Miloslav Mečíř : The Big Cat

Credit: Ubitennis

He was undoubtedly the most incomprehensible player on the ATP circuit during the 80s. In an ultra-competitive world marked by the domination of Wilander, McEnroe and Edberg, Miloslav Mečíř almost stood out.

He never complained to the referees, didn't have the rage of a warrior and even less the appearance of a tennis player - in fact, he was often compared to a poet.

Yet behind this sleepy-looking character lay one of the greatest tacticians on the circuit.

Flashback to the unique career of the only player to triumph over Wilander at a Grand Slam event in 1988.

 Credit : Eurosport

“The ‘Swedish killer’ 'Big cat' 'The poet', during his glory years Miloslav Mečíř was given all sorts of eccentric nicknames by the public and tennis commentators alike.

Admittedly, the greatest player in the history of Slovak tennis was anything but ordinary, and to describe Mečíř's style would seem almost impossible.

The former world No. 4 and gold medal winner at the Seoul Olympics didn't look as fast and powerful as his direct rivals, yet he regularly took them down with disconcerting ease.

Credit : We Love Tennis

«They call him the big cat, watch him but don’t play like him »

An adept of tennis based on intelligent variation of angles, the former two-time Grand Slam finalist was capable of hiding his intentions right up to the moment of impact, creating unpredictable shots for his opponents.

A threat to the entire ATP circuit in the late 80s, Mečíř even pushed Ivan Lendl to create a “Special Mečíř” tactic, designed to avoid giving the Slovakian magician any opportunity to find angles.

After years of tormenting Wilander, his favorite victim, Mečíř ended his career due to physical problems, and remains to this day one of the most mysterious players in tennis history.