Why Cowan must make sure he shines again

13 April 2012

If Barry Cowan needs the slightest guidance on how to pursue his tennis career after his astonishing challenge to the Wimbledon reign of Pete Sampras, then Chris Bailey is a man he could ask.

Bailey did not have the chance to put the Wimbledon champion on the back foot as Cowan did so emphatically this week but, eight years ago, he had a classic Centre Court confrontation with Goran Ivanisevic, then the most feared server in the game.

Like Cowan, he became a household name overnight. Ivanisevic had been runner-up at Wimbledon the year before and nearly everyone walked cautiously when the Croatian left-hander's serve was coming their way.

Those who did not included Bailey, who could look the 6ft 4ins Ivanisevic in the eye. The battle raged for five sets of brutal serving and such was the pace of the chase that at one stage Bailey had to leap the chair of the net-cord judge. Bailey, himself, was at match point in the final set. Ivanisevic saved that point with a second service ace and remains one of the legends of Wimbledon. Bailey was gone but, like Cowan, not forgotten.

By the next day, Bailey was heading towards new sponsorship offers, an interview on the Davis Frost show, and a heavy postbag which included offers of marriage. Like Cowan, Bailey was committed to play in a small tournament in Bristol after Wimbledon.

Bailey, now a TV commentator, says: "I never thought Barry would stretch Sampras to five sets and you have to admire him for playing the way he did in front of a big crowd and in that situation. It was incredible, he had never been there before, never experienced anything like it, and just went for it.

"By the next morning he would still have been on a high, obviously, and he should realise he will now be in the public eye for the next two or three weeks. In playing terms he has got to back it up now, it is a major opportunity for him.

"It's not easy. This is a big test. It starts in the Bristol Challenger straight after Wimbledon - I was on the same schedule as Barry and went there and won the tournament.

"I was staggered at the amount of interest there was in me because of what had happened at Wimbledon.

"But I hope that will be the making of Barry and that he knows there is work to be done.

"He is very down to earth and when he moves on to Brazil for his next tournament there will be five people watching him, nobody will know who he is. It is a totally different event and it will come as a real shock if you are not prepared for it. Let's hope he goes on from here and gets through the Challenger levels. He has to do that."

Cowan's Wimbledon kicked off memories of other valiant performances by British players. Like that of John Lloyd, now a TV analyst and coach, who stopped the dangerous left-arm serve of Roscoe Tanner in 1977. Or Andrew Castle, who went five sets before losing to Mats Wilander in 1976.

Then there's Jeremy Bates, now director of men's national training at the LTA, who beat seventh-seed Michael Chang in 1992 and went on to hold match point against France's Guy Forget in a five-set, fourth-round match.

And what became of Miles MacLagan, who retired at 26 with a world ranking of 428th but came within a point of beating Boris Becker two years ago.

Cowan has now joined these ranks - but can he survive? Mark Cox, former British No 1 says: "He should be looking at being 150 in the world, maybe a little higher, in six months.

"He now knows he is better than he thought he was and of course, at 26, he must have been thinking about how long he was going to give it. He now has two or three years to fulfil his potential."

Britain's Davis Cup captain Roger Taylor says: "Barry just showed great character, great belief, but will he be able to bring it out again? You go back in among all your mates on the tour who you have played with over the years,who know you.

"Are they going to suddenly think you're a different person? They know you. They're out there to beat you. You're a similar standard to them. Can you take that strength of game into a situation where you haven't got the energy of the crowd? You have nobody there but yourself.

"How do you find that?"

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Why Cowan must make sure he shines again

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