Jul 11, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Goran Ivanisevic in attendance for the Novak Djokovic (SRB) and Andrey Rublev match on day nine at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

tennis

Build-Up to Wimbledon 2025 – Exploring Goran Ivanisevic’s Best Underdog Story in Wimbledon History

Ivanisevic is currently coaching Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Jul 11, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Goran Ivanisevic in attendance for the Novak Djokovic (SRB) and Andrey Rublev match on day nine at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Back in his prime tennis days, Goran Ivanisevic was a certified terror to face. The Croatian legend had an excellent career that spanned over a decade and a half on the ATP circuit. In 2020, Ivanisevic was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. A major reason for his critically acclaimed status is the famous Wimbledon success in 2001.

Ivanisevic turned pro in 1988, and began making headlines in 1990 when he knocked Boris Becker out of the French Open in Round-1. He also won his maiden career singles title on tour in the same year – capturing the trophy in Stuttgart. The now 53-year-old was known for his attacking style of play and booming left-handed serve.

During his time as a player, Goran Ivanisevic won 22 singles titles and 9 doubles championships. Although he narrowly missed out on claiming the World No. 1 ranking, a career-high No. 2 and No. 2 standing in singles and doubles made it a supremely illustrious journey to look back on. Today, we reminisce about the southpaw’s biggest triumph as a player.

Goran Ivanisevic and the Dream Wimbledon 2001 Run

By 2001, Goran Ivanisevic was a three-time Wimbledon finalist. When the Wimbledon Championships came around, the Croat was ranked No. 125 in the world and suffered from a lack of form. But due to his past records, the powerhouse was awarded a wild card to enter the main draw. Ivanisevic overcame a star-studded lineup of players to book his spot in an astounding fourth summit clash at SW19 – hoping for a turnaround.

In Round-1, Ivanisevic overcame Fredrik Jonsson in straight sets. He then edged out past and future World No. 1s Carlos Moya and Andy Roddick in four sets, before thrashing home favourite Greg Rudedski to enter the last eight stage. By the second week, there was a new name making all the headlines to shift focus away from ‘Gigo’.

"Stef needs a jolt of energy, a reason to focus" ⚡️

Andy Roddick and #TCLive talk Stefanos Tstisipas' new partnership with Goran Ivanisevic pic.twitter.com/nrJbVSIbkK
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 16, 2025

Swiss talent Roger Federer had just beaten the pistol Pete Sampras in the Round of 16, and was suddenly being touted as one of the favourites to win the title. However, when Federer fell to Great Britain’s Tim Henman in the quarterfinals, the path cleared up for the southpaw. He beat Marat Safin and Henman himself, before setting up a final against Patrick Rafter.

The organisers scheduled the Ivanisevic-Rafter final on a Monday, owing to severe rain delays. In what ended up becoming one of the greatest title deciders in recent memory, Ivanisevic came clutch to win 6-3 3-6 6-3 2-6 9-7 and claim his first and only Wimbledon crown. He also made history by becoming the only wild card to win a men’s singles major in the history of the game.

The story of Goran Ivanisevic at Wimbledon is among the many fairy tales that have been scripted on the hallowed green grass in West London. Will we have another one added in 2025? Let’s wait and watch!

ATP

Goran Ivanisevic

Novak Djokovic

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Tennis

Wimbledon

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.