Jump to content

Goran Ivanišević

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Goran Ivanišević
Ivanišević playing at a seniors' exhibition event as part of Vienna Open in October 2016.
Country (sports) Yugoslavia (1988–1992)
 Croatia (1992–2004)
ResidenceMonte Carlo, Monaco
Born (1971-09-13) 13 September 1971 (age 53)
Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Turned pro1988
Retired2004
PlaysLeft-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$19,878,007
Int. Tennis HoF2020[1] (member page)
Singles
Career record599–333 (64.3%)
Career titles22
Highest rankingNo. 2 (4 July 1994)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQF (1989, 1994, 1997)
French OpenQF (1990, 1992, 1994)
WimbledonW (2001)
US OpenSF (1996)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsSF (1992, 1993, 1996)
Grand Slam CupW (1995)
Olympic GamesSF (1992)
Doubles
Career record262–225 (53.8%)
Career titles9
Highest rankingNo. 20 (6 January 1992)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open2R (1990, 1994)
French OpenF (1990, 1999)
Wimbledon3R (1989, 1993)
US OpenQF (1997)
Team competitions
Davis CupW (2005)
Hopman CupW (1996)
Coaching career
Coaching achievements
Coachee singles titles total30
List of notable tournaments
(with champion)
Medal record
Representing  Croatia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona Men's Doubles
Last updated on: 9 December 2023.

Goran Ivanišević (Croatian pronunciation: [ɡǒran iʋanǐːʃeʋitɕ];[2][3][4] born 13 September 1971) is a Croatian former professional tennis player and current coach. He is the only player to win a Wimbledon singles title as a wild card, doing so in 2001 while ranked world No. 125. He had previously been runner-up at Wimbledon in 1992, 1994, and 1998. Ivanišević's career-high singles ranking was world No. 2, achieved in July 1994. He was known for his powerful left-handed serves, and for almost two decades held the record for most aces at Wimbledon with 1,377 (before Roger Federer broke it in 2019). Ivanišević coached Marin Čilić from September 2013 to July 2016, leading Čilić to his only major title to date at the 2014 US Open.[5] He coached Novak Djokovic from 2019 to 2024. In November 2024, he was announced as the new coach of Elena Rybakina for the 2025 season.[6] Ivanišević was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020.[7]

Career

[edit]

Goran is the son of Gorana (née Škaričić) and Srđan Ivanišević.[8] As a boy, he was trained by Jelena Genčić. He turned professional in 1988 and, later that year, with Rüdiger Haas, won his first career doubles title in Frankfurt. Although he focused mostly on his singles career, he also had some success in doubles, winning nine titles and reaching a career-high ranking of 20.

In 1989, as a qualifier he made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Ivanišević made his first significant impact on the tour in 1990, knocking Boris Becker out of the first round of the French Open men's singles; he went on to reach the quarterfinals. He was also, with Petr Korda, the runner-up in the French Open men's doubles. At that year's Wimbledon, Ivanišević reached the semifinals, where he lost to Becker in four sets. Ivanišević also won his first tour singles title in 1990 at Stuttgart and helped Yugoslavia win the World Team Cup. He played in eight ties for Yugoslavia in the Davis Cup before quitting the team after the Croatian declaration of independence in 1991.[9] Yugoslavia lost its subsequent tie against France 5–0.

Ivanišević quickly became known on the tour for his strong, attacking style of play and for an extremely powerful serve. For several years, he had more aces than anyone else on the tour. He was also known for occasional on-court temper tantrums—usually directed towards himself—and the volatility of the standard of his play. Ivanišević received death threats at the 1992 Australian Men's Hardcourt Championships.[10] He went on to win the tournament.

In 1992, Ivanišević surged his way into his first Wimbledon singles final, having defeated Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras in succession.[11][12] Ivanišević's 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 6–2 semifinal victory over Sampras was particularly impressive, with Ivanišević serving 36 aces and not even facing a break point in the entire match.[13] In the final, Ivanišević faced Andre Agassi and was heavily favored to win; with both players attempting to win their first Grand Slam title. Agassi eventually won 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 1–6, 6–4.[14] In the fifth set, Ivanišević had a break point on Agassi's serve at 3–3, but failed to convert it. In the final game of the match, Ivanišević served 2 double faults to start the game,[15] even though he had only served 5 double faults in the entire match before that. Ivanišević's ace count for the tournament (206) was the highest in Wimbledon history at the time, until Ivanišević beat his own record in 2001 with 213 aces.[16] Ivanišević served 37 aces in the 1992 Wimbledon final against Agassi, while Agassi had 37 aces in the entire tournament. Later that summer at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Ivanišević won bronze medals in both singles and doubles representing Croatia, a state that had only recently declared independence;[17][18] he also served as flagbearer for the Croatian team at the opening ceremony. In order to earn his single bronze medal, he won four consecutive 5-sets matches.[17] He also won four singles titles that year.

Ivanišević reached the Wimbledon final for the second time in 1994, where he was defeated by defending-champion Pete Sampras 7–6, 7–6, 6–0.[19] Ivanišević reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 2 in July that year.

In 1995, Ivanišević won the Grand Slam Cup, beating Todd Martin in the final 7–6, 6–3, 6–4.[20] At Wimbledon, Ivanišević again lost in the semifinals to Sampras 6–7, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6.

In 1996, Ivanišević won a career-best five singles titles in a calendar year. He reached the Grand Slam Cup final again, but this time lost to Becker in straight sets. Ivanišević also teamed with Iva Majoli to win the 1996 Hopman Cup for Croatia.[21] That year Ivanišević also defeated Stefan Edberg to reach the semifinals of the U.S. Open, his first Grand Slam semifinal away from Wimbledon; the match was the last Grand Slam match of Edberg's career. In the semifinals, Ivanišević fell again to Sampras, in four sets; Sampras would go on to defeat Michael Chang to win his fourth U.S. Open championship.

In April 1997, Ivanišević became the only player to defeat the "king of clay", Thomas Muster, in a Davis Cup singles match on clay. Ivanišević defeated Muster, 6–7, 7–5, 6–7, 6–2, 7–5, despite Muster having won 112 of his previous 117 matches on clay going into the match. During 1997, Ivanišević also got back up to his career high ranking of world No. 2, although his ranking fell down to No. 15 by the end of the year.

In 1998, Ivanišević reached his third Wimbledon final, facing Sampras once again. Ivanišević started the match well, but failed to take set points which would have given him a two-set lead, and Ivanišević eventually lost to Sampras in five sets, 7–6, 6–7, 4–6, 6–3, 2–6.[22]

Ivanišević finished runner-up in the French Open men's doubles in 1999 (with Jeff Tarango). However, for much of 1999, 2000, and 2001, he struggled with a shoulder injury and his performance and world ranking began to slide steadily.

During his second round match at the 2000 Brighton International, Ivanišević was defaulted after he smashed all three of his rackets and had none available to complete the match. He told the Associated Press, "At least when I've finished playing tennis, they'll remember me for something...They'll say, 'There's that guy who never won Wimbledon, but he smashed all his rackets.'"[23]

By the summer of 2001, Ivanišević was ranked the world No. 125. This was not sufficient to earn him an automatic place in the main draw at Wimbledon but, given his past record as a three-time runner-up, he was awarded a wild card for entry into the singles draw. He defeated former and future world No. 1 players Carlos Moyá, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin as well as Fredrik Jonsson and Greg Rusedski to reach the semifinal, beating home favourite Tim Henman in a five-set, rain-affected semifinal played over three days (7–5, 6–7, 0–6, 7–6, 6–3), considered a classic.[24][25][26] With the win, he set up a match with the previous year's runner-up and former US Open champion Patrick Rafter. It was Ivanišević's first singles final since 1998. In a match lasting over three hours, Ivanišević defeated Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7.[27] Two months shy of his 30th birthday, Ivanišević became the lowest-ranked player and the first wild card entry to win Wimbledon.[28] To date, he is the only male entrant to have won a Grand Slam singles title as a wild card. His Wimbledon success was rated sixteenth at the list of 100 Greatest Sporting Moments by a British television programme. Ivanišević dedicated his victory to Croatian basketball player Dražen Petrović.[29]

On 10 July 2001, Ivanišević received a hero's welcome in his home city of Split where a crowd of over 150,000 led by local and state dignitaries greeted him at the central harbor, with a parade of boats and fireworks, topped off by Ivanišević himself taking off his clothes and jumping into the sea.[30][31] Later that year he received the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award.

