Ivan Ljubicic

Began playing tennis at age nine...Father, Marko, is an electrician, and mother, Hazira, is a housewife...Has one older brother, Vlado...Speaks Croatian, Italian and English...Escaped war-torn Bosnia at age 13 in 1992 and was one of the several players taken to Italy by a club that was reaching out to help children...Reached final of Wimbledon Juniors in 1996, losing to Vladimir Voltchkov...Bronze medallist in doubles at 2004 Athens Olympics Games (w/Ancic)...Wife, Aida (married Nov. 8, 2004), son, Leonardo (born Nov. 5, 2008)...Enjoys scuba diving with his wife and takes diving holiday every year at end of season..Favorite spot is Maldives and says, "It's best place in the world. The coral reefs and sharks are amazing".

Has a 36-18 career Davis Cup record (23-12 in singles) in 21 ties since 1998...Began serving on ATP Player Council since 2002 and elected Vice-President from 2004-06 and and President from 2006-08.....In August 2008, elected as European player representative on ATP Board...Then resigned position on Jan. 20, 2009 to give full attention on playing...Was first active player to serve on Board since Paul Annacone in 1993...Named 2007 ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of Year for his off-court work with Special Olympics...Coached by Italian Riccardo Piatti (since June 1997) and physio is Dean Mistura.

2009 -- The Croat turned in his ninth consecutive Top 50 season and won his ninth career ATP World Tour title in Lyon (d. Llodra) on Nov. 1 without dropping a set while advancing to seven other QFs during season…One of three 30-over to win a singles title during year, joining Stepanek (two titles) and Haas…Played well in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments with a 17-7 record, beating five Top 10 opponents and reaching QFs in Indian Wells (d. No. 8 Simon, l. to Murray), Monte Carlo (d. No. 5 del Potro, l. to Nadal), Madrid (d. No. 9 Tsonga, No. 7 Simon, l. to Djokovic) and Shanghai (d. No. 9 Verdasco, ret. vs. Nadal with hip injury)…Went 5-8 vs. Top 10 oppponents and compiled marks of 19-15 on hard, 10-6 on clay and 3-2 on grass.

2008 -- Finished in Top 50 for eighth straight year highlighted by a runner-up showing on home soil...Began season with SF in Doha (l. to Wawrinka) and following month won East London Challenger (d. Koubek)...In March, reached final in Zagreb (d. Ancic in SF, l. to Stakhovsky) and followed with 3rd RD at AMS Indian Wells (l. to Federer)...In May, advanced to SF in Poertschach (l. to Monaco) and followed with 4th RD at Roland Garros (d. No. 4 Davydenko, l. to Monfils)...Did not win back-to-back matches rest of season and struggled with back problems...Was sidelined over two months from mid-July to late September...Went 1-4 vs. Top 10 opponents and compiled marks of 9-5 on clay and 9-9 on hard.

2007 -- Finished in Top 20 for third consecutive season highlighted by two ATP titles (Doha, 's-Hertogenbosch) and two runner-up finishes (Zagreb, Rotterdam)...In March, reached QF at AMS Indian Wells (l. to Roddick) and SF at AMS Miami (l. to Canas)...In June, earned first lawn title in 's-Hertogenbosch (d. Wessels) and followed with 3rd RD at Wimbledon...Closed season with SF in Beijing and QF in Vienna and Lyon...Compiled marks of 25-13 on hard, career-best 8-2 on grass, 6-2 on carpet and 5-6 on clay...Also had a 32-17 tie-break record...In Ricoh ATP MatchFacts, finished No. 2 with career-high 944 aces, No. 3 in first serve points won (80%) and No. 4 in service games won (88%).

2006 -- Finished in Top 5 for first time in his career after winning a personal-best 61 matches...Advanced to QF (or better) in 13 tournaments, including first seven through April, highlighted by ATP titles in Chennai (d. Moya) in January and Zagreb (d. Koubek) in February... Also reached first career Grand Slam QF at Australian Open (l. to Baghdatis in five sets) and later SF at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal)...

