Goran Ivanisevic has endured a complicated few months as his coaching career continues to make headlines.
The 2001 Wimbledon champion has enjoyed real success since becoming a coach for the first time in 2013.
Alongside Novak Djokovic, the Croat picked up nine Major titles, having already won the 2014 US Open while working with his countryman Marin Cilic.
Ivanisevic split with Djokovic in March 2024 before joining forces with a WTA star for the first time.
In November last year, Ivanisevic joined Elena Rybakina’s team as she searched for more Major success, having won Wimbledon in 2022.
Their partnership was short-lived, however, as Ivanisevic split with Rybakina just two months later.
It remains to be seen who Ivanisevic will choose to coach next, as his expertise is no doubt highly sought after.
The former world number two played against some of the greatest players of all time during his career, as he picked his toughest-ever opponent back in 2004.
Goran Ivanisevic said Roger Federer was the ‘most talented’ player he’d seen ahead of Pete Sampras
Ivanisevic appeared in his final Major tournament at Wimbledon in 2004, losing in the third round to Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt.
During his post-match press conference, Ivanisevic was asked to name the toughest player he had competed against during his time on tour.
“Maybe toughest player I ever play is Pete [Sampras], you know, because [he] is [a] guy that gives you only one, two chances per match, and if you don’t take those chances, you finish,” he said.
“Usually with all these guys, I play lot of matches, but usually you get more chances, with him, two, three if he’s generous, you know.
“I think with him, it was the toughest for me to play, you know, he beat me twice here in Wimbledon.”
Sampras beat Ivanisevic in two Wimbledon finals, crushing the Croat’s dreams in 1994, and 1998.
Ivanisevic did, however, recognize several other players that he struggled against, as he revealed who his most talented opponent was.
“But also Andre [Agassi] is a guy that was very tough to play,” he said.
“[Boris] Becker, another guy, his serve was unbelievable.
“But I still think that [Roger] Federer is the biggest talent from all the players I ever played in my career.
“I don’t know if he’s going to win so many Grand Slams like Pete, but definitely he’s the most talented player I ever played.”
Ivanisevic then compared Sampras and Federer, explaining what the pair did better than one another.
“Some things he [Federer] does better than Pete,” he said.
“I mean, on the court he’s like a magician.
“Pete was destroying, Pete was serving, nobody talked ever about Pete’s serve, they were only talking about my serve, but when you play Pete, you couldn’t touch his serve, you know.
“Even when you returned, then he hits forehand winner and the point is finished.
“But Federer, the way he plays, he’s back, he comes in.
“When you look at him, you think tennis is a very easy sport, but it’s not.”
When did Roger Federer surpass Pete Sampras’ Grand Slam record?
When Sampras retired from tennis in 2003, he did so as a 14-time Major champion, a number some believed would never be beaten.
Remarkably, his record lasted just six years, as the Swiss phenom clinched his 15th Grand Slam crown at SW19 in 2009.
Federer and Andy Roddick delivered an instant classic on Centre Court, battling it out for over four hours.
Coming through a marathon 30-game fifth set, Federer lifted the Wimbledon title with a 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 victory over the American.
He wasn’t done there, however, as the now-43-year-old added a further five Majors to his collection before retiring from the sport in 2022.
| Tournament | Final opponent | Score |
| 2010 Australian Open | Andy Murray | 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2012 Wimbledon | Andy Murray | 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2017 Australian Open | Rafael Nadal | 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 2017 Wimbledon | Marin Cilic | 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 |
| 2018 Australian Open | Marin Cilic | 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 |
Both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have since surpassed Federer’s Slam record, as they sit on 22 and 24 Major titles respectively.
It remains to be seen if the latter can extend his advantage out front as he heads to the French Open later this year in search of number 25.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
