Some racket geek info for those interested: Mats using Rossignol F200 Carbon with VS All season natural gut & 4 5/8 grip wrapped with Babolat gripsy. Agassi with Prince Graphite 110 with Prince Pro Blend (hybrid) string (~ 80lbs) and 4 1/2 grip wrapped with Tournagrip.
Tried both rackets back then. The Prince 110 with an ordinary synthetic string (70 lbs) just gives some confidence and control. Good for serving but more for control. Played a Rossignol at the same time (64 lbs, according to it's owner. Weird). Very stiff, probably good for Wilander. A nightmare for my serves.
Most humblest champion along with edberg in 80s. Greatly respects the opponents and had tons of brain. He winners are mostly passing shots, lobs or volleys. Not a type of players who can hit outright winners from a a rally...he knew that and he adapted his game to that. Mentally the ultimate warrior. Hail this unsung champion
@@tomsd8656 he beat a teenager, it's expected. Lmao dopey, he was a 17 yo teenager when he won the tournament, beating men who were experienced top 10 players. It's expected lol, you know nothing.
I didn't realise Mats played Agassi in the 88 French Open. Andre was still raw here, but you can see he's ushering in a new era of power tennis that would be the hallmark of the 90s.
"vous pouvez voir qu'il inaugure une nouvelle ère de power tennis qui serait la marque des années 90." Exact. Il fait partie de ces premiers joueurs à être capable de mettre fin à un point par un véritable coup de fusil. Je pense aussi à Becker qui le faisait aussi avec son revers le long de la ligne devant la mine effarée de ses adversaires pas encore habitués à voir ce genre de coup. Le matériel a profondément changé la façon de jouer, y compris la technique des joueurs.
One of the least celebrated great feats in tennis history was Mats winning 3 of the Grand Slam tournaments in '88, right during the Golden Years of tennis, McEnroe, Lendl, Becker, Agassi, Connors, etc.
@Eric Estrada Mats really disrupted Lendl's timing and he did not allow Lendl to hit ferocious forehands - lots of slices, some sneak attacks to the net ,,, a brilliant match against the most feared player of the day. I was a McEnroe fan and remember how in 1985 - 87 Lendl had the big game. The Terminator. That '88 US Open Final is one of my favorites because even though Mats had already won two Majors he was the underdog against Lendl and it took all of Mats' guile to walk away with the trophy. The thing I take away from Mats' game is his patience and playing cadence - he never looks rushed.
I'm sorry, but only Lendl and Becker really count of that bunch! McEnroe and Connors were happy to just be reaching semis of grand slams at that point, especially Connors, while Agassi was still a baby, literally his debut year on tour! Edberg was much bigger factor in '88 than McEnroe, Connors and Agassi...
Wilander could adapt his strategy to anyone he was playing on any surface. In the 1984 final of Cincinnati, he started serving and volleying against Jimmy Connors down 4-0 and ended up winning. He served and volleyed against Pat Cash in 1987 at the Aussie Open. Here, he just lets Agassi rope-a-dope himself to defeat. Brilliant strategist.
Fitness and calmness never were an issue for Mats. One of the most underrated GS winners of all time. 2 grass, 3 clay and 2 hardcourt Slams speak a lot in his favor.
Yes strange he was so poor at Wimbledon when he won the AO on grass. But competition was possibly not so strong there then? McEnroe and Borg would surely have won there too if they had bothered taking the trip down under in their primes.
@@MW-od5wp The grass courts at the Australian Open were weird. Martina Navratilova described them as being more like a low bouncing hardcourt than Wimbledon grass, although they did still bounce higher than Wimbledon. One of the very weird things was that the courts were built on a slight slope to assist with drainage. It meant you were hitting the ball uphill from one end, downhill from the other. It was noted at the time that it seemed to disturb a lot of the bigger servers, who couldn't seem to adjust. Maybe one of the reasons why McEnroe and Becker also never performed well on the Australian open grass.
