July 9, 2021- Goran Ivanišević wins Wimbledon on this day 20 years ago! 

July 9, 2001, is one of the biggest days in Croatian sports history. One that most Croats will remember for the rest of their lives. 

Until that July 9, 2001, when he used his fourth match point for the final 9:7, Goran played the final match of the cult London tournament three times, and left the Central Court in disappointment every time: in 1992, he lost to Agassi, and in 1994 and 1998 to Pete Sampras. Few expected anything from a player who arrived at the tournament by invitation, was the 125th player in the world, and at the end of his career.

According to his position in the ATP rankings, he did not even deserve to play in the main part of the tournament without passing the qualifications. Still, because of the good old days and everything he gave to Wimbledon, he received an invitation. 

Although no one believed in Goran, a miracle happened, probably the greatest in the entire history of the sport.

Through the Swede Jonsson, Carlos Moya, Andy Roddick, and Greg Rusedski, he reached the quarterfinals where he defeated Marat Safin, while his opponent in the semifinals, Tim Henman, defeated Roger Federer, who made a sensation earlier by beating Sampras. Second seed Andre Agassi fell in the second semi-final to Patrick Rafter, and Goran had to play for the final in a hostile atmosphere in front of an audience that had been waiting for decades for the Briton to lift the Wimbledon trophy.

After a three-day fight and five sets, Ivanišević won his fourth chance against the Australian who was preparing for his second consecutive final.

They played a memorable match with a never-before-seen atmosphere. John McEnroe said after the match that it was the best final he had ever watched. Rafter was more agile, but Goran was more powerful, and they both fought for every point. Ivanišević was finally at 8:7 to win and end a decade of frustration and pain. After two double faults and an excellent reaction from his opponent in the third match point, Ivanišević served for the fourth time, and Rafter hit the net.

After three hours of tense fighting, tears of joy streamed down Goran's face. It was a drama that had everything, a boy's dream come true, three defeats in the finals, a great success at the very end of his career, entering the final by invitation despite all expectations, a five-set match and, to make the drama even bigger, two double faults on the match point.

On July 10, 2001, over 100,000 fans welcomed him in Split. 

“Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic received a hero's welcome when he returned to Croatia on Tuesday. More than 100,000 people in Ivanisevic's hometown of Split flocked to the city's main waterfront to celebrate his remarkable five-set win over Australian Pat Rafter in Monday's final. Ivanisevic flew into his hometown of Split at around 1800BST in a private plane provided by Slavica Ecclestone, the Croatian wife of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone. He then boarded a ship that took him to his final destination in the harbour, where prominent athletes and celebrities greeted him for a party to be capped by a firework display. However, the champion is definitely in need of some sleep in order to find out if he is still dreaming,” wrote the BBC on July 10, 2001. 

Source: Dalmacija Danas

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Eighteen years after the 2001 Wimbledon final where one of the greatest Croatian athletes reach his most significant career triumph, Goran Ivanišević and Patrick Rafter will play against each other once again in Umag's Stella Maris for the 30th edition of the ATP Plava Laguna Croatia Open, reports Gol.hr on February 25, 2019. 

It was Monday, July 9, 2001, when Goran Ivanišević and Patrick Rafter met in one of the most emotional and exciting Wimbledon finals. It was a time before the moving roof was constructed at the All England Club central stadium, when the rain made the Ivanašević and Tim Henman semi-final a three-day spectacle, and the Sunday finals shifted to Monday.

Fans waited for hours to get a chance to see the two big players on the court. The final lasted three hours and two minutes, which is precisely when Rafter hit the net on Ivanišević's second service. Goran incredulously collapsed onto the holy Wimbledon grass. In his fourth Wimbledon final, Goran managed to win the decisive, fifth set with 9-7 and thus win his only and much-desired Grand Slam title.

The legendary Australian tennis player suffered his second consecutive defeat in the Wimbledon final, after losing in four sets to American player Pete Sampras the year before. Although he never won Wimbledon, he did achieve two Grand Slam titles at the US Open.

In 2016, 15 years after the triumph over Rafter, the ATP stadium in Umag was named after Goran Ivanišević. Patrick Rafter was also honoured similarly in 2008, when a tennis center in Brisbane was named the Pat Rafter Arena. In July this year, these two tennis legends will have the chance to meet again, at the Goran Ivanišević Stadium, which has welcomed the biggest names in international tennis over the past three decades.

The tournament will be held from July 12 to 21, 2019. The traditional exhibition match between Ivanišević and Rafter will be held on Wednesday, July 17.

Goran Ivanišević will share his impressions about the 2001 Wimbledon rematch and memories of July 9, 2001, and other events that will make the 30th edition of the Umag ATP tournament, with media representatives in Zagreb.

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