Mario Ančić

Born: March 30, 1984 in Split (Dalmacija in Yugoslavia)
Height: 1.95 m
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

It’s a pity that Ančić retired prematurely (due to mononucleosis, which struck him at just 23), but I don’t consider him an underachiever. Given his potential, I believe he had a short, but nice career and etched his name into the history books by clinching the decisive fifth rubber in the Davis Cup 2005 final (against an obscure Slovak Michal Mertiňák, born in 1979 – it’d be hard for Ančić to imagine a weaker opponent for the most important match of his career). This is a feat most tennis players could only dream of. “I played very aggressively, I felt everything was under my control,” Ančić said after the biggest victory of his life. “It’s an unforgettable match and an unforgettable day. This has been a spectacular year for me.” While Ivan Ljubičić contributed considerably more to Croatia’s success that year, Ančić had the honor of delivering the final blow. It’s worth mentioning that Ančić, alongside Ljubičić, won all four Davis Cup doubles rubbers in 2005 (including a stunning victory over the Bryan brothers). A year earlier, the pair had already claimed the bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics after an epic third-place match.
Personally, Ančić was a slight disappointment for me. He began his career around the time Richard Krajicek (my favorite player for over a decade) retired, and I hoped Ančić would, in some ways, fill the Dutchman’s shoes. There were similarities: roughly the same height and weight, the same racquet (Yonex), similar offensive attitude, and even the same coach – Australian Rohan Goetzke. However, before their split in 2005, it became clear that Ančić wasn’t cut out to be a Grand Slam or even Masters Series champion (ultimately just one semifinal at this level).
Ančić tried to adopt a serve-and-volley style on faster surfaces, but his serve wasn’t as dominant as Krajicek’s, especially during the era of slowing court speeds in the early/mid 2000s. He also lacked the effortless ground-strokes of his mentor, Goran Ivanišević, and didn’t possess Ivanišević’s audacity to play risky shots in crucial moments which reflected in a very poor record of deciding tie-breaks. While he was dubbed “Baby Goran,” the nickname only held true in terms of being Ivanišević’s protégé. “Super Mario” – referring to the main player character of a Nintendo game – was a slight exaggeration too. None of his shots could be called “super”, everything was just very solid.
Despite winning barely three titles (all equivalents of “ATP 250”), Ančić boasts a quite impressive Grand Slam résumé: a Wimbledon semifinal (2004) and three quarterfinals (Wimbledon 2006 and 2008, Roland Garros 2006). Notably, he lost all those three quarterfinals to Roger Federer, the same player he famously defeated in his Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon 2002. Another peculiar aspect of Ančić’s career is that he lost three ATP finals (Milan ’04, Scottsdale ’05, and Tokyo ’05) to veterans who claimed their only titles by defeating him.
One unique trait of Ančić’s game was his tendency to make fist-pumps after losing points – a form of perverse positive thinking, as if to say: <<You lost the point, but don’t worry. You’re playing aggressively and the right way. Keep it up.>> The penultimate match of Ančić’s professional career turned into a disaster of unprecedented proportions. In the first round of the Ostrava ’10 Challenger, he lost to Ivo Minář 6-4, 4-6, 5-7 despite leading 3:1 in the 2nd, and 5:0* (40/0) in the deciding set!

Career record: 208–135 [ 128 events ]
Career titles: 3
Highest ranking: No. 7
Best GS results:
Roland Garros (quarterfinal 2006)
Wimbledon (semifinal 2004; quarterfinal 2006 & 08)
Davis Cup champion 2005
World Team Cup champion 2006