| Determination marked the grim-faced Jan Kodes, who clawed and battled to many a victory, though seemingly exhausted. As a sportsman he was even more a hero to many of his countrymen for his refusal to leave the repressed country as Jaroslav Drobny, Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl had done. Thus they shared more fully in his major triumphs: Wimbledon of 1973, and the French of 1970 and 1971.
A compact, muscular 5-foot-9 right-hander, Kodes was a standout and dogged groundstroker. He volleyed well, too, but was disdainful of grass even though he signaled his ability there in 1971 by knocking top-seeded John Newcombe out of the U.S. Open in the first round, 2-6, 7-6 (5-1), 7-6 (5-1), 6-3. Nothing like that had happened since 1930 when Berkeley Bell grounded top foreign seed Jean Borotra in the opening round.
Pushing upward and onward, all the while moaning about "this joke tennis, this grass," Jan, beaten in the first round at Wimbledon, next escaped Pierre Barthes, (2-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4), who served at 4-3, 40-30 in the fifth. In the semis he startled third-seeded Arthur Ashe, 7-6 (5-3), 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, to become an unseeded U.S. finalist. He didn't break in tiebreakers (four-for-four) until the last one finished his astonishing journey: Stan Smith beat him in the final, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (5-3). Two years later he was the Wimbledon champ, defeating Alex Metreveli in straight sets, and fought Newcombe through a brilliant five-set U.S. final, losing the last set, 6-3.
Kodes, seventh-seeded, easily beat Zeljko Franulovic, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0, to win the French in 1970, countered the artistry of Ilie Nastase, 8-6, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, the following year, but fell to Patrick Proisy, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, in the 1972 quarters, ending a 17-match run at Roland Garros.
As a devoted Davis Cupper, he played 15 years and 39 series for Czechoslovakia beginning in 1966, and was among the top 20 players in matches played (95) and won (60): 39-20 in singles, 21-15 in doubles. He led the team to the 1975 Cup round, a 3-2 defeat by Sweden at Stockholm, and played a cameo doubles role along the way in 1980 as he realized a dream-the Cup for Czechoslovakia, Lendl-powered.
Besides his three majors he won six pro titles in singles, 17 in doubles and accumulated $693,197 in career prize money. Jan was in the World Top Ten in 1971 and 1973, No. 5 in the former. Born March 1, 1945, in Prague, he has served as his country's national coach and Davis Cup captain, and entered the Hall of Fame in 1990. |
Czech Republic