Players: Cedric Pioli and Evgeny Kafelnikov
- Cedric Piolin. talented Frenchman, “Grand Slam” finalist
Cedric Piolin was born in 1969. He broke into the top 100 in 1991 and recorded his first notable result the following year, reaching his first Lyon final (losing to Pete Sampras 6-4, 6-2). His big breakthrough came in 1993 when he finished runner-up at the Monte Carlo Open (lost by Sergi Brughera 7-6, 6-0) before heading to Brussels. US Open: final, where he once again defeated Sampras (6-4, 6-4, 6-3). A few months after this great performance, the Frenchman reached a career-high ranking of world number 9.
In the years that followed, Piolini failed to establish himself as a consistent top-10 player, but was never counted out at major tournaments, reaching the quarterfinals. Wimbledon in 1995 and at Roland Garros in 1996. That year, after losing his first nine ATP finals, he finally won his first ATP title in Copenhagen, where he beat Kenneth Carlsen (6-2, 7-6) in the final. At the end of October, he was ranked 19th in the world.
- Yevgeny Kafelnikov – “Grand Slam” champion, the best of Russia
Yevgeny Kafelnikov was born in 1974 in Sochi (USSR, now in Russia), on the coast of the Black Sea. He turned professional in 1992 and achieved his first world-level results in 1994, reaching the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo. He earned the nickname “Stakhanovist” because he played so much more than most of the top players; he had three 100-match singles seasons in his career, as he often played doubles as well.
In 1995, he became an elite player, reaching the quarterfinals in both games Australian Open and Wimbledon, and the semi-finals at Roland Garros (lost to eventual champion Thomas Muster 6-4, 6-0, 6-4). At the end of the year, he was ranked 6th in the world. In 1996, he took his career to the next level when he became the first Russian player to ever win a Grand Slam, defeating Michael Stich in the final at Roland Garros (7-6, 7-5, 7-6). He also achieved the rare feat of winning the doubles match with Daniel Vacek of the Czech Republic.
In October 1996, he was ranked 4th in the world.
Location: Bercy, Paris
The Paris-Bercy Indoor Open was founded in 1986. Held annually in early November, it was usually the last tournament on the tour before the season-ending ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals. One of the world’s most prestigious indoor events, it became part of the Super 9 (formerly known as the Masters 1000) in 1990. Past champions include legends such as Boris Becker (1986, 1989, 1992), Stefan Edberg (1990), Andre Agassi (199) and 199.
The factsPiolin loses to Kafelnikov, loses his temper
The schedule was extremely promising at the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 on October 30, setting the stage for an exciting day of tennis with big names such as Sampras, Agassi, Becker, Kafelnikov and Goran Ivanisevic on the line.
However, it soon became clear that a part of the audience was unusually overexcited. A handful of spectators lurking in the shadows of the upper balcony made life hell for the players on the court. In addition, the favorites lost one after another. Thomas Muster, 1995 Roland Garros, retired after losing first set to Stefan Edberg; World number one Pete Sampras stunned Marc Rosset and the Swiss with a huge serve. Andre Agassi was sacked by Magnus Gustafsson; but the most disappointing of all was Boris Becker, who at the time was the only player to have won the tournament three times (in 1986, 1989 and 1992).
Defeated by unknown Carlos Moya, his love affair with the tournament was but a memory at that point. “It was the worst crowd I’ve ever played in front of. It was like a zoo. Carlos Moya and I were big gorillas, and there were many animals around us constantly trying to annoy us.”
However, if Becker had only expressed his anger verbally, he was later surpassed by France’s Cédric Piolin. Defeated in three sets (6-4, 3-6, 6-4) by world No. 4 Kafelnikov, the Parisian couldn’t stand the crowd’s attitude and just before exiting the tunnel to the dressing room he turned and waved to the crowd, engaging both hands in a very emphatic gesture.
“When I see things like I saw tonight, I’m not proud to be French,” he later told a press conference. However, he also made it clear that his gesture was not aimed at society as a whole, but at “a small group of idiots”.
What’s next? Piolin becomes tournament director, Kafelnikov retires with two Slams
Pioline, who would reach the Wimbledon final in 1997 – again losing to Sampras – and the Roland-Garros semi-finals in 1998, would reach his highest ranking of No. 5 in 2000. That was the same year he won the most important title of his career, in Monte-Carlo, defeating Dominik Hrbaty in the final (6-4, 7-6, 7-6). He would also feature in two successful Davis Cup campaigns, the first in 1996 when France beat Sweden in Malmö and the second in 2001 when France beat Australia in Melbourne.
Kafelnikov, the first Russian ever to win a Grand Slam, would add a second major to his tally at the 1999 Australian Open (defeating Thomas Enqvist (4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-6) in the final). A few months later, he would become the first Russian player ever to hold the world No. 1 title for six weeks, though he would remain at the top. for six weeks only.
In 2022, Piolin will become the new director of the Paris Masters 1000, almost 26 years after giving some audience members the finger.
25 years later, Pioli, the French website cites program-tv.net:would remember the moment he lost his cool.
“This gesture was not aimed at the general public, but only at a very small part of it. Back then there were people who came to Bers just to make a fool of themselves. It had a real impact on the game. I was winning. It completely turned the match around and I lost. The way I expressed my anger was certainly clumsy. Admit it, after a few years.”