Advanced to QF in Marseille (l. to Ancic) and then in Indian Wells, losing to eventual champ Federer...Followed with his first career ATP final on U.S. soil at AMS Miami, losing to Federer in three tie-breaks in early April...After Miami, played in Davis Cup QF tie vs. Argentina and won both of matches against Calleri and Nalbandian but Croatia lost 3-2...Made career-best QF showing at AMS Monte Carlo (l. to Gonzalez)...Led Croatian efforts at ATP World Team Championship, clinching title with victory over Kiefer in final...Followed with Grand Slam-best SF showing at Roland Garros...Also made career-best performance at Wimbledon by reaching 3rd RD (l. to Tursunov in five sets)...Reached two more QF during summer, on clay in Gstaad (l. to Lopez) and at AMS Cincinnati (l. to Robredo)...

After an opening round loss at US Open (l. to Lopez), played well with QF in Beijing (l. to Lee), runner-up at Bangkok (l. to Blake) and repeat title in Vienna (d. Gonzalez)...Did not lose his serve in 52 games (for second straight year)...Was 1-2 in round-robin play at Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai...Had most indoor match wins (20-5) on ATP circuit for second straight year...Led ATP circuit in aces (929) and first serve points won (79%), No. 3 in service games won (88%), and No. 7 in break points saved (66%)...Went 6-7 vs. Top 10 opponents and compiled records of 36-12 on hard, 15-6 on clay, 7-0 on carpet and 3-2 on grass...Earned a career-high $1,713,167...

2005 -- Compiled an 11-1 record (7-1 in singles, 4-0 in doubles) in Davis Cup play, the best record since John McEnroe went 12-0 in 1982 for the United States in leading Croatia to title (d. Slovak Republic 3-2)...Joined Goran Ivanisevic as only Croats to rank in Top 10 in history of ATP Rankings (since 1973) before Mario Ancic broke Top 10 in 2006...In first three months, jumped off to a 26-8 start with half of his losses coming to No. 1 Federer...Reached finals in four of his first six tournaments, losing to Federer in Doha, Rotterdam and Dubai with the other to J. Johansson in Marseille...

In March, accounted for all three points in Croatia's 3-2 first round Davis Cup win over U.S. in Los Angeles, defeating No. 9 Agassi in opening rubber and No. 3 Roddick in five sets in fourth rubber to clinch tie... In between, teamed (w/Ancic) to beat Bryan brothers in doubles...Advanced to 4th RD at AMS Indian Wells (l. to Federer) and Miami (l. to Nadal)...Was 20-3 record during European indoor circuit, including a career-best 16-match winning streak while reaching finals in four of last five events...Began with Davis Cup singles wins over Russia's Youzhny and Davydenko in SF tie in Split, then won back-to-back ATP titles in Metz (d. Monfils) and Vienna (d. Ferrero) without losing his serve in 57 games...His service streak ended at a career-best 81 straight games after holding 24 in a row at AMS Madrid (lost serve in seventh game vs. Gonzalez in QF) en route to his first Masters Series final (l. to Nadal)...Took first two sets and led 2-0 in fifth set before Nadal rallied to win in a final set tie-break...In final AMS event in Paris, defeated No. 3 Roddick in SF before losing in five sets in title match to Berdych...

Qualified for Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai and went 1-2 in round robin play...Led ATP circuit with most indoor match wins (35-9) and went a career-best 8-7 vs. Top 10 opponents...Ranked among Top 10 in several Ricoh ATP MatchFacts categories û No. 1 in break points saved (72%), No. 2 in aces (897), No. 3 in service games won (88%) and No. 4 in second serve points won (55%)...Compiled records of 40-12 on hard (career best), 12-5 on carpet, 4-5 on clay and 1-2 on grass...

2004 -- Finished in Top 25 for first time in his career and advanced to QF or better in seven tournaments, including three of last four...Went 6-1 in matches decided in a final set tie-break...Reached lone final of season in opening week in Doha (d. Henman in SF, l. to Escude)...Played well in ATP Masters Series tournaments with SF showings in Hamburg (l. to Coria) and Madrid (d. No. 5 Henman, l. to Nalbandian) along with 3rd RD in Miami and Monte Carlo...Closed season with QF in Metz and Basel with a SF in between in Madrid...Compiled records of 22-12 on hard, 10-6 on clay and 5-4 on carpet...Went 3-6 vs. Top 10 opponents...In doubles, earned a bronze medal in doubles (w/Ancic) at Athens Olympics...Finished No. 5 in aces (625) and No. 8 in service games won (86 percent)...