Thanks. Did not know about AO court slope. I think also players did not rate the AO as of the same worth back then. (Aussies aside). Borg rarely played there nor did Connors or McEnroe in their early years. Ironically when McEnroe was disqualified in 89 at AO he was probably in the best position to win a slam since his US Open win in 84.
@@MW-od5wpEl open de Australia, por fechas, había jugadores top que no querían jugarlo todos los años en esa época. Después cambiaron fechas y superficie y fue diferente.
I was 15. I was in front of my tv because i was a big fan of Andre. I remembered this match and the deception at the end. Wilander was a great player at this time. Andre only 18 but he had to wait 11 years to win it. A french fan 😊
Has any player had such a year Wilander had 1988? He won 3 grand slams + QF in Wimbledon. And also Boca West which was the 5 th tournament back in these days.
Vi este partido en la TV. Ganar a Wilander en 1988 era casi imposible: ganó 3 grand Slam y QF en Wimbledon y n 1 de 1988. Wilander, gran campeón con un tenis sólido y basado en la paciencia.
Mats was the 80s Andy Murray with 4 more slams. He was a pusher, had a first serve with 2nd serve velocity and out-rallied most of his opponents esp in 1988. Wilander + Edberg = '88 Swedish slam.
I remember watching this match at the time. Agassi had recently arrived on the tennis scene. Wilander never had any big shots. It was like playing against a brick wall
Wilander is so regal. He's regal as he plays. He's regal between points. He's regal while he waits for the ball boys to pass him the balls. Pure class.
Yeah, probably one of the fittest and most versatile players that ever won numerous Grand Slams. A very humble and focussed person with no scandals or outbursts.
Agassi was so exciting to see because he brought tennis to a new area. Not a big man still a kid but so much punch in his groundstrokes. This year Wilander was at his peak, moving so well and mastering all his weapons...his win in a 5 sets game remain logical, but what a blast from André !
Mats really dominated in 1988 - he hardly could set a foot wrong that year. Unfortunately and strangely, he could not follow through the following year or any year afterwards. I'm thinking maybe that's why his 1988 feat is so underrated.
He lost all motivation after the 1988 US Open final. For one he had final overcome his long-time nemesis Lendl in the final, avenging his agonizing loss of the previous year. Second, he barely missed being a victim of the PanAm bomb disaster, changing his flight at the last minute. So one he lost his motivation, two his mind was f’ed up from the near-death experience.
Mats had a great tennis mind but really outdated technique. 1988 was the year when modern players with big weapons just started to appear (for Agassi it was first Slam year). Mats just could not keep up vs modern technique after. 1988.
Il faut se souvenir comme le coup droit très explosif d'Agassi a marqué ceux qui l'ont découvert. C'est le début des "one shot' que Lendl avait commencé a initier. Agassi fait quand même déjà un 5 set à RG avec un Wilander prime.
Agassi was visibly physically spent after the 4th set. His fitness level was not the highest then and playing for three and a half hours was a lot for him. He would not win a 5-set-match till September 1989 when he beat Connors at the quarterfinal of the US Open. Would be interesting to count all the 5-set-matches he had lost until then...
Wilander played this match the way Djokovic plays some of his matches now. Wilander knew that the longer the match went on, the greater his chances. Djokovic has won a lot of matches like that.
Djokovic is a one-dimensional baseline robot compared to Mats. The kind of tennis he played to beat Lendl at the French Open 1985 is exactly what´s missing in today´s game!
@@fundhund62 not to forget USO 1988. Watched parts of it a few weeks ago - Mats played the net a lot! Almost Edberg-esque in some sequences of the match.
Matts Wilander was such a beautiful player, like the majority of the Sweeds. and champion, unfortunately when his father passed away in the early 90's his intrest wasn't there as much anymore, loved watching Matts and bought 3 of his Rossignol rackets in the latr 80's.
On December 21, 1988 Wilander was supposed be on the ill-fated flight Pan Am 103, but cancelled his booking at the last minute. I think it was this brush with a horrifying death that tormented his psyche and derailed his career.