Goran Ivanišević and Mario Ančić playing doubles during the 2004 Queen's Club Championships.

The 2001 Wimbledon title was the last grand slam (individual) win of Ivanišević's career. He temporarily retired in 2002 due to shoulder surgery. He returned to tennis sparingly in the following years but, in 2004, retired after a third-round loss to Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon, held on the Centre Court, the scene of his greatest triumph.

In 2005, he was part of the Croatian Davis Cup team that won the Davis Cup, although he did not play.[32]

Football

[edit]

Ivanišević played football for the Croatian team Hajduk Split in 2001.[33] A supporter of English team West Bromwich Albion, he became a fan after the Midland club's escape from Premiership relegation in 2005.[34] He wore an Albion shirt whilst warming up prior to the 2006 BlackRock Masters final[35] and finally watched his first match in December 2011, as West Bromwich Albion played Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.[36]

Ivanišević also participated in an exhibition match of the Croatian national team of 1998 versus the International football stars on 7 October 2002 in Zagreb. It was the last career match of Croatian midfielder and team captain Zvonimir Boban. Ivanišević scored the goal for 1–1 (the game ended 2–1 for the International stars).

Playing style

[edit]

Ivanisevic was a serve and volleyer and played a fast, aggressive game suited to grass courts. He was known for his powerful and accurate left-handed serve, particularly his first serve that was clutch, and is widely considered one of the most dominant servers in the history of tennis. He often won entire games without the ball being returned.

Like many serve-and-volleyers, Ivanisevic's return game and defence was weaker due to his powerful but inconsistent groundstrokes. On the backhand side, he would often use the slice instead of hitting with top-spin and use the chip-and-charge tactic to come to the net.

Grand Slam finals

[edit]

Singles: 4 (1 title, 3 runner-up)

[edit]
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1992 Wimbledon Grass United States Andre Agassi 7–6(10–8), 4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 4–6
Loss 1994 Wimbledon Grass United States Pete Sampras 6–7(2–7), 6–7(5–7), 0–6
Loss 1998 Wimbledon Grass United States Pete Sampras 7–6(7–2), 6–7(9–11), 4–6, 6–3, 2–6
Win 2001 Wimbledon Grass Australia Patrick Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7

Doubles: 2

[edit]
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1990 French Open Clay Czechoslovakia Petr Korda Spain Sergio Casal
Spain Emilio Sánchez		 5–7, 3–6
Loss 1999 French Open Clay United States Jeff Tarango India Mahesh Bhupathi
India Leander Paes		 2–6, 5–7

Other significant finals

[edit]

Grand Slam Cup

[edit]

Singles: 2 (1–1)

[edit]
Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1995 Grand Slam Cup Carpet (i) United States Todd Martin 7–6(7–4), 6–3, 6–4
Loss 1996 Grand Slam Cup Carpet (i) Germany Boris Becker 3–6, 4–6, 4–6

ATP Super 9 finals

[edit]

Singles: 7 (2–5)

[edit]
Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1992 Stockholm Carpet (i) France Guy Forget 7–6(7–2), 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–2
Loss 1993 Rome Clay United States Jim Courier 1–6, 2–6, 2–6
Loss 1993 Stockholm Carpet (i) Germany Michael Stich 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 6–7(3–7), 2–6
Win 1993 Paris Carpet (i) Ukraine Andrei Medvedev 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(7–2)
Loss 1994 Stockholm Carpet (i) Germany Boris Becker 6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 6–7(4–7)
Loss 1995 Hamburg Clay Ukraine Andrei Medvedev 3–6, 2–6, 1–6
Loss 1996 Miami Hard United States Andre Agassi 0–3 ret.

Doubles: 1 (1–0)

[edit]
Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponent Score
Win 1991 Rome Clay Italy Omar Camporese Australia Laurie Warder
United States Luke Jensen		 6–2, 6–3

ATP career finals

[edit]

Singles: 49 (22 titles, 27 runners-up)

[edit]
Legend
Grand Slam (1–3)
Grand Slam Cup (1–1)
ATP Super 9 (2–5)
ATP Championship Series (7–5)
ATP World Series (11–13)
Titles by surface
Hard (3–8)
Grass (2–4)
Clay (3–6)
Carpet (14–9)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1. May 1989 Florence, Italy Clay Argentina Horacio de la Peña 4–6, 3–6
Loss 2. May 1990 Umag, Yugoslavia Clay Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Goran Prpić 3–6, 6–4, 4–6
Win 1. Jul 1990 Stuttgart Outdoor, West Germany Clay Argentina Guillermo Pérez Roldán 6–7(2–7), 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(7–5)
Loss 3. Aug 1990 Long Island, US Hard Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–7(3–7), 3–6
Loss 4. Sep 1990 Bordeaux, France Clay France Guy Forget 4–6, 3–6
Loss 5. Sep 1990 Basel, Switzerland Carpet (i) United States John McEnroe 7–6(7–4), 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 3–6, 4–6
Win 2. Jun 1991 Manchester, UK Grass United States Pete Sampras 6–4, 6–4
Loss 6. Aug 1991 New Haven, US Hard Czechoslovakia Petr Korda 4–6, 2–6
Win 3. Dec 1991 Adelaide, Australia Hard Sweden Christian Bergström 1–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–4
Loss 7. Feb 1992 Milan, Italy Carpet (i) Italy Omar Camporese 6–3, 3–6, 4–6
Win 4. Feb 1992 Stuttgart Indoor, Germany Carpet (i) Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4, 6–4
Loss 8. Jul 1992 Wimbledon, London Grass United States Andre Agassi 7–6(10–8), 4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 4–6
Win 5. Oct 1992 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–4, 6–2, 6–4
Win 6. Oct 1992 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet (i) France Guy Forget 7–6(7–2), 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–2
Loss 9. Jan 1993 Doha, Qatar Hard Germany Boris Becker 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 5–7
Loss 10. May 1993 Rome, Italy Clay United States Jim Courier 1–6, 2–6, 2–6
Win 7. Sep 1993 Bucharest, Romania Clay Russia Andrei Cherkasov 6–2, 7–6(7–5)
Win 8. Oct 1993 Vienna, Austria Carpet (i) Austria Thomas Muster 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 7–6(7–3)
Loss 11. Oct 1993 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet (i) Germany Michael Stich 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 6–7(3–7), 2–6
Win 9. Nov 1993 Paris Indoor, France Carpet (i) Ukraine Andrei Medvedev 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(7–2)
Loss 12. Feb 1994 Stuttgart Indoor, Germany Carpet (i) Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–4, 4–6, 2–6, 2–6
Loss 13. Jun 1994 Wimbledon, London Grass United States Pete Sampras 6–7(2–7), 6–7(5–7), 0–6
Win 10. Aug 1994 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay France Fabrice Santoro 6–2, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
Loss 14. Sep 1994 Bucharest, Romania Clay Argentina Franco Davín 2–6, 4–6
Win 11. Oct 1994 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet (i) United States Michael Chang 6–4, 6–4
Loss 15. Oct 1994 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet (i) Germany Boris Becker 6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 6–7(4–7)
Loss 16. May 1995 Hamburg, Germany Clay Ukraine Andrei Medvedev 3–6, 2–6, 1–6
Win 12. Dec 1995 Grand Slam Cup, Munich Carpet (i) United States Todd Martin 7–6(7–4), 6–3, 6–4
Loss 17. Jan 1996 Sydney Outdoor, Australia Hard United States Todd Martin 7–5, 3–6, 4–6
Win 13. Jan 1996 Zagreb, Croatia Carpet (i) France Cédric Pioline 3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Win 14. Feb 1996 Dubai, UAE Hard Spain Albert Costa 6–4, 6–3
Loss 18. Feb 1996 Antwerp, Belgium Carpet (i) Germany Michael Stich 3–6, 2–6, 6–7(5–7)
Win 15. Feb 1996 Milan, Italy Carpet (i) Switzerland Marc Rosset 6–3, 7–6(7–3)
Win 16. Mar 1996 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet (i) Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
Loss 19. Mar 1996 Key Biscayne, US Hard United States Andre Agassi 0–3, ret.
Loss 20. Aug 1996 Indianapolis, US Hard United States Pete Sampras 6–7(3–7), 5–7
Win 17. Nov 1996 Moscow, Russia Carpet (i) Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 3–6, 6–1, 6–3
Loss 21. Dec 1996 Grand Slam Cup, Munich Carpet (i) Germany Boris Becker 3–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win 18. Jan 1997 Zagreb, Croatia Carpet (i) United Kingdom Greg Rusedski 7–6(7–4), 4–6, 7–6(8–6)
Loss 22. Feb 1997 Dubai, UAE Hard Austria Thomas Muster 5–7, 6–7(3–7)
Win 19. Feb 1997 Milan, Italy Carpet (i) Spain Sergi Bruguera 6–2, 6–2
Loss 23. Jun 1997 Queen's Club, UK Grass Australia Mark Philippoussis 5–7, 3–6
Win 20. Oct 1997 Vienna, Austria Carpet (i) United Kingdom Greg Rusedski 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–4), 6–2, 6–3
Win 21. Feb 1998 Split, Croatia Carpet (i) United Kingdom Greg Rusedski 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–5)
Loss 24. Jun 1998 Wimbledon, London Grass United States Pete Sampras 7–6(7–2), 6–7(9–11), 4–6, 6–3, 2–6
Loss 25. Aug 1998 New Haven, US Hard Slovakia Karol Kučera 4–6, 7–5, 2–6
Loss 26. Oct 1998 Shanghai, China Carpet United States Michael Chang 6–4, 1–6, 2–6
Loss 27. Nov 1998 Moscow, Russia Carpet Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6–7(2–7), 6–7(5–7)
Win 22. Jul 2001 Wimbledon, London Grass Australia Patrick Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7