2003 -- Finished in Top 50 and posted 29 match wins for third straight season... Reached SF in Milan and Dubai...Led his country to a 4-1 Davis Cup win over U.S. in 1st RD with wins over Fish and Blake...Reached career best 3rd RD at Roland Garros (l. to Novak)...Later in year, reached SF in Bangkok and closed with SF in Basel...Ranked No. 6 in aces (650) and service games won (86 percent)...Was 10-4 on carpet, 10-12 on hard, 7-7 on clay and 2-2 on grass...Went 14-8 indoor and 15-17 outdoor...

2002 -- Lost a number of close matches, including three five-setters in Grand Slam play and seven in a third set tie-break (2-7 record and held match point in five)...His best results were SF in Rotterdam and Gstaad...Also a QF in Adelaide, Dubai, Umag and Tashkent...Best win came over No. 3 Ferrero at AMS Rome (l. to Novak in 3rd RD)... Finished No. 2 in aces (716)...

2001 -- Finished in Top 40 for first time and led his country into 2002 Davis Cup World Group...Played well in July with back-to-back QF in Gstaad and Umag...Qualified at AMS Cincinnati and advanced to his seventh QF of season (d. Moya, l. to Hewitt)...In October, reached final at Grenoble Challenger... Following week at ATP stop in Lyon, defeated No. 1 Kuerten in 1st RD and Safin in three tie-breaks in SF (saving 1 M.P.) before beating El Aynaoui for first ATP title...Had a 24-21 record in tie-breaks...

2000 -- Finished as No. 1 Croatian for first time with SF in Sydney and Bsstad... Played in Sydney Olympics and lost to Kuerten in 3rd RD...In doubles, reached first ATP final in Umag (w/Zovko) and finalist in Lyon (w/Waite)...

1999 -- Finished in Top 100 for first time after reaching first ATP SF in Umag...Also reached QF at Singapore...In doubles, won Challenger title in Zagreb...

1998 -- Captured Croatia #2 Satellite (50 points) and in Challenger play, reached QF in Warsaw and Edinburgh...Made Davis Cup debut, going 2-2 in singles in two ties...

1997 -- Reached Zagreb Challenger final (l. to No. 15 Berasategui)...In doubles, won Croatia #1 (44 points), Croatia #2 (41 points) Satellites...

2010

Opened season at Australian Open, as No. 24 seed, reached 3rd RD losing to compatriot Karlovic 63 36 63 76(7)...Also advanced to doubles QFs (w/Gonzalez)...In February, advanced to Dubai QFs (l. to Djokovic in three sets)...

In March as No. 20 seed at Indian Wells, he beat three Top 10 players (Djokovic in 4th RD; Nadal in SFs, Roddick in final) to lift his 10th ATP World Tour title and his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy...First Croatian titlist in the tournament's history...Beat Roddick 76(3) 76(5) in final...Became the second-oldest winner at 31 years, 2 days, since 1984 when Connors was 31 years, 5 months...The last player over-30 to win an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title was 34-year-old Agassi at Cincinnati in August 2004..."Looking at my career in general, I did feel like I was missing it. It's really fantastic feeling to finally have it. It gives something special to your career. It's just another thing that after Davis Cup, Olympic medal and two Top 10 finishes, one Top 5 finish and now in Masters 1000, it makes everything look better actually"...The World No. 26 also became the first player outside the Top 20 to capture an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title since World No. 21 Nalbandian won the Paris title in November 2007 (d. Nadal)...Coincidentally, the other two players ranked outside the Top 20 to claim the Indian Wells title (since 1990) were also ranked No. 26, with Corretja (2000) and Courier (1991)...

On 22 March, he rose 13 places to No. 13 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings...He was last in the Top 20 at No. 19 on 14 January 2008..."I want to fight for [the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in] London and try to finish Top 10 another year. But it's not gonna be easy, that's for sure"...As No. 11 seed in Miami, he received a bye but fell to Becker in 2nd RD retiring with a back injury...

In April, he made a 3rd RD exit at Monte-Carlo to Ferrer...Pulled out prior to 3rd RD match versus F. Lopez at Rome, due to a left intercostal muscle injury...Was forced to skip three weeks prior to Roland Garros...