Miloslav Mečíř

Miloslav Mečíř

Miloslav Mecir at the victory ceremony after winning the 1987 Dutch Open
Country (sports)  Czechoslovakia
Residence Bratislava, Slovakia
Born (1964-05-19) 19 May 1964
Bojnice, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Turned pro 1982
Retired 1990
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money US$ 2,632,538
Singles
Career record 262–122
Career titles 11
Highest ranking No. 4 (22 February 1988)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open F (1989)
French Open SF (1987)
Wimbledon SF (1988)
US Open F (1986)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals RR (1987)
WCT Finals W (1987)
Olympic Games Gold Medal (1988)
Doubles
Career record 100–54
Career titles 9
Highest ranking No. 4 (7 March 1988)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open 4R (1987)
French Open 4R (1989)
Wimbledon 3R (1987, 1989)
US Open 4R (1987, 1988)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals W (1987)
Olympic Games Bronze Medal (1988)
Team competitions
Davis Cup SF (1985, 1986)
Hopman Cup W (1989)

Miloslav Mečíř (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmɪloslaf ˈmɛtʃiːr̝]) (born 19 May 1964) is a former professional tennis player from Slovakia. He won the men's singles gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games, where he represented Czechoslovakia, and played in two Grand Slam singles finals. In 1987 he won the WCT Finals, the major season-ending championship for the World Championship Tennis tour.

His son, Miloslav Jr., followed his father's footsteps and is a professional tennis player.[1]

Career

Mečíř was born in Bojnice, Czechoslovakia (now part of Slovakia).

He reached two ATP finals in 1984 and began 1985 by beating Jimmy Connors in the semi final at Philadelphia, before losing to World No. 1 John McEnroe in the final. He won his first ATP singles title in Rotterdam later that year, and ended 1985 ranked just outside the world's top 10.

He consolidated his position as a world class player in 1986, beating rising Stefan Edberg in straight sets at Wimbledon, before losing to defending champion Boris Becker in the quarter-finals. He reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open later that year, beating Mats Wilander and Boris Becker along the way to the final, where he faced fellow Czechoslovak, defending champion and World No. 1 Ivan Lendl. The 1986 US Open was notable for the fact that four players from Czechoslovakia competed in the two singles finals for men and women – Mečíř and Lendl, Helena Suková and Martina Navratilova. Lendl won the match in straight sets 6–4, 6–2, 6–0. Mečíř's 1986 US Open final appearance was the last major final to see a player still using a wooden racket.

Mečíř improved further in 1987, winning six singles and six doubles titles, notably winning the WCT Finals in Dallas where he defeated John McEnroe in four sets. He met Lendl again in three high-profile matches that year, winning the final of the Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida, while Lendl won the final of the German Open in Hamburg and the semi-finals of the French Open.

By this time, Mečíř's sedate playing style was known to frustrate a lot of the more-powerful top ranked players. The Swedish players, in particular, were said to dislike playing against him.

Mečíř was on top form at Wimbledon in 1988, where he defeated Mats Wilander in the quarter-final. It was Wilander's only Grand Slam singles defeat of the year (he won the 1988 Australian Open, French Open and US Open) yet Mečíř beat him 6–3 6–1 6–3. He took a two-set lead in the semi-final against Edberg with a similar display, and later led by a break of serve in the final set, but Edberg eventually wore him down on the way to his first Wimbledon crown.

The highlight of Mečíř's career came later in 1988 when he was selected to represent Czechoslovakia in the Seoul Olympics. In the men's singles semi-finals he exacted revenge over Wimbledon champion Edberg, in a five-set match 3–6, 6–0, 1–6, 6–4, 6–2. He then met Tim Mayotte of the U.S. in the men's singles final and won in four sets 3–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–2 to claim the Gold Medal. He also won a Bronze medal in the men's doubles, partnering Milan Šrejber.

In 1989, Mečíř reached his second Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Again he came up against Lendl and lost in straight sets 6–2, 6–2, 6–2. It was a tactical victory for Lendl, whose win saw him to reclaim the World No. 1 ranking from Wilander. After the match, Lendl apologized to the crowd, explaining that he and coach Tony Roche had decided the best tactic against Mečíř was to hit shots deep and down the centre of the court, denying his opponent the angles he thrived on.

