 Ivanišević playing at a seniors' exhibition event as part ofVienna Open in October 2016. | |
| Country (sports) |  Yugoslavia (1988–1992) Croatia (1992–2004) |
|---|---|
| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Born | (1971-09-13)13 September 1971 (age 54) |
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Turned pro | 1988 |
| Retired | 2004 |
| Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$19,878,007 |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2020[1](member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 599–333 (64.3%) |
| Career titles | 22 |
| Highest ranking | No. 2 (4 July 1994) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1989,1994,1997) |
| French Open | QF (1990,1992,1994) |
| Wimbledon | W (2001) |
| US Open | SF (1996) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | SF (1992,1993,1996) |
| Grand Slam Cup | W (1995) |
| Olympic Games | SF (1992) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 262–225 (53.8%) |
| Career titles | 9 |
| Highest ranking | No. 20 (6 January 1992) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1990,1994) |
| French Open | F (1990,1999) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1989,1993) |
| US Open | QF (1997) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (2005) |
| Hopman Cup | W (1996) |
| Coaching career | |
| |
| Coaching achievements | |
| Coachee singles titles total | 30 |
| List of notable tournaments (with champion)
| |
Medal record | |
| Last updated on: 9 December 2023. | |
Goran Ivanišević (Croatian pronunciation:[ɡǒraniʋanǐːʃeʋitɕ];[2][3][4] born 13 September 1971) is a Croatian former professionaltennis player and current coach. He was ranked world No. 2 in men's singles by theAssociation of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in July 1994. Ivanišević won 22ATP Tour-level singles titles, including the2001 Wimbledon Championships. He is the only player to win aWimbledon singles title as awild card, achieving the feat while ranked world No. 125. He had previously been runner-up at Wimbledon in1992,1994, and1998. 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 (beforeRoger Federer broke it in 2019). He was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020.[5]
Following his playing career, Ivanišević coachedMarin Čilić from September 2013 to July 2016, leading Čilić to amajor title at the2014 US Open.[6] He then coachedNovak Djokovic from 2019 to 2024, leading Djokovic to nine major titles. He shortly coachedElena Rybakina in 2025,[7] before ending the partnership due to Rybakina's troubled relationship with her ex-coachStefano Vukov.
Goran is the son of Gorana (née Škaričić) and Srđan Ivanišević.[8] As a boy, he was trained byJelena Genčić. He turned professional in 1988 and, later that year, withRüdiger Haas, won his first career doubles title inFrankfurt. 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, knockingBoris Becker out of the first round of the French Open men's singles; he went on to reach the quarterfinals. He was also, withPetr 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 atStuttgart and helpedYugoslavia win theWorld Team Cup. He played in eight ties for Yugoslavia in theDavis Cup before quitting the team after the Croatiandeclaration 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 powerfulserve. For several years, he had moreaces 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 the1992 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 defeatedIvan Lendl,Stefan Edberg, andPete Sampras in succession.[11][12] Ivanišević's four set 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 facedAndre Agassi and was heavily favored to win; with both players attempting to win their firstGrand Slam title. Agassi eventually won in five sets.[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 theOlympic 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 theopening 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-championPete Sampras in straight sets.[19] Ivanišević reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 2 in July that year.
In 1995, Ivanišević won theGrand Slam Cup, beatingTodd Martin in the final in straight sets.[20] At Wimbledon, Ivanišević again lost in the semifinals to Sampras in five sets.
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 withIva Majoli to win the 1996Hopman Cup for Croatia.[21] That year Ivanišević also defeatedStefan 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 defeatMichael 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 aDavis Cup singles match on clay. Ivanišević defeated Muster in five sets, 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.[22]
Ivanišević finished runner-up in the French Open men's doubles in 1999 (withJeff 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 awild card for entry into the singles draw. He defeated former and future world No. 1 playersCarlos Moyá,Andy Roddick andMarat Safin as well asFredrik Jonsson andGreg Rusedski to reach the semifinal, beating home favouriteTim Henman in a five-set, rain-affected semifinal played over three days, considered a classic.[24][25][26] With the win, he set up a match with the previous year's runner-up and formerUS Open championPatrick Rafter. It was Ivanišević's first singles final since 1998. In a match lasting over three hours, Ivanišević defeated Rafter in five sets.[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 of100 Greatest Sporting Moments by a British television programme. Ivanišević dedicated his victory to Croatian basketball playerDražen Petrović.[29]
On 10 July 2001, Ivanišević received a hero's welcome in his home city ofSplit 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 theBBC 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 toLleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon, held on the Centre Court, the scene of his greatest triumph.
