow, he crawled back into the match and, came back from a two-sets-to-love deficit to win 2-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-1.

The Indian Wells/Key Biscayne “double” that went favorably for such players as Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Pete Sampras, Marcelo Rios and Andre Agassi before him, now garnered Federer 1,000 points in the world rankings, the equivalent of a Grand Slam title. He was now 2,245 points ahead of Hewitt in the No. 2 spot. The conversations that Federer may be in a “crisis” quickly faded. “This is a great moment in my career,” Federer said after his win over Nadal. “Making a two-set comeback against a player of his caliber and then winning it isn’t normal—even for me.”

One year before their 2004 Key Biscayne final, on March 28, 2004, at the same event on the same court, the iconic rivalry kicked off when a seventeen-year-old Nadal registered the biggest win of his young career at the time, upsetting the world No. 1 Federer 6-3, 6-3 in the third round. Said Nadal, the youngest player in the 2004 NASDAQ-100 field, “I played almost perfect tennis.” Federer’s loss was only his second in 25 matches in the 2004 season. Said Federer at the time of Nadal, his future top rival, “He hit some really incredible shots, and that’s what youngsters do. I’ve heard a lot about him and saw some of his matches, so this is not a big surprise.” Stauffer also summarizes this match in ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION in this excerpt:

The 2004 season was turning into a triumphal march for Federer. He was celebrated wherever he appeared. His results continued to be worthy of a world No. 1. His first defeat of the year—and in manner of three months— came in mid-February, when he lost to Tim Henman in the quarterfinals of Rotterdam. He quickly regained form and successfully defended his title in Dubai, defeating the Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the final. At the Tennis Masters Series event in Indian Wells, Federer avenged his loss to Henman in the championship match and realized his first “countable” victory against another of his early nemeses. The win over Henman was only his second in eight matches, with Federer’s only previous win over the Brit in Key Biscayne in 2002 being decided when Henman was forced to quit after one set due to a stiff neck. His victory, therefore, was especially satisfying. “Now I believe that no opponent has a psychological advantage over me,” he said.

An opponent that would bring Federer to his knees, however, appeared shortly after Indian Wells—illness. Immediately after the final, Federer began to run a fever and suffer from nausea and muscle pains. Despite his illness, he did not cancel his pre-arranged trip to Portland, Ore., the home of his clothing sponsor “Nike,” for a promotional visit, but en route to Miami for the next tournament, Federer was forced to stop and check into an airport hotel in Los Angeles to rest and try to recover. As he and Mirka finally arrived in Florida, he considered withdrawing from the tournament, but when rain gave him an extra day of rest, he decided to give it a go.

After he was able to muster up enough strength to negotiate a three-set win in his first match against No. 54-ranked Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, Federer next drew the highly-regarded Spaniard Rafael Nadal. The 17-year-old left-hander from Mallorca played what he described at the time as the best match of his life and dominated the listless Federer 6-3, 6-3. The loss was the most decisive defeat Federer experienced in a year. Nadal also became the youngest player to defeat the Wimbledon champion. Federer was not surprised that he lost since he was not yet recovered from his illness. Nonetheless, he suspected that Nadal would be a dangerous rival coming of age. “He will become the most powerful left-hander in tennis in the coming years,” Federer prophesized.

Murray Bounced by “Other” Swiss Star

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NEW YORK – Andy Murray’s wait to become Britain’s first Grand Slam tournament champion since 1936 will have to wait a little longer.

The fourth-seeded Murray was hustled out of the US Open Sunday by Switzerland’s “other” star, Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-7 (3) 7-6 (4) 6-3 6-3. The only time Murray reached the final on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, that two years ago, he fell to Switzerland’s Roger Federer.

“I have no idea of whether I’ll win a Grand Slam or not,” Murray said. “You know, I want to.”

Andy Murray

This year Murray was one of the favorites, along with Federer, Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. Murray had come into the year’s final major having won the Rogers Masters in Toronto, Canada, and reaching the final at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California. He also reached the Australian Open in January and at Toronto beat both Nadal and Federer.

