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Goran Ivanišević (; born 13 September 1971) is a Croatian former professional
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
player and current coach. He was ranked world No. 2 in men's singles by the
Association of Tennis Professionals The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour and the ATP Challenger Tour. It was formed in September 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to p ...
(ATP) in July 1994. Ivanišević won 22
ATP Tour The ATP Tour (known as ATP World Tour between January 2009 and December 2018) is the sole worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) founded in 1990 that replaced the earlier dual Grand Prix ...
-level singles titles, including the 2001 Wimbledon Championships. He is the only player to win a
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
singles title as a wild card, achieving the feat while ranked world No. 125. He had previously been runner-up at Wimbledon in
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
,
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
, and
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
. Ivanišević was known for his powerful left-handed serve, and for almost two decades held the record for most aces at Wimbledon with 1,377 (before
Roger Federer Roger Federer ( , ; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 3 ...
broke it in 2019). He was inducted into the
International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, 13 grass tennis courts, an ...
in 2020. Following his playing career, Ivanišević coached
Marin Čilić Marin Čilić (; born 28 September 1988) is a Croatian professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved on 28 January 2018. Čilić has won 21 ATP Tour-level si ...
from September 2013 to July 2016, leading Čilić to a
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title at the 2014 US Open. He then coached
Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...
from 2019 to 2024, leading Djokovic to nine major titles. He shortly coached
Elena Rybakina Elena Andreyevna Rybakina (born 17 June 1999) is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player. She has been WTA rankings, ranked world No. 3 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association, WTA, making her the first Kazakhstani ...
in 2025, before ending the partnership due to Rybakina's troubled relationship with her ex-coach Stefano Vukov.


Career

Goran is the son of Gorana (née Škaričić) and Srđan Ivanišević. 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 Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. 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 Boris Franz Becker (; born 22 November 1967) is a German former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Becker won 49 c ...
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 Petr Korda (born 23 January 1968) is a Czech former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 2 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in February 1998. Korda won ten singles titles, including the 1998 Austr ...
, 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 Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
and helped
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
win the
World Team Cup The World Team Cup was the international men's team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The inaugural edition of the tournament was contested in 1975 in Kingston, Jamaica and was called the Nations Cup. No tourname ...
. He played in eight ties for Yugoslavia in the
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...
before quitting the team after the Croatian
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in 1991. 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 An ace is a playing card. Ace(s), ACE(S) and variants may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Awards * ACE Awards (Award for Cable Excellence) Comics * ''Ace Comics'', a 1937-1959 comic book series * Ace Magazines (comics), a 1940- ...
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. He went on to win the tournament. In 1992, Ivanišević surged his way into his first Wimbledon singles final, having defeated
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl (; born March 7, 1960) is a Czech-American former professional tennis player and coach. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, he was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis ...
,
Stefan Edberg Jan Stefan Edberg (; born 19 January 1966) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in both men's singles and men's doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), one of two players in the ...
, and
Pete Sampras Pete Sampras (born August 12, 1971) is an American former professional tennis player. One of the most successful tennis players of all time, he was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the A ...
in succession. 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. In the final, Ivanišević faced
Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi ( ; born April 29, 1970) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 101 ...
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. 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, 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. 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 The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
in Barcelona, Ivanišević won bronze medals in both singles and doubles representing Croatia, a state that had only recently declared independence; he also served as flagbearer for the Croatian team at the
opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.
. In order to earn his single bronze medal, he won four consecutive 5-sets matches. 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 Pete Sampras (born August 12, 1971) is an American former professional tennis player. One of the most successful tennis players of all time, he was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the A ...
7–6, 7–6, 6–0. 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 Todd Martin (born July 8, 1970) is an American retired tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players ea ...
in the final 7–6, 6–3, 6–4. 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. That year Ivanišević also defeated
Stefan Edberg Jan Stefan Edberg (; born 19 January 1966) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in both men's singles and men's doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), one of two players in the ...
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 Michael Te-pei Chang (born February 22, 1972) is an American former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked world No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1996. Chang is the youngest man in history to win a singl ...
to win his fourth U.S. Open championship. In April 1997, Ivanišević became the only player to defeat the "king of clay",
Thomas Muster Thomas Muster (born 2 October 1967) is an Austrian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Muster ...
, in a
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...
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. 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.'" 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 Carlos Moyá Llompart (; born 27 August 1976) is a Spanish former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Moyá won 20 ATP Tour-level singles tit ...
,
Andy Roddick Andrew Stephen Roddick (born August 30, 1982) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 13 weeks, including as the year-end No. 1 in ...
and
Marat Safin Marat Mubinovich Safin ( rus, Мара́т Муби́нович Са́фин, , mɐˈrat ˈsafʲɪn, Ru-Marat-Safin.ogg; ; born 27 January 1980) is a Russian former professional tennis player and former politician. He was ranked as the List of ...
as well as Fredrik Jonsson and Greg Rusedski to reach the semifinal, beating home favourite
Tim Henman Timothy Henry Henman (born 6 September 1974) is a British former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 4 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) during the early 2000s. Henman won 15 career ATP Tour titl ...
in a five-set, rain-affected semifinal played over three days (7–5, 6–7, 0–6, 7–6, 6–3), considered a classic. 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. Two months shy of his 30th birthday, Ivanišević became the lowest-ranked player and the first wild card entry to win Wimbledon. 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. On 10 July 2001, Ivanišević received a hero's welcome in his home city of
Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...
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. Later that year he received the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award. The 2001 Wimbledon title was the last tournament 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 Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born 24 February 1981) is an Australian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) fo ...
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 The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...
, although he did not play.