Doubles (9–10)

[edit]
Legend
Grand Slam Tournaments (0–2)
Tennis Masters Cup (0–0)
ATP Masters Series (1–0)
ATP International Series Gold (1–4)
ATP International Series (7–4)
Finals by surface
Hard (3–3)
Clay (1–5)
Grass (1–1)
Carpet (4–1)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1. Oct 1988 Frankfurt, West Germany Carpet (i) West Germany Rüdiger Haas United Kingdom Jeremy Bates
Netherlands Tom Nijssen 		1–6, 7–5, 6–3
Loss 1. Oct 1989 Palermo, Italy Clay Italy Diego Nargiso West Germany Peter Ballauff
West Germany Rüdiger Haas 		2–6, 7–6, 4–6
Loss 2. Feb 1990 Brussels, Belgium Carpet (i) Hungary Balázs Taróczy Spain Emilio Sánchez
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Živojinović 		5–7, 3–6
Loss 3. Jun 1990 French Open, Paris Clay Czechoslovakia Petr Korda Spain Sergio Casal
Spain Emilio Sánchez 		5–7, 3–6
Loss 4. Aug 1990 New Haven, U.S. Hard Czech Republic Petr Korda United States Jeff Brown
United States Scott Melville 		5–7, 6–7
Win 2. Feb 1991 Milan, Italy Carpet (i) Italy Omar Camporese Czechoslovakia Cyril Suk
Netherlands Tom Nijssen 		6–4, 7–6
Win 3. May 1991 Rome, Italy Clay Italy Omar Camporese Australia Laurie Warder
United States Luke Jensen 		6–2, 6–3
Win 4. Jun 1991 Manchester, UK Grass Italy Omar Camporese United Kingdom Andrew Castle
United Kingdom Nick Brown 		6–4, 6–3
Loss 5. Jul 1991 Stuttgart Outdoor, Germany Clay Italy Omar Camporese Australia Wally Masur
Spain Emilio Sánchez 		6–2, 3–6, 4–6
Win 5. Dec 1991 Adelaide, Australia Hard Switzerland Marc Rosset Australia Mark Kratzmann
Australia Jason Stoltenberg 		7–6, 7–6
Loss 6. Jun 1992 Queen's Club, UK Grass Italy Diego Nargiso Australia John Fitzgerald
Sweden Anders Järryd 		4–6, 6–7
Loss 7. Apr 1995 Barcelona, Spain Clay Italy Andrea Gaudenzi United States Trevor Kronemann
Australia David Macpherson 		2–6, 4–6
Loss 8. Aug 1995 Los Angeles, U.S. Hard Croatia Saša Hirszon South Africa Brent Haygarth
United States Kent Kinnear 		4–6, 5–7
Win 6. Sep 1995 Bordeaux, France Hard Croatia Saša Hirszon Sweden Henrik Holm
United Kingdom Danny Sapsford 		6–3, 6–4
Win 7. Feb 1996 Milan, Italy Carpet (i) Italy Andrea Gaudenzi Switzerland Jakob Hlasek
France Guy Forget 		6–4, 7–5
Win 8. Jan 1997 Zagreb, Croatia Carpet (i) Croatia Saša Hiršzon South Africa Brent Haygarth
United States Mark Keil 		6–4, 6–3
Win 9. Feb 1997 Dubai, UAE Hard Netherlands Sander Groen Australia Sandon Stolle
Czech Republic Cyril Suk 		7–6, 6–3
Loss 9. Jun 1999 French Open, Paris Clay United States Jeff Tarango India Mahesh Bhupathi
India Leander Paes 		2–6, 5–7
Loss 10. Aug 1999 Los Angeles Hard United States Brian MacPhie Zimbabwe Byron Black
Zimbabwe Wayne Black 		2–6, 6–7

Team titles

[edit]

Performance timelines

[edit]
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

[edit]
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia YUG Croatia CRO
Tournament 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A QF 1R 3R 2R A QF 1R 3R QF 1R A 2R Q1 2R A A A 0 / 11 19–11 63%
French Open A 4R QF 2R QF 3R QF 1R 4R 1R 1R 1R 1R A A A A A 0 / 12 21–12 64%
Wimbledon 1R 2R SF 2R F 3R F SF QF 2R F 4R 1R W A A 3R A 1 / 15 49–14 78%
US Open A 2R 3R 4R 3R 2R 1R 1R SF 1R 4R 3R 1R 3R A A A A 0 / 13 21–13 62%
Win–loss 0–1 9–4 11–4 7–4 13–4 5–3 14–4 5–4 14–4 5–4 9–4 5–3 1–4 9–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 0–0 1 / 51 110–50 69%
Year-end championship
Tennis Masters Cup did not qualify SF SF RR DNQ SF did not qualify RR did not qualify 0 / 5 8–10 44%
Grand Slam Cup not held QF A SF A SF W F A QF A not held 1 / 6 11–5 69%
National representation
Olympic Games 1R not held SF-B not held 1R not held 1R not held A NH 0 / 4 4–4 50%
Davis Cup SF SF 1R QF A PO PO 1R PO Z1 A A Z2 PO QF QF A W 1 / 8 28–9 76%
Grand Prix ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells A 1R 3R 1R 1R 1R 1R A SF 1R 1R 2R 2R 3R A 1R A A 0 / 13 9–13 41%
Miami A 1R 2R A 2R 1R QF A F QF 3R 2R 3R 2R 2R A 2R A 0 / 13 19–13 59%
Monte Carlo A 1R 2R 2R A 1R QF SF 1R A 1R 1R 1R A A A 1R A 0 / 11 8–11 42%
Rome A 2R A 1R 1R F SF SF 3R SF 1R 1R 1R Q1 A A 1R A 0 / 12 20–12 63%
Hamburg A 3R 1R QF 2R A 1R F 1R A QF 1R Q2 A A A A A 0 / 9 12–9 57%
Canada A 1R A A A A A 2R 1R 2R 3R 1R A A A A A A 0 / 6 4–6 40%
Cincinnati A A A A A 1R A QF QF 2R 3R 1R A 3R A A A A 0 / 7 9–7 56%
Stockholm1 A A QF QF W F F 2R QF 2R QF 1R 1R 3R A A A A 1 / 12 22–11 67%
Paris A A 2R 2R SF W QF 1R 1R A 1R Q1 Q1 2R A A A A 1 / 9 12–8 60%
Career statistics
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Career
Titles 0 0 1 1 4 3 2 1 5 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 22
Finals 0 1 5 3 5 5 6 2 10 5 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 49
Year-end ranking 371 40 9 16 4 7 5 10 4 15 12 62 129 12 243 657 266 –