Mats was in incredible form that year. But it took alot out of him, after he beat Lendl in the US Open he seemed to burn out, at 24! Didn't reach another Slam final after 88
Back in that era, someone asked what was the greatest weapon on the men's tour. Becker's serve? Lendl's forehand? McEnroe's volleys? Somebody answered that it was Wilander's brain. The cool, calm, strategist.
Back during this time, I thought that Agassi, although extremely talented, was a little punk who had a lot of maturing to do. And that he did. By the time he won Wimbledon, he was a much different person and player. As his career went on, he kept getting better with both.
Ouch! As any tennis player at any level knows, being "bageled" (losing a set 6-0) is humiliating and humbling. Andre handled it with as much grace and aplomb as could be expected.
Had Agassi won one of those breakpoints at the start on Wilander's serve, I believe the last set would've been much more competitive. After that Agassi just tanked.
If Agassi would b able 2 keep up in d decider may be who knows but he just ran out of gas. On d other hand good sportsmanship from Wilander not 2 celebrate in d face of d youngster who gave all he had tho ⭐
He strung his rackets at a very low tension (40 lbs or so) and with all the loopy topspin he used, those strings were invariably going to slide out of position. They were natural gut strings, and they don't slide back to their original position, as modern polys do. He's just getting them straight before the next point.
Some racket geek info for those interested: Mats using Rossignol F200 Carbon with VS All season natural gut & 4 5/8 grip wrapped with Babolat gripsy. Agassi with Prince Graphite 110 with Prince Pro Blend (hybrid) string (~ 80lbs) and 4 1/2 grip wrapped with Tournagrip.
Cool
Those are huge grips compared to today and surprised because Mats played with major topspin.
80 lbs? I'm not sure the prince 110 is rated for anything above 65 psi. You sure about that?
Tried both rackets back then. The Prince 110 with an ordinary synthetic string (70 lbs) just gives some confidence and control. Good for serving but more for control. Played a Rossignol at the same time (64 lbs, according to it's owner. Weird). Very stiff, probably good for Wilander. A nightmare for my serves.
Look how much class Wilander has when the match ends. So humble. Such a great tennis player.
Most humblest champion along with edberg in 80s. Greatly respects the opponents and had tons of brain. He winners are mostly passing shots, lobs or volleys. Not a type of players who can hit outright winners from a a rally...he knew that and he adapted his game to that. Mentally the ultimate warrior. Hail this unsung champion
What's so classy about it? It's a normal reaction. He beat a teenager. It's expected.
@@tomsd8656 he beat a teenager, it's expected. Lmao dopey, he was a 17 yo teenager when he won the tournament, beating men who were experienced top 10 players. It's expected lol, you know nothing.
@@evenkat6780 Yep your spot on. He is an awesome champion, mental toughness, tactically extremely smart and a great sport.
@@mrbungle7586 Don't be stupid, it's still expected. Michael Chang won the FO at 17, but it's still expected that he'd lose to Lendl , then Edberg.
I didn't realise Mats played Agassi in the 88 French Open. Andre was still raw here, but you can see he's ushering in a new era of power tennis that would be the hallmark of the 90s.
Andre was one of the Bollettieri Academy bashers and grunters
"vous pouvez voir qu'il inaugure une nouvelle ère de power tennis qui serait la marque des années 90."
Exact. Il fait partie de ces premiers joueurs à être capable de mettre fin à un point par un véritable coup de fusil. Je pense aussi à Becker qui le faisait aussi avec son revers le long de la ligne devant la mine effarée de ses adversaires pas encore habitués à voir ce genre de coup.
Le matériel a profondément changé la façon de jouer, y compris la technique des joueurs.