Football

Ivanišević played
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
for the Croatian team Hajduk Split in 2001. A supporter of English team
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
, he became a fan after the Midland club's escape from Premiership relegation in 2005. He wore an Albion shirt whilst warming up prior to the 2006 BlackRock Masters final and finally watched his first match in December 2011, as West Bromwich Albion played
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
at
Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
. 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 Zvonimir Boban (; born 8 October 1968) is a Croatian former professional footballer who works at UEFA as the Chief of Football. A midfielder, Boban played most of his career for Italian club AC Milan with whom he won four Serie A titles and one ...
. Ivanišević scored the goal for 1–1 (the game ended 2–1 for the International stars).


Playing style

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 tournament finals


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


Doubles: 2 (2 runner-ups)


Other significant finals


Grand Slam Cup


Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)


ATP Super 9 finals


Singles: 7 (2 titles, 5 runner-ups)


Doubles: 1 (1 title)


ATP career finals


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


Doubles (9 titles, 10 runners-up)


Team titles

* 1990 –
World Team Cup The World Team Cup was the international men's team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The inaugural edition of the tournament was contested in 1975 in Kingston, Jamaica and was called the Nations Cup. No tourname ...
winner with Yugoslavia * 1996 – Hopman Cup winner with Croatia * 2005 –
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...
winner with Croatia


Performance timelines


Singles

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


Doubles

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


Top 10 wins


Records

* 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


Senior tennis tour and other engagements

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 The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
against
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in
Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
, 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 Mario Ančić (; born 30 March 1984) is a Croatian former professional tennis player who currently works as a private equity vice president in New York City. He won three singles titles and five doubles titles on the ATP Tour. Ančić's career- ...
, Ivo Karlović, Ivan Ljubičić and team captain
Nikola Pilić Nikola "Niki" Pilić (born 27 August 1939) is a Croatian former professional tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. He was one of the Handsome Eight. Pilić was ranked world No. 6 in January 1968 and world No. 7 for 1967 by Lance Tin ...
. 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 John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ...
7–6(12), 7–6(1). In 2007,
Roger Federer Roger Federer ( , ; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 3 ...
, seeking his 5th consecutive Wimbledon title against
Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for ...
in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
, 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 Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...
. 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