Mečíř was a member of the Czechoslovak teams which won the World Team Cup in 1987 and the inaugural Hopman Cup in 1989. He is currently the Slovak Davis Cup captain.

During his career, Mečíř won 11 singles titles and 9 doubles titles. His career-high world ranking in both singles and doubles was World No. 4. His total career prize money earnings was US$2,632,538. His final career singles title came in 1989 at Indian Wells. His last doubles title was also won in 1989 in Rotterdam.

Throughout most of 1989 and into 1990, Mečíř suffered from a worsening back injury and he retired in July 1990, aged just 26.

Playing style

Mečíř was a finesse player whose career straddled the transition from wooden and metal racquets towards modern graphite composites. He was noted for his touch shots as well as the ability to disguise his shots, particularly his two-handed backhand. His court coverage and graceful footwork earned him the nickname "The Big Cat". The French called him "Le Prestidigitateur" (The Conjuror).

Many top players used to cite Mečíř as the one player they most enjoyed watching because of his beautifully simple style and touch. He was known as the "Swede Killer" for the success that he had against Swedish players, especially Mats Wilander.[2]

Major finals

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 2 (0–2)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1986 US Open Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 4–6, 2–6, 0–6
Runner-up 1989 Australian Open Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 2–6, 2–6, 2–6

WCT Year–End Championship finals

Singles: 1 (1–0)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner1987DallasCarpet (i)United States John McEnroe

6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2

Olympic finals

Singles: 1 (1 gold medal)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Gold 1988 Seoul Hard United States Tim Mayotte 3–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–2

Career finals

Singles: 24 (11–13)

Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up 1. 19 December 1983 Adelaide, Australia Grass United States Mike Bauer 6–3, 4–6, 1–6
Runner-up 2. 9 September 1984 Palermo, Italy Clay Italy Francesco Cancellotti 0–6, 3–6
Runner-up 3. 15 October 1984 Cologne, Germany Hard (i) Sweden Joakim Nyström 6–7, 2–6
Runner-up 4. 21 January 1985 Philadelphia, USA Carpet (i) United States John McEnroe 3–6, 6–7(5–7), 1–6
Winner 1. 18 March 1985 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet (i) Switzerland Jakob Hlasek 6–1, 6–2
Winner 2. 29 April 1985 Hamburg, Germany Clay Sweden Henrik Sundström 6–4, 6–1, 6–4
Runner-up 5. 13 May 1985 Rome, Italy Clay France Yannick Noah 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 6–7(4–7)
Winner 3. 4 April 1986 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay Ecuador Andrés Gómez 6–4, 4–6, 6–1, 2–6, 6–3
Runner-up 6. 25 August 1986 US Open, New York City Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 4–6, 2–6, 0–6
Runner-up 7. 15 September 1986 Hamburg, Germany Clay France Henri Leconte 2–6, 7–5, 4–6, 2–6
Winner 4. 5 January 1987 Auckland, New Zealand Hard Netherlands Michiel Schapers 6–2, 6–3, 6–4
Winner 5. 26 January 1987 Sydney, Australia Grass Australia Peter Doohan 6–2, 6–4
Winner 6. 23 February 1987 Miami, USA Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 7–5, 6–2, 7–5
Runner-up 8. 30 March 1987 Milan, Italy Carpet (i) West Germany Boris Becker 4–6, 3–6
Winner 7. 7 April 1987 WCT Finals, Dallas, USA Carpet (i) United States John McEnroe 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2
Runner-up 9. 27 April 1987 Hamburg, Germany Clay Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 1–6, 3–6, 3–6
Winner 8. 13 July 1987 Stuttgart, Germany Clay Sweden Jan Gunnarsson 6–0, 6–2
Winner 9. 27 July 1987 Hilversum, Netherlands Clay Argentina Guillermo Pérez Roldán 6–4, 1–6, 6–3, 6–2
Runner-up 10. 3 August 1987 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay Spain Emilio Sánchez 4–6, 1–6, 6–4, 1–6
Runner-up 11. 8 February 1988 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet (i) Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–7(5–7), 2–6
Runner-up 12. 7 March 1988 Orlando, USA Hard Soviet Union Andrei Chesnokov 6–7(6–8), 1–6
Winner 10. 20 September 1988 Summer Olympics, Seoul, South Korea Hard United States Tim Mayotte 3–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–2
Runner-up 13. 16 January 1989 Australian Open, Melbourne Hard Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 2–6, 2–6, 2–6
Winner 11. 13 March 1989 Indian Wells, USA Hard France Yannick Noah 3–6, 2–6, 6–1, 6–2, 6–3