1 Held as Stockholm Masters until 1994, Stuttgart Masters from 1995 to 2001.

Doubles

[edit]
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia YUG Croatia CRO
Tournament 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 SR
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 1R 2R 1R 1R A 2R A A 1R 1R A 1R A A A A 0 / 8
French Open A 3R F 2R 1R QF A A A 1R 1R F 2R A A A A 0 / 9
Wimbledon A 3R 1R 2R 1R 3R A A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 5
US Open A 3R 2R 2R 2R 2R A A 2R QF 1R 1R A A A A A 0 / 9
Grand Prix ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells A QF 1R 1R 1R A 2R A 2R A 2R A 2R A 1R A A 0 / 9
Miami A 2R 2R A A 3R 3R A A 2R 3R 1R 3R A A A A 0 / 8
Monte Carlo A QF 1R 1R A 1R 1R QF 2R A A A 1R A A A A 0 / 8
Rome A 2R A W SF QF 1R QF 2R 1R SF 1R 1R A A A 1R 1 / 12
Hamburg A 1R 2R 2R 1R A 2R A 2R A 1R A 1R A A A A 0 / 8
Canada A 2R A A A A A 1R 1R 1R 2R QF A A A A A 0 / 6
Cincinnati A A A A A 1R A 1R 1R 1R A 1R A 1R A A A 0 / 6
Stockholm1 1R A QF 2R 2R A A 1R SF A SF 1R QF 1R A A A 0 / 10
Paris A A 1R 2R 2R A A 1R A A A A A A A A A 0 / 4
Career statistics
Year-end ranking 139 49 31 24 42 111 122 58 59 69 68 51 125 493 1137 – 542

1 Held as Stockholm Masters until 1994, Stuttgart Masters from 1995 to 2001.

Head-to-head record vs. Top 10 ranked players

[edit]

Ivanišević's record against players who held a top 10 ranking, with those who reached No. 1 in bold. The first number is Ivanišević's wins, the second refers to his opponent.

Top 10 wins

[edit]
Season 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Total
Wins 0 3 3 5 11 8 5 5 9 3 2 2 0 4 0 0 0 60
# Player Rank Event Surface Rd Score IR
1989
1. Sweden Kent Carlsson 9 Hamburg, Germany Clay 2R 7–5, 4–6, 6–1 71
2. Argentina Alberto Mancini 10 Palermo, Italy Clay QF 3–6, 7–5, 6–4 56
3. Switzerland Jakob Hlasek 9 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) 2R 4–6, 6–3, 7–5 46
1990
4. Germany Boris Becker 3 French Open, Paris, France Clay 1R 5–7, 6–4, 7–5, 6–2 51
5. Spain Emilio Sánchez 9 Stuttgart, Germany Clay SF 6–4, 6–4 24
6. United States John McEnroe 9 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet (i) 3R 6–4, 6–4 11
1991
7. Sweden Stefan Edberg 2 Davis Cup, Zagreb, Yugoslavia Clay (i) RR 6–4, 6–2 7
8. United States Pete Sampras 9 Manchester, United Kingdom Grass F 6–4, 6–4 11
9. United States Andre Agassi 8 Sydney, Australia Hard (i) QF 7–5, 7–6(7–3) 19
10. United States Andre Agassi 8 Tokyo, Japan Carpet (i) QF 6–3, 6–4 16
11. France Guy Forget 6 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet (i) 3R 7–6(15–13), 7–6(7–5) 15
1992
12. United States Jim Courier 1 Stuttgart, Germany Carpet (i) QF 3–6, 7–6(7–2), 7–6(10–8) 9
13. Sweden Stefan Edberg 2 Stuttgart, Germany Carpet (i) F 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 9
14. Spain Carlos Costa 10 French Open, Paris, France Clay 4R 6–3, 4–6, 6–1, 6–1 9
15. Sweden Stefan Edberg 2 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass QF 6–7(10–12), 7–5, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3 8
16. United States Pete Sampras 3 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass SF 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–4, 6–2 8
17. Sweden Stefan Edberg 3 Sydney, Australia Hard (i) F 6–4, 6–2, 6–4 8
18. Germany Boris Becker 10 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet (i) QF 7–5, 6–4 7
19. Sweden Stefan Edberg 3 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet (i) SF 6–4, 7–6(10–8) 7
20. United States Michael Chang 5 ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, Germany Carpet (i) RR 7–6(7–4), 6–2 4
21. United States Jim Courier 1 ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, Germany Carpet (i) RR 6–3, 6–3 4
22. Netherlands Richard Krajicek 10 ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, Germany Carpet (i) RR 6–4, 6–3 4
1993
23. United States Pete Sampras 1 Rome, Italy Clay SF 7–6(7–4), 6–2 6
24. Austria Thomas Muster 9 Vienna, Austria Carpet (i) F 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 7–6(7–3) 12
25. United States Michael Chang 7 Paris, France Carpet (i) 3R 7–6(7–5), 7–5 11
26. United States Pete Sampras 1 Paris, France Carpet (i) QF 7–6(7–3), 7–5 11
27. Sweden Stefan Edberg 6 Paris, France Carpet (i) SF 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–3) 11
28. Ukraine Andriy Medvedev 8 Paris, France Carpet (i) F 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(7–2) 11
29. Spain Sergi Bruguera 4 ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, Germany Carpet (i) RR 6–4, 7–6(7–4) 8
30. Sweden Stefan Edberg 5 ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, Germany Carpet (i) RR 7–6(7–3), 6–7(5–7), 6–3 8
1994
31. Germany Boris Becker 10 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass SF 6–2, 7–6(8–6), 6–4 5
32. Sweden Stefan Edberg 5 Tokyo, Japan Carpet (i) SF 6–4, 6–4 2
33. United States Michael Chang 9 Tokyo, Japan Carpet (i) F 6–4, 6–4 2
34. United States Andre Agassi 8 Stockholm, Sweden Carpet (i) QF 6–1, 3–6, 7–6(10–8) 2
35. Germany Boris Becker 3 Grand Slam Cup, Munich, Germany Carpet (i) QF 6–4, 6–1 5
1995
36. Spain Alberto Berasategui 7 Barcelona, Spain Clay QF 1–6, 6–4, 6–4 9
37. Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 9 World Team Cup, Düsseldorf, Germany Clay RR 6–4, 7–6(7–4) 4
38. Sweden Magnus Larsson 10 World Team Cup, Düsseldorf, Germany Clay F 6–4, 6–4 4
39. Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 7 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass QF 7–5, 7–6(13–11), 6–3 6
40. Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6 Grand Slam Cup, Munich, Germany Carpet (i) SF 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 10
1996
41. South Africa Wayne Ferreira 10 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Hard QF 6–2, 6–1 9
42. Germany Boris Becker 4 Antwerp, Belgium Carpet (i) SF 6–4, 7–6(7–5) 9
43. Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 8 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet (i) F 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 6
44. United States Michael Chang 4 Miami, United States Hard QF 6–4, 6–4 6
45. United States Pete Sampras 2 Miami, United States Hard SF 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 6
46. Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 3 Moscow, Russia Carpet (i) F 3–6, 6–1, 6–3 4
47. Austria Thomas Muster 5 ATP Tour World Championships, Hanover, Germany Carpet (i) RR 6–4, 6–4 4
48. Netherlands Richard Krajicek 8 ATP Tour World Championships, Hanover, Germany Carpet (i) RR 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–1) 4
49. Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 3 Grand Slam Cup, Munich, Germany Carpet (i) SF 6–7(6–8), 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4 4
1997
50. Austria Thomas Muster 2 Davis Cup, Graz, Austria Clay (i) RR 6–7(5–7), 7–5, 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 7–5 5
51. United States Michael Chang 2 World Team Cup, Düsseldorf, Germany Clay RR 6–2, 2–6, 6–3 4
52. United Kingdom Greg Rusedski 4 Vienna, Austria Carpet (i) F 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–4), 6–2, 6–3 9
1998
53. United Kingdom Greg Rusedski 8 Split, Croatia Carpet (i) F 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–5) 16
54. United Kingdom Greg Rusedski 5 Hamburg, Germany Clay 3R 6–4, 6–2 23
1999
55. Russia Yevgeny Kafelnikov 2 Basel, Switzerland Carpet (i) QF 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 44
56. Brazil Gustavo Kuerten 5 Vienna, Austria Hard (i) 1R 6–1, 6–7(2–7), 6–4 43
2001
57. Sweden Thomas Enqvist 9 Indian Wells, United States Hard 2R 7–6(7–1), 6–3 126
58. Russia Marat Safin 3 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass QF 7–6(7–2), 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(7–3) 125
59. Australia Pat Rafter 10 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass F 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7 125
60. Brazil Gustavo Kuerten 1 Tennis Masters Cup, Sydney, Australia Hard (i) RR 6–2, 6–7(2–7), 6–4 13