In 2005, he was part of theCroatian Davis Cup team that won theDavis Cup, although he did not play.[32]
Ivanišević playedfootball for the Croatian teamHajduk Split in 2001.[33] A supporter of English teamWest 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 playedQueens Park Rangers atLoftus 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 captainZvonimir Boban. Ivanišević scored the goal for 1–1 (the game ended 2–1 for the International stars).
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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.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1992 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Andre Agassi | 7–6(10–8), 4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1994 | Wimbledon | Grass | Pete Sampras | 6–7(2–7), 6–7(5–7), 0–6 |
| Loss | 1998 | Wimbledon | Grass | Pete Sampras | 7–6(7–2), 6–7(9–11), 4–6, 6–3, 2–6 |
| Win | 2001 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Patrick Rafter | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1990 | French Open | Clay |  Petr Korda |  Sergio CasalEmilio Sánchez | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1999 | French Open | Clay | Jeff Tarango |  Mahesh BhupathiLeander Paes | 2–6, 5–7 |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1995 | Grand Slam Cup | Carpet (i) | Todd Martin | 7–6(7–4), 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1996 | Grand Slam Cup | Carpet (i) |  Boris Becker | 3–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1992 | Stockholm | Carpet (i) |  Guy Forget | 7–6(7–2), 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–2 |
| Loss | 1993 | Rome | Clay | Jim Courier | 1–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1993 | Stockholm | Carpet (i) | Michael Stich | 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 6–7(3–7), 2–6 |
| Win | 1993 | Paris | Carpet (i) |  Andrei Medvedev | 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(7–2) |
| Loss | 1994 | Stockholm | Carpet (i) | Boris Becker | 6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Loss | 1995 | Hamburg | Clay | Andrei Medvedev | 3–6, 2–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1996 | Miami | Hard | Andre Agassi | 0–3 ret. |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1991 | Rome | Clay |  Omar Camporese | Laurie WarderLuke Jensen | 6–2, 6–3 |
|
|
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | May 1989 | Florence, Italy | Clay |  Horacio de la Peña | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2. | May 1990 | Umag,Yugoslavia | Clay | Goran Prpić | 3–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Win | 1. | Jul 1990 | Stuttgart Outdoor, West Germany | Clay | Guillermo Pérez Roldán | 6–7(2–7), 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(7–5) |
| Loss | 3. | Aug 1990 | Long Island, US | Hard |  Stefan Edberg | 6–7(3–7), 3–6 |
| Loss | 4. | Sep 1990 | Bordeaux, France | Clay | Guy Forget | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 5. | Sep 1990 | Basel, Switzerland | Carpet (i) | John McEnroe | 7–6(7–4), 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2. | Jun 1991 | Manchester, UK | Grass | Pete Sampras | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 6. | Aug 1991 | New Haven, US | Hard | Petr Korda | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 3. | Dec 1991 | Adelaide, Australia | Hard | Christian Bergström | 1–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–4 |
| Loss | 7. | Feb 1992 | Milan, Italy | Carpet (i) | Omar Camporese | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 4. | Feb 1992 | Stuttgart Indoor, Germany | Carpet (i) | Stefan Edberg | 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 8. | Jul 1992 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Andre Agassi | 7–6(10–8), 4–6, 4–6, 6–1, 4–6 |
| Win | 5. | Oct 1992 | Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | Stefan Edberg | 6–4, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 6. | Oct 1992 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | Guy Forget | 7–6(7–2), 4–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–2 |
| Loss | 9. | Jan 1993 | Doha, Qatar | Hard | Boris Becker | 6–7(4–7), 6–4, 5–7 |
| Loss | 10. | May 1993 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Jim Courier | 1–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 7. | Sep 1993 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay |  Andrei Cherkasov | 6–2, 7–6(7–5) |
