My Hall of Fame dad won Wimbledon, holds unique record and even played pro football… now I’m making my own way in tennis
EMANUEL IVANISEVIC has big shoes to fill if he wants to follow in the footsteps of his famous father.
But he is already making huge strides as he forges out a tennis career for himself.
And the teenager can draw on plenty of wisdom if he wants a successful career on the courts.
That is because his dad, Goran Ivanisevic, is the ONLY wildcard to win a men’s singles Grand Slam.
And he did it in the same year he played professional football for his boyhood club as he ticked off the two ultimate dreams on his epic bucket list.
Ivanisevic Sr, 52, was one of the most popular Wimbledon winners when he defeated Pat Rafter 9-7 in the fifth set in the famous Monday final of 2001.
The giant Croatian saw off a stellar list of opponents – Fredrik Jonsson, Carlos Moya, Andy Roddick, Greg Rusedski, Marat Safin and Tim Henman – to reach his fourth Wimbledon final.
But after three previous defeats in the 1990s – once to Andre Agassi in 1992 then to Pete Sampras in 1994 and 1998 – and shoulder injuries plummeting his ranking down to No125, Ivanisevic got over the line to lift his one and only major.
Goran turned pro in 1988, making a name for himself when he stunned Boris Becker in the first round at the 1990 French Open before reaching a career-high No2 in the world in 1994 and 1997.
But despite four final appearances at Wimbledon and a further two semi-finals, he only reached the last four at one Grand Slam away from the All England Club, at the 1996 US Open in a record-breaking season where he hit 1,477 aces.
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Ivanisevic also reached two French Open doubles finals and won singles and doubles bronze medals after carrying the flag for Croatia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
But it looked like his career was going to be one of so close yet so far on the biggest stage.
In fact, after being defaulted from a match in Brighton in 2000 for smashing all three of his rackets and having none left to carry on, he said: “At least when I’ve finished playing tennis, they’ll remember me for something.”
But just eight months later, Ivanisevic’s wonderful run to Wimbledon glory etched his name into tennis history for good – and earned him a place in the Hall of Fame.
In total, his big-serving lefty game won him 22 career singles titles and £15.7million in prize money before his retirement in 2004.
Ivanisevic has enjoyed plenty of success as a coach, too, leading Marin Cilic to the 2014 US Open before working with Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic.
But since 2019 he has been in Novak Djokovic’s camp, helping the legendary Serb to a whole host of stunning records including the most Grand Slam singles titles and most weeks as world No1.
SPLIT LOYALTY
Away from tennis, though, Ivanisevic has no shortage of stories and controversies.
Following his Wimbledon triumph, he earned a short-term contract to play for his hometown football club Hajduk Split, turning out once as an honorary inclusion before various charity match appearances.
However, as well as his passion for the Croatian side, Ivanivesic is a massive fan of English outfit West Brom – falling in love with the Baggies after their Premier League great escape in 2005.
But while he may still adore Hajduk Split, the local hero is not universally popular anymore after a series of issues relating to a failed investment in a luxury apartment development and riling residents when he contentiously gained permission to build a new villa for his family – before opting not to move in and selling up instead.
Ivanisevic – who also did military service months after his Wimbledon win – had promised to live there with his model wife and their two children, Amber Maria and Emanuel.
Goran first came across Tatjana Dragovicin in 1996 when she was on the front cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.
They started dating two years later and got married in 2009.
And despite their divorce and Ivanisevic’s subsequent second marriage to Nives Canovic with whom he has a son Oliver, it is his second child with Dragovicin that is taking on the tennis mantle in the family.
Goran and Tatjana had Emanuel in October 2007.
And aged just 16, he is already making waves in Croatia.
The youngster won the prestigious Orsanic Memorial in Karlovac in 2020 – something even Goran didn’t manage – and landed the Under-16 Croatian doubles title in 2023.
The lookalike son Emanuel has a big serve and a big personality – just like his old man – and is already shining on the ITF circuit with a ranking of 1,801.
And as he continues to grow and develop, many are tipping him to go further than even Goran – both physically and with his achievements in tennis.