Records

[edit]
  • The only male player to win a Grand Slam title as a wild card. He achieved this at Wimbledon in 2001.
  • Most aces by any player in a single season 1991 to present (1,477 in 1996).

Post-playing

[edit]

Senior tennis tour and other engagements

[edit]

Right after retiring from the ATP Tour in 2004, Ivanišević started playing on the ATP Champions Tour (seniors' circuit).

In 2005, he was a member of the Croatian team for the Davis Cup final against Slovakia in Bratislava, although he did not play. Croatia won the final 3–2. Ivanišević received a winner's medal and his name was engraved on the trophy along with Mario Ančić, Ivo Karlović, Ivan Ljubičić and team captain Nikola Pilić.

In June 2006, he performed in the Calderstones Park tournament in Liverpool. In November of the same year, Ivanišević won the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions tournament in Frankfurt, defeating John McEnroe 7–6(12), 7–6(1).

In 2007, Roger Federer, seeking his 5th consecutive Wimbledon title against Rafael Nadal in the final, practiced with Ivanišević. Federer said the practice session helped him against Nadal.

As of 2019, Ivanišević still takes part in tournaments on the seniors' circuit, and he is currently coaching Novak Djokovic.

On 17 July, Ivanišević faced Rafter once again in an exhibition match on 2019 Croatia Open Umag. The match was held to celebrate 18th "birthday" of the famous 2001 Wimbledon final in which Ivanišević won. Ivanišević won once again 6–4, 6–4. The Croatian Open Centre Court has also been renamed in Ivanišević's honour.

Investments

[edit]

Retiring in 2004 also allowed thirty-three-year-old Ivanišević to devote more attention to investing in the real estate and construction industries, which he had already been involved with since 1998, conducting the activities through the simultaneously registered Sport Line limited liability company based in Split, Croatia. Due to Ivanišević still being an active tennis player at the time of the venture's launch, most of the company's initial day-to-day business was handled by his father Srdjan. Their main activity was an ambitious undertaking—construction of a 65-unit luxury apartment building in the Split neighbourhood of Firule. Named "Lazarica 2", the building's construction was supposed to start in November 1998 and finish by late 2000.[37] After many delays,[38] the project finally completed in 2003, but dragged the company into debt due to many unsold units.[39]

News of Ivanišević's financial problems first appeared in the summer of 2005 after he talked about it in an interview with Globus newsmagazine, revealing Lazarica 2 to be a "failed project",[40][41] as well as admitting to being "devoured by sharks" after hastily getting into investments that in hindsight he viewed as "jumping overnight from kindergarten to university".[42][43][44] Later that year, he also talked to the Daily Telegraph about "losing substantial amount of money" in some of his investments.[45]

By September 2006, after months of speculation,[46][47] Ivanišević joined a group of investors—including active AC Milan footballer Dario Šimić, retired basketball player Ivica Žurić as well as businessmen Marijan Šarić, Mate Šarić, and Batheja Pramod—for a joint HRK93 million (~€12.5 million) investment into the added market capitalization of Karlovačka banka.[48] Ivanišević, Šimić, and Žurić invested HRK19 million (~€2.5 million) each, thus each obtaining 9% ownership stake in the bank.[49]

Ivanišević's finances became news again in August 2010 after reports of his Sunseeker Predator 72 motor yacht being repossessed by Hypo Leasing Kroatien, a subsidiary of Hypo Alpe Adria Bank due to reportedly a full year of Ivanišević failing to meet his €12,000 monthly lease payments.[50] Ivanišević would deny this, saying that the yacht was returned due to mechanical defect.[51]

On 31 January 2013, after accumulating debts of HRK5.7 million (~€752,000), Ivanišević's company Sport Line filed for bankruptcy settlement proceedings before the Croatian Trade Court. Among the list of entities the company reportedly owed money to is the Croatian government in the amount of HRK1.1 million (~€145,000).[52] Additionally, even his real estate business, conducted through another limited liability company, Goran promocije, was in trouble, with its account blocked for over a year with debts of HRK1.14 million.[53][54] According to Croatian media reports, as of his company's 2013 bankruptcy proceedings, most of Ivanišević's assets—such as his two Zagreb apartments, his ownership stake in Karlovačka banka, and his 40,000 m2 of land in Duilovo—were safe from being sold off or liquidated as he had already signed them over to either his wife Tatjana Dragović (the Zagreb apartments and bank stake) or his mother Gorana Ivanišević (the plot of land).[54][55][53]

Meje villa and Duilovo land controversy

[edit]

Soon after his memorable 2001 Wimbledon win and the next day's rapturous hero's homecoming with 150,000 people coming out to greet him in the Split harbour, Ivanišević purchased a derelict seaside property within the Marjan hill park/forest in the neighbourhood of Meje adjacent to the city centre. Simultaneously, he further bought an undeveloped 40,000 m2 plot of land in Duilovo on the city outskirts.[56] Despite the city of Split urban development plan intending the attractively located area by the sea in Meje for public use, the tennis player successfully petitioned the city authorities into changing their plan thus opening the door for tearing down the existing dilapidated structure and instead building a private use 1,000 m2 modernist villa, which Ivanišević claimed would become his family home once he retires from playing tennis professionally.[57] Furthermore, he managed to obtain approval for the land in Duilovo to be re-purposed from green to sporting usage.[57] In his 2001 application submission to the Split city council, the Wimbledon champion tied the two construction projects together, asking to be allowed to build a private-use property in Meje while promising to "give back to the citizens of Split and Croatian sports" by building a youth tennis academy on the plot of land in Duilovo.[57] Furthermore, Ivanišević's application contained the following emotional appeal: "It's been a long time wish of mine to, at long last, settle down in the city of my birth, the home of my ancestors for centuries. I want to give permanence to my family's residence and I want to do so not by spatial conquest but by building a contemporary villa".[57]

Amid vociferous exchanges in the local Split-based press invoking "civic pride" and "investor flight out of the city",[57] including Ivanišević himself complaining about being "chased out of Split to Zagreb", the Split city council granted its hometown hero, Wimbledon champion Ivanišević, a special status for both projects: his family home construction project in Meje and his tennis academy project in Duilovo.

