Slovak tennis player (born 1964)
Miloslav Me?i?
(
Slovak pronunciation:
[?mil?slaw
?met?iːr]
; born 19 May 1964) is a Slovak former professional
tennis
player. He won the men's singles
gold medal
at the
1988 Olympic Games
, representing
Czechoslovakia
, and contested two
major
singles finals. In 1987 he won the
WCT Finals
, the season-ending championship for the
World Championship Tennis
tour. His son
Miloslav Jr.
is also a former professional tennis player.
[1]
Career
[
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]
Me?i? 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 semifinal 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 quarterfinals. 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 ? Me?i? and Lendl,
Helena Sukova
and
Martina Navratilova
. Lendl won the match in straight sets 6?4, 6?2, 6?0. Me?i?'s 1986 US Open final appearance was the last major final to see a player still using a wooden racket.
Me?i? 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 semifinals of the French Open.
By this time, Me?i?'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.
Me?i? was on top form at Wimbledon in 1988, where he defeated
Mats Wilander
in the quarterfinal. It was Wilander's only Grand Slam singles defeat of the year (he won the 1988 Australian Open, French Open and US Open) yet Me?i? beat him in straight sets. He took a two-set lead in the semifinal 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 Me?i?'s career came later in 1988 when he was selected to represent Czechoslovakia in the
Seoul Olympics
. He defeated
Eric Jelen
,
Jeremy Bates
,
Guy Forget
and
Michiel Schapers
and then in the men's singles semifinals he exacted revenge over
Wimbledon
champion Edberg, in a five-set match. 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 ?rejber
.
[2]
In 1989, Me?i? reached his second Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Again he came up against Lendl and lost in straight sets. 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 Me?i? was to hit shots deep and down the centre of the court, denying his opponent the angles he thrived on.
Me?i? was a member of the Czechoslovak teams that 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, Me?i? won 11 singles titles and nine doubles titles. His career-high world ranking in both singles and doubles was world No. 4. 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, Me?i? suffered from a worsening back injury and he retired in July 1990, aged just 26.
Playing style
[
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]
Me?i? 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 Me?i? 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
.
[3]
Major finals
[
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]
Grand Slam finals
[
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]
Singles: 2 (0?2)
[
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]
WCT Year?end championship finals
[
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]
Singles: 1 (1?0)
[
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]
Result
|
Year
|
Championship
|
Surface
|
Opponent
|
Score
|
Win
|
1987
|
Dallas
|
Carpet (i)
|
John McEnroe
|
6?0, 3?6, 6?2, 6?2
|
Olympic finals
[
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]
Singles: 1 (1 gold medal)
[
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]
ATP Career finals
[
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]
Singles: 24 (11 titles, 13 runner-ups)
[
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]
Legend
|
Grand Slam (0?2)
|
Year-end championships ? WCT (1?0)
|
Grand Prix (9?11)
|
Result
|
W?L
|
Date
|
Tournament
|
Surface
|
Opponent
|
Score
|
Loss
|
0?1
|
Dec 1983
|
Adelaide
, Australia
|
Grass
|
Mike Bauer
|
6?3, 4?6, 1?6
|
Loss
|
0?2
|
Sep 1984
|
Palermo
, Italy
|
Clay
|
Francesco Cancellotti
|
0?6, 3?6
|
Loss
|
0?3
|
Oct 1984
|
Cologne
, West Germany
|
Carpet (i)
|
Joakim Nystrom
|
6?7, 2?6
|
Loss
|
0?4
|
Jan 1985
|
Philadelphia
, U.S.
|
Carpet (i)
|
John McEnroe
|
3?6, 6?7
(5?7)
, 1?6
|
Win
|
1?4
|
Mar 1985
|
Rotterdam
, Netherlands
|
Carpet (i)
|
Jakob Hlasek
|
6?1, 6?2
|
Win
|
2?4
|
Apr 1985
|
Hamburg
, West Germany
|
Clay
|
Henrik Sundstrom
|
6?4, 6?1, 6?4
|
Loss
|
2?5
|
May 1985
|
Rome
, Italy
|
Clay
|
Yannick Noah
|
3?6, 6?3, 2?6, 6?7
(4?7)
|
Win
|
3?5
|
Apr 1986
|
Kitzbuhel
, Austria
|
Clay
|
Andres Gomez
|
6?4, 4?6, 6?1, 2?6, 6?3
|
Loss
|
3?6
|
Aug 1986
|
US Open
, New York
|
Hard
|
Ivan Lendl
|
4?6, 2?6, 0?6
|
Loss
|
3?7
|
Sep 1986
|
Hamburg, West Germany
|
Clay
|
Henri Leconte
|
2?6, 7?5, 4?6, 2?6
|
Win
|
4?7
|
Jan 1987
|
Auckland
, New Zealand
|
Hard
|
Michiel Schapers
|
6?2, 6?3, 6?4
|
Win
|
5?7
|
Jan 1987
|
Sydney
, Australia
|
Grass
|
Peter Doohan
|
6?2, 6?4
|
Win
|
6?7
|
Feb 1987
|
Miami
, U.S.