| Win | 8. | Oct 1993 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet (i) |  Thomas Muster | 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 7–6(7–3) |
| Loss | 11. | Oct 1993 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | Michael Stich | 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 6–7(3–7), 2–6 |
| Win | 9. | Nov 1993 | Paris Indoor, France | Carpet (i) | Andrei Medvedev | 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(7–2) |
| Loss | 12. | Feb 1994 | Stuttgart Indoor, Germany | Carpet (i) | Stefan Edberg | 6–4, 4–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 13. | Jun 1994 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Pete Sampras | 6–7(2–7), 6–7(5–7), 0–6 |
| Win | 10. | Aug 1994 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | Fabrice Santoro | 6–2, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 14. | Sep 1994 | Bucharest, Romania | Clay | Franco Davín | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 11. | Oct 1994 | Tokyo Indoor, Japan | Carpet (i) | Michael Chang | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 15. | Oct 1994 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | Boris Becker | 6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Loss | 16. | May 1995 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Andrei Medvedev | 3–6, 2–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 12. | Dec 1995 | Grand Slam Cup, Munich | Carpet (i) | Todd Martin | 7–6(7–4), 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 17. | Jan 1996 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Hard | Todd Martin | 7–5, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 13. | Jan 1996 | Zagreb, Croatia | Carpet (i) | Cédric Pioline | 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 14. | Feb 1996 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Albert Costa | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 18. | Feb 1996 | Antwerp, Belgium | Carpet (i) | Michael Stich | 3–6, 2–6, 6–7(5–7) |
| Win | 15. | Feb 1996 | Milan, Italy | Carpet (i) |  Marc Rosset | 6–3, 7–6(7–3) |
| Win | 16. | Mar 1996 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet (i) |  Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 19. | Mar 1996 | Key Biscayne, US | Hard | Andre Agassi | 0–3, ret. |
| Loss | 20. | Aug 1996 | Indianapolis, US | Hard | Pete Sampras | 6–7(3–7), 5–7 |
| Win | 17. | Nov 1996 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet (i) | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 3–6, 6–1, 6–3 |
| Loss | 21. | Dec 1996 | Grand Slam Cup, Munich | Carpet (i) | Boris Becker | 3–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 18. | Jan 1997 | Zagreb, Croatia | Carpet (i) |  Greg Rusedski | 7–6(7–4), 4–6, 7–6(8–6) |
| Loss | 22. | Feb 1997 | Dubai, UAE | Hard | Thomas Muster | 5–7, 6–7(3–7) |
| Win | 19. | Feb 1997 | Milan, Italy | Carpet (i) | Sergi Bruguera | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 23. | Jun 1997 | Queen's Club, UK | Grass | Mark Philippoussis | 5–7, 3–6 |
| Win | 20. | Oct 1997 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet (i) | Greg Rusedski | 3–6, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–4), 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 21. | Feb 1998 | Split, Croatia | Carpet (i) | Greg Rusedski | 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–5) |
| Loss | 24. | Jun 1998 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Pete Sampras | 7–6(7–2), 6–7(9–11), 4–6, 6–3, 2–6 |
| Loss | 25. | Aug 1998 | New Haven, US | Hard |  Karol Kučera | 4–6, 7–5, 2–6 |
| Loss | 26. | Oct 1998 | Shanghai, China | Carpet | Michael Chang | 6–4, 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 27. | Nov 1998 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 6–7(2–7), 6–7(5–7) |
| Win | 22. | Jul 2001 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Patrick Rafter | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7 |
|
|
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
| YUG | 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 asStockholm Masters until 1994,Stuttgart Masters from 1995 to 2001.
| YUG | 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 | Q2 | 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 | Q2 | 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 asStockholm Masters until 1994,Stuttgart Masters from 1995 to 2001.
