Miloslav Mecir
 

Share your thoughts on The Big Cat.

Terrific talent, great timing,touch,power and anticipation
Able to beat anybody as he did
With a good serve and better atittude and motivation here we have an all time great
Poor record for so much talent, won Dallas but lost all major finals he reached
Although different, reminds me of Mandlikova
Great doubs player due to a sensational ROS and great court sense
His tactical sense was exceptional
In a word: when playing well, one of the best pros to enjoy

he´s on my topten list for most enjoyable to watch:)
@kiki: i can´t seem to remember. did he have a regular doubles partner outside of daviscup?
could he be the last pro to ever play with a wooden racquet on the tour?
if we don´t count Borgs comeback

One of my favorite players ever. Didn't know much about him until I saw him play Boris Becker in the 1986 US Open semi? I looked at him and he just didn't seem like a typical top tennis player to me. I think he was the 16th seed but my assumption was that he was cannon fodder to be destroyed by Becker. My initial thought was that I wanted US Open semi matches to have marquee matchup and this one looked in my mind to be an awful match. I was wrong.

So I'm watching the match and this guy is going toe to toe with Becker. Actually he was doing better than toe to toe. I thought Becker was just barely holding on. To paraphrase "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" I was thinking to myself "Who is this guy!?" in amazement.

I remember watching Becker hit what I thought was a volley out of Mecir's reach for a winner, Mecir just seemed to get to the shot in a blink and hit an incredible crosscourt angle passed the stunned Becker. At this point I was beginning to think this guy was a tennis genius. Mecir went on to beat Becker in five sets to reach the final against Lendl.

Mecir was one of the greatest talents I've ever seen in tennis. His return was unbelievable. It's up there with anyone's. His groundstrokes were superb but it was his subtle changes of pace, angles, combined with almost lazy looking power that was shocking. He could volley well and his movement was unreal. Unfortunately back problems hurt his game and he never totally fulfilled his great potential.

Before Sampras, Andre Agassi once said Mecir was the player who give him the most problems.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZX9OloLbiY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlb5Py25DPM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlb5Py25DPM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2bzlj4ypvw

Perhaps of all the players I've seen that didn't fulfilled what I thought was great ability, Mecir was the one which saddened me the most.

He had to have one of the laziest looking "take backs" on a forehand ever to grace court. Probably made use of his opponent's power as well as anyone ever has.

pc1, thanks for posting those clips, he was fun to watch and those clips demonstrated his ability to hit those short angles extremely well, remember he didn't have poly strings or hit with extreme top brought about by extreme racquet head speed that players today have available in order to achieve the same effect.

I agree with what everyone is saying..I remember him out pulling McEnroe shots back on McEnroe himself..Unless you're going to be a top pro, Mecir demonstrates to all of us all an alternative and very often better way to play below the pro level (without heavy topspin, window washer blah blah). Someone should start a Mecir forehand thread instead of the usual Federer/Nadal stuff

With all the power baseliners today you wonder if we can ever have a Mecir type player again. Mecir today probably would play differently although I'm sure his speed would be still be unreal.

Who's knows? According to Carillo he was self taught so maybe he would be similar today but with the current equipment.

I think it could be done, Stepenak plays like Mecir but i think Mecir would kill him

Love the movement.

Unbelievable!

Great thread! Loved The Cat. One of those players that only true hardcore fans know about. A supreme talent that should have won a GS. I think his daughter plays...

zpeed7, His son, Miloslav, plays but without success.

Remember him played at Wimbledon 1988 semi-final against future champion Edberg. Mecir leaded 6-4,6-2, but then lost 4-6,3-6,4-6.
First two sets Edberg was nothing, i think Mecir lost mentally 3 rd set, get nervous (thinking of possible winning), then it was difficult to come back.
Had this match somewhere on VHS (actually only half of it).

i remember that as well. wasn´t that the year he beat Wilander rather comfortably?

Swedes fearedhim
Great doubs team with underrated but solid and complete Tomas Smid

Smid was a joy to watch. lots of s&v
i remember him more as a doubles partner to Pavel Slozil.
wasn´t Mecir about 10 years younger?

Is this Becker semifinal on video anywhere? Some say it was the best match of the USO that year.

Yes, in 1/4 - 6/3 6/1 6/3.

It was first Edberg and Graf Wimbledon titles that year.

I remember Milo Mecir too. Talented player, Murray reminds me a bit of Mecir.
Mecir came to my notice first in reaching the Philadelphia f in 1985 beating Connors and losing to Mac. Beat Becker in the USO 86, then lost to Lendl in the final. Mecir beat McEnroe indoors in the Dallas final 87, I was thinking Mac was going to win that. Wrong!
Milo was known as the Swede-killer, I think, had a pretty good record against them at the time, had Edberg down 2 sets in the Wimbledon sf 88 before Stefan came through in five.
Milo won the Olympic gold in 1988 too. Lendl had his number in the Slams though.

His posture on court was quite unusual - he holded his back very vertical, was, probably, the only top player w/beard at that period. And his wood Snauwaert... His hobby was fishing.

Yes, saw Smid many times singles&doubs and was tough to beat in both seldom losing to a lesser guy
Key factor in the DC win in 1980
Good serve and great forehand, moved well at net and had strong body