Goran Ivanisevic achieved one of the most memorable sporting moments when he won Wimbledon against all the odds in 2001.
He knocked out Tim Henman in the semis and then ousted Pat Rafter at one of the wettest Wimbledon events in history.
There was nothing damp about the performance of Ivanisevic over those two weeks, however, with the Croatian winning the tournament as a wildcard.
He was ranked 125 in the world rankings at the time but progressed through the draw to win in a final that actually finished on a Monday as opposed to the traditional Sunday.
Although he only claimed one major, Ivanisevic could clearly play and did reach a career high of number two in the world in 1994.
In a career that spanned 16 years, he played some of the greatest players to ever swing a racket, and his career can be viewed as memorable to say the least.
Goran Ivanisevic picks toughest ever opponent from plethora of stars
Given his career was so long, Ivanisevic played against many star players and it’s proved tricky to pick.
Ivanisevic has been interviewed by a Croatian outlet on YouTube and he was asked about his toughest opponent.
He said: “The toughest for me was Sampras. That man ruined many beautiful moments in my life!”
The interviewer pressed on and asked if there was a tournament now with all of the greats at their peak – minus Novak Djokovic as Ivanisevic never played him – who would win.
Ivanisevic said: “It depends on the surface, then or now. Federer and Nadal are such geniuses they would adapt to any conditions. It’s hard to compare eras but it would not be easy against the great Sampras on grass, hard or clay. But I think Nadal would beat them all.”
He was then asked if Djokovic was included, would he change his mind?
The reply was intriguing, and he said: “Novak would beat them all. Novak would win because he returns well, he adapts to both fast and slow balls. Maybe a tight match, four or five sets.”
Ivanisevic picks best player out of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic
Having coached Djokovic for a number of years and led him to many Grand Slam titles, perhaps Ivanisevic is somewhat biased here.
However, when asked about the big three he’s in no doubt as to who should be considered the greatest of all time.
He said: “These are the three greatest players ever. Maybe I’d compare them like this. Federer plays the most beautiful tennis. Even when he plays badly, it is a joy to watch.
“Then there is Rafa. A fighter to exhaustion. He is a fighter who gives his all on the court. Winning 14 French Opens – that will never happen again. Not just in tennis but in any sport.
“Novak is the most complete of all three. The best, the greatest of all time. I’m sorry that in 2023 he was just one or two points away from winning Wimbledon. Then he would have won all four [in the same year]. In 2021, he lost to Medvedev, didn’t play his best.
“But Novak is the most complete. At Roland Garros, Nadal was better, but Novak was always the one who could win all four. That golden slam, including the Olympics. He is by far the most complete player. They pushed each other, made each other even better. Novak came later, maybe that is why he’s less appreciated by some.”
The debate will forever rumble on over who the greatest tennis player ever is.
Quite simply, we should be thankful to have lived in an era where the three of them have competed against each other for so long and given tennis fans across the globe some truly memorable moments.
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