Retiring in 2004 also allowed thirty-three-year-old Ivanišević to devote more attention to investing in the real estate and
construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...
industries, which he had already been involved with since 1998, conducting the activities through the simultaneously registered Sport Line
limited liability company A limited liability company (LLC) is the United States-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of ...
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 An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement ( Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) ...
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. After many delays, the project finally completed in 2003, but dragged the company into debt due to many unsold units. 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", 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". Later that year, he also talked to the ''
Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...
'' about "losing substantial amount of money" in some of his investments. By September 2006, after months of speculation, Ivanišević joined a group of investors—including active
AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...
footballer
Dario Šimić Dario Šimić (; born 12 November 1975) is a Croatian former footballer. Šimić was a versatile defender who played as full-back, sweeper or centre back; a physical and hard-tackling defender, he was known in particular for his strength and ...
, 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 Market capitalization, sometimes referred to as market cap, is the total value of a publicly traded company's outstanding common shares owned by stockholders. Market capitalization is equal to the market price per common share multiplied by ...
of Karlovačka banka. Ivanišević, Šimić, and Žurić invested HRK19 million (~€2.5 million) each, thus each obtaining 9% ownership stake in the bank. Ivanišević's finances became news again in August 2010 after reports of his Sunseeker Predator 72 motor
yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...
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. Ivanišević would deny this, saying that the yacht was returned due to mechanical defect. On 31 January 2013, after accumulating debts of HRK5.7 million (~€752,000), Ivanišević's company Sport Line filed for
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
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). 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. According to Croatian media reports, as of his company's 2013 bankruptcy proceedings, most of Ivanišević's
asset In financial accounting, an asset is any resource owned or controlled by a business or an economic entity. It is anything (tangible or intangible) that can be used to produce positive economic value. Assets represent value of ownership that can b ...
s—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).


Meje villa and Duilovo land controversy

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. 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 Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...
, which Ivanišević claimed would become his family home once he retires from playing tennis professionally. Furthermore, he managed to obtain approval for the land in Duilovo to be re-purposed from
green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
to sporting usage. 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. 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". Amid vociferous exchanges in the local Split-based press invoking "civic pride" and "investor flight out of the city", 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 A sauna (, ) is a room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a sauna is used to meas ...
, weight room, and
wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control s ...
. 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). 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. After more than four years on the market and multiple re-listings with a lower asking price—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—the villa (that had been listed for HRK31 million as of summer 2011) was in May 2012 sold to the
Hvar Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For''; ; ; ) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis (island), Vis and Korčula. Approximately long, with a high east–west ridge of M ...
-born,
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
-based Croatian businessman Stefano Vlahović for an undisclosed amount widely speculated to be less than half of the amount Ivanišević originally asked for. 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. 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, all of which was a prelude to Ivanišević selling the land in 2015 to the real estate developer Ciril Zovko.


Sports administration

In August 2005 Ivanišević got voted to be one of four vice-presidents of the
Croatian Olympic Committee The Croatian Olympic Committee (, HOO) is the non-profit organization representing Croatian athletes in the International Olympic Committee. The COC organizes Croatia's representatives at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. It also organizes the ...
(HOO) working under president
Zlatko Mateša Zlatko Mateša (; born 17 June 1949) is a Croatian politician who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 1995 to 2000. A member of the Croatian Democratic Union, Mateša is currently the president of the Croatian Olympic Committee and honora ...
.


Coaching


Marin Čilić (2013—2016)

In June 2013, in the wake of
Marin Čilić Marin Čilić (; born 28 September 1988) is a Croatian professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved on 28 January 2018. Čilić has won 21 ATP Tour-level si ...
'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. Čilić's suspension was eventually reduced to 4 months. Čilić won the 2014 US Open under Ivanišević's guidance. The two split after the 2016 Wimbledon where Čilić lost a tough five-set quarterfinal match to
Roger Federer Roger Federer ( , ; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 3 ...
having initially been up 2-sets-to-none.


Tomáš Berdych (2016—2017)

Only weeks after Ivanišević's split with Čilić,
Tomáš Berdych Tomáš Berdych (; born 17 September 1985) is a Czech former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 4 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved in May 2015. Berdych won 13 ATP Tour singles titles, i ...
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.


Milos Raonic (2018—2019)

In February 2018, the 31st-ranked ATP player and 2016 Wimbledon finalist
Milos Raonic Milos Raonic ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Раонић, Miloš Raonić, ; born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP ...
—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 The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...
in a first round upset to unseeded Lukáš Lacko—looked to hire a new coach by holding separate trials with
Jonas Björkman Jonas Lars Björkman (; born 23 March 1972) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He is a former world No. 1 in doubles, and also a former world No. 4 in singles. Björkman retired from professional tennis after competing at the 2008 ...
during the Delray Beach Open and Ivanišević during the Indian Wells Masters. 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. 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 A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...
instead of a coach.


Novak Djokovic (2019—2024)

On 30 June 2019,
Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...
confirmed that he had added Ivanišević to his coaching team. 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". On 27 March 2024,
Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...
announced their separation.