With such a strong summer showing, he clinched the 2010 US Open Series, which meant he would have pocketed a USD $1 million bonus if he had won the title. Instead, it was his earliest departure from a major since a third-round loss at the French Open in 2008.

“I’m very disappointed, obviously,” Murray said. “But, no I think I’ve been more disappointed, you know. In other Grand Slams, when you get closer to winning the tournament, I think it becomes a lot harder to take.”

Wawrinka, who teamed with Federer to win the men’s doubles gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, raced out to a 5-2 lead in the first-set tiebreak before Murray rallied. The Scot then took a 3-0 lead in the second set and, after trading service breaks, led 5-3 and seemingly safely in control.

It wasn’t to be.

Murray was two points from a two-set lead at 5-4, 30-30 when Wawrinka stepped up and became more aggressive, breaking back. The set went into a tie-break, which Wawrinka won 7-4, knotting the match

“I think all my game was pretty good,” Wawrinka said. “One of my best matches, for sure. I was very aggressive. I was doing everything really good, so I’m very happy.”

Both players needed to call the trainer. Murray had tightness in his left thigh, then had problems with his right elbow.

“It was just part and parcel of playing that sort of length of match, I guess,” said Murray, who kept emphasizing that it was Wawrinka’s play, not his injuries, that determined the final outcome.

“He played better than me. There’s not a whole lot more to it,” Murray said. “He had a chance to win the first set, didn’t take it. I had a chance to win the second set, didn’t take it. I just struggled from then on.”

Murray again broke in the opening game of the third set. It was to no avail as Wawrinka broke right back, then again in the fourth game to grab a 4-1 lead. That was when Murray called out the trainer and had treatment on his left thigh.

In the next game, it was Wawrinka’s turn to call for the trainer. He had his right thigh strapped, but still managed to take the set.

After trading breaks to begin the fourth set, Wawrinka broke again in the fifth game. Murray saved one match point before he sailed a forehand long to give Wawrinka a berth in the fourth round where he will take on American Sam Querrey, a 6-3 6-4 6-4 winner over 14th-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain.

“He’s a very good player,” Wawrinka said of Querrey. “He’s a strong player. Big serve, big backhand. Is never easy to play him.”

Almagro was one of the rare Spaniards to lose Sunday as a record-tying six players from Spain reached the men’s fourth round. That’s the most from a foreign country since Australia had six players in the fourth round in 1969. It’s also the most players from one country in the fourth round since the United States had eight reach the round of 16 in 1995.

A Spaniard is guaranteed to reach the semifinals since all four players in the top quarter of the draw are from Spain: top-seeded Rafael Nadal, 23rd-seeded Feliciano Lopez, 10th-seeded David Ferrer and eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco.

“It’s always nice to see all the Spanish winning and being in the last rounds, no?” Verdasco said. “So if you need to lose, it’s better to lose against a Spanish player, then at least one guy is gonna be there one round more, no?”

Unseeded Tommy Robredo also won his third-round match Sunday, while 21st-seeded Albert Montanes grabbed a spot in the round of 16 on Saturday.

Nadal defeated Gilles Simon of France 6-4 6-4 6-2; Lopez advanced when Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine retired with a right toe infection while trailing 6-3 4-0; Ferrer stopped fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6 (2) 6-2 6-2; Verdasco defeated David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-2; Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny outlasted American John Isner 6-4 6-7 (7) 7-6 (5) 6-4; and Robredo moved on when Michael Llodra of France retired while trailing 3-6 7-6 (6) 6-4 2-1.
Defending women’s champion Kim Clijsters, French Open winner Francesca Schiavone and two-time US Open winner Venus Williams won berths in the quarterfinals.

Clijsters had no problems downing Ana Ivanovic 6-2 6-1, while Schiavone beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 6-0 and Williams got by Israeli Shahar Peer 7-6 (3) 6-3.

