Janko Tipsarevic: Again 9 match balls at the end of the ATP career repulsed
Janko Tipsarevic ended his career on the ATP tour on Friday night in Stockholm - and left everything on the pitch.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Oct 20, 2019, 09:53 am
And the 35-year-old was then at peace, despite defeat in the quarterfinals. "As crazy as it sounds, if I could choose a way to end my ATP career, it would have been just like this, leaving everything on the pitch once again," he said on the court.
"Tipsy" had stunned nine match balls against Yuichi Sugita in the third set and made it back to a final tie-break. In the end, after almost 3 hours and 10 minutes of playing time, he had to but beaten 2-6, 6: 4 and 6: 7 (4).
At the beginning of the week in Stockholm he had once again attracted attention with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Fabio Fognini .
Legendary match against Roger Federer
Tipsarevic looks back on an eventful career. In 2001, the Serb had won the junior competition of the Australian Open, 2012, he made it to number 8 in the ATP world rankings. He won four titles on the ATP Tour; in the Grand Slam tournaments two quarter-finals (2011, 2012) at the US Open as best. In 2010 he won with Serbia the victory at the Davis Cup. A legendary match: his 2008 third-round duel at the Australian Open against defending champion and world number one Roger Federer, beaten 8:10 in the fifth set.
From 2013, however, Tipsarevic fought repeatedly with injuries, had to undergo a tumor surgery on the left foot, the knee was also a problem, Comebacks always ended too early to attack again at the top. Nevertheless, Tipsarevic stayed tuned and made it again in the top 60 in the world.
"Beauty will save the world"
Tipsarevic was one of he more unusual professionals on the tour: he loves classic literature, has tattooed on his left arm a quote from Dostojewski ("Beauty will save the world") and reads the bible (even though he does not believe in God).
However, the tennis career of Rainer Schüttler's brother-in-law is far from over: from 18 to 24 November 2019, he will once again represent Serbia at the Davis Cup, at the newly designed final in Madrid, among others alongside Novak Djokovic.