Tennis Legends: Mats Wilander - the legendary Swede who delivered on the big occasion and only missed one Grand Slam from his collection

One of a small group of teenage Grand Slam champions in the Open Era, Sweden’s Mats Wilander specialised in delivering on big occasions. Seven of his 33 career singles titles came on the sport’s biggest stages. Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam to elude him.

Born in the remote Swedish locality of Alvesta (the population is just over 8,000) on August 22nd,1964. His parents Einar and Karin played a significant part in young Mats' tennis development. Dad Einar erected a court for him to play in.

As a junior, Wilander was hugely successful. He claimed the French Open juniors title, and was champion at the European U-18 and U-16 titles. A success at the renowned junior event Orange Bowl, in the U-16 category, was arguably the pinnacle of a stellar junior career.

Wilander turned professional in 1979. He reached his first ATP final in November 1981, at an event in Bangkok, where American Bill Scanlon downed the teenage Swede in straight sets.

A second final loss occurred at an indoor Brussels event in March 1982. Wilander, still only 17, reached a third final three months later. This was a surprise run to the French Open showpiece. Playing in his first Grand Slam final, Wilander belied his inexperience by coming from a set down against Argentine Guillermo Vilas. It was an epic contest, including a point lasting 90 strokes! His sensational triumph made him briefly the youngest men's Grand Slam singles champion.

Wilander built on this seismic breakthrough by accumulating four additional titles in 1982, cementing him as one of the world's best players.

The 1983 season yielded further Grand Slam joy. It was also the Swede’s most prolific campaign in regards to titles won, finishing with nine in total. The last of these was a second Grand Slam singles crown. He trounced Ivan Lendl in straight sets to become, at 19 years and four months, the youngest men's champion at the Australian Open. Other notable titles during this term included successes at what are now termed 1000 events in Monte Carlo and Cincinnati. He also retained his Swedish Open title.

Wilander claimed three tournament victories in the 1984 season. The highlight was a successful defence at the Australian Open. He came from a set down to topple South African Kevin Curren in the final.

1985 saw Wilander reach ten finals but would've been somewhat disappointed to convert these appearances into only three victories. One of these trophy lifts materialised at Roland Garros, following a four set victory over Ivan Lendl. His second Grand Slam at the Parisien major meant he'd won four Grand Slams before turning 21.

A pair of titles in 1986 included a third success in Cincinnati. However, Wilander suffered a drop off in form at the majors. In the three he entered, fourth round showings at Wimbledon and the US Open represented his best efforts.

Wilander returned in the 1987 season with a remodelled serve. His results improved markedly. He amassed a quintet of titles including a second crown at the Monte Carlo clay court event. The Swede also proved to be a big factor in the Slams again. He lost the French Open and US Open finals to Ivan Lendl.

The 1988 season proved to be the absolute gold standard of Wilander's career. He achieved the rare feat of winning a trio of Grand Slams in a calendar year. The year began with a third triumph at the Australian Open, beating local favourite Pat Cash in an epic five set thriller. Wilander became the only player to win the Australian Open on grass and hardcourts. At the French Open final, playing Frenchman Henri Leconte, Wilander secured the title in straight sets, missing just two of 73 first serves. His third major of the year saw Wilander outlast Ivan Lendl in a US Open final lasting nearly five hours. A consequence of this success was Wilander reaching the world number one spot. He stayed there for twenty weeks.

Wilander's career went into reverse following his annus mirabilis. The 1989 season produced just one appearance in a final, and his Grand Slam efforts peaked at quarter-final showings in London and Paris. From his mid-20s onwards, Wilander never returned to the upper echelons of the rankings.

A combination of new challengers, declining motivation and injuries accelerated Wilander's decline in the 1990s. A semi-final run at the 1990 Australian Open turned out to be the last time he would progress beyond the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam. Wilander pocketed the 33rd and last singles title of his career when claiming the trophy at the Itaparica tournament in Brazil.