A late match pitted fifth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia against 12th-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia.

With the victory, Clijsters increased her winning streak at the US Open to 18 straight matches. She won the title the last two times she has played here, but missed one year because of an injury and the next two during her two-year retirement from the sport.

“Not that I think about it, but I want to try and keep it going,” Clijsters said of her match winning streak. “I’ve always enjoyed playing here at the US Open.”

ROGER FEDERER AND THE FIRST SET CONUNDRUM

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By Ritesh Gupta

Is Roger Federer going through any “first set scare” phenomenon?

For Federer, this may not be an issue at all, but his die-hard supporters are going through some anxious moments of late.

It might be a self-imposed situation or one which is arising due to the initial exuberance of his opponents, but Federer does seem to be taking longer than usual in wrapping up the first set in the ongoing French Open.

One can’t help thinking the same. Going by his first two rounds in the only Grand Slam on clay, the defending champion is taking time in settling down. Also, recently, during the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Madrid, he lost the first set against Rafael Nadal (Federer lost the final, too), won 7-5 against David Ferrer in the semis and lost 3-6 to Ernests Gulbis before avenging his recent defeat to the Latvian in the quarterfinal.

Roger Federer
Roger Federer at the French Open 2010

Despite these hiccups, it has to be remembered that Federer and Grand Slams can be a nightmarish proposition for any pro. But still, if there is any opportunity of pushing Federer, one has to grab chances early in the match.

At the French Open, Federer hasn’t lost these first set battles. They are definitely quite close, more than one would expect. Importantly, the way Federer comes out from these challenges only show the class of the Swiss.

During the second round match against Alejandro Falla in Paris today, Federer did struggle in the first set. He  committed 21 unforced errors. To his credit, his left-handed rival made most of the long rallies and held serve without much fuss in the initial stages. Falla did break Federer’s serve in the 11th game. But the Colombian failed to serve out the set. More than Federer’s tenacity, the turn of events had to do more with self-belief of Falla.

Twice, Federer achieved mini-breaks in the first set tie-break with a couple of fabulous strokes. At 3-3, he went for a blazing backhand down the line to force a volley winner. And then, again, at 5-4, he went for an outright forehand cross-court winner. Falla finally gave up with an error.

Even though Federer missed a couple of forehands in the tie-break, it was Federer who forced the pace. The class, as usual, was written all over when it mattered the most.

There are times when Federer’s opponents, too, just fail to rise to the occasion or succumb to the pressure.

Looking at the scoreline between Federer and his first round rival, Peter Luczak, there might not be much to read. But the Australian just stroked error after error in the crucial 10th game before losing the first set.

Like Luczak, Falla, too, lost his fizz in similar fashion after dropping the first set. Falla lost 6-7 (4-7), 2-6, 4-6.

Luczak went down 4-6, 1-6, 2-6 earlier this week.

Both Luczak and Falla did their bit, but the man on the other side didn’t give them much of a chance once he got into his groove.

Federer might be starting off slowly. But he is still finishing his job with aplomb.

RODDICK vs. LJUBICIC: THEIR MOST MEMORABLE MATCH

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By Randy Walker

Andy Roddick and Ivan Ljubicic will meet in Sunday’s final of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.  It was five years ago that the two players met in probably their most memorable match, the fourth rubber of the 2005 Davis Cup first round in Carson, Calif.

The U.S. team that year featured Roddick, Andre Agassi and the Bryan Brothers – a blockbuster team matched up against any of the all-time great Davis Cup teams, captained by Patrick McEnroe. However, Ljubicic, like he did against the United States in the first round of the 2003 Davis Cup in Zagreb, single-handedly defeated the U.S. team, upsetting Agassi on the first day, pairing with Mario Ancic to hand Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan their first-ever Davis Cup loss in the doubles, and beating Roddick in five sets to clinch the victory. The following is a summary of events from their Davis Cup epic on March 6, 2005.

Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick

Roddick and Ljubicic would battle in the fourth rubber of the tie – Ljubicic, like in 2003, trying to shut the door on the Americans – while Roddick trying to stave off elimination, a position he had been in on two other occasions without success – against France in 2002 and Spain in 2004.

After splitting the first two sets, the epic – and pivotal – third-set tie-break ensued with neither Roddick or Ljubicic willing to give the other the two-sets-to-one lead. Roddick jumped to a 4-1 lead and held three set points throughout the 24 point tie-break – tying the longest tie-break in U.S. Davis Cup history. However, Roddick’s inside-out cross court forehand at 11-12 landed wide giving Ljubicic the fourth set. The two players would again go toe-to-toe in a tie-break in the fourth set, with Ljubicic fighting off four set points before double faulting at 7-8 on the fifth-set point to give Roddick the set and square the match at two-sets apiece. The momentum appeared to be with Roddick, but he was not able to capitalize. Ljubicic ran off with the first eight points of the fifth set, breaking Roddick at love in the first game of the fifth set and cashing in on an insurance break in the fifth game of the final set. Three game later, Ljubicic closed out the crushing 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11), 6-7 (7), 6-2 victory in three hours and 57 minutes.

Roddick and McEnroe slumped on their courtside seating while Ljubicic, Ancic, (Nikki) Pilic and the rest of the Croatian delegation danced and sang on the court with handfuls of Croatian fans in the audience waving flags and rejoicing in the historic first round upset. It marked the first time in 105 years of Davis Cup that the United States was eliminated in the first round on home soil.

Ljubicic would become one of only two players to win three live rubbers against a U.S. Davis Cup team on two occasions – joining Mexico’s Raul Ramirez who turned the trick against the United States in the 1975 and 1976 Davis Cup campaigns.

In all, Ljubicic labored for a total of eight hours and 44 minutes over 12 sets over the weekend. His career record against the United States in Davis Cup play now stood at 6-0 – with only Laurie Doherty of Great Britain holding a better record against the U.S. with a 10-0 record in matches against the U.S. in 1902, 1903, 1905 and 1906.

“I have no words, really,” said Ljubicic. “To beat Andre, the Bryans and Roddick in three days….it is amazing.”

Roddick was crushed, irritable, devastatingly angry and disappointed. He slumped in front of the microphone in the interview room and was asked to share how he was feeling.

“Probably not in words you would understand,” he slurred. “It’s tough to describe. Really, really bad….There’s no worse feeling than losing a match in Davis Cup in our sport, especially when your teammates are counting on you.”

“It hurts a lot,” said McEnroe, who spoke with the press after coaching Bob Bryan to a three-set win over Roko Karanusic in the dead-fifth rubber that made the final verdict a 3-2 win for Croatia. “After getting to the final last year, starting off at home with our best team, it’s disappointing.”

REMEMBERING THE LAST TIME ROGER FEDERER LOST TO LLEYTON HEWITT

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Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt will face off in an anticipated round of 16 match Monday at the Australian Open, after Federer defeated Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and Hewitt defeated Marcos Baghdatis 6-0, 4-2, ret. (shoulder injury). The rivalry between the future Hall of Famers dates back to 1996 when the two 15-year-olds played in the World Youth Cup in Zurich, Switzerland, Federer winning that match 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 after saving a match point. As professionals, Federer leads the series 16-7, Hewitt winning seven of the first nine matches and Federer winning the last 14 matches. The last time Hewitt beat Federer was actually on the very same court where they will due battle Monday – Rod Laver Arena. It was back in 2003, in the fourth rubber of the 2003 Davis Cup semifinal between Switzerland and Australia. Rene Stauffer, author of the book THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) discusses the circumstances of that epic match in this exclusive book excerpt below.

After Hewitt opened the series with an easy win over Michel Kratochvil, Federer defeated Philippoussis 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a rematch of the Wimbledon final. In the pivotal doubles rubber, Federer and the aging Marc Rosset were defeated in five-sets by Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge, giving Australia the important 2-1 advantage after the second day of play. Switzerland had to sweep the final two singles matches in order to reach the Davis Cup final.