|
Hard
|
Ivan Lendl
|
7?5, 6?2, 7?5
|
Loss
|
6?8
|
Mar 1987
|
Milan
, Italy
|
Carpet (i)
|
Boris Becker
|
4?6, 3?6
|
Win
|
7?8
|
Apr 1987
|
WCT Finals
, Dallas
|
Carpet (i)
|
John McEnroe
|
6?0, 3?6, 6?2, 6?2
|
Loss
|
7?9
|
Apr 1987
|
Hamburg, West Germany
|
Clay
|
Ivan Lendl
|
1?6, 3?6, 3?6
|
Win
|
8?9
|
Jul 1987
|
Stuttgart
, West Germany
|
Clay
|
Jan Gunnarsson
|
6?0, 6?2
|
Win
|
9?9
|
Jul 1987
|
Hilversum
, Netherlands
|
Clay
|
Guillermo Perez Roldan
|
6?4, 1?6, 6?3, 6?2
|
Loss
|
9?10
|
Aug 1987
|
Kitzbuhel
, Austria
|
Clay
|
Emilio Sanchez
|
4?6, 1?6, 6?4, 1?6
|
Loss
|
9?11
|
Feb 1988
|
Rotterdam
, Netherlands
|
Carpet (i)
|
Stefan Edberg
|
6?7
(5?7)
, 2?6
|
Loss
|
9?12
|
Mar 1988
|
Orlando
, U.S.
|
Hard
|
Andrei Chesnokov
|
6?7
(6?8)
, 1?6
|
Win
|
10?12
|
Sep 1988
|
Olympic Games
, Seoul
|
Hard
|
Tim Mayotte
|
3?6, 6?2, 6?4, 6?2
|
Loss
|
10?13
|
Jan 1989
|
Australian Open
, Melbourne
|
Hard
|
Ivan Lendl
|
2?6, 2?6, 2?6
|
Win
|
11?13
|
Mar 1989
|
Indian Wells
, U.S.
|
Hard
|
Yannick Noah
|
3?6, 2?6, 6?1, 6?2, 6?3
|
Doubles: 12 (9 titles, 3 runner-ups)
[
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]
Legend
|
Grand Slam (0?0)
|
Year-end championships ? ATP (1?0)
|
Grand Prix (8?3)
|
Result
|
No.
|
Date
|
Tournament
|
Surface
|
Partner
|
Opponents
|
Score
|
Win
|
1.
|
28 July 1986
|
Hilversum
, Netherlands
|
Clay
|
Toma? ?mid
|
Tom Nijssen
Johan Vekemans
|
6?4, 6?2
|
Win
|
2.
|
6 October 1986
|
Toulouse
, France
|
Hard (i)
|
Toma? ?mid
|
Jakob Hlasek
Pavel Slo?il
|
6?2, 3?6, 6?4
|
Win
|
3.
|
27 April 1987
|
Hamburg
, West Germany
|
Clay
|
Toma? ?mid
|
Claudio Mezzadri
Jim Pugh
|
4?6, 7?6, 6?2
|
Loss
|
1.
|
11 May 1987
|
Rome
, Italy
|
Clay
|
Toma? ?mid
|
Guy Forget
Yannick Noah
|
2?6, 7?6, 3?6
|
Win
|
4.
|
27 July 1987
|
Hilversum, Netherlands
|
Clay
|
Wojciech Fibak
|
Tom Nijssen
Johan Vekemans
|
7?6, 5?7, 6?2
|
Loss
|
2.
|
3 August 1987
|
Kitzbuhel
, Austria
|
Clay
|
Toma? ?mid
|
Sergio Casal
Emilio Sanchez
|
6?7, 6?7
|
Win
|
5.
|
10 August 1987
|
Prague
, Czechoslovakia
|
Clay
|
Toma? ?mid
|
Stanislav Birner
Jaroslav Navratil
|
6?3, 6?7, 6?3
|
Win
|
6.
|
21 September 1987
|
Barcelona
, Spain
|
Clay
|
Toma? ?mid
|
Javier Frana
Christian Miniussi
|
6?1, 6?2
|
Win
|
7.
|
9 November 1987
|
Wembley
, U.K.
|
Carpet (i)
|
Toma? ?mid
|
Ken Flach
Robert Seguso
|
7?5, 6?4
|
Win
|
8.
|
7 December 1987
|
Masters Doubles
, New York
|
Carpet (i)
|
Toma? ?mid
|
Ken Flach
Robert Seguso
|
6?4, 7?5, 6?7
(5?7)
, 6?3
|
Loss
|
3.
|
15 February 1988
|
Milan
, Italy
|
Carpet (i)
|
Toma? ?mid
|
Boris Becker
Eric Jelen
|
3?6, 3?6
|
Win
|
9.
|
6 February 1989
|
Rotterdam
, Netherlands
|
Carpet (i)
|
Milan ?rejber
|
Jan Gunnarsson
Magnus Gustafsson
|
7?6, 6?0
|
Singles performance timelines
[
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]
Key
W
|
F
|
SF
|
QF
|
#R
|
RR
|
Q#
|
DNQ
|
A
|
NH
|
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W?L) win?loss record.
Grand Slam tournaments
[
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]
Grand Prix tournaments
[
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]
Record against top-10 players
[
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]
Me?i?'s record against those who have been
ranked
in the top 10, with active players in boldface.
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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Demonstration
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Indoor
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Outdoor
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International
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National
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People
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