 Wilander in theEurosport studio during the 2014 Australian Open at Melbourne Park | |
| Country (sports) |  Sweden |
|---|---|
| Residence | Hailey, Idaho, U.S. |
| Born | (1964-08-22)22 August 1964 (age 61) Alvesta, Sweden |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] |
| Turned pro | 1979 |
| Retired | 1996 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | John-Anders Sjögren |
| Prize money | US$7,976,256 |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2002(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 571–222 (72.0%) |
| Career titles | 33 |
| Highest ranking | No.1 (12 September 1988) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1983,1984,1988) |
| French Open | W (1982,1985,1988) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1987,1988,1989) |
| US Open | W (1988) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | F (1987) |
| WCT Finals | QF (1985,1987,1989) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 168–127 (56.9%) |
| Career titles | 7 |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (21 October 1985) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1984) |
| French Open | SF (1985) |
| Wimbledon | W (1986) |
| US Open | F (1986) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | F (1985) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1984,1985,1987) |
Mats Arne Olof Wilander (Swedish:[ˈmatsvɪˈlǎnːdɛr]; born 22 August 1964) is a Swedish former professionaltennis player.[2] He was ranked as theworld No. 1 in men's singles by theAssociation of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 20 weeks, including as theyear-end No. 1 in1988. Wilander won 33 career singles titles, including sevenmajors (three each at theFrench Open andAustralian Open, and one at theUS Open), and seven career doubles titles, including a major in men's doubles atWimbledon.
Wilander's breakthrough came suddenly and unexpectedly when he won the1982 French Open at the age of 17. Wilander won his fourth major singles title at the age of 20, the youngest man in history to have achieved the feat.[3] In 1988, he won three of the four singles majors to finish the year ranked as the world No. 1. Wilander also won eightGrand Prix Super Series titles (1983–88), the precursors to the currentATP Masters 1000 tournaments. He was also a driving force behindSweden's run of seven consecutiveDavis Cup finals from 1982 to 1988, and three titles in 1983, 1984, and 1986. Wilander is one of seven men to have won major singles titles ongrass courts,hard courts, andclay courts[4] since the feat became achievable in 1978 (when the US Open was first played on hard courts). Wilander, Nadal, Djokovic and Alcaraz are the only men to have won at least two major singles titles on each of the three surfaces. Wilander retired from the sport in 1996.
In 1983, Wilander won theJerring Award.[5] In 2002, he was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame.
Born inVäxjö, Sweden, Wilander first came to the tennis world's attention when he won the French Open junior title, the European under-16 and under-18 championships, and theOrange Bowl under-16 event inMiami.
Wilander made his debut on the professional tour at the clay court tournament inBåstad, Sweden in 1980. In June 1981 he made his Grand Slam singles debut at Wimbledon, losing in the third round toJohn Fitzgerald. The Canberra Times said "16-year-old Mats Wilander, who many say will become the new Borg."[6] In September 1981, he lost his only career match againstBjörn Borg, losing in the first round of theGeneva Open in straight sets. Wilander reached his first ATP final in November 1981 in Bangkok, losing in straight sets toBill Scanlon.[7]
Wilander surprised the tennis world at the1982 French Open. As an unseeded player, he upset second seedIvan Lendl in the fourth round,[8] fifth seedVitas Gerulaitis in the quarterfinals,[9] fourth seedJosé Luis Clerc in the semifinals,[10] and third seedGuillermo Vilas in a four-set final that lasted 4 hours and 47 minutes (the longest French singles final played up until that point)[11] and was notable for its long rallies, the longest point taking 90 strokes.[12] At the end of the semifinal against Clerc he requested replay of the match ball as he did not want to win the game due to a questionable referee decision. This was seen as an extraordinary display of fair play and garnered him thePierre de Coubertin World Fair Play Trophy. He was the youngest ever male Grand Slam singles champion at 17 years, 9 months, a record since broken byBoris Becker andMichael Chang. In only his third entry in a Grand Slam tournament, Wilander also became the player who needed the fewest attempts to win one, a record since equaled byGustavo Kuerten at the1997 French Open. Wilander then lost in the fourth round at bothWimbledon, toBrian Teacher, and theUS Open to Lendl. Wilander won three additional tournaments in 1982 and finished the year ranked no. 7. During that year, Wilander was awarded theSvenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.
