
Available soon
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Goran Ivanisevic (CRO) v Pat Rafter (AUS)
Men's Final - 2001
Available soon
Enjoy the dramatic and emotional Final of Wimbledon 2001
as Croatia's Goran Ivanisevic defeated Australian Pat Rafter
in an epic five-set, three-hour-one-minute final.
Ivanisevic was ranked 125 in the world yet gained entry as
a wild card having been a three-times beaten finalist. A string
of early exits and a lingering left shoulder problem provoked
talk of imminent retirement and a career without a Grand Slam.
Rafter, himself troubled by injury and losing a second successive
final, was a gallant loser. The third seed said: "I don't
think Wimbledon has seen anything like it and I don't know
whether it will again."
Tennis Correspondent John Parsons described it as the best
he had seen in his 42 years of covering the world's most famous
tennis tournament.
Ivanisevic, the first wild card singles winner, had to have
an operation on his troublesome shoulder which prevented him
from returning to defend his title in the 2002 Championships,
but he already has enough memories from the People's Monday
to last him a lifetime.
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