| 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. | Kent Carlsson | 9 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | 2R | 7–5, 4–6, 6–1 | 71 |
| 2. | Alberto Mancini | 10 | Palermo, Italy | Clay | QF | 3–6, 7–5, 6–4 | 56 |
| 3. | Jakob Hlasek | 9 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) | 2R | 4–6, 6–3, 7–5 | 46 |
| 1990 | |||||||
| 4. | Boris Becker | 3 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | 1R | 5–7, 6–4, 7–5, 6–2 | 51 |
| 5. | Emilio Sánchez | 9 | Stuttgart, Germany | Clay | SF | 6–4, 6–4 | 24 |
| 6. | John McEnroe | 9 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | 3R | 6–4, 6–4 | 11 |
| 1991 | |||||||
| 7. | Stefan Edberg | 2 | Davis Cup, Zagreb, Yugoslavia | Clay (i) | RR | 6–4, 6–2 | 7 |
| 8. | Pete Sampras | 9 | Manchester, United Kingdom | Grass | F | 6–4, 6–4 | 11 |
| 9. | Andre Agassi | 8 | Sydney, Australia | Hard (i) | QF | 7–5, 7–6(7–3) | 19 |
| 10. | Andre Agassi | 8 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet (i) | QF | 6–3, 6–4 | 16 |
| 11. | Guy Forget | 6 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | 3R | 7–6(15–13), 7–6(7–5) | 15 |
| 1992 | |||||||
| 12. | Jim Courier | 1 | Stuttgart, Germany | Carpet (i) | QF | 3–6, 7–6(7–2), 7–6(10–8) | 9 |
| 13. | Stefan Edberg | 2 | Stuttgart, Germany | Carpet (i) | F | 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 | 9 |
| 14. | Carlos Costa | 10 | French Open, Paris, France | Clay | 4R | 6–3, 4–6, 6–1, 6–1 | 9 |
| 15. | Stefan Edberg | 2 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | QF | 6–7(10–12), 7–5, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3 | 8 |
| 16. | Pete Sampras | 3 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | SF | 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–5), 6–4, 6–2 | 8 |
| 17. | Stefan Edberg | 3 | Sydney, Australia | Hard (i) | F | 6–4, 6–2, 6–4 | 8 |
| 18. | Boris Becker | 10 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | QF | 7–5, 6–4 | 7 |
| 19. | Stefan Edberg | 3 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | SF | 6–4, 7–6(10–8) | 7 |
| 20. | Michael Chang | 5 | ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, Germany | Carpet (i) | RR | 7–6(7–4), 6–2 | 4 |
| 21. | Jim Courier | 1 | ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, Germany | Carpet (i) | RR | 6–3, 6–3 | 4 |
| 22. |  Richard Krajicek | 10 | ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, Germany | Carpet (i) | RR | 6–4, 6–3 | 4 |
| 1993 | |||||||
| 23. | Pete Sampras | 1 | Rome, Italy | Clay | SF | 7–6(7–4), 6–2 | 6 |
| 24. | Thomas Muster | 9 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet (i) | F | 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 7–6(7–3) | 12 |
| 25. | Michael Chang | 7 | Paris, France | Carpet (i) | 3R | 7–6(7–5), 7–5 | 11 |
| 26. | Pete Sampras | 1 | Paris, France | Carpet (i) | QF | 7–6(7–3), 7–5 | 11 |
| 27. | Stefan Edberg | 6 | Paris, France | Carpet (i) | SF | 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–3) | 11 |
| 28. | Andriy Medvedev | 8 | Paris, France | Carpet (i) | F | 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(7–2) | 11 |
| 29. | Sergi Bruguera | 4 | ATP Tour World Championships, Frankfurt, Germany | Carpet (i) | RR | 6–4, 7–6(7–4) | 8 |
| 30. | 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. | Boris Becker | 10 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | SF | 6–2, 7–6(8–6), 6–4 | 5 |
| 32. | Stefan Edberg | 5 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet (i) | SF | 6–4, 6–4 | 2 |
| 33. | Michael Chang | 9 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet (i) | F | 6–4, 6–4 | 2 |
| 34. | Andre Agassi | 8 | Stockholm, Sweden | Carpet (i) | QF | 6–1, 3–6, 7–6(10–8) | 2 |
| 35. | Boris Becker | 3 | Grand Slam Cup, Munich, Germany | Carpet (i) | QF | 6–4, 6–1 | 5 |
| 1995 | |||||||
| 36. | Alberto Berasategui | 7 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | QF | 1–6, 6–4, 6–4 | 9 |
| 37. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 9 | World Team Cup, Düsseldorf, Germany | Clay | RR | 6–4, 7–6(7–4) | 4 |
| 38. | Magnus Larsson | 10 | World Team Cup, Düsseldorf, Germany | Clay | F | 6–4, 6–4 | 4 |
| 39. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 7 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | QF | 7–5, 7–6(13–11), 6–3 | 6 |
| 40. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 6 | Grand Slam Cup, Munich, Germany | Carpet (i) | SF | 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 | 10 |
| 1996 | |||||||
| 41. |  Wayne Ferreira | 10 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Hard | QF | 6–2, 6–1 | 9 |
| 42. | Boris Becker | 4 | Antwerp, Belgium | Carpet (i) | SF | 6–4, 7–6(7–5) | 9 |
| 43. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 8 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | Carpet (i) | F | 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 | 6 |
| 44. | Michael Chang | 4 | Miami, United States | Hard | QF | 6–4, 6–4 | 6 |
| 45. | Pete Sampras | 2 | Miami, United States | Hard | SF | 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 | 6 |
| 46. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 3 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet (i) | F | 3–6, 6–1, 6–3 | 4 |
| 47. | Thomas Muster | 5 | ATP Tour World Championships, Hanover, Germany | Carpet (i) | RR | 6–4, 6–4 | 4 |