One of the least celebrated great feats in tennis history was Mats winning 3 of the Grand Slam tournaments in '88, right during the Golden Years of tennis, McEnroe, Lendl, Becker, Agassi, Connors, etc.
the US Open Final in 88 one of my favorite matches, knocking out Lendl under the lights
@Eric Estrada Mats really disrupted Lendl's timing and he did not allow Lendl to hit ferocious forehands - lots of slices, some sneak attacks to the net ,,, a brilliant match against the most feared player of the day. I was a McEnroe fan and remember how in 1985 - 87 Lendl had the big game. The Terminator. That '88 US Open Final is one of my favorites because even though Mats had already won two Majors he was the underdog against Lendl and it took all of Mats' guile to walk away with the trophy. The thing I take away from Mats' game is his patience and playing cadence - he never looks rushed.
and he did it without a single weapon.
Indeed. And you forgot to mention Edberg!, Cash, Noah, Mecir and others.
I'm sorry, but only Lendl and Becker really count of that bunch! McEnroe and Connors were happy to just be reaching semis of grand slams at that point, especially Connors, while Agassi was still a baby, literally his debut year on tour! Edberg was much bigger factor in '88 than McEnroe, Connors and Agassi...
Just hearing the silence between the dots and not like now with balls screaming 'po po po po po po po.... olé' is already an absolute joy
C'est tellement vrai !...
Wilander could adapt his strategy to anyone he was playing on any surface. In the 1984 final of Cincinnati, he started serving and volleying against Jimmy Connors down 4-0 and ended up winning. He served and volleyed against Pat Cash in 1987 at the Aussie Open. Here, he just lets Agassi rope-a-dope himself to defeat. Brilliant strategist.
1988. Not 1987.
He must have we'll understood Agassi s style back then sure - flashy but not very consistent
Very wily player with underrated mental strength in big matches.
Matts was one of the greatest tacticians of his era he played tennis like a chess master .
Mats
Wilander, the indestructible.
All 4 grand slams that year were won by a swedish player 👍💪🎾🇸🇪
Agassi 💯 should've won, he's obviously wayyyyyy better. Mats bored you to sleep..
@@asphaltcowboy7567yes that was his strategy but it was a good one nonetheless.
Fitness and calmness never were an issue for Mats. One of the most underrated GS winners of all time. 2 grass, 3 clay and 2 hardcourt Slams speak a lot in his favor.
Yes strange he was so poor at Wimbledon when he won the AO on grass. But competition was possibly not so strong there then? McEnroe and Borg would surely have won there too if they had bothered taking the trip down under in their primes.
@@MW-od5wp The grass courts at the Australian Open were weird. Martina Navratilova described them as being more like a low bouncing hardcourt than Wimbledon grass, although they did still bounce higher than Wimbledon. One of the very weird things was that the courts were built on a slight slope to assist with drainage. It meant you were hitting the ball uphill from one end, downhill from the other. It was noted at the time that it seemed to disturb a lot of the bigger servers, who couldn't seem to adjust. Maybe one of the reasons why McEnroe and Becker also never performed well on the Australian open grass.
Thanks. Did not know about AO court slope. I think also players did not rate the AO as of the same worth back then. (Aussies aside). Borg rarely played there nor did Connors or McEnroe in their early years. Ironically when McEnroe was disqualified in 89 at AO he was probably in the best position to win a slam since his US Open win in 84.
@@MW-od5wpEl open de Australia, por fechas, había jugadores top que no querían jugarlo todos los años en esa época. Después cambiaron fechas y superficie y fue diferente.
He was excellent. Him and McEnroe played that epic Davis Cup match.
I was 15. I was in front of my tv because i was a big fan of Andre. I remembered this match and the deception at the end. Wilander was a great player at this time. Andre only 18 but he had to wait 11 years to win it. A french fan 😊
Has any player had such a year Wilander had 1988? He won 3 grand slams + QF in Wimbledon. And also Boca West which was the 5 th tournament back in these days.
Mats, my fave of all time.
This always feels new and fresh to me
Vi este partido en la TV. Ganar a Wilander en 1988 era casi imposible: ganó 3 grand Slam y QF en Wimbledon y n 1 de 1988. Wilander, gran campeón con un tenis sólido y basado en la paciencia.
