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Croatia tennis – Davis Cup
Winning the Davis Cup in December was the proudest sporting moment in Croatia’s fifteen year history. A new postage stamp commemorated the great victory, and on a special public holiday there was dancing in the street to honour returning heroes Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic.
national
Service he Davis Cup fits awkwardly in the money-spinning world of modern tennis. With only national pride at stake, many players regard it as a distraction from their crowded schedule of tournaments and the race for ranking points. Federer ducked the event this year, claiming he needed a rest. Hewitt found an excuse too, while Henman announced in early 2005 that he had played his last match for his country.
T
The Croats take a different view: playing
IVAN LJUBICIC
foundation for Croatia’s success and is the
Croatia’s number one player
best since John McEnroe went 12-0 in 1982.
was born in March 1979 at a
Ivan’s most impressive performance was
small village near Banja Luka,
in the first round, when he won all three
now in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
points in Croatia's 3-2 victory over USA in
When Bosnian Serb forces began "cleansing"
Los Angeles, defeating Agassi in the opening
the area of Moslems and Croats in 1992 the
rubber and Roddick in five sets to clinch the
Ljubicic family fled to Rijeka. With several
tie. In between, Ljubicic and Ancic had
other refugee tennis players, Ivan accepted
beaten the world's top doubles team, the
an invitation to live and train at a club near
Bryan twins, on an outdoor court that had
Turin, but remained committed to playing
been chosen to suit the Americans’ game. Although his coach is Italian
for their country still means something to
for Croatia and won the national junior
them. Goran Ivanisevic set the example of
championships in Rijeka in 1995.
and his fitness trainer
sporting patriotism over a long and
In 1997 he made contact with Riccardo
a Spaniard,
illustrious Davis Cup career. After his
Patti, who remains his coach, and began his
retirement Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic
slow climb up the world rankings.
picked up the torch. These two brought the Davis Cup to Croatia. The final against Slovakia was played out
Marriage may cause some athletes to take their eye off the ball, but it did
in Bratislava in front of a crowd of only
no harm to Ivan
4,000 spectators, but Croatia’s team captain
Ljubicic who tied the
Niki Pilic was in no doubt about the
knot with his girlfriend
importance of the event, which he described
Aida in Monte Carlo in
as his personal Mount Everest. Pilic had
November 2004 and went
previously led the German team to Davis
on to enjoy his best season to
Cup victory in 1988, ’89 and ’93. “This is
date, winning two ATP titles
quite different,” he said afterwards. "What's
and more indoor matches than
important is winning with my own people.
any other player; and finishing in
For us it's an historic moment. Just because
the world's Top 10 for the first time.
some nations are bigger, it doesn't mean they
His 2005 Davis Cup record - 7-1 in
are better than we are.”
singles, 4-0 in doubles - was the
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