Andrei Medvedev

Andrei Medvedev

Andrei Medvedev was a clay prodigy before he was out of his teens. He won his first two titles at 17 in 1992, beating a top-two Stefan Edberg along the way, then took the Monte Carlo Masters in 1994 at 19 and Hamburg three times through the mid-1990s, rising to a career-high world No. 4. Ukraine had never produced a player like him, and for a stretch the Kyiv teenager looked built for majors.

None arrived, and by the 1999 Roland Garros final he was ranked 100th, a fallen prodigy given a wild swing at redemption. He crushed the first two sets against Andre Agassi, 6-1, 6-2, only to watch Agassi reel off three straight and win 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, completing the American's career Grand Slam. It remains the defining afternoon of Medvedev's 11 career titles, two Roland Garros semifinals either side of it, and a retirement in 2001 at just 26.