Ivanisevic, Martinez tennis Hall of Fame

Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisegvic became the first Croatian to earn an induction in the tennis Hall of Fame during virtual ceremony.

The former world No. 2, who is among the current world No. 1 Novak Djokovic’s coaching staff, had won the Wimbledon singles title in 2001, besides lifting 22 tour-level trophies.

We are a small country with a huge heart. We never stop believing. I had a lot of ups and downs, and I never stopped believing, Ivanisevic told atptennis.com after being inducted.

Ivanisevic, despite being a hugely talented player, was let down by his temperament on several occasions before he won at The All England Club at the fag end of his career.

For the first time in my life, I can say I am proud of myself. It was not easy to be my fan. It was frustrating, it was sad, probably a lot of people got divorced because of me. But one thing is for sure: it was entertaining to be my fan.

The others who were inducted on Saturday included 1994 Wimbledon singles champion Conchita Martinez of Spain and South African-born American tennis administrator Dennis Van Der Meer, who passed away in 2019.

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