By 2006, the construction of the new 1,500 m2 three-storey, five-bedroom villa designed by his relative, architect Vjeko Ivanišević on a 1,560 m2 plot of land was completed with extensive amenities such as an indoor and outdoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, weight room, and wine cellar.[58][59] During the villa's early-to-mid 2000s construction, when not in tournaments, Ivanišević (an active professional tennis player until 2004) spent most of his time in Zagreb where he had already been owning multiple residential properties. However, even after retiring in 2004, contrary to his earlier pronouncements, he never moved into the Split villa once it was complete in 2006, instead continuing to reside in Zagreb with his model girlfriend Tatjana Dragović.

By January 2008, the retired tennis player announced the sale of his Split villa, putting it on the market for HRK57 million (~€7 million).[58] The move instantly provoked angry reactions in the Croatian public and Split-based media outlets with accusations of "exploiting his hometown hero status" and "not only emotionally blackmailing his fellow Splićani but also outright lying to them" being directed at Ivanišević.[60][61]

After more than four years on the market and multiple re-listings with a lower asking price[62][63]—including being offered in 2010 through the British real estate agency Savills that advertised it in the English press during fall 2010 as a high-end weekend escape property[64][65]—the villa (that had been listed for HRK31 million as of summer 2011)[66] was in May 2012 sold to the Hvar-born, Russia-based Croatian businessman Stefano Vlahović for an undisclosed amount widely speculated to be less than half of the amount Ivanišević originally asked for.[66][67]

In addition to never using the villa as a family home, thus breaking the pledge made in his 2001 city of Split urban development plan change application, Ivanišević also failed to deliver on another promise he made in the same application—that of building a youth tennis academy in Duilovo.[57] Instead, in 2012, the Split city authorities allowed the retired tennis player to once again re-purpose his 40,000 m2 Duilovo plot of land under the city development plan, this time for mixed usage,[57] all of which was a prelude to Ivanišević selling the land in 2015 to the real estate developer Ciril Zovko.[61][60][68]

Sports administration

[edit]

In August 2005 Ivanišević got voted to be one of four vice-presidents of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) working under president Zlatko Mateša.[69]

Coaching

[edit]

Marin Čilić (2013—2016)

[edit]

In June 2013, in the wake of Marin Čilić's doping-related nine-month suspension that came into effect in the middle of his 2013 Wimbledon participation, the player reached out to his compatriot Ivanišević to become his new coach.[70] Čilić's suspension was eventually reduced to 4 months.[70]

Čilić won the 2014 US Open under Ivanišević's guidance.[71] The two split after the 2016 Wimbledon where Čilić lost a tough five-set quarterfinal match to Roger Federer having initially been up 2-sets-to-none.

Tomáš Berdych (2016—2017)

[edit]

Only weeks after Ivanišević's split with Čilić, Tomáš Berdych announced on 8 August 2016 via social media that Ivanišević will begin coaching him, starting at 2016 Western & Southern Open.

In early June 2017, immediately after Berdych's second round upset loss to unseeded Karen Khachanov at the 2017 French Open, the 14th-ranked ATP player Berdych fired his coach Ivanišević.[72]

Milos Raonic (2018—2019)

[edit]

In February 2018, the 31st-ranked ATP player and 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic—having had his 2017 season marked by prolonged layoffs due to wrist and knee injury issues in addition to just coming off being eliminated from the Australian Open in a first round upset to unseeded Lukáš Lacko—looked to hire a new coach by holding separate trials with Jonas Björkman during the Delray Beach Open and Ivanišević during the Indian Wells Masters.[73][74] Soon after, having made the semifinals at Indian Wells, Raonic hired Ivanišević.

Ivanišević coached Raonic until just before the 2019 Indian Wells Masters, when Raonic announced that he would be getting a new coach Fabrice Santoro.[75] In a December 2019 interview, ten months removed from his collaboration with Raonic, Ivanišević (now coaching Novak Djokovic) described the experience of coaching Raonic as being "filled with struggles due to lack of proper communication", likening it to "talking to a wall" and adding that Raonic should have gotten a psychiatrist instead of a coach.[76]

Novak Djokovic (2019—2024)

[edit]

On 30 June 2019, Novak Djokovic confirmed that he had added Ivanišević to his coaching team.[77] Working alongside Djokovic's existing coach Marian Vajda, Ivanišević's first order of business was the 2019 Wimbledon. However, due to a previously agreed commitment—exhibition match versus Goran Prpić ahead of the 2019 Croatia Open in Umag—he could be with Djokovic at Wimbledon for only the first week of the tournament, thus missing Djokovic's epic final win versus Roger Federer. Discussing his initial week-long interaction with Djokovic, Ivanišević praised the player's "perfectionism", stating to have felt "wanted as a coach for the first time in a long time" while simultaneously experiencing the "pleasure of coaching an individual that asks questions and actually listens to and processes what you have to say" and adding that he has "tragically had a more meaningful and worthwhile communication with Djokovic in an hour than with Raonic in the entire year".[78]

On 27 March 2024, Novak Djokovic announced their separation.[79]

Elena Rybakina (2025–)

[edit]

On 1 November 2024, Elena Rybakina confirmed that she had hired Ivanišević as her new coach, with the partnership set to begin with the 2025 WTA Tour.[80][81]

Personal life

[edit]

During the early 1990s, several years after turning professional, young tennis player Ivanišević began dating the Croatian model and 1990 Queen of the World [nl] beauty pageant winner Daniela Mihalić, two years his senior.[82] The couple soon moved in together, residing in his properties in both Split and Monte Carlo.[83] The relationship ended in the mid 1990s after five years together; following the split, Mihalić would go on to marry football coach Nenad Gračan.[84]

Marriages

[edit]

In 1998, 27-year-old Ivanišević began dating 17-year-old Serbian-Croatian model Tatjana Dragović after reportedly seeing her on the cover of the Cosmopolitan magazine's September 1996 edition and subsequently obtaining her phone number by contacting her New York City-based modeling agency, Elite.[85][86][87] Ivanišević married Dragović in 2009 and they have two children, Amber Maria and Emanuel. Their official divorce proceedings, reportedly initiated by Dragović, began in April 2013.[88][89]

He has one child, Oliver, with his second wife Nives Čanović.

His eldest son Emanuel is also playing tennis. In 2023, he has won U-16 Croatian doubles championships.[90]

Political endorsements

[edit]

Support for Croat generals indicted for war crimes

[edit]

In July 2001, fresh off winning Wimbledon, Ivanišević reportedly joined 10 other prominent Croatian professional athletes in addressing the Croatian government and parliament via signing an open letter expressing their disapproval of the Croatian authorities' (under Prime Minister Ivica Račan) decision to co-operate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague by handing over two Croatian Army generals indicted for crimes against humanity during Yugoslav Wars, Rahim Ademi and Ante Gotovina.[91][92][93][94] Claiming to be speaking up out of "human and moral obligation to our greatest heroes", the 11 athletes express being horrified at the Croatian government's decision to hand over war crimes suspects, seeing it as an attempt to "distort historical facts" before concluding that the "one and only truth is that Croatia was a victim [in the Yugoslav Wars] while its soldiers and generals were heroes".[91][93][94] Among the other Croatian athletes that signed the letter were Zvonimir Boban, Alen Bokšić, Davor Šuker, Slaven Bilić, Igor Štimac, Aljoša Asanović, Dino Rađa, and Stojko Vranković.[91][92][93]

The letter caused immediate reaction in Croatia, with Science and Higher Education Union [hr] (NSZ) sarcastically dismissing the signatories as "pro athletes on their yachts and in their Ferraris [who] would certainly not be feeling the pain of resulting international political and economic sanctions inflicted upon Croatia were it to refuse co-operation with the ICTY".[95] The reaction to the letter prompted Ivanišević's father Srđan to come out with a claim that his son's signature on the letter is a "forgery designed to publicly embarrass him due to his well-known opposition to extradition of any Croats to the Hague tribunal".[95] For his part, when asked about the signature, Ivanišević himself claimed "to not remember signing it" but that he nevertheless "agrees with its points".[95]

Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)

[edit]

Throughout 2007, ahead of the 2007 Croatian parliamentary election, retired tennis player Ivanišević participated in promoting the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) of incumbent Prime Minister Ivo Sanader via personal appearances at campaign stops and vote drives.[96][97]

At a late June 2007 rally at the Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall, where he arrived with his pregnant girlfriend Tatjana Dragović, Ivanišević addressed the crowd using tennis analogies: "Over the previous 4 years, we [Croatia led by Sanader and the HDZ] learned the backhand, forehand, and baseline play; and in the last 10 years we've mastered the serve; now, we have to learn net play by being accepted into the European Union".[98][99] Also endorsing the HDZ on this campaign trail were other Croatian sporting figures such as retired basketball star Dino Rađa, active footballers Niko Kovač and Tomislav Butina, retired water polo player Zdeslav Vrdoljak, retired basketball players Franjo Arapović and Stojko Vranković, handball coach Lino Červar, retired handballer Slavko Goluža, football administrators Zdravko and Zoran Mamić, boxer Stipe Drviš, active water polo players Teo Đogaš, Mile Smodlaka, and Josip Pavić, and active handballers Ivano Balić, Petar Metličić, and Renato Sulić.[97][98][99][100]

Weeks prior to the election, the HDZ released a number of television ads with the sporting figures endorsing the party. One such ad features Ivanišević's endorsement, with the retired tennis player stating into the camera that he "trusts Sanader and his aces".[100][101][102] In March 2008, months following the election that the HDZ had won, responding to an interview question about his motivation to endorse the HDZ, Ivanišević claimed to have been "supporting PM Sanader, not the HDZ", adding that he believes in Sanader.[103]

See also

[edit]

Filmography and television

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2001 Wimbledon Official Film 2001 Himself

Television

[edit]
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2005 Mjenjačnica Himself

Music videos

[edit]
Music Videos
Year Artist Title Notes
2007 Nina Badrić "Da se opet tebi vratim" Croatian music video

