Mats Wilander is a retired professional tennis player who was born on August 22, 1964, in Vaxjo, Sweden. After playing for most of his childhood, he quickly broke onto the junior circuit, rapidly turning heads and gaining attention.
His first major success came after winning the French Open junior title, propelling him onto the ATP Tour soon after. He turned pro in 1981, with mixed results in his first season on Tour. Despite being very new to it all, he very quickly found his feet though.
Wilander surprised the world just a year after breaking onto the scene, winning the French Open in 1982 at the age of 17. He managed to continue this remarkable form, and the 1983 season was his best in terms of sheer silverware, claiming nine ATP-level tournament wins, including the Australian Open.
He continued his domination throughout the mid-80s, even dabbling in the world of doubles. He proved he was not just a dab hand at singles when he reached the final in the men’s doubles in Australia before getting his name engraved on the Wimbledon trophy in 1986.
Further success in the Grand Slam singles came later in the 80s, with him scooping the Australian, French, and US Open titles in 1988. ’88 was certainly a year to remember for the Swede, with him reaching a career-high world number one ranking that same season.
This did prove to be the end of his stint at the helm of tennis’s greatest tournaments; however, he did not win another Slam but took a staggering total of seven Grand Slams into his retirement. It was not just on the conventional tour that Wilander shone, winning the Davis Cup for his country on several occasions (1984, ‘85, and ‘87).
Despite some overlap, Wilander was unfortunately forever in the shadow of compatriot Bjorn Borg, whose incredible Grand Slam record contributed to a golden era in Swedish tennis.
Upon retiring in 1996, Wilander took up commentary for Eurosport, allowing him to stay connected to the sport he loves, all the while letting lifelong fans remain in touch with him. He currently lives in the United States with his long-term partner.
