Ivanisevic shatters whole nation's hopes

By Our Tennis Correspondent

LONDON, JULY 8. In sport, as in life, hope is no match for faith. Hope dithers. Faith is rock solid.

Consider this: The setting is the Centre Court at Wimbledon. The date is July 8, Sunday. The time is 1.28 p.m. Playing the most important service game of his roller coaster career, Goran Ivanisevic, serving for a place in the final of the 2001 championships against Tim Henman in a match that began on Friday afternoon, has just hit a double fault on his first matchpoint.

Deuce. Over 14,000 spectators on the most famous court in the world wait with bated breath. What would he do?

The left handed Croatian goes for another ace, misses by inches down the middle. Ah, there is a chance for Henman, there is a chance for the man carrying the hopes of an entire nation. So believe the Henmaniacs.

Chance, yes, if he could have got his racket to the ball. In the blink of an eye, the second serve whizzes past Henman's outstretched racket.

Faith, ladies and gentlemen, faith, just plain, unshakeable faith in his own destiny.

And in the next 10 seconds, a great dream - that Henman would become the first Englishman to make the final here since Bunny Austin in 1938 - had died, the hopes had vanished. But faith lived.

``This is my destiny. God sent the rain. God wants me to win,'' said Ivanisevic, the first wild card ever to make a Grand Slam final, after beating Henman 7-5, 6-7(6), 0-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 to set up a showdown with Pat Rafter on Monday.

In a bizarre contest that began on Friday and spilled over to Saturday with Henman leading by two sets to one and then finally extended to Sunday with the match intriguingly poised at two sets apiece - all because of rain - Ivanisevic was very much on top from the very start today. The match had resumed with Ivanisevic up 3-2 in the decider and Henman serving 30-15.

``Today I came up with some unbelievable returns. I just went in there and said to myself, `Put more returns in,'`` said Ivanisevic after making his fourth Wimbledon final with his first ever victory over Henman in five meetings.

The Croatian, world ranked 125, had last played in a Grand Slam final in 1998 here when he was beaten in five sets by - who else? - Pete Sampras. He had lost two previous finals to Sampras and Andre Agassi.

``I think I can win this one. Pat (Rafter) is a good friend. But on court on Monday he won't be a friend. I have to return well. But I think this is my year,'' said Ivanisevic.

He doesn't just think so. He believes so. That's the difference. Hope - as in the case of Henman and his English fans - is a thought, you cling to it desperately. Whereas, faith is a life force. It can pull off miracles.

``It's pretty disappointing. It's been a long three days. I will be lying if I said it was easy. But as a professional you have to deal with it. It certainly was in my favour on Friday. It can help or hinder you. Against Todd Martin, it helped. But I have to give Goran credit for the way he played,'' said Henman.

Today, Ivanisevic played as well as he might have hoped to play. It was his best tennis since the first set on Friday afternoon. He returned Henman's serves with great confidence, never let up on his own serves and volleyed well too.

In only his first service game of the day, in the seventh game, Ivanisevic was down 0-30, after a double fault and a Henman return winner. He responded as only he can, with aces 34 and 35.

In the following game, the enigmatic Croatian set up two breakpoints on Henman's serve with a forehand crosscourt return winner. The gallant Briton saved both with accurate first serves but when he double faulted to offer Ivanisevic another chance, the left hander accepted it with a lovely return.

Serving for the match, Ivanisevic let go of one matchpoint with a double fault but on the next, set up with a second serve ace, he made no mistake.

Having done that, Ivanisevic dropped to the lawn, flat on his back and then stood up on the chair to wave to his fans.

``This is unbelievable. It's the best day of my life. I don't want to carry that plate (trophy for the runner-up) this time. I have done that three times before,'' said Ivanisevic.

What he carries home on Monday afternoon will depend as much on his maverick talents as on the skills of a man called Patrick Rafter.

But Goran has one thing in his corner: faith. And that's not something you can under-estimate. Certainly not after today.

Men's final on Monday

LONDON, JULY 8. For the first time in 13 years, the men's singles final of the Wimbledon championships will be played on the third Monday, July 9.

The decision to put off the final to Monday was taken late on Saturday night by the Tournament Committee after consultations with the players involved - Pat Rafter, who made the final on Friday itself, as well as Tim Henman and Goran Ivanisevic, whose semifinal match stretched into an unprecedented third day.

The last time a men's singles final was played on the third Monday was in 1988 when play was restricted due to rain on Sunday. Stefan Edberg beat Boris Becker in four sets that year, in the first of three finals that the two grass court masters contested in a row.

The following year, in 1989, both the men's and the women's finals were played on the same day, the second Sunday. Becker and Steffi Graf won the titles then.

Popularly known as People's Monday, the extra day could create chaos on the streets outside the All England Lawn Tennis Club with almost 100,000 people expected to queue up for 14,000-odd tickets.

``We have some experience in handling the situation. We consulted the police and they are happy with the arrangements,'' said Mr.Chris Gorringe, Chief Executive Officer of the Club, at a press conference here today.

Gorringe said that 10,000 unreserved tickets would be sold on a first-come first-serve basis on Monday and the rest would be allotted to players, members and debenture holders.

Play is scheduled to start at 12 noon (4.30 p.m. IST) on Monday.

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