Mats was the 80s Andy Murray with 4 more slams. He was a pusher, had a first serve with 2nd serve velocity and out-rallied most of his opponents esp in 1988. Wilander + Edberg = '88 Swedish slam.
I remember watching this match at the time. Agassi had recently arrived on the tennis scene. Wilander never had any big shots. It was like playing against a brick wall
But a big brain, one of the smartest.
Crazy how much quicker they play here compared to Wilanders win against Vilas in 82
Easier to create pace against pace, plus more powerful racquets.
WOW Robert Plant could really play!!!
Wilander is so regal. He's regal as he plays. He's regal between points. He's regal while he waits for the ball boys to pass him the balls. Pure class.
Yeah, probably one of the fittest and most versatile players that ever won numerous Grand Slams. A very humble and focussed person with no scandals or outbursts.
I always thought of the three great Swedish male champions, borg, Wilander and edberg, to be that way…. Style,class and always calm.
Agassi was so exciting to see because he brought tennis to a new area. Not a big man still a kid but so much punch in his groundstrokes. This year Wilander was at his peak, moving so well and mastering all his weapons...his win in a 5 sets game remain logical, but what a blast from André !
Mats really dominated in 1988 - he hardly could set a foot wrong that year. Unfortunately and strangely, he could not follow through the following year or any year afterwards. I'm thinking maybe that's why his 1988 feat is so underrated.
He lost all motivation after the 1988 US Open final. For one he had final overcome his long-time nemesis Lendl in the final, avenging his agonizing loss of the previous year. Second, he barely missed being a victim of the PanAm bomb disaster, changing his flight at the last minute. So one he lost his motivation, two his mind was f’ed up from the near-death experience.
Mats had a great tennis mind but really outdated technique. 1988 was the year when modern players with big weapons just started to appear (for Agassi it was first Slam year). Mats just could not keep up vs modern technique after. 1988.
@@geedererI definitely did not know that about the pan am
Il faut se souvenir comme le coup droit très explosif d'Agassi a marqué ceux qui l'ont découvert. C'est le début des "one shot' que Lendl avait commencé a initier. Agassi fait quand même déjà un 5 set à RG avec un Wilander prime.
Agassi was visibly physically spent after the 4th set. His fitness level was not the highest then and playing for three and a half hours was a lot for him. He would not win a 5-set-match till September 1989 when he beat Connors at the quarterfinal of the US Open. Would be interesting to count all the 5-set-matches he had lost until then...
1987 Key Biscayne: T.Muster 6-7, 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 4-6
1988 Key Biscayne: A.Krickstein 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 0-1 ret.
1988 Roland Garros: M.Wilander 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-5, 0-6
1989 Rome: A.Mancini 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 1-6
1989 Davis Cup: B.Becker 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 3-6, 4-6
@@MrVoodemar Thanks. So his 5-set-record till September 1989 was "only" 0-5. I thought it was even worse.
His 5 set win over Connors should have had an asterisk. He extended the match by tanking so he could say he won a 5 set match.
Agassi tanked a ton of sets late in slams especially in 88/89
Cest ne pas mon problem
All class from Mats when he wins and walks to the net. No celebrations...just a handshake.
Wilander played this match the way Djokovic plays some of his matches now. Wilander knew that the longer the match went on, the greater his chances. Djokovic has won a lot of matches like that.
But Djokovic has a lot more firepower than Mats ever had.
Djokovic is a one-dimensional baseline robot compared to Mats. The kind of tennis he played to beat Lendl at the French Open 1985 is exactly what´s missing in today´s game!
@@carseye1219 Indeed, but not really the point. They both came out the winners in a lot of matches through their ability to win battles of attrition.
It reminds me Alcaraz against Djokovic this Year in RG
@@fundhund62 not to forget USO 1988. Watched parts of it a few weeks ago - Mats played the net a lot! Almost Edberg-esque in some sequences of the match.
