Saying goodbye in 2013: Xavier Malisse

The 2013 season saw the end of the road for several prominent ATP players. The Grandstand bids its third farewell to Xavier Malisse.

Xavier Malisse has to be on the short list when discussing talented players who did not fulfill their potential during their careers on the ATP World Tour. That’s not to say, however, that Malisse was a failure. Known affectionately as “the X-Man,” he won a Grand Slam doubles title (2004 French Open), reached a slam semifinal in singles (2002 Wimbledon), and finished years in the top 60 of the world on eight different occasions. Perhaps just as importantly, Malisse was one of the game’s most colorful characters.

A look back at Malisse’s career:

Career-high ranking: 19
ATP titles: 3
Doubles titles: 9
Grand Slam doubles titles: 1
Grand Slam semifinals: 1

Biggest win: 2002 Wimbledon quarterfinals – beat Richard Krajicek 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7

That’s right folks—the biggest win over Malisse’s career came over a man ranked No. 1093 in the world. Krajicek had missed all of the 2001 season due to elbow problems and did not return until one week prior to Wimbledon in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where he lost to Roger Federer in the first round. But this was still a player who had won Wimbledon in 1996 while dominating six of his seven matches in straight sets (including a quarterfinal against Pete Sampras). The 6’5’’ Dutchman had also reached the semis in 1998 and was 29-9 lifetime at the All-England Club going into this match.

In previous five-setters, Krajicek bombed 33 aces while being broken just once by James Blake in the second round and fired 27 aces while dropping serve only twice against Mark Philippoussis in the round of 16. Malisse, however, broke Krajicek six times—getting aced just 17 times compared to his 16 aces. The Belgian seized a decisive break at 7-7 in the fifth when Krajicek double-faulted on break point. Malisse double-faulted on the first point while serving for the match, but he promptly won four straight to clinch victory.

Most heartbreaking loss: 2002 Wimbledon semifinals – lost to David Nalbandian 7-6(2), 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 6-2

For a moment it looked like Malisse would one-up the biggest win of his career by overcoming Nalbandian and booking a spot in the Wimbledon final. The world No. 35 dropped the first two sets while dealing with apparent breathing problems, but doctor’s pills and a rain delay revived him for the start of the third. Malisse promptly raced through both through the third and the fourth with the loss of just three games in total as he thoroughly grabbed every ounce of momentum.

The next delay—a much longer one—was ill-timed for Malisse. Darkness suspended play after the penultimate set and the two men had to come back one day later. This time it was Nalbandian who emerged reenergized. The 20-year-old Argentine briefly went down a break at 1-2, but all he did was win the last five games of the match. Nalbandian’s break back for 2-2 came at love and Malisse was never the same thereafter. Playing in just his fourth Grand Slam event, Nalbandian added insult to injury by capitalizing on match point at 5-2 with a cruel drop-shot, thus ending the best tournament of Malisse’s career.

Last match: Mons Challenger first round – lost to Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3, 7-6(4)

Malisse initially announced that he would retire following the 2014 Australian Open. It could not have come as a huge shock when those plans changed. After all, Malisse was never exactly a training machine and it was hard to imagine him going through a whole offseason of work for just one or two tournaments in January. Furthermore, his results were in the midst of precipitous decline. He was on a four-match losing streak heading into Mons and had a 1-7 record in his last eight matches. Ranked No. 122 in the world, Malisse would have had to qualify just to get into the Australian Open main draw.

Stakhovsky—the same Stakhovsky who stunned Federer in the Wimbledon second round—finished off the X-Man long before that. In 11 service games plus one tiebreaker, Stakhovsky lost 12 points on serve and was not extended to deuce a single time. The lone highlight of the match was Malisse’s emotional speech to the Belgian crowd immediately afterward.

Comments, disagreements, and your own personal Malisse reflections are encouraged!