There is only one Goran Ivanisevic. Or so he would make you believe. Ivanisevic is happy to acknowledge that there were different, well-entrenched shades to his personality but erratic ways have no place in his current life. Coaching Marin Cilic is serious business.
“It will be too much to travel with three Gorans (laughs). One Goran and one Marin makes a perfect… that’s why he won a Grand Slam,” said Ivanisevic.
On Saturday, the 43-year-old and his protégé delivered glittering performances as they won their singles encounters with ease. Interestingly, Ivanisevic, who bested Patrick Rafter on Saturday, had won the only Grand Slam singles title of his career at Wimbledon in 2001 at the Australian’s expense.
Inevitably, Ivanisevic was asked about that epic final during the post-match interaction.
“I just enjoy this memory (moment). I enjoyed beating him again. I think about the 2001 final (sometimes) but I don’t think he wants to remember that,” said Ivanisevic with a chuckle.
While reluctant to discuss the biggest moment of his playing career, the coach spoke about Cilic’s greatest achievement with alacrity.
“The year didn’t start very well. Through the year he played better and better. He tried to play an aggressive game that we spoke a lot about. I had thought he should play that way even when I was not his coach. He improved at the Slams and then played perfect matches in the US Open quarters, semis and finals. It was the art of tennis.”
Ivansevic’s impact on the younger Croat, though, didn’t begin with their association that started this year.
“Goran was always around to advise me, play with me and show the way. When I stopped working with my long-time coach Bob (Brett) at the end of last year, I spoke to Goran and he expressed his desire to be a little more involved.
“This relationship gave me an extra push because we have known each other for many years. We also speak in Croatian, so we can feel (understand) each other more,” said Cilic.
Looking to the next season, with Ivanisevic’s help, the 26-year-old believes that he and players like Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic will only close the gap on the more established players. “I believe we will have another new Grand Slam champion,” said Cilic.
And the International Tennis Premier League (IPTL) would in no way hamper the forward march, feels the current world number nine.
“A lot of players have been talking about the IPTL since last year. Nobody knew what to expect. When we arrived in Manila, we thought it would be a little looser than the tournaments.
“But then we saw the competition’s seriousness. You’re involved as you’re playing a lot of matches. It’s really good for the pre-season. It’s not too tiring because you’re not playing for too long. We can still work out in the morning.”
Ivanisevic added that the IPTL makes his job easier as he prepares Cilic for the next season.
“If he (Cilic) wasn’t here, he would be doing fitness training in Zagreb. You get very tired when you do it and you don’t force yourself to play tennis.
“Here, you have to play seriously. Mentally, it’s very good for him. When we go to Australia (after the IPTL), he will be prepared physically and tennis-wise. This is a perfect pre-season.”
