Goran Ivanisevic is a retired Croatian tennis player born 13 September 1971 in Split. He is the only player in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title as a wildcard (Wimbledon 2001, ranked No. 125). He reached a career-high of world No. 2, won 22 ATP titles, hit a season-record 1,477 aces in 1996, and later coached Novak Djokovic to multiple Grand Slam titles between 2019 and 2024.
Personal & Background
- 1Full name: Goran Ivanišević
- 2Date of birth: 13 September 1971
- 3Place of birth: Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
- 4Nationality: Croatian
- 5Height: 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
- 6Playing hand: Left-handed
- 7Playing style: Serve and volley
- 8Father: Srđan Ivanisevic — first coach and primary tennis influence
- 9Turned professional: 1988, aged 16
- 10Retired: 2004
Rankings & Career Stats
- 11Career-high singles ranking: World No. 2 (achieved July 1994)
- 12Weeks at No. 2: 17 weeks total
- 13ATP singles titles: 22
- 14ATP doubles titles: 9
- 15Career singles record: 599 wins, 333 losses (64.3% win rate)
- 16Career prize money: Approximately $19.9 million USD
- 17Career-high doubles ranking: World No. 20
- 18Best surface by titles: Indoor carpet (14 of 22 titles)
- 19Titles on grass: 2 (including Wimbledon 2001)
- 20Titles on clay: 3
Grand Slam Record
- 21Grand Slam singles titles: 1 — Wimbledon 2001
- 22Grand Slam finals: 4 (all at Wimbledon — 1992, 1994, 1998, 2001)
- 23Wimbledon 1992 final: Lost to Andre Agassi 6–7, 6–4, 6–4, 1–6, 6–4
- 24Wimbledon 1994 final: Lost to Pete Sampras 7–6, 7–6, 6–0
- 25Wimbledon 1998 final: Lost to Pete Sampras 6–7, 0–6, 6–3, 2–6
- 26Wimbledon 2001 final: Defeated Pat Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7
- 27Best Australian Open result: Quarter-final (1996)
- 28Best Roland Garros result: Quarter-final (1993, 1996)
- 29Best US Open result: Semi-final (1990, 1996)
- 30Wimbledon ranking at 2001 entry: No. 125 — lowest-ranked Wimbledon champion in Open Era
Wimbledon 2001 — Key Facts
- 31Entry method: Wildcard — only player in Open Era to win a Grand Slam as a wildcard
- 32Opponents defeated en route: Jonsson, Moyá (No. 22), Roddick, Rusedski, Safin (No. 3), Henman (No. 6), Rafter (No. 4)
- 33Final date: Monday 9 July 2001 (delayed from Sunday by rain)
- 34Final score: Ivanisevic def. Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7
- 35Match points converted: Third match point (double-faulted on first two)
- 36Semi-final opponent: Tim Henman — match played across three rain-interrupted days
- 37Prize money 2001: £500,000
- 38Post-win ranking jump: From No. 125 to No. 16
- 39Crowd attendance at final: Sold to general public due to rain delay — unusually loud, dubbed "People's Monday"
- 40Aces in 2001 final: 18 aces in five sets
Serve Records & Aces
- 41Career ace total (est.): Approximately 10,183
- 42Season ace record: 1,477 aces in 1996 — was a season record at the time
- 43Wimbledon all-time ace record: 1,377 total — held the record until Roger Federer broke it in 2019
- 44Aces in 1992 Wimbledon final: 37 (one of the highest in a single Grand Slam final)
- 45First serve speed: Regularly above 200 km/h; peak recorded above 220 km/h
International Career & Coaching
- 46Olympic medals: Two bronze medals at 1992 Barcelona — singles and doubles (with Goran Prpić)
- Significance: Croatia's first-ever Olympic tennis medals as an independent nation
- 47Hall of Fame induction: International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, Rhode Island — 2020
- 48Coached Marin Cilic: 2013–2016 — Cilic won the 2014 US Open during this period
- 49Coached Novak Djokovic: December 2018–2024 — Djokovic won multiple Grand Slams and became all-time men's leader
- 50Unique distinction: One of very few people to win a Grand Slam both as a player (Wimbledon 2001) and as a coach (Cilic, US Open 2014)
Sources: ATP Tour · Wikipedia · International Tennis Hall of Fame · Wimbledon official.
All statistics refer to the ATP Tour era. Some pre-2000 serve data are estimates based on available tracking records.