Doubles: 12 (9–3)

Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner 1. 28 July 1986 Hilversum, Netherlands Clay Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd Netherlands Tom Nijssen
Netherlands Johan Vekemans		 6–4, 6–2
Winner 2. 6 October 1986 Toulouse, France Hard (i) Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd Switzerland Jakob Hlasek
Czechoslovakia Pavel Složil		 6–2, 3–6, 6–4
Winner 3. 27 April 1987 Hamburg, Germany Clay Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd Switzerland Claudio Mezzadri
United States Jim Pugh		 4–6, 7–6, 6–2
Runner-up 1. 11 May 1987 Rome, Italy Clay Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd France Guy Forget
France Yannick Noah		 2–6, 7–6, 3–6
Winner 4. 27 July 1987 Hilversum, Netherlands Clay Poland Wojciech Fibak Netherlands Tom Nijssen
Netherlands Johan Vekemans		 7–6, 5–7, 6–2
Runner-up 2. 3 August 1987 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd Spain Sergio Casal
Spain Emilio Sánchez		 6–7, 6–7
Winner 5. 10 August 1987 Prague, Czechoslovakia Clay Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd Czechoslovakia Stanislav Birner
Czechoslovakia Jaroslav Navrátil		 6–3, 6–7, 6–3
Winner 6. 21 September 1987 Barcelona, Spain Clay Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd Argentina Javier Frana
Argentina Christian Miniussi		 6–1, 6–2
Winner 7. 9 November 1987 Wembley, UK Carpet (i) Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd United States Ken Flach
United States Robert Seguso		 7–5, 6–4
Winner 8. 7 December 1987 Masters Doubles, London, UK Carpet (i) Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd United States Ken Flach
United States Robert Seguso		 6–4, 7–5, 6–7(5–7), 6–3
Runner-up 3. 15 February 1988 Milan, Italy Carpet (i) Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd West Germany Boris Becker
West Germany Eric Jelen		 3–6, 3–6
Winner 9. 6 February 1989 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet (i) Czechoslovakia Milan Šrejber Sweden Jan Gunnarsson
Sweden Magnus Gustafsson		 7–6, 6–0

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Tournament 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 Career SR Career Win-Loss
Australian Open 1R 2R A NH QF A F 4R 0 / 5 12–5
French Open A 1R 3R 2R SF A 1R 1R 0 / 6 8–6
Wimbledon A 2R 1R QF 3R SF 3R 2R 0 / 7 15–7
US Open A A 2R F QF 3R 3R A 0 / 5 15–5
Grand Slam Win-Loss 0–1 2–3 3–3 11–3 14–4 7–2 10–4 4–3 N/A 50–23
Grand Slam SR 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 2 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 23 N/A
Year End Ranking 101 50 9 9 6 13 18 116 N/A

NH = tournament not held

A = did not participate in the tournament

SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played

Grand Prix singles tournament timeline

Tournament 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 Career SR
Indian Wells A A A A QF QF W 1R 1 / 4
Miami NH NH 2R A W SF 2R A 1 / 4
Monte Carlo A A A 3R A A A A 0 / 1
Rome A 1R F 3R 1R A 1R A 0 / 5
Hamburg A A W F F A A A 1 / 3
Canada A A A A A A 1R A 0 / 1
Cincinnati A A A A A 1R A A 0 / 1
Paris A A A 1R 2R 2R 2R A 0 / 4
The Masters A A A A RR A A A 0 / 1
Grand Prix SR 0 / 0 0 / 1 1 / 3 0 / 4 1 / 5 0 / 4 1 / 5 0 / 1 3 / 23

NH = tournament not held

A = did not participate in the tournament

SR = the ratio of the number of Masters Series singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played

References

External links

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