Raducanu and Djokovic’s coach among stars that defied odds at Grand Slams
Emma Raducanu became an overnight sensation when she won the US Open as a qualifier in 2021. Ranked at No 150 in the world at the time and playing just her fourth professional tournament, she won 10 matches in a row without dropping a set to end the tournament as the champion. While Raducanu’s feat is one of the most memorable in recent years, she isn’t the only player to have an incredible run to a Grand Slam trophy, with Novak Djokovic’s current coach Goran Ivanisevic and Klim Clijsters among the other stars to defy the odds. Express Sport takes a look at some of the most absurd routes to Major glory.
Emma Raducanu
Raducanu’s run to the US Open trophy in 2021 is worth going over. The Brit was aged just 18 at the time and had completed her A Levels earlier that summer. She already tasted some success when she stormed to the fourth round of Wimbledon as a wildcard ranked at No 338 in the world. But things really took a turn a few weeks later in New York.
The world No 150, she entered the US Open qualifying event and booked her spot in the main draw, never looking back. She stormed through the tournament without dropping a set, beating the likes of recent Olympic champion Belinda Bencic and 17th seed Maria Sakkari en route to the title. As a result, she became the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam and shot straight into the world’s top 25.
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news.
Just in Rafael Nadal set to ‘travel to Australia’ in major update to comeback plans[LATEST]
Goran Ivanisevic
Now known for coaching Djokovic, the former world No 2 had one of the best comeback stories when he won Wimbledon in 2001. Ivanisevic had already reached three finals at the All England Club in 1992, 1994 and 1998, losing all of them. After dropping to No 125 in the world and finding himself on the brink of retirement due to a shoulder injury, he received a wildcard to enter the main draw of Wimbledon in 2001.
He beat Fredrik Jonsson in the first round before facing a string of top players. The Croat downed Carlos Moya, Andy Roddick, Greg Rusedski and Marat Safin before facing home favourite Tim Henman in the semi-final. The match ended up being played over three days due to rain, with Ivanisevic coming back from two sets to one down to win. In a delayed Monday final, he defeated Pat Rafter 9-7 in the final set to become the only unseeded man to lift the title.
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
Don’t miss…
Sinner used as inspiration by Champions League team after beating Djokovic[QUOTES]
Novak Djokovic ‘must be suspended’ following outrage over pre-match doping test[REACTION]
Davis Cup star Arnaldi pays emotional tribute to girlfriend’s late father[RECAP]
Kim Clijsters
Clijsters became world No 1 in 2003 and won the US Open in 2005 but retired at the age of 23 in 2007. She planned to make it her farewell season before the year had started but injuries meant that she barely played and had to cut her career short. But she made a surprise comeback two years later after getting married and giving birth to her daughter in early 2008.
Seeing it as a “second career” instead of a return, the unranked Belgian took wildcards into the Cincinnati Open, the Canadian Open and the US Open. It was at the latter tournament where Clijsters went on an incredible run, beating both Williams sisters, Li Na and Caroline Wozniacki en route to the title. It made her the first unranked player to lift a Grand Slam title and the first mother to win one since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980.
Michael Chang
Chang is known for being the youngest man ever to win a Grand Slam title, lifting the 1989 French Open trophy as a 17-year-old. While his age alone makes it a remarkable achievement, one of Chang’s matches during his run to the title went down in history as he faced world No 1 and three-time former champion Ivan Lendl in the round-of-16.
The teenager found himself two sets and a break down to the top seed before firing back to win the third. But he suddenly suffered severe leg cramps early on in the fourth set and, at one point, could barely move while he stood in one spot and returned the ball. Chang had to resort to some unusual tactics, bringing out some moon balls and an underarm serve which threw Lendl off his game. It paid off and he came through in five sets before beating Ronald Agenor, Andrei Chesnokov and Stefan Edberg to lift the trophy.
Source: Read Full Article