Goran Ivanisevic (pictured) knows all there is to know about coming from nowhere to win Wimbledon, and he believes his compatriot Mario Ancic could do exactly that this year.
Ivanisevic, who won the 2001 Wimbledon title as a wild card, enjoyed a victorious start to his first appearance on the BlackRock Tour of Champions this year.
Pete Sampras will make his BlackRock Tour of Champions debut in Sao Paulo
He brushed off the rust to defeat Pat Cash 5-7, 6-2, 10-7 (Champions’ Tie-Break) in Rome, reaching the final against either Thomas Muster or Henri Leconte, and then made this surprising prediction about Ancic:
“If Mario stays healthy and fit he is the second favourite to win Wimbledon, after Roger Federer.”
Since Ancic is currently ranked outside the world’s Top 50 and missed seven months of last year suffering from Mononucleosis, it seems like an unlikely proposition, but Ivanisevic is convinced.
“I don’t think that it is a big statement at all,” he said.
“Grass is grass and Ancic is a better player on grass than Rafael Nadal and maybe also Novak Djokovic. If he has a good draw and he isn’t in Federer’s half, he has a good chance to be in the final. Once you are in the final, anything can happen. If he stays healthy, everyone should watch out. Mario had a lot of bad luck with illness and injury but hopefully it is going to change.”
Ivanisevic famously missed out on the Wimbledon title in three finals (1992 against Andre Agassi, and 1994 and 1998 against Pete Sampras), but his dream came true when he beat Pat Rafter in the 2001 final while ranked No.125 in the world.
Now he is one of the most popular players on the BlackRock Tour of Champions, and he will once again be in action in the final at Rome’s Foro Italico on Sunday.
After Rome, the BlackRock Tour of Champions will visit Hamburg for the BlackRock Tennis Classic at the Rothenbaum Club, 14-18 May. Ivanisevic, Muster, Cash and Leconte will again be in action, with the 1991 Wimbledon champion and recent Barcelona finalist Michael Stich, Belfast champion Anders Jarryd, Belfast runner-up Mikael Pernfors and wild card debutante Marc-Kevin Goellner making up the field.
After that, Pete Sampras will make his long awaited debut on the BlackRock Tour of Champions in Sao Paulo, 21-24 May, 2008.
The Tour opened in Belfast in February with Anders Jarryd successfully defending his title. in Barcelona last month, Marcelo Rios triumphed.
Rome Preview: Ivanisevic, Muster Make 2008 Debuts in Rome
View Rome Results and Order of Play
