Tennis in
Croatia

Croatia has produced both men and women’s slam champions and two Davis Cup titles. You don’t have to look too hard to understand why- Croatia has a deep love of sport and Croatians have a fiercely competitive spirit.

Ljubicic Tennis Academy

Led by the last coach of Roger Federer, the academy is located in Lošinj, a true hidden gem of the Mediterranean.

History of tennis development in the country

The Croatian Tennis Federation started in 1990. Tennis already had a high profile in the Croatian sporting world. Zeljko Franulovic reached the 1970 French Open final, Niki Pilic reached the 1973 Roland Garros final and their feats put the game in the spotlight when Croatia was part of Yugoslavia. That success on clay was due to clay being the main surface in the country and it continues to be the predominant surface.

However, it was grass court tennis which inspired young Croats when Goran Ivanisevic contested the 1992 Wimbledon final versus Andre Agassi.

In 1993, Croatia competed for the first time in the Davis Cup. They went on to win the title in 2005 and 2018.

Croatia has regional tennis centers which have grown over the decades as more money has been invested in tennis.

Famous players

Goran Ivanisevic is the country’s most famous player and is considered a national hero. After finishing runner up at Wimbledon in 1992, 1994 and 1998, Ivansevic finally won the tournament in 2001 in a riveting five set final versus Australia’s Pat Rafter.

Did you know?

The 2001 Wimbledon final was played on a Monday, the first time in the tournament’s history. Also, Goran Ivanisevic won the tournament as a wild card! The final, in which the Croat defeated Australia’s Pat Rafter, is considered a classic and ended in thrilling style. Ivanisevic won the final set 9-7 and double faulted on the first two match points. Rafter saved the third match point with a winning lob, but on the fourth match point, Ivanisevic finally won the title with a service winner. If you want to feel goosebumps, the image of Ivanisevic collapsing on the grass after converting his fourth championship point will do it!

Marin Cilic won the US Open in 2014 and reached two other Major finals, losing both to Roger Federer in Federer’s 19th and 20th slam tournament wins. Cilic’s coach was the last Croatian man to win a slam before him- Goran Ivanisevic.

Iva Majoli upset Martina Hingis in the 1997 Roland Garros womens’ final.

Mirjana Lucic Baroni was a teen phenom who reached the 1999 Wimbledon semi-finals.

Ivo Karlovic is one of the greatest servers of all time. Here are some of his records:

• Owns ATP Tour record with 13,653 career aces
• Has played 798 tiebreaks (398-400) in 713 matches (370-343).
• Holds single-match ace records for ATP Tour (45), Australian Open (75), Roland Garros (55), US Open (61) and Davis Cup (career-high 78).

Ivan Ljubicic is a former world No.3. He was the 2010 Indian Wells champion, beating Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick on his way to the title.

Mario Ancic beat Roger in the Wimbledon 2002 first round. Ancic also won the decisive rubber for Croatia in the 2005 Davis Cup final.

Borna Coric has posted wins over Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. He even beat Roger Federer on grass in an ATP 500 Halle final, in 2018.

Other players:

• Donna Vekic has reached the last sixteen of all the slams and made the 2019 US Open quarter finals.
• Karolina Sprem upset Venus Williams in the second round of Wimbledon 2004.
• Ivan Dodig was the 2015 French Open mens’ doubles champion with Brazil’s Marcelo Melo and was ranked No.4 in doubles. He has also won the mixed doubles titles at the French Open (twice) and Wimbledon.
• Mate Pavic has won two mens’ doubles slams and two mixed doubles slam titles. In May 2018, he became the world’s No.1 mens’ doubles player.
• Nikola Mektic won the doubles title at the 2020 ATP World Tour Finals.

Successes of the national teams

Croatia won the Davis Cup in 2005 and 2018.

In the 2002 Fed Cup, Croatia beat the Czech Republic and reached the quarter-finals, losing to Austria.

At the Olympics, Croatia has won 3 bronze medals. Ivanisevic won 2 of them at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics; Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic won the other, in doubles, at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Tournaments in the country

Umag, one of Croatian tennis’ hubs, hosts a clay tournament in July. Champions have included Thomas Muster, Carlos Moya, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic.

Coaches and tennis academies

Croatia has earned a reputation for producing some of the best tennis coaches in the world. According to tennis coach Nick Horvat, 12 Croatian coaches were working with top 100 players in 2020.

Former ATP player Zelko Krajan coached Russia’s Dinara Safina to 3 slam finals and world No.1 in 2008/09.

Ivan Ljubicic coaches Switzerland’s Roger Federer. The pair partnered up at the beginning of 2016 with Ljubicic replacing tennis legend Stefan Edberg. Ljubicic helped Federer come back from a six month break from the tour to win the Australian Open ‘17 and a further two grand slams as well as reclaim the No.1 ranking at the age of 36, the oldest man to achieve that feat. Ivan Ljubicic now runs his Ljubicic Tennis Academy in beautiful seaside settings of Mali Lošinj.

Did you know?

Federer beat his future Croatian coach Ljubicic in the 2006 Miami Open final?

Split tennis club, Firule is famous for the players that have emerged from it, the most famous one is Goran Ivanisevic.

Looking for training in Croatian tennis academies? Don´t hesitate to contact us at info@tennis-academies.com.

tennis-academies.com

Tell me your story

Every tennis player and every family has different needs for training or accommodation. Tell me your tennis story and I will prepare a tailor-made package for you.

Get customized offer