Appearances became increasingly sporadic for the rest of the decade before Wilander finally retired in 1996. He finished with seven Grand Slam singles titles from eleven finals. His 33 singles titles materialised from 59 finals. Wilander finished in the season-end top 10 for seven successive years from 1982-88.

Despite claiming an Australian Open on grass, Wilander couldn't translate this into success on the green lawns of Wimbledon. Three runs to the quarter-finals proved to be the summit of his achievement at SW19 in singles play.

Wilander was at the heart of a Swedish Davis Cup dynasty in the 1980s. The Swedes reached seven consecutive finals from 1983 to 1989. They were crowned champions in 1984, 1985 and 1987. In his maiden final of 1983, Wilander won both his singles rubbers in a 3-2 defeat to Australia. He skipped the 1986 final loss due to getting married. Wilander finished with a 36-16 record in singles and 7-2 in doubles, playing his last match in 1995. His most storied Davis Cup contest was not in any of the finals but a marathon quarter-final rubber against John McEnroe. The Swede lost 8-6 in the fifth set after a six hour and 32 minutes contest which is the second longest match in Davis Cup history. Wilander would later have a spell as Davis Cup Captain.

Wilander picked up seven doubles titles. The highlight was a 1986 Wimbledon success alongside compatriot Joakim Nystrom. He and Nystrom were also beaten in the 1984 Australian Open and 1986 US Open finals. His last two doubles titles, in 1994, were won in tandem with Czech Karel Novacek. His highest doubles ranking was number 3.

Wilander was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002. Along with Bjorn Borg and Davis Cup teammate Stefan Edberg, Sweden has three bonafide tennis greats.

In 1983, Wilander won the Jerring Award. This is given to the Swedish sports figure of the year. He was also awarded the Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award in 2012 from the International Club.

During the 1995 French Open, Wilander and doubles partner Karel Novacek tested positive for cocaine use. After deciding against appealing, they were both banned for three months. Wilander forfeited his ranking points and prize money from the event.

Wilander briefly dipped his toe into coaching. He embarked on short relationships with French players Tatiana Golovin and Paul Henri-Mathieu.

The Swedish great eventually settled in Hailey, Idaho. He lives on a 81-acre estate with his wife Sonya (née Mulholland) who was born in South Africa and was once a model. Wilander had previously been in a relationship with a woman who went on to marry Stefan Edberg.

Wilander has four children, Emma, Karl, Erik and Oskar. Son Erik suffers from a relatively mild form of epidermolysis bullosa. The cool air of Idaho assists in tempering Erik's symptoms. The Wilander's have engaged in various fundraising campaigns to fund research into the disease.

Mat's brother Andras was the Mayor of the Swedish municipality Tranas from 2006-2020.

To the generations that followed his playing career, Wilander is best known as a tennis broadcaster. He's currently working for TNT Sports in the UK. His role is largely as a summariser, often courtside, interacting with the mikesmiths in the commentary booth. When Eurosport still existed in the UK, Wilander fronted his own tennis magazine show Game, Set and Mats.

Wilander’s broadcasting style leans on dry humour laced with punchy analysis that has ruffled feathers occasionally. At the 2006 French Open, Wilander criticised Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters as missing the competitive edge to defeat their toughest rivals. After Federer was beaten by Rafael Nadal in that year's final Wilander said that “Federer, today, unfortunately came out with no balls…you don't find too many champions in any sport in the world without heart or balls. He might have them, but they shrank to a very small size and it's not once, it's every time.”

Wilander's legacy is unusual as for all players in the men's Open era to win seven Grand Slams or more, Wilander has won the last amount of singles titles overall. It emphasises just how much the Grand Slams are used to define a player's legacy. Very few have enjoyed success quite so young as Wilander. The most impressive statistic about Wilander is that he's one of only four men, alongside Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, to win at least two Grand Slams on three different surfaces. It's some company to be involved with.