Wilander returned to theFrench Open in 1983, where he lost toYannick Noah in the final,[13] after defeatingJohn McEnroe in a quarterfinal.[14] He lost in the third round atWimbledon toRoscoe Tanner[15] and in the quarterfinals of theUS Open to Lendl.[16] Wilander won his second Grand Slam title later that year at theAustralian Open, played ongrass atKooyong Stadium, where he defeated McEnroe in a semifinal[17] and Lendl in straight sets in the final, which was a 'basline battle".[18] He won eight other tournaments in 1983, including two Grand PrixChampionship Series titles, and finished the year ranked no. 4.
Wilander retained hisAustralian Open title in 1984, beatingStefan Edberg in the quarterfinals andKevin Curren in the final. "I don't think I've ever played anyone on grass who consistently makes as many returns as he does from below the net. I felt the whole time I was volleying off my shoes or hitting a half volley and unless you hit a great half volley he goes for the passing shots" said Curren afterwards.[19] He lost in the semifinals of theFrench Open to Lendl,[20] the second round atWimbledon toPat Cash,[21] and the quarterfinals of theUS Open to Cash.[22] He won three tournaments in 1984 including his third Championships Series title and again finished the year ranked no. 4.
In 1985, Wilander won theFrench Open for the second time, defeating Lendl in the final. "Wilander, advancing often to the net to hit home volleys, added lobs and passes to his repertoire ... Lendl's serve let him down".[23] He again reached theAustralian Open final, where he lost to Edberg. However, he lost in the first round atWimbledon toSlobodan Živojinović and the semifinals of theUS Open to McEnroe.[24] He won three tournaments in 1985 and finished the year ranked no. 3.
Wilander rose to the no. 2 ranking, behind Lendl, on 28 April 1986. He then lost in the third round of theFrench Open toAndrei Chesnokov,[25] the fourth round ofWimbledon to Cash, and the fourth round of theUS Open toMiloslav Mečíř.[26] His consistency at other tournaments, however, allowed him to again finish the year ranked no. 3. Wilander partnered with countrymanJoakim Nyström to win the men's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1986. He also won his fourth Grand Prix Championship Series title.
The 1987 season saw Wilander unveil a more potent service and a new highly effective one-handed slice backhand, the latter a somewhat remarkable development for a mid-career top-level tennis professional.[27] Despite the improvements, however, Wilander was defeated by Lendl in the finals of both theFrench Open and theUS Open (in a match lasting 4 hours and 47 minutes, the longest singles final in the tournaments history,[28] surpassed the following year). Cash again proved to be Wilander's nemesis atWimbledon, winning their quarterfinal match in straight sets. Wilander won five tournaments in 1987 including twoGrand Prix Tennis Championship Series titles and six overall, finishing the year ranked third in the world for the third consecutive year.
1988 was the pinnacle of Wilander's career. In January, he won his thirdAustralian Open singles title, this time onMelbourne Park'shardcourts, defeating Edberg in a five-set semifinal and home town favourite Cash in a five-set final which Wilander won with "steady baseline play, a few successful forays to the net and a cool head in times of pressure".[29] In doing so, he became the only player to win the Australian Open on both grass and hardcourt. Wilander faced another home crowd favourite,Henri Leconte, in the final of theFrench Open. Wilander won in straight sets, missing only two out of 73 first serves in the entire match.[30] AtWimbledon, Wilander reached the quarterfinals where he lost toMečíř. At theUS Open, he reached his third Grand Slam final of the year. In a repeat match-up of the previous year's final, he defeated Lendl in five sets in 4 hours 54 minutes (the longest US Open singles final to that point)[31] and ended Lendl's three-year reign at the top of the world rankings. This was Wilander's seventh Grand Slam singles title and resulted in his receiving the number one ranking, having won three of the year's Grand Slam tournaments, two more Grand Prix Championship Series titles at Key Biscayne and Cincinnati, and one other title in Palermo. He held the top ranking for a total of 20 weeks until Lendl reclaimed it at the end of January 1989.
Wilander's 1988 title atCincinnati was his fourth there, at the time making him one of only three players since 1899 to win four titles in Cincinnati, along withBobby Riggs andGeorge Lott.Roger Federer has since joined the list.