Matts Wilander was such a beautiful player, like the majority of the Sweeds. and champion, unfortunately when his father passed away in the early 90's his intrest wasn't there as much anymore, loved watching Matts and bought 3 of his Rossignol rackets in the latr 80's.
On December 21, 1988 Wilander was supposed be on the ill-fated flight Pan Am 103, but cancelled his booking at the last minute. I think it was this brush with a horrifying death that tormented his psyche and derailed his career.
The match that I fell in love with Agassi
Mats was in incredible form that year. But it took alot out of him, after he beat Lendl in the US Open he seemed to burn out, at 24! Didn't reach another Slam final after 88
Back in that era, someone asked what was the greatest weapon on the men's tour. Becker's serve? Lendl's forehand? McEnroe's volleys?
Somebody answered that it was Wilander's brain. The cool, calm, strategist.
you refer to Jay Berger
@@MrVoodemar Truth be told, I don't remember who said it, but I do remember that someone said it. Might be Berger.
Wilander is one of the best tennis player in the world
Was
Back during this time, I thought that Agassi, although extremely talented, was a little punk who had a lot of maturing to do.
And that he did. By the time he won Wimbledon, he was a much different person and player.
As his career went on, he kept getting better with both.
Bald agassi was so much more polished wow young agassi was a wild boy
Nerves got the best of Agassi on the crucial set! You can detect loss of confidence an belief in himself as errors keep creeping up! Too bad.
O Wilander em 1988 foi praticamente perfeito.
Do you have the first 2 sets as well m8
no, I don't
Voo de Mar ok man thanks for agassi share keep them comming plz 👍
Agassis inexperience showed here: 6-0 in the 5th. Reckless, careless at times. Blown opportunity
Ouch! As any tennis player at any level knows, being "bageled" (losing a set 6-0) is humiliating and humbling. Andre handled it with as much grace and aplomb as could be expected.
Possibly worried too much at that point that the glue holding his hairpiece was starting to slide.🤔
Wilander is only 24 here.
Had Agassi won one of those breakpoints at the start on Wilander's serve, I believe the last set would've been much more competitive. After that Agassi just tanked.
They never aired this on US TV. They cut it after the 4th set. I think because of embarrassment. I always wondered why they didn't show it.
I think mainly the French crowd were really looking forward to a great battle in the 5th and were disappointed when Agassi ran out of gas.
Really?I saw it as a child in Soviet Union.
Yes they cut to the commentators basically saying well it was good match but at the end wilander had better fitness @@aleksthegreat4130
Agassi had more hair 😊
Nike Air Trainer 1💜
Wilander would have been a good match up against Djokovic ; both were / are relentless.
7:28 - Novak Djokovic approved.
Agassi looks quite high, already...
Wow 🤩
6-0
Embarrassing 🙈
У Виландера скорость подачи как у женщины
so handsome the yang agassi is
Boy Agassi just fizzled out that fifth set. To many errors and a loss of concentration and confidence.
1988. Here the first moaner arrives on the tour. I do not appreciate that.
If Agassi would b able 2 keep up in d decider may be who knows but he just ran out of gas. On d other hand good sportsmanship from Wilander not 2 celebrate in d face of d youngster who gave all he had tho ⭐
Wilander ....boring the opponent to death😀
Mats is such a pusher. The most successful pusher ever.
Most boring matches ever
most successful pusher until Djoko came to the scene.
The mullet. Worst haircut in the history of haircuts
Des erreurs grossieres de DD
Mats was a boring player....good tactician ...few unforced error...that's all
I’d rather be a boring player and win all the time
Wilander is not the GOAT and he is not the BOAT.
This business of adjusting string after every point is really annoying.
Yeah but i can relate as it is really annoying to play with strings that are not shaped rectangularly.
He strung his rackets at a very low tension (40 lbs or so) and with all the loopy topspin he used, those strings were invariably going to slide out of position. They were natural gut strings, and they don't slide back to their original position, as modern polys do. He's just getting them straight before the next point.
Wilander is a legend!