Elena Rybakina (2025–)

On 1 November 2024,
Elena Rybakina Elena Andreyevna Rybakina (born 17 June 1999) is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player. She has been WTA rankings, ranked world No. 3 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association, WTA, making her the first Kazakhstani ...
confirmed that she had hired Ivanišević as her new coach, with the partnership set to begin with the 2025 WTA Tour. After the Australian Open 2025, late January of the same year, he announced that he has ended his coaching stint with world number six Elena Rybakina after her Australian Open exit and it's trial period.


Personal life

During the early 1990s, several years after turning professional, young tennis player Ivanišević began dating the Croatian
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...
and 1990
beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...
winner Daniela Mihalić, two years his senior. The couple soon moved in together, residing in his properties in both Split and
Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
. The relationship ended in the mid 1990s after five years together; following the split, Mihalić would go on to marry football coach Nenad Gračan.


Marriages

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 Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...
'' magazine's September 1996 edition and subsequently obtaining her phone number by contacting her New York City-based
modeling agency A modeling agency is a company that represents model (person), fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and/or the head agency. The top agen ...
,
Elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...
. 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. He has one child, Oliver, with his second wife . His eldest son Emanuel is also playing tennis. In 2023, he has won U-16 Croatian doubles championships.


Political endorsements


Support for Croat generals indicted for war crimes

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 An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...
expressing their disapproval of the Croatian authorities' (under
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Ivica Račan Ivica Račan (; 24 February 1944 – 29 April 2007) was a Croatian politician who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 2000 to 2003, heading two centre-left coalition governments. Račan became the first prime minister of Croatia not to be a ...
) decision to co-operate with the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes in the Yugoslav Wars, war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to tr ...
(ICTY) in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
by handing over two Croatian Army generals indicted for
crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...
during
Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...
, Rahim Ademi and Ante Gotovina. 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 n the Yugoslav Warswhile its soldiers and generals were heroes". Among the other Croatian athletes that signed the letter were
Zvonimir Boban Zvonimir Boban (; born 8 October 1968) is a Croatian former professional footballer who works at UEFA as the Chief of Football. A midfielder, Boban played most of his career for Italian club AC Milan with whom he won four Serie A titles and one ...
, Alen Bokšić, Davor Šuker,
Slaven Bilić Slaven Bilić (; born 11 September 1968) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player. Bilić, who played as a defender, began his career in 1988 with his hometown club Hajduk Split, later having successful spells with Karls ...
, Igor Štimac, Aljoša Asanović,
Dino Rađa Dino Rađa (alternatively Radja, ; born 24 April 1967) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. He was a member of the Jugoplastika team of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which he helped to win two FIBA European Champions Cup champ ...
, and Stojko Vranković. The letter caused immediate reaction in Croatia, including (NSZ) sarcastically dismissing the signatories as "pro athletes on their
yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...
s and in their
Ferraris Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
howould 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". 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". For his part, when asked about the signature, Ivanišević himself claimed "to not remember signing it" but that he nevertheless "agrees with its points".


Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)

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 in television ads. 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 roatia led by Sanader and the HDZlearned 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 The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
". Also endorsing the HDZ on this campaign trail were other prominent Croatian sporting figures such as retired basketball star
Dino Rađa Dino Rađa (alternatively Radja, ; born 24 April 1967) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. He was a member of the Jugoplastika team of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which he helped to win two FIBA European Champions Cup champ ...
, 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 Slavko Goluža (born 17 September 1971) is a retired Croatian handball player and most recently coach of RK Zagreb. Club career Goluža was born in the village of Pješivac-Kula near Stolac. He began his career with RK Mehanika Metković. A ...
, 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. 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 delivering a tennis
pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...
into the camera by stating that he "trusts Sanader and his aces". 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.


See also

* List of Grand Slam men's singles champions


Filmography and television


Film


Television


Music videos


Video

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


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanisevic, Goran 1971 births Living people Croatian male tennis players Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco Franjo Bučar Award winners Hopman Cup competitors Laureus World Sports Awards winners Olympic bronze medalists for Croatia Tennis players from Split, Croatia Tennis players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Tennis players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics US Open (tennis) junior champions Wimbledon champions Yugoslav male tennis players Olympic medalists for Croatia in tennis Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Novak Djokovic coaches Croatian tennis coaches Grand Slam (tennis) champions in boys' doubles Masters tennis players International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees 21st-century Croatian sportsmen