Federer and Hewitt took to the Rod Laver Arena on a cool Sunday to open up the final day of play and Federer leisurely dominated Hewitt and stared at his 11th consecutive Davis Cup singles victory leading 7-5, 6-2, 5-3. With Federer two points from victory, the tide turned. A brief lull in Federer’s performance was enough for Hewitt, carried by 12,000 spectators, to fight his way back into the match.

After winning the third set in a tie-break and the fourth set 7-5, the match was tied at two-sets apiece. The temperatures were so cold at the start of the fifth set that many of the Swiss journalists could barely take notes on the match their fingers were so stiff and frigid. Christine Ungricht, the President of Swiss Tennis, complained to the Swiss media that she felt the Australians had intentionally left the retractable roof of the Laver Arena open to give Hewitt an advantage in the colder conditions. “They want to give Federer hypothermia,” she said. “What they’re doing is not against the rules but I’m going to complain anyways.”

Hewitt’s momentum was too difficult for Federer to overcome and the Aussie won the epic match 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5, 6-1, allowing Australia to reach the Davis Cup final. Hewitt’s chest swelled with pride as he explained that he thought constantly of Pat Cash’s comeback from a two-sets-to-love deficit against Mikael Pernfors of Sweden during the 1986 Davis Cup Final. Federer, who didn’t show up in the interview room until two hours after the defeat, meekly said: “I couldn’t be more frustrated.” The flight back to Europe was torture for him. Every time he awoke, his body and his soul ached.

Federer no longer held great hopes of becoming No. 1 in the world for 2003. “Roddick and Ferrero deserved to be ranked in front of me,” he said before the start of the indoor season. “Ferrero is the best clay court player and Roddick is the best hard-court player. This fall, I simply want to prove that I’m the best indoor player.” He had no such luck. Although he defeated Carlos Moya in the final of Vienna to successfully defend a title for the first time in his career, the remainder of the fall season did not produce the results he desired.

1985: Edberg Wins Aussie Open For First Major Title

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It is a full six weeks before the start of the 2010 Grand Slam tennis season with the start of the Australian Open in mid-January. Many may have forgotten that the Australian Open used to be played in December, sometimes over the Christmas holidays that keep away many of the world’s best players. This week, WorldTennisMagazine.com will provide excerpts from the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com) that detail Australian Open events that happened this week.

ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY – December 9

1985 – Nineteen-year-old Stefan Edberg wins a major singles title for the first time in his career, defeating fellow Swede Mats Wilander 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, preventing Wilander from winning a third-straight Australian title. Says Wilander on the rain-delayed Monday final, “If there’s somebody I don’t mind very much losing to, its Stefan. He’s a very good friend.” Wilander and Edberg are so chummy in preparation before the final that they share beers the night before their match and even practice with each other the morning of the final. Says Ederg following the match, “I have never been so happy. This is a wonderful day for me and for Sweden. I am very glad to be able to win for my mother and father.”

1984 – Mats Wilander wins the Australian Open men’s singles title for the second year in a row, defeating Kevin Curren of South Africa 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in 2 hours, 52 minutes in the singles final. The title is the 20-year-old Wilander’s third major title to go with this 1982 French title and his 1983 Australian title. Wilander leads 4-0 in the first set tie-break, but loses seven of the next eight points to lose the 52-minute first set. Wilander registers the first service break of the match in the third game of the second set en route to tying the match at a set apiece, but each player is broken three times each in a tumultuous third set  – including Curren when he serves for the two-sets-to-one lead at 5-3. Wilander wins the fourth-set tie-breaker and then breaks Curren twice in the fourth set to finish off the match.

1983 – Mats Wilander upsets John McEnroe 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in 2 hours, 45 minutes in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Wilander, known as a clay court specialist, receives a standing ovation from the crowd at the Kooyong Tennis Club for his grass-court victory over the reigning Wimbledon champion.