While the friends complement each other on court, they put their success primarily down to their incredible tennis skill.
“The main reason [for our success] is that we are very good players. Yes, we are good friends but I think the main reason is we are both very good doubles players,” says Mektic.
Doubles success has been in Mektic’s blood since his junior days as he combined with 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic in 2005 to finish runner-up in the top junior tournament.
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, play Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Filip Krajnovic during their Davis Cup semi-final match at Madrid in December.Credit:AP
But while Pavic was a junior Wimbledon doubles champion and at 24, became the youngest No.1 doubles player since Australia’s Todd Woodbridge, he also had a promising career in singles. In juniors he defeated Grand Slam champion Dominic Thiem before moving to the professional tour where he challenged top players like Olympic gold medallist Alexander Zverev.
For Pavic, the motivation to leave a burgeoning singles career behind was primarily financial.
“I made a [doubles] final in Zagreb in my first ATP tournament,” he says. “I was always good at it and kind of in between singles and doubles.”
“I was earning pretty good money so I had to decide whether I should go back to playing challengers [the lower-level tournaments], playing singles again or just keep going, playing doubles. And then I decided that a younger age that I wanted to play doubles because I was good at it.”
Mektic and Pavic’s extraordinary 2021 season was even more unfathomable given that it was their first season playing together. Both players had success with other partners in 2020; Mate Pavic won the US Open and Nikola Mektic won the ATP Tour Finals.
Both of their partners were surprised when they decided to split but this is part-and-parcel of the weird world of doubles tennis, which can often resemble online dating or a reality television show with short-lived partnerships and team splits throughout the year.
“Nobody saw it coming,” says Pavic of his split with previous partner Bruno Soares, “but I decided that I wanted to split up and try something new at the end of [2020]. And that was basically it.”
Despite having a small population of just over four million, Croatia has a rich tennis history, with several players such as Goran Ivanisevic and Cilic going on to win Grand Slams. For Mektic and Pavic, following in their footsteps and acting as role models for the younger generation is incredibly important.
“We’re not the richest country in the world,” says Mektic, “we don’t have the best conditions in the world. But we have the talent. We are just so hungry for success. Sport is a good way for us to succeed in life.”
“For kids to start playing tennis and look up to guys like us. It’s a big thing,” adds Pavic.
Doubles duos tend to prevail due to the completely different tactics employed in the singles game.
“It’s not the same sport,” says Mektic, “you have different rules you need to follow; different shots are more important. You’ve got to know how the doubles game works. That’s why singles guys playing doubles don’t go all the way.”
Like most tennis players, the duo dreamed of winning Wimbledon from a young age. Pavic reached the Wimbledon final in 2018 with Oliver Marach, losing 13-11 in the final set in a 4 hour and 39-minute classic whilst Mektic lost to Marach and Pavic in the semi-final in the same year. For both, the joy of finally winning the title in 2021 was incomparable.
“It meant the world to both of us,” says Mektic, “it’s probably the biggest tournament for a tennis player to win so it was really emotional. When we managed to win the Olympics as well, it was just a crazy dream come true for us.”
As two of the best doubles players in recent memory, it would not be surprising if the Croatians regretted giving up their singles careers so early. But both are content with their decision and point to their success in doubles as justifying their choices.
“I gave myself a chance to play singles,” says Mektic, “but when I became a top doubles player, it was obvious that this was my path. So, I don’t have any regrets.”
“For me it was a bit different,” says Pavic, “I never fully gave myself a chance. Where would I be if I tried? I’ll never find out. But do I regret it? I don’t really regret it because of the career that I’ve had in doubles.”
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic: The two best players you’ve never heard of
Source: Philippines Alive