| 48. | Richard Krajicek | 8 | ATP Tour World Championships, Hanover, Germany | Carpet (i) | RR | 6–4, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–1) | 4 |
| 49. | 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. | 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. | Michael Chang | 2 | World Team Cup, Düsseldorf, Germany | Clay | RR | 6–2, 2–6, 6–3 | 4 |
| 52. | 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. | Greg Rusedski | 8 | Split, Croatia | Carpet (i) | F | 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–5) | 16 |
| 54. | Greg Rusedski | 5 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | 3R | 6–4, 6–2 | 23 |
| 1999 | |||||||
| 55. | Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 2 | Basel, Switzerland | Carpet (i) | QF | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 | 44 |
| 56. |  Gustavo Kuerten | 5 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (i) | 1R | 6–1, 6–7(2–7), 6–4 | 43 |
| 2001 | |||||||
| 57. | Thomas Enqvist | 9 | Indian Wells, United States | Hard | 2R | 7–6(7–1), 6–3 | 126 |
| 58. | Marat Safin | 3 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | QF | 7–6(7–2), 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(7–3) | 125 |
| 59. | Pat Rafter | 10 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | F | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7 | 125 |
| 60. | Gustavo Kuerten | 1 | Tennis Masters Cup, Sydney, Australia | Hard (i) | RR | 6–2, 6–7(2–7), 6–4 | 13 |
Right after retiring from the ATP Tour in 2004, Ivanišević started playing on theATP Champions Tour (seniors' circuit).
In 2005, he was a member of theCroatian team for theDavis Cupfinal againstSlovakia inBratislava, 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 withMario Ančić,Ivo Karlović,Ivan Ljubičić and team captainNikola Pilić.
In June 2006, he performed in theCalderstones Park tournament in Liverpool. In November of the same year, Ivanišević won the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions tournament in Frankfurt, defeatingJohn McEnroe 7–6(12), 7–6(1).
In 2007,Roger Federer, seeking his5th consecutive Wimbledon title againstRafael Nadal in thefinal, 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 coachingNovak Djokovic.
On 17 July, Ivanišević faced Rafter once again in an exhibition match on2019 Croatia Open Umag. The match was held to celebrate 18th "birthday" of the famous2001 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.
Retiring in 2004 also allowed thirty-three-year-old Ivanišević to devote more attention to investing in thereal estate andconstruction industries, which he had already been involved with since 1998, conducting the activities through the simultaneously registered Sport Linelimited 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 luxuryapartment 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 withGlobus 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 theDaily 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 activeAC Milan footballerDario Šimić, retired basketball playerIvica Žurić as well as businessmen Marijan Šarić, Mate Šarić, and Batheja Pramod—for a jointHRK93 million (~€12.5 million) investment into the addedmarket capitalization ofKarlovačka 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 hisSunseeker Predator 72 motoryacht being repossessed by Hypo Leasing Kroatien, a subsidiary ofHypo 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 forbankruptcy 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'sassets—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]
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 theMarjan 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 Spliturban 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 1,000m2modernistvilla, 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 fromgreen 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, andwine 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 fellowSplićani 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 agencySavills 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 theHvar-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]
In August 2005 Ivanišević got voted to be one of four vice-presidents of theCroatian Olympic Committee (HOO) working under presidentZlatko Mateša.[69]
In June 2013, in the wake ofMarin Čilić's doping-related nine-month suspension that came into effect in the middle of his2013 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 the2014 US Open under Ivanišević's guidance.[71] The two split after the2016 Wimbledon where Čilić lost a tough five-set quarterfinal match toRoger Federer having initially been up 2-sets-to-none.
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 at2016 Western & Southern Open.
In early June 2017, immediately after Berdych's second round upset loss to unseededKaren Khachanov at the2017 French Open, the 14th-ranked ATP player Berdych fired his coach Ivanišević.[72]
In February 2018, the 31st-ranked ATP player and2016 Wimbledon finalistMilos 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 theAustralian Open in a first round upset to unseededLukáš Lacko—looked to hire a new coach by holding separate trials withJonas Björkman during theDelray Beach Open and Ivanišević during theIndian Wells Masters.[73][74] Soon after, having made the semifinals at Indian Wells, Raonic hired Ivanišević.
