Jakob Hlasek

He escaped with his family from the Czech Republic when the country was being invaded by Soviet forces in 1968. He settled in Switzerland and wanted to take up hockey as a passion. For some time, he excelled in the sport. But, at the age of 15, he had broken his foot and arm in a horrific injury. His father persuaded him to take up a ‘safer’ sport. And this was the way how Jakob Hlasek was introduced into the physical world of Tennis. Hlasek’s career in Tennis would be summed up as having very few highs, winning against several big players but not going on to achieve something big. He had more success in doubles with Guy Forget and Marc Rossett as well as in team competitions. In singles though, he struggled consistently. In 1989, on the back of some good results, he reached a high of seven in the world. 

Born on November 12, 1964, in Prague, Hlasek escaped with his parents and settled in Montreux, Switzerland. Hlasek had a high service with a good trigger position, almost in the Roger Federer mould. His one-handed backhand also gave him an additional weapon that helped him immensely in doubles.

Hlasek’s first notable run in Tennis came in the Nabisco Masters in 1988. In the last three weeks, Hlasek won at Wembley, Johannesburg, and finished runners-up at Brussels. This saw him move to No.9 in the rankings. He then defeated Ivan Lendl, Mayotte, and Andre Agassi before losing to Boris Becker in the semi-finals of the tournament in New York. After sustaining a right wrist injury due to a motor accident, Hlasek’s ranking slipped.

After his return, he had a good run in 1988. He defeated three former No. 1 players in that period. This included Jimmy Connors at Basel, John McEnroe in the Indoor tournament in Paris, and Ivan Lendl. This resulted in him moving to No.8 in the ranking. 

The other major event in Hlasek’s career came in 1992. He won the French Open men's doubles title that year by partnering with fellow Swiss player Marc Rosset. Hlasek was also a member of the Switzerland Davis Cup team which reached the final of the 1992 Davis Cup. The Swiss star won the 1992 Hopman Cup partnering Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere. 

However, his best Grand Slam performance was reaching the quarter-finals of the 1991 French Open. In that tournament, he defeated David Pate, Emilio Sanchez, Tomas Carbonell, and Christian Miniussi before losing to Andre Agassi. Further success for his country came in 1996 when Hlasek was a member of the Swiss team which won the World Team Cup. During his career, Hlasek won five top-level singles titles and 20 doubles titles.

In his playing days, Hlasek had some good wins against some great opponents. But, he never managed to get into the top bracket of players who went one step ahead in their quest for a Grand Slam title. Hlasek may have achieved good success in doubles, but in singles, he flattered to deceive. 

Grand Slam record

Australian Open: 3R (1984, 1985)

French Open: QF (1991)

Wimbledon: 4R (1987, 1996)

US Open: 4R (1988, 1996)

Doubles record

Australian Open: SF (1988)

French Open: W (1992)

Wimbledon: SF (1986, 1992)

US Open: SF (1996)