Wilander's motivation, results, and ranking suffered in 1989. He lost in the second round of theAustralian Open toRamesh Krishnan, the quarterfinals of theFrench Open toAndrei Chesnokov, the quarterfinals ofWimbledon toJohn McEnroe, and the second round of theUS Open toPete Sampras. He did not win a tournament during 1989 and he finished the year ranked World No. 12.
Wilander briefly moved back into the top 10 rankings on 12 February 1990, but by the end of the year, his ranking had slumped to World No. 41. He defeatedBoris Becker in the quarterfinals of theAustralian Open,[32] only to lose toStefan Edberg in straight sets in the semifinals.[33] He skipped theFrench Open andWimbledon and lost in the first round of theUS Open toBrad Gilbert. He won the final singles title of his career at Itaparica.[34]
Wilander played only the first half of 1991. He lost in the fourth round of theAustralian Open and the second round of theFrench Open. He finished the year ranked world No. 159.
Wilander was absent from the tour in 1992. He played seven tournaments in 1993, losing in the first round of five of them. At theUS Open, he lost in the third round toCédric Pioline. He finished the year ranked World No. 330.
Except forWimbledon, Wilander played a full schedule in 1994. He lost in the fourth round of theAustralian Open toMaliVai Washington, the first round of theFrench Open toAndre Agassi in straight sets, and the first round of theUS Open toGuy Forget. His only victory over a top ten player was in the second round of the tournament in Indianapolis againstTodd Martin. He finished the year ranked World No. 129.
Wilander's results improved slightly in 1995 as he finished the year ranked World No. 46. After losing in the first round of theAustralian Open toJacco Eltingh, he lost in the second round of theFrench Open to eighth rankedWayne Ferreira. He then lost in the third round ofWimbledon to Eltingh and the second round of theUS Open to Martin. AtCanadian Open inMontreal, Wilander won his final tour match against Edberg,[35] then beat eighth ranked Ferreira and sixth rankedYevgeny Kafelnikov[36] before losing to Agassi in the semis.[35] At New Haven, Wilander beat 10th rankedMarc Rosset[37] before losing to Agassi in the semis.
In 1996, Wilander reached the final of thePinehurst ATP tournament in May, losing toFernando Meligeni (it was Wilander's first ATP tournament final since 1990).[38] He played only one Grand Slam tournament, losing in the second round of theFrench Open to Martin. He retired from the tour after losing his final match toMartin Damm in Beijing in October.
During most of his career, Wilander used the Rossignol F-200 Carbon tennis racquet, an early fiberglass model.[citation needed]
During the1995 French Open he andKarel Nováček tested positive for cocaine. They appealed the initial three-month suspension by theInternational Tennis Federation, claiming flawed test procedures but withdrew their appeals in May 1997 and on 15 May 1997 received a three-month suspension from the ATP Tour for failing a drugs test. Additionally Wilander had to return his prize money since May 1995, amounting to $289,005, and forfeit ranking points.[39][40]
Wilander was an integral member ofSweden's highly successfulDavis Cup team throughout the 1980s.
He reached his first final with Sweden in 1983, which they lost 3–2 toAustralia (despite Wilander winning both his singles rubbers in the final). In 1984, Sweden (with Wilander) won the cup, beating theUnited States 4–1 in the final. Sweden retained the cup in 1985, with a 3–2 final victory overWest Germany. Wilander helped Sweden reach the final again in 1986 but declined to play in the final because he was getting married (Sweden lost 3–2 to Australia). Wilander played in his fourth final in 1987, where Sweden beatIndia 5–0. Two more finals followed in 1988 and 1989, but Sweden lost both to West Germany. Wilander last played in Davis Cup in the 1995 semifinals, where he lost to Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
Wilander compiled a 36–16 record in singles and a 7–2 record in doubles in the Davis Cup for Sweden. However, Wilander's most memorable Davis Cup match came in defeat. In a July 1982 quarterfinal tie against the United States on carpet inSt. Louis, Missouri, Wilander was defeated in the deciding fifth rubber by John McEnroe 9–7, 6–2, 15–17, 3–6, 8–6. At 6 hours and 32 minutes it remains the second longest singles match in Davis Cup history.
