Ivan Ljubičić

Born: March 19, 1979 in Banja Luka (Bosna i Hercegovina in Yugoslavia)
Height: 1.93 m
Plays: Right-handed

Due to the Yugoslav Wars in the early 90s, he emigrated with his parents to Italy, where he began his serious tennis voyage. Perhaps the traumatic experiences of the war induced post-traumatic stress disorder, which likely contributed to his hair loss, resulting in him remaining bald throughout his entire career. His teenage years coincided with Goran Ivanišević being one of the best players in the world. Because of this, Ljubičić modeled his serve after his famous compatriot – the toes of his front foot didn’t touch the surface in the first phase of preparation whilst the racquet was in a position below his waist. His booming serve allowed him to become a regular ATP player at the turn of the millennium, but his other shots required a lot of practice and improvement. A rather one-dimensional player, Ljubičić often suffered dramatic defeats. Notably, in 2002 (extending into the Australian swing of 2003), he lost seven matches in which he held match points (twenty match points in total!). There were also dramatic 2-set or 4-set defeats, the most famous being at the US Open ’01, where he lost in four tie-breaks to the defending champion, Marat Safin.
The Croat was a challenging opponent for all the top players, but he seemed capable of losing every tight match possible. His return games weren’t the only issue – the most severe case was at the Australian Open ’02, where he lost to Wayne Ferreira despite leading 6-4, 6-4, 5:1 and 5:3 (40/15) on his powerful serve. Unbelievable!
The hard work finally paid off in the years 2005-07. Ljubičić showcased his enhanced game, with a stable backhand and good volley skills, crucial for guys who serve very well. It all allowed him to be a Top 20 player for almost three years. The fruitful period began in the first quarter of 2005 as Ljubičić reached three hardcourt finals (Doha, Rotterdam, Dubai) and, quite amusingly, lost them all to his future pupil, Roger Federer, but twice making things complicated for the almost unbeatable Swiss. This was a huge boost of confidence for the 26-year-old Croat, who shortly after the third of those finals, stunned the United States in the first round of the Davis Cup. Ljubičić not only defeated higher-ranked Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, but he also – partnering with Mario Ančić – overcame the Bryan brothers, who had won 16 straight Davis Cup rubbers at the time. For Ljubičić it was the beginning of the sensational conquest of the Davis Cup for Croatia (in the final against the equally unexpected Slovakia). Before that triumph, Ljubičić had been the hottest player of European indoor Autumn ’05, winning 16 matches in a row (titles in Metz and Vienna) and almost another that could have meant his third straight indoor title (he led 2-0 in sets vs a teenage Rafael Nadal in Madrid). Ljubičić also lost to Nadal in his lone Grand Slam semifinal, in Paris, an unexpected venue for him. Although not a serve-and-volley specialist, he could have been more likely to reach the Wimbledon semifinal, assuming the tie-break ratio would be favorable for him.
With two more finals in Masters 1K events (Paris ’05, Miami ’06), Ljubičić’s career seemed to be defined. However, fortune favored him, and after relatively average years 2008-09, the 31-year-old Croat delivered the performance of his career at Indian Wells ’10. In hindsight, his path to the title is even more remarkable as he defeated Novak Đoković in the fourth round (the Serb had only won one major at the time). Two years after that triumph, “Ljubo” decided to conclude his career at Monte Carlo ’12 – his main-level journey began to flourish in Monaco ’99, stunning Andrei Medvedev and Yevgeny Kafelnikov in successive matches as a lucky loser. In the last entrance of his career, he was defeated by a fellow Croat and namesake, also born in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Međugorje) – Ivan Dodig.

Career record: 429–296 [292 events ]
Career titles: 10
Highest ranking: No. 3
Best GS results:
Australian Open (quarterfinal 2006)
Roland Garros (semifinal 2006)
Davis Cup champion 2005
World Team Cup champion 2006