Juniors He reached the finals of the Australian Open Jrs in 1994.
Pro Tour Ilie never progressed past the fourth round of a
Grand Slam tournament, but was a fan-favorite, especially in Australia. Described in 2001 by tennis writer Jon Wertheim as "an emerging cult hero", Ilie developed an avid following whenever he played at the
Australian Open in
Melbourne. He became well known for adventurous and occasionally outrageous shots, and by ripping his shirt in glee whenever he won a particularly important or hard-fought match. The latter ritual began at the French Open in 1999, as Ilie celebrated his first-round victory in five sets over Jonas Bjorkman, and then repeated the gesture after his second-round victory, also in five sets, over Martin Rodriguez. The last years of Ilie's career were marred by persistent injuries, including chronic
osteitis pubis, which hampered his play. Ilie retired in November 2004. Following retirement, Ilie married and settled in
Hong Kong. ==Junior Grand Slam finals==