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 1R | A | W | W | F | NH | A | W | 2R | SF | 4R | A | A | 4R | 1R | A | 3 / 10 | 36–7 | 84% |
| French Open | A | A | W | F | SF | W | 3R | F | W | QF | A | 2R | A | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3 / 12 | 47–9 | 84% |
| Wimbledon | Q1 | 3R | 4R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 4R | QF | QF | QF | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | 0 / 10 | 25–10 | 71% |
| US Open | A | A | 4R | QF | QF | SF | 4R | F | W | 2R | 1R | A | A | 3R | 1R | 2R | A | 1 / 12 | 36–11 | 77% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 2–2 | 13–2 | 18–3 | 16–3 | 17–3 | 8–3 | 16–3 | 25–1 | 10–4 | 5–2 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 4–4 | 1–1 | 7 / 44 | 144–37 | 80% |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1982 | French Open | Clay |  Guillermo Vilas | 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–0, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1983 | French Open | Clay |  Yannick Noah | 2–6, 5–7, 6–7(3–7) |
| Win | 1983 | Australian Open | Grass |  Ivan Lendl | 6–1, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 1984 | Australian Open(2) | Grass |  Kevin Curren | 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 7–6(7–3), 6–2 |
| Win | 1985 | French Open(2) | Clay | Ivan Lendl | 3–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1985 | Australian Open | Grass | Stefan Edberg | 4–6, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1987 | French Open | Clay | Ivan Lendl | 5–7, 2–6, 6–3, 6–7(3–7) |
| Loss | 1987 | US Open | Hard | Ivan Lendl | 7–6(9–7), 0–6, 6–7(4–7), 4–6 |
| Win | 1988 | Australian Open(3) | Hard |  Pat Cash | 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 3–6, 6–1, 8–6 |
| Win | 1988 | French Open(3) | Clay | Henri Leconte | 7–5, 6–2, 6–1 |
| Win | 1988 | US Open | Hard | Ivan Lendl | 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 |
| Championship | Years | Record accomplished | Player tied | Ref |
| Australian Open | 1983–1985 | 3 consecutive finals | Ivan Lendl Novak Djokovic | [41] |
| 1983 | Youngest Australian Open champion (19 Yrs., 3 Mos.) | Stands alone | [41] | |
| French Open | 1982 | Won title on the first attempt | Rafael Nadal | [42] |
| 1982 | Unseeded winner of singles event | Gustavo Kuerten Gastón Gaudio | [43] | |
| Grand Slam tournaments | 1982–1988 | 7 titles before becoming World No. 1 | Stands alone | [44] |
Wilander competes from time to time on the senior tour. Since retiring as a player, he has served as captain of theSwedish Davis Cup team. Wilander also serves as a commentator for tennis matches onEurosport.
Wilander created a minor controversy during the2006 French Open when he criticized several top players, includingRoger Federer andKim Clijsters, as lacking the competitive edge to beat their toughest rivals. After Federer's 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6 loss to Nadal in the final, Wilander said that "Federer, today, unfortunately came out with no balls... you don't find too many champions in any sport in the world without heart or balls. He might have them, but against Nadal they shrank to a very small size and it's not once, it's every time."[45]
In the aftermath of these comments, fans coined theneologism "Wilanders" as a humorous synonym for "balls", denoting a competitive spirit and tenacity to win.[46]
Wilander began coachingTatiana Golovin in July 2007. After working with Golovin in the later part of 2007,[47] Wilander began coachingPaul-Henri Mathieu.[48]
Wilander, who won $8 million as a pro and more in endorsements, now spends much of his time living on an 81-acre estate inHailey, Idaho, United States (part of theSun Valley ski resort) with his wife Sonya (née Mulholland), a South African-born model, whom he started dating in 1985 and married in 1987.
Wilander has four children, Emma, Karl, Erik, and Oskar. His son Erik suffers from a comparatively mild form ofepidermolysis bullosa, which benefits from Idaho's cool and dry air,[49] and Wilander and his wife have worked to raise funds for research into cures for the disease.
His brother,Anders Wilander [sv], was Mayor ofTranås Municipality 2006–2020.[50][51]
In 2012, Wilander won the International Club'sJean Borotra Sportsmanship Award.[52]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)[Nadal was] the first man to win Roland Garros on his first visit since Mats Wilander did it at age 17 in 1982.
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