# Chapter 8: Players & Legends

Tennis · Chapter 8: Players & Legends · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/tennis/interesting-facts/chapter-8-players-legends/)

The people behind the records: two-sport stars, firsts for Asia, comebacks, coaches, rivalries, the Australians, second careers, farewells, unusual strokes and Olympic heroes.

## 8.81 Two-Sport Stars

Champions who shone in other games too: cricket, table tennis, golf, archery and football.

### Test 1: More than one sport

- She took a break from tennis, then returned to become world No. 1. (Source: Cricket Australia (cricket.com.au); WTA)
- He then turned to lawn tennis and won eight majors. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Fred Perry)
- She had won five major titles in tennis in the 1950s. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Althea Gibson)
- He reached the semi-finals of the PGA Championship in 1951. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Ellsworth Vines)
- She also played hockey for England. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Lottie Dod)
- He also won the Wimbledon men's doubles in 1921. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com))
- She is one of the most versatile sportswomen of any era. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Lottie Dod)
- 1908, 1920, 1929, 1964 and 2015. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com))
- 1871, 1892, 1909, 1911 and 1927. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com))
- She played in the Women's Big Bash League before going back to tennis. (Source: Cricket Australia (cricket.com.au))

## 8.82 Firsts for Asia

Pioneers from India, Thailand, Korea, Japan and a Taiwanese-American family.

### Test 1: Breakthroughs in Asia

- He lost the US Open final to Marin Cilic. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Kei Nishikori)
- He reached a high of No. 9. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Paradorn Srichaphan)
- He was the first Indian to go so far there. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); Wimbledon.com)
- He played an agent called Vijay in the 1983 film. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Vijay Amritraj)
- He beat Novak Djokovic on the way. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Hyeon Chung)
- His parents had moved to the United States from Taiwan. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Michael Chang)
- He beat Fernando Meligeni of Brazil for bronze in Atlanta. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org), Leander Paes)
- 1960, 1989, 1996, 2003 and 2014. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); Olympedia (olympedia.org); Wimbledon.com)
- Paes and Krishnan, Srichaphan, Chung, Nishikori. (Source: Atlas)
- He later won many doubles majors as well. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org), Leander Paes)

## 8.83 Comebacks

Back from a car crash, a fall to No. 141, a metal hip and long injury breaks.

### Test 1: Coming back

- A drunk driver hit him in a car park; his knee was badly hurt. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Thomas Muster)
- He won the French Open in 1995 and became No. 1 in 1996. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Thomas Muster)
- He played Challenger events to climb back. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Andre Agassi)
- It completed his career Grand Slam; he was No. 1 again by the end of the year. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Andre Agassi)
- He had a metal hip; that autumn he also won a singles title in Antwerp. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Andy Murray)
- He beat Rafael Nadal in a five-set final. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Roger Federer)
- He lost the final to Andy Murray. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org); ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- 1989, 1997, 2017 and 2019. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- 1989 to 1996. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Thomas Muster)
- The Austrian came back to win the French Open in 1995. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Thomas Muster)

## 8.84 Coaches and Mentors

The people in the players' box: Lendl, Gilbert, Annacone, Becker, Mauresmo, Ferrero and Cahill.

### Test 1: Behind the champions

- Lendl had lost his first four major finals before he won. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Andy Murray)
- It explains how to beat better players with tactics and nerve. (Source: Brad Gilbert, 'Winning Ugly' (1993); ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- He worked with Sampras in the 1990s and Federer from 2010. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- Djokovic won six majors with him. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Novak Djokovic)
- Mauresmo had won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Andy Murray)
- Ferrero won the French Open in 2003 and was briefly No. 1. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Carlos Alcaraz)
- He took Lleyton Hewitt to No. 1 as a teenager. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); WTA)
- 1994, 2011, 2013 and 2018. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- 1984, 1985, 2003 and 2006. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- Andre Agassi hired him the next year. (Source: Brad Gilbert, 'Winning Ugly' (1993))

## 8.85 Great Rivalries

The head-to-heads that defined eras: Evert and Navratilova, Borg and McEnroe, Sampras and Agassi, and the Big Three.

### Test 1: Rivals

- Navratilova won 43 and Evert 37. (Source: WTA, head-to-head; International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com))
- Nadal led mostly thanks to their clay matches. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), head-to-head)
- Djokovic won 31 and Nadal 29. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), head-to-head)
- Their last match was the 2002 US Open final. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), head-to-head)
- Their last match was the 2020 Australian Open semi-final. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), head-to-head)
- Nadal won six, Federer three. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), head-to-head)
- Seles won three of them, Graf three. (Source: WTA, head-to-head; International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com))
- 14, 34, 40, 50 and 60. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), head-to-head)
- 1973, 1978, 1989, 2004 and 2006. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); WTA)
- They played 14 times; their last match was the 1981 US Open final. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), head-to-head)

## 8.86 Australia's Golden Age

Emerson's record, Hoad's near-Slam, Fraser's long captaincy, Cash's climb and Hewitt's youth.

