Almost 20 years on, Ivanisevic’s Wimbledon story is just as inspirational
Every sport has stories of underdogs who have risen to victory, but Ivanisevic’s Wimbledon triumph in 2001 has to be one of the most inspirational.
Due to the prestigious tournament being cancelled this year, the AELTC have broken from tradition and made a wealth of Wimbledon content available online to celebrate its storied history and to give back to fans. Coined as The Greatest Championships, the team at Wimbledon have been hard at work recreating some of the greatest matches in history using recoloured and restored footage from their archives -- and we couldn’t help but be moved by Ivanisevic’s emotional Wimbledon journey.
After his heart-breaking loss to Pete Sampras in the Wimbledon final in 1998, it seemed he would never win The Championships. But three years later Ivanisevic would become the first wild card, the first Croatian player, and the lowest ranked player in history to claim the Wimbledon title.
Like most of us, if you’re stuck at home and in need of a good pick-me-up (and a good happy cry), watch Ivanisevic’s story unfold in the film above; and for more inspiration you can watch your favourite Wimbledon's The Greatest Championships here.
