Goran Ivanisevic has found plenty of success in his coaching career so far, which began in 2013 when he took Marin Cilic under his wing.
Ivanisevic helped his Croatian compatriot Cilic secure his first and only Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2014, and afterwards enjoyed brief player-coach relationships with Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic.
In 2019, he was appointed by Novak Djokovic, whom he guided to nine major titles and seven ATP Masters 1000 crowns.
Despite unsuccessful stints in recent times, including Ivanisevic’s short-lived spell with Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 53-year-old has done more than enough to cement himself as a top coach.
His new career came just under a decade after calling it a day on his playing career in 2004, which he has been reflecting on after parting ways with Tsitsipas.
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty ImagesThe player that ‘destroyed’ Goran Ivanisevic’s life in his playing days
Ivanisevic enjoyed many triumphs during his days on the ATP Tour and made multiple deep runs at Grand Slam events.
He reached his first major final at Wimbledon in 1992, but lost to Andre Agassi over five sets, in what marked the American’s first title at the All England Club.
In 1994, Ivanisevic advanced to the final again in SW19, this time falling to Pete Sampras, losing to the American in straight sets on Centre Court.
Four years later, he returned to the championship match at Wimbledon for the third time, where he suffered defeat to Sampras once more.
Despite finally winning the tournament in 2001, Ivanisevic told Sportal that losing to the 14-time Grand Slam champion at the last hurdle twice was incredibly tough to take.
He said: “That man destroyed a lot of my life, dreams, sleep, nerves. I can’t forgive him for that.”
Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty ImagesGoran Ivanisevic’s unlikely 2001 Wimbledon triumph
After a fourth-round finish in 1999 and a first-round exit in 2000, many would have thought Ivanisevic’s chances of winning Wimbledon were gone, but in 2001, he did the unthinkable.
The 29-year-old finally hoisted the famous trophy that year, becoming the first unseeded player to win the championship since Boris Becker in 1985, and the first and only wildcard to lift a men’s singles major title.
Goran Ivanisevic’s route to the Wimbledon title in 2001
After victories over Carlos Moya, Andy Roddick, and Tim Henman, he beat Patrick Rafter in the final to win it all.
Following the triumph, his ranking improved by 109 places, going from world number 125 to 16.