Ivanišević coached Raonic until just before the2019 Indian Wells Masters, when Raonic announced that he would be getting a new coachFabrice 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 apsychiatrist instead of a coach.[76]
On 30 June 2019,Novak Djokovic confirmed that he had added Ivanišević to his coaching team.[77] Working alongside Djokovic's existing coachMarian Vajda, Ivanišević's first order of business was the2019 Wimbledon. However, due to a previously agreed commitment—exhibition match versusGoran Prpić ahead of the2019 Croatia Open inUmag—he could be with Djokovic at Wimbledon for only the first week of the tournament, thus missing Djokovic'sepic 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]
On 1 November 2024,Elena Rybakina confirmed that she had hired Ivanišević as her new coach, with the partnership set to begin with the2025 WTA Tour.[80][81]
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.[82][83]
In May 2025 it was announced that Ivanisevic was hired as coach byStefanos Tsitsipas.[84] The partnership ended in July 2025 after just two months, following public criticism from Ivanišević regarding Tsitsipas's fitness and preparation levels after the Greek player's first-round retirement at Wimbledon due to injury.[85]
During the early 1990s, several years after turning professional, young tennis player Ivanišević began dating the Croatianmodel and 1990Queen of the World [nl]beauty pageant winner Daniela Mihalić, two years his senior.[86] The couple soon moved in together, residing in his properties in both Split andMonte Carlo.[87] The relationship ended in the mid-1990s after five years together; following the split, Mihalić would go on to marry football coachNenad Gračan.[88]
In 1998, 27-year-old Ivanišević began dating 17-year-old Serbian-Croatian model Tatjana Dragović after reportedly seeing her on the cover of theCosmopolitan magazine's September 1996 edition and subsequently obtaining her phone number by contacting her New York City-basedmodeling agency,Elite.[89][90][91] 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.[92][93]
He has one child, Oliver, with his second wifeNives Čanović [hr].
His eldest son Emanuel is also playing tennis. In 2023, he has won U-16 Croatian doubles championships.[94]
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 anopen letter expressing their disapproval of the Croatian authorities' (underPrime MinisterIvica Račan) decision to co-operate with theInternational Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) inThe Hague by handing over twoCroatian Army generals indicted forcrimes against humanity duringYugoslav Wars,Rahim Ademi andAnte Gotovina.[95][96][97][98] 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".[95][97][98] Among the other Croatian athletes that signed the letter wereZvonimir Boban,Alen Bokšić,Davor Šuker,Slaven Bilić,Igor Štimac,Aljoša Asanović,Dino Rađa, andStojko Vranković.[95][96][97]
The letter caused immediate reaction in Croatia, includingScience and Higher Education Union [hr] (NSZ) sarcastically dismissing the signatories as "pro athletes on theiryachts and in theirFerraris [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".[99] 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".[99] For his part, when asked about the signature, Ivanišević himself claimed "to not remember signing it" but that he nevertheless "agrees with its points".[99]
Throughout 2007, ahead of the2007 Croatian parliamentary election, retired tennis player Ivanišević participated in promoting the rulingCroatian Democratic Union (HDZ) of incumbent Prime MinisterIvo Sanader via personal appearances at campaign stops and in television ads.[100][101]
At a late June 2007 rally at theDražen 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 thebackhand,forehand, andbaseline play; and in the last 10 years we've mastered theserve; now, we have to learn net play by beingacceptedinto theEuropean Union".[102][103][104] Also endorsing the HDZ on this campaign trail were other prominent Croatian sporting figures such as retired basketball starDino Rađa, active footballersNiko Kovač andTomislav Butina, retired water polo playerZdeslav Vrdoljak, retired basketball playersFranjo Arapović andStojko Vranković, handball coachLino Červar, retired handballerSlavko Goluža, football administratorsZdravko andZoran Mamić, boxerStipe Drviš, active water polo playersTeo Đogaš,Mile Smodlaka, andJosip Pavić, and active handballersIvano Balić,Petar Metličić, andRenato Sulić.[101][102][103][105]
Weeks prior to the election, the HDZ released a number of televisionads with the sporting figures endorsing the party. One such ad features Ivanišević delivering a tennispun into the camera by stating that he "trusts Sanader and his aces".[105][106][107] 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.[108]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | Wimbledon Official Film 2001 | Himself | |
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | Mjenjačnica | Himself | |
| Music Videos | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Artist | Title | Notes |
| 2007 | Nina Badrić | "Da se opet tebi vratim" | Croatian music video |
Gòran
Ivaníšević
Ivaníšević
| 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 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 |
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