Roberto Bautista Agut

Novak Djokovic can be unstoppable on his day with the tennis star boasting of supreme prowess and the ability to emerge as a game-changer. Djokovic also excels at pulling off stellar comebacks with the Serbian's desire to keep fighting till the last second hailed by one and all. This never-say-die attitude makes defeating the tennis star a major accomplishment, with only seven players able to beat him at least three times so far, especially when ranked No. 1. Juan Martín del Potro, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Daniil Medvedev, Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal represent six of those players. The seventh is none other than Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who interestingly did not pursue a career in the game from the very onset. Agut was playing football for Villarreal C.F. until he was 14 years old, before developing a love for tennis which set the stage for his heroics against Djokovic.

The Spaniard has won nine singles career titles so far but is yet to win a grand slam. However, he came exceedingly close to the glorious achievement after reaching the semi-finals of the 2019 edition of Wimbledon. Agut reached his second major quarterfinal following triumphs over Peter Gojowczyk, Steve Darcis, world No. 9 Karen Khachanov, and Benoît Paire. The Spaniard recorded the unique distinction of being the only player in the draw to not concede a set leading into the quarterfinals, which is certainly praiseworthy. Agut maintained a fine run in the quarterfinals against Guido Pella, emerging victorious in four sets to reach his maiden grand slam semifinal. While he suffered a defeat against Djokovic at this point, the Spaniard won hearts with his spirited performances.

One of the most significant aspects of Agut's gameplay is his ability to make his presence felt across all facets of the game. The Spaniard is extremely sharp with offensive gameplay using his forehand. At the same time, he is also defensively astute and quite consistent across the court. Agut is further a fighter to the core, as evident from a column written for Euro Sport.

"I’ve had to fight for a lot throughout my whole life. When I was younger and dreamt of becoming a tennis player, I fought for it even when some people didn’t believe I had what it would take. Then when I broke into the top 100, I kept pushing and it didn’t take long before I found myself up against the best players. When I look back at that time, there were a few moments when I just wanted to stop but I instantly rediscovered that fighting spirit. So I kept playing and, even when the pandemic hit, I still trained lots. Tennis doesn’t let you stop, it’s ingrained in your mentality," he said.

The Spaniard recently became a father and expressed a desire to pass down his stubbornness and determination on to the child.

"If there’s anything I could pass down to him, it would be my stubbornness! I believe that persistence to keep fighting for things is a very good thing and an important way of overcoming difficult obstacles. Those are the times which I think ultimately help you grow as a person. That can be said for all things in life - both big and small. The fact I wasn’t playing my best tennis in Australia motivated me to train much harder, and as a result, I’m now feeling really good on court, beating top 10 players and starting to feel those positive sensations that come with winning again," added Agut.

Grand Slam singles record

Australian Open: QF (2019)

French Open: 4R (2016, 2017)

Wimbledon: SF (2019)

US Open: 4R (2014, 2015)