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Goran Ivanisevic was all smiles after beating Patrick Rafter to claim a first Wimbledon title. The Croat had been a loser in three previous Wimbledon finals and thought he'd never end the skid. GERRY PENNY/AFP/Getty Images
Ivanisevic climbed into his players' box to celebrate with his team, which included his father Srdjan, second from right. Srdjan had recently undergone heart surgery. Bongarts/Getty Images
With thousands of tickets made available to the general public on "People's Monday," the atmosphere on Centre Court was "unbelievable," said Ivanisevic. Rafter had his fans, too. GERRY PENNY/AFP/Getty Images
As popular as Ivanisevic was, not many on Centre Court were rooting for him in the semifinals against Britain's Tim Henman. A rain delay helped Ivanisevic rally to win in five sets, with Henman never appearing in a Wimbledon final. Clive Brunskill/ALLSPORT
By beating Henman, Rafter, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin that year at Wimbledon, Ivanisevic banished memories of painful defeats on Centre Court. Pete Sampras bettered Ivanisevic in five sets in 1998. Gary M Prior/Allsport
Ivanisevic played his last career match at Wimbledon in 2004, again as a wildcard, and lost to Lleyton Hewitt in the third round. Most of the applause as the players left the court was for him, not Rafter's fellow Australian. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Ivanisevic and Rafter remain good friends and can be occasionally seen playing on the seniors' tour. Ivanisevic helps to run a tournament in Zagreb while Rafter is Australia's Davis Cup captain. Julian Finney/Getty Images