### Test 1: The Australians

- Pete Sampras passed it with his seventh Wimbledon title. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Roy Emerson)
- Ken Rosewall beat him in the final at Forest Hills. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Lew Hoad)
- He led the team from 1970 to 1993 and won the cup four times. (Source: Tennis Australia; daviscup.com)
- Many champions have climbed to their box since. (Source: Wimbledon.com; International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Pat Cash)
- He won the US Open that year and Wimbledon in 2002. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Lleyton Hewitt)
- He won in 1967, 1970 and 1971. (Source: Wimbledon.com; International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), John Newcombe)
- They grew up as rivals and Davis Cup team-mates. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com))
- 1956, 1961, 1967, 1987 and 2001. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- One, two, three and four. (Source: Wimbledon.com)
- He beat the holder, John Newcombe, in the final. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); ausopen.com)

## 8.87 Second Careers

A mayoral race, a pop career, a seat in parliament, a school, a tournament and a microphone.

### Test 1: Life after tennis

- He lost; he later served in the Romanian Senate. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Ilie Nastase)
- His song 'Saga Africa' was a big hit in 1991. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Yannick Noah)
- He became a member of the State Duma. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Marat Safin)
- The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy served children from a poor area of the city. (Source: Andre Agassi Foundation for Education (agassi.net))
- He ran the event while still playing a few matches. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Tommy Haas)
- He has commentated on Wimbledon and the US Open for decades. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), John McEnroe)
- Banca Tiriac was one of the first private banks in Romania; he later owned the Madrid Open. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com))
- 1991, 1996, 2001, 2011 and 2016. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- 1946, 1953, 1960, 1970 and 1980. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- Safin won the US Open in 2000 and the Australian Open in 2005. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Marat Safin)

## 8.88 Farewells

How the greats said goodbye: Borg at 26, Sampras with a title, Federer beside Nadal, Nadal in Malaga, Murray in Paris.

### Test 1: Last matches

- He had won 11 major titles and stunned the sport by stopping so young. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Bjorn Borg)
- The two rivals cried together on the bench afterwards. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); lavercup.com)
- He lost a singles to Botic van de Zandschulp. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); daviscup.com)
- He and Dan Evans lost in the doubles quarter-finals. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com); Olympics.com)
- He won the 2002 US Open and retired the next year without playing again. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Pete Sampras)
- The German qualifier won in four sets; Agassi gave an emotional speech. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Andre Agassi)
- He made the announcement during the US Open. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Andy Roddick)
- 1983, 2002, 2006, 2012 and 2022. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- About 26, 30, 36 and 41. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- The Laver Cup is played on a black hard court. (Source: lavercup.com)

## 8.89 Styles and Strokes

Underarm serves, two hands on both sides, a two-handed forehand, the slam dunk and the first tweener.

### Test 1: Unusual strokes

- The surprise helped him win in five sets; he went on to win the title. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Michael Chang)
- His touch earned him the nickname 'The Magician'. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Fabrice Santoro)
- It was very rare at the time; he later coached Jimmy Connors. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), Pancho Segura)
- He leapt high and hit down on short lobs, like a basketball player. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Pete Sampras)
- Many players have copied it since, Federer among them. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Guillermo Vilas)
- The closed stance helped his left-handed slice swing away wide. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com), John McEnroe)
- The rules allow it, as long as the ball is struck before it bounces. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Nick Kyrgios)
- 1921, 1952, 1959, 1972 and 1995. (Source: International Tennis Hall of Fame (tennisfame.com); ATP Tour (atptour.com))
- He went on to win the title against Stefan Edberg. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Michael Chang)
- He won the French Open a week later. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Michael Chang)

## 8.90 Olympic Heroes

Men's champions since tennis returned to the Games: Mecir, Rosset, Kafelnikov, Federer's doubles gold and del Potro's medals.

### Test 1: The Olympic tournament

- The Czechoslovak beat Tim Mayotte in the final in Seoul. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org))
- He beat Jordi Arrese in a five-set final in Barcelona. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org))
- He beat Tommy Haas in the final. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org))
- His partner was Stan Wawrinka; Federer never won the singles gold. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org))
- Both played for Switzerland; he finished fourth in the singles. (Source: ATP Tour (atptour.com), Roger Federer)
- He beat Djokovic for bronze in London. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org))
- He had already won the singles gold in 2008. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org))
- 1988, 1992, 2000, 2008 and 2016. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org))
- Nadal and Lopez, Rosset, Mecir, Kafelnikov. (Source: Atlas)
- They beat Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden in the final. (Source: Olympedia (olympedia.org))

Sources: Primary/official sources only, no Wikipedia citations: the ATP and WTA, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Olympedia, Wimbledon.com, the Laver Cup, Cricket Australia. Career totals of active players are left out; the women's game has its own chapter (10).

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