Video

[edit]
  • Wimbledon 2001 Final: Rafter Vs Ivanišević Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 30 October 2007, Run Time: 195 minutes, ASIN: B000V02CT6.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Goran Ivanišević and Conchita Martínez to be inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020". International Tennis Hall of Fame. 28 January 2020.
  2. ^ "gòra". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 17 March 2018. Gòran
  3. ^ "Ìvan". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 17 March 2018. Ivaníšević
  4. ^ "Ivaníšević". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 17 March 2018. Ivaníšević
  5. ^ "Marin Cilic – Timeline | Facebook". Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2016 – via Facebook.
  6. ^ "Rybakina hires Goran Ivanisevic as new coach in 2025". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Goran Ivanišević". International Tennis Hall of Fame.
  8. ^ "Svoje vino predstavio i Srđan Ivanišević". Slobodna Dalmacija. 24 November 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  9. ^ TENNIS; With Minds on Homeland at War, New York Times
  10. ^ A Fighter on Home Ground Ivanisevic, His Fans, His Family, and the War, The New York Times. 20 February 1993.
  11. ^ Finn, Robin (30 June 1992). "TENNIS; McEnroe Moves Up but Lendl Bows Out". The New York Times.
  12. ^ Muscatine, Alison (5 July 1992). "Emotional Ivanisevic Ready To Serve Notice". The Washington Post.
  13. ^ Muscatine, Alison (5 July 1992). "Agassi, Ivanisevic Gain Berths in Men's Final". The Washington Post.
  14. ^ "Andre Agassi... Remembering 1992 Wimbledon". atptour.com. 10 July 2020.
  15. ^ Kirkpatrick, Curry (13 July 1992). "Agassi and Ecstacy". Sports Illustrated.
  16. ^ "Goran Ivanisevic voulait et méritait cette victoire". RDS.ca (in French). 9 July 2001.
  17. ^ a b Penner, Mike (7 August 1992). "Ivanisevic Assures Croatia of First Medal". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ "Ivanisevic headlines Hall of Fame nominations". Reuters. 21 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Sampras Lowers Boom on Ivanisevic". The Washington Post. 4 July 1994.
  20. ^ "Pile of Aces Earns Ivanisevic Richest Payday in Tennis". Chicago Tribune. 11 December 1995.
  21. ^ "Hopman Cup Handed to Croatia". The Spokesman Review. 7 January 1996.
  22. ^ Frey, Jennifer (6 July 1998). "Sampras Slams the Door on Ivanisevic". The Washington Post.
  23. ^ "PLUS: TENNIS; with No More Rackets, Ivanisevic Has to Quit". The New York Times. 24 November 2000.
  24. ^ Curtis, Jake (22 June 2013). "The Most Memorable Matches in Wimbledon History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  25. ^ Farthing, Tim (13 June 2020). "Top 20 Wimbledon Classics Since 2000: Ivanisevic v Henman, 2001". Tennishead. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  26. ^ Ilic, Jovica (5 July 2023). "When Rain and Drama Unleashed: The Epic Henman vs. Ivanisevic Wimbledon Battle". Tennis World USA. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  27. ^ 2001 Golden Moment – Wild Card Ivanisevic Wins Wimbledon.
  28. ^ "Classic Matches: Ivanišević vs. Rafter". BBC Sport. 31 May 2004. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  29. ^ Ivanišević honours late NBA star, cbc.ca; accessed 26 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Gorana Ivaniševića na splitskoj Rivi dočekalo više 150 tisuća ljudi". Vjesnik (in Croatian). 11 July 2001. Archived from the original on 10 September 2002. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  31. ^ "Moment of Zen – Stripping Man". The Daily Show. 11 July 2001. Archived from the original on 20 February 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  32. ^ Davis Cup Idols Davis Cup. Retrieved 11 March 2023
  33. ^ "Goran's Split loyalties". BBC Sport. 14 July 2001. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  34. ^ "An email conversation with Goran Ivanisevic: 'Talking of Split, there are still three Gorans?'". The Independent. UK. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
  35. ^ "Baggie Goran shows his colours". Official Albion website. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 29 January 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
  36. ^ "Goran eyes Hawthorns visit". Official Albion website. 4 December 2011. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  37. ^ Poslovno-stambena zgrada Lazarica 2 u Splitu;Gradjevinar, 2003
  38. ^ Srđan Ivanišević zbog "Lazarice" prijavio tri splitska "poglavara";Slobodna Dalmacija, 13 February 2003
  39. ^ Goran Ivanišević u financijskim problemima: Njegova tvrtka pred stečajem;Jutarnji list, 19 March 2013
  40. ^ I'm broke, says Ivanisevic;June 2005
  41. ^ My investments sunk like Titanic says 'ruined' Ivanisevic;AFP, 10 June 2005
  42. ^ "Propao sam!". Glas javnosti. 18 June 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  43. ^ STA (7 June 2005). "Ivanišević: Z mano je konec!". 24ur.com. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  44. ^ "Goran Ivanišević: Propadel sem". RTV Slovenija. 8 June 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  45. ^ Hodgkinson, Mark (20 October 2005). "Ivanisevic the joker still has some aces left". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  46. ^ Goran Ivanišević ulazi u vlasnicku strukturu Karlovačke banke;index.hr, 5 June 2006
  47. ^ Ivanišević zasad ne kupuje Karlovačku banku, štediše mogu odahnuti Archived 6 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine;Business.hr, 7 June 2006
  48. ^ Ivanišević, Šimić i Žurić dioničari Karlovačke banke;Poslovni.hr, 21 September 2006
  49. ^ Misterij iznenadnog poklona: Ivanišević darovao svojoj ženi 1,9 milijuna kn dionica Karlovačke banke;Jutarnji list, 6 April 2012
  50. ^ Goranu Ivaniševiću zaplijenili ljubimicu – jahtu Amber;Vecernji list, 4 August 2010
  51. ^ 'Nisam ja hrvatski Tyson, a jahtu sam vratio sam';24 sata, 5 August 2010
  52. ^ Ivaniševićeva tvrtka na putu u stečaj;tportal.hr, 19 March 2013
  53. ^ a b Vuković, Slavica; Čulig, Lana (10 April 2013). "Sva vrednija imovina glasi na ime Tatjane Ivanišević". Večernji list. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  54. ^ a b Nezirović, Vanja (21 March 2013). "'Firule su me potopile, a banke su nas trgale kao morski psi!': Biznis s nekretninama Gorana Ivaniševića doveo do stečaja". Jutarnji list. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  55. ^ Špoljar, Marko (19 May 2013). "Poslovni krah Ivaniševića: Game, set, preljub, bankrot". Večernji list. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  56. ^ Pavičić, Jurica (3 September 2020). "Kako se kroz priču o jednoj livadi može ispričati čitava povijest novije Hrvatske". Jutarnji list. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  57. ^ a b c d e f g Petranović, Damir (4 April 2012). "Ivanišević (ponovno) mijenja splitski GUP". Tportal.hr. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  58. ^ a b "Goran Ivanišević prodat će svoju elitnu vilu u Splitu". 24sata.hr. 18 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  59. ^ Vuković, Slavica (10 January 2013). "HDZ-ov kandidat za Split junak iz školske lektire". Večernji list. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  60. ^ a b Vidulić, Sandi (6 February 2020). "Kako je Goran Ivanišević zbog vile na Mejama ucjenjivao Split, a onda prekršio svoje obećanje; U sjeni projekta pripremao se i opasan plan za Marjan". Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  61. ^ a b Petranović, Damir (16 November 2015). "Kako je Goran Ivanišević dva puta namagarčio svoj grad". DalmatinskiPortal.hr. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  62. ^ Kreutz, A. (7 January 2010). "Goran Ivanišević spustio je cijenu vile za 7 mil. kuna". 24sata.hr. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  63. ^ Turčin, Kristina (10 October 2010). "Ivanišević drastično snizio cijenu svoje vile. Cijena? 33,3 milijuna kuna". Jutarnji list. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  64. ^ Mahony, Emma (8 October 2010). "Hot property: Weekend escapes". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  65. ^ Waugh, Daisy (21 November 2010). "Game, set and mansion, Ivanisevic". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  66. ^ a b Eterović, Zoran (19 May 2012). "Goran Ivanišević vilu u Splitu prodao ruskom bogatašu". Večernji list. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  67. ^ Kukec, Tomislav (22 May 2012). "Nakon pet godina Goran Ivanišević uspio prodati rezidenciju: Za vilu na Mejama tražio je 60 milijuna, a prodao za 30 ruskom kralju piletine". Jutarnji list. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  68. ^ Petranović, Damir (1 October 2020). "Od Ivaniševićeve emocionalne ucjene do natezanja investitora i Opare: Što sve stoji iza splitske trakavice oko milijardu kuna vrijednog zemljišta na Duilovu". Tportal.hr. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  69. ^ Goran Ivanišević dopredsjednik Hrvatskog olimpijskog odbora;index.hr, 17 August 2005
  70. ^ a b Cox, David (24 June 2014). "Croatian Tennis Star Cilic Rebounds From Suspension, Coached by His Idol". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  71. ^ Cilic defeats Haas to win Zagreb Indoors Archived 2 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Yahoo!7 Sport, 10 February 2014
  72. ^ "Tomas Berdych fires coach Goran Ivanisevic". Sportsnet.ca. Associated Press. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  73. ^ Myles, Stephanie (7 March 2018). "Raonic and Ivanisevic start trial". Tennis.life. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  74. ^ Myles, Stephanie (14 February 2018). "Raonic auditioning coaches once more". Tennis.life. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  75. ^ "Milos Raonic splits with Goran Ivanisevic ahead of Indian Wells". Tennis.com. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  76. ^ Sharma, Shailesh (8 December 2019). "Djokovic's coach Ivanisevic stuns saying that Raonic needed a psychiatrist". Tennis.life. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  77. ^ "Djokovic adds Ivanisevic to coaching team at Wimbledon". ATP Tour. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  78. ^ Zidarić, Mirna (16 July 2019). "Ivanišević za HRT: Ili si čovjek ili nisi, nije važno odakle dolaziš". Croatian Radiotelevision. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  79. ^ "Djokovic announces split with Goran Ivanisevic". ATP Tour. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  80. ^ "Rybakina appoints Ivanisevic as coach from 2025". BBC. 1 November 2024.
  81. ^ Hansen, James; Eccleshare, Charlie (1 November 2024). "Elena Rybakina hires Goran Ivanisevic, formerly with Novak Djokovic, as new coach". New York Times.
  82. ^ "Tennis Player Goran Ivanisevic With Girlfriend Daniela Mihalic". Pond5. 1993. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  83. ^ Thomsen, Ian (20 February 1993). "A Fighter on Home Ground Ivanisevic, His Fans, His Family, and the War". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  84. ^ Burazin, Davor (15 July 2001). "Goran's Split personality". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  85. ^ L., L. (31 December 2019). "Zbog ove fotografije Ivanišević je 'okrenuo sve' da dođe do njenog broja: nakon 24 godine otkrivena poznata Hrvatica u epizodi 'Prijatelja', divio joj se Chandler". Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  86. ^ Bobanović, Paula (21 March 2013). "Love story: Unatoč aferama njihova ljubav traje 15 godina". 24sata.hr. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  87. ^ Gloria.hr (21 March 2008). "Progovorila o izdaji". Gloria.hr. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  88. ^ Lokas, Marija (8 April 2013). "Razvode se Goran Ivanišević i Tatjana Dragović: Nisu uspjeli preživjeti obostrane preljubničke afere!". Jutarnji list. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  89. ^ M., B. (8 April 2013). "Nakon četiri godine braka rastaju se Tatjana i Goran Ivanišević!". Večernji list. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  90. ^ Mustafić, Semir (16 January 2023). "Krenuo očevim stopama: Ivaniševićev sin prvak Hrvatske". N1. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  91. ^ a b c "Ivanisevic backs Croat suspects". CNN.com. 12 July 2001. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  92. ^ a b Peratović, Željko (18 July 2001). "Izbjegnut raspad koalicijske vlade u Zagrebu". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  93. ^ a b c "Pismo Ivaniševića i još 10 sportista protiv izručenja Hagu". SRNA [sr]. 12 July 2001. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  94. ^ a b Ian Black; Jamie Wilson (13 July 2001). "Goran calls indicted men war heroes". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  95. ^ a b c "Ivanišević se "ne seća" da je potpisao pismo osude vlade". SRNA [sr]. 14 July 2001. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  96. ^ Wood, Nicholas (22 November 2007). "Croatian prime minister, Ivo Sanader, looks abroad for votes in a tight race". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  97. ^ a b "Ivanišević promovira HDZ". Jutarnji list. 28 June 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  98. ^ a b B., A. (30 June 2007). "HDZ opoziciju na čelu sa SDP-om vidi kao "trkače olovnih nogu"". Index.hr. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  99. ^ a b Mrvec, Damir; Šarić, Mladenka (30 June 2007). "Sportske zvijezde došle podržati HDZ". Večernji list. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  100. ^ a b "HDZ-ovi sportski asevi na predizbornim terenima". Index.hr. 8 November 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  101. ^ "Vrhunski sportaši snimili izborne reklame za HDZ". 24sata.hr. 8 November 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  102. ^ "Hoće li Kovač i Ivanišević dobiti nešto od Sanadera?". 24sata.hr. 11 November 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  103. ^ Matija Babić (18 March 2008). "Ekskluzivni video intervju - Posljednji intervju Gorana Ivaniševića za hrvatske medije: Uništio sam svoju obitelj". Index.hr. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Goran Ivanišević.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by ATP Most Improved Player
2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year
2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year
2001 		Succeeded by
Brazil Ronaldo
Preceded by ATP Champions Tour
Year-End No.1
2005
2008 		Succeeded by
Olympic Games
Preceded by
None
 Flagbearer for  Croatia
Barcelona 1992 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goran_Ivanišević&oldid=1259646743"