On a People’s Monday, Ivanisevic showed his competitive character and delivered a title for the masses in his fourth Wimbledon final. The wild card took fans on a thrill ride in which he beat four current or future Grand Slam champions. Ivanisevic entered the event ranked No. 125 and exited as the first wild card champion in Wimbledon history, breaking his own record for most aces in the tournament with 208.
A raucous crowd waving Australian and Croatian flags cheered, chanted, and sang vigorously, turning the normally staid Centre Court setting into a scene from a soccer stadium. Both men were moved by the crowd’s passion.
“It was the best moment in my life,” a beaming Ivanisevic said. “Just everybody going nuts there with the flags. It was the best atmosphere ever Wimbledon has had.”
Fans, some of whom sat in line for 24 hours for tickets, were pumped to participate in an adventure, and from the moment the finalists stepped onto court—embraced by a massive roar from the festive crowd—you had the sense this would be a spectacle unlike any other Wimbledon final.
Ivanisevic, whose career obituary was written by some when he failed to qualify for the Australian Open in January, showed little signs of life losing four of his last five matches before Wimbledon. But the three-time runner-up was revived on the SW19 lawns, beating Carlos Moya, Andy Roddick, Greg Rusedski, and Marat Safin in succession to set up a blockbuster semifinal with British favorite Tim Henman. On the edge of elimination, the lefty threw down 35 aces in a 7-5, 6-7 (6), 0-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory. The official time of the match was three hours and three minutes, but it spanned three days and extended a lifetime of frustration for many British fans who were hoping to see Henman become the first British man to reach the final in 63 years.
Meanwhile, Rafter staged an inspired rally of his own. Andre Agassi served for a spot in the final at 5-4 in the fifth and was two points from victory at 30-15, but Rafter fought back to reach his second straight Wimbledon final.
In the final, Ivanisevic served 27 aces against 15 double faults, and both men saved three of six break points. Closure did not come easily: Serving for the title, Ivanisevic was down 15-30 when he smoked a 116 M.P.H. second-serve ace. When Rafter’s backhand pass down the line then narrowly missed the mark, Ivanisevic crossed himself, looked up at the heavens and prayed. He then dumped two double faults to squander two championship points and watched Rafter save a third championship point with a lob that landed inside the baseline.
Nine years earlier, Ivanisevic double faulted twice in a row, and a few points later he lost a gripping five-set final to Agassi.
Gulping in deep breaths before a second serve on his fourth championship point, Ivanisevic delivered a deep serve down the middle, watched Rafter’s return settle softly into the net, then crumbled to the court, floored by the moment. He arose crying; some fans were sobbing right along with him.
"This was my dream all my life: now I don't know if it's a dream or real," Ivanisevic said. "I don't know if I wake up and someone tells me, 'You didn't win Wimbledon again.' I was so tight on the match points. When I double faulted, I said, ' Not again, please God what did I do to you?' Thank God he missed the shot otherwise we’d still be playing. It's unbelievable."
No. 5: Evert d. Goolagong, 1976
No. 4: Ivanisevic d. Rafter, 2001
No. 3: Williams d. Davenport, 2005
No. 2: Borg d. McEnroe, 1980
No. 1: Nadal d. Federer, 2008
