Author: ROBERT ŠOLA (a colleague of my and a friend)

GORAN IVANIŠEVIC IS PREPARING HIMSELF IN SPLIT FOR THE UPCOMING CLAY SEASON

“I am just like Mona Lisa”

In tennis it’s always like that, you always have to have faith and wait for your light in the tunnel. And when you do find it, there is hardly a few that could stop you to fly up to the sky. Only the Grand Slam tournaments are special, they lasts for two weeks and just when you think you’ve passed all the barricades, someone takes you by surprise.

SPLIT - New image for the following part of the season? This is not unusual when Goran Ivaniševic is considered. Although somewhat longer hair and about a month old beard will not offer a tennis look. (these days of may I believe Goran has a new look although I am not quite sure what is like, we’ll see soon though - translators remark) But Goran wouldn’t mind it, neither will his girls fans that have been gathering around ‘FIRULE’ tennis courts in Split in time of his practices.

- At the time being i still don’t feel like shaving. I just feel like not shaving nor cutting my hair and i wont do it as long as something ‘clinches’ in me and tells me to do something else with my looks. Although my moustaches are already entering my mouth so i should do something about it - in his own style the best Croatian tennis player ever started the interview.

Goran has, together with his coaches Vedran Martic and Marko Ostoja, (today we know Ostoja was just in some possibilities to coach Goran but later own Goran signed a contract only with Vedran till the end of the year… - translators remark, i just noticed that correct word is translator’s - but this is the only mistake that I will not repair of those that I notice so be aware of that fact…) drawn a hardworking plan of training in Split. Running, fitness gym, training sessions. The spare time is just hardly enough to make a visit to POLJUD stadium and soccer team HAJDUK (local team, Goran’s favorite soccer team ever, outside of Croatia he also likes Borussia Dortmund - translators remark). Just enough to forget the first part of the season.

- It hasn’t been a good start for me. If we don’t count Split tournament, the rest is better to be forgotten and thrown to garbage. There was a bit of misfortune, though. I lost two matches, and I had a match points on both occasions. And later on Siemerink won the tournament, and Medvedev enter the quarters. And it was so close for them to lose, and for me perhaps to win a tournament. This way you stay behind with no wins, no points, no self-confidence. But that’s tennis. One ball (meaning one point - translators remark) can make your life up side down. But, when everything is finished it’s stupid to get back thinking of it.

· On the court you look full of self-confidence and resolved? (I really don’t know where this question has fallen up from…translator’s remark…it was a late entry so I did write correctly the translator’s thingy….J)

- I prepare myself quite well, and whenever i am prepared well i trust myself. I may lose, but I will keep the faith in me and charge my form somewhere else. Concrete (not the building material – translator’s remark) i need few matches at this moment. I will open the clay season in Monte Carlo, and a first rest i will have only a week before Roland Garros. Enough time to catch the right form. (no comment on this statement – translator’s remark…)

‘I will be back in the TOP 10”

· The voyage will be somewhat harder this time. After six seasons you have slipped from the TOP 10 society of the best tennis players in the world.

- That is not the problem, it takes just to play well on two tournaments and i will be back among the TOP 10 again. It’s important that I have the will and desire, and that I am not afraid of any one.

· The others have their wishes as well. Specially the younger generation led by Marcelo Rios?

- In fact that is not so, those young players are wanting (not waiting but just sort of wanting, OK? - translator’s remark) for victories and to prove themselves, but that is the case in every sport, not just tennis. Chang also lost his TOP 10 spot after a long time, and he lasted for years. All the same, when I know I am ‘the real me’ I will not chose who my opponent is, I just don’t care. I can defeat everybody, but when I don’t feel ‘in’ I may lose to a lot of guys. I play my style and i don’t believe that i can change a lot about that.

· Marcelo Rios today is a first player in the world (at that time at least – translator’s remark) and he hadn’t won any Grand Slam tournament?

- That’s what ATP ranking lists says, but for me Rios is not the best. The man just had a lot of things going on his behalf and from no where he climbs to ‘number one seat’. That’s the way things happen - you win some matches, the card goes to your direction and it seems the whole world is yours.

· If not Rios, who is the number one in the world?

- Sampras! But he is a man also, so the ‘ups and downs’ exist in his carier as well. He just had more ups then downs and he was always the best when he need it to be. And that’s why i will always put my money on Sampras, Agassi, or Chang. They did planty in the past and they will do planty more.

· And what about you?

I would put money on myself too, why not? Rios, Rafter, Rusedski….they are great tennis players, but it is not that simple to come to the top and stay there. Just look at Kuerten, nobody had a slightest idea who is he, and all of a sudden there he comes and wins Roland Garros. In tennis it’s always like that, you always have to have faith and wait for your light in the tunnel. And when you do find it, there is hardly a few that could stop you to fly up to the sky. Only the Grand Slam tournaments are special, they last for two weeks and just when you think you’ve passed all the barricades, someone ‘takes’ you by surprise. Kuerten just got lucky.

All the titles are in Zagreb

· What about you and Croatian Davis cup team?

- Nothing, it’s well known what I think about all of that.

· It won’t be easy for the others to beat Norway.

- This years addition of “ADRIATIC COAST” (Croatian four week tennis satellite - translators remark, this year won by Saša Hiršzon, he did it also seven years ago, and meanwhile there were no Croatian winners on that circuit, i have to tell at this part that i was covering one week of that circuit, it was the second week in the Rovinj, it’s on the lovely coast of Croatia, the north side of the coast… - a long remark from the translater) just confirmed the fact known to me for years - there’s a lot of young players, but far and away from a wanted quality. Hiršzon is a tennis inventor for that competition, and Rizvanbegovic (the president of Croatian tennis association, well known to you if you followed what i wrote about the argument between ivanisevic-rizvanbegovic, - translator’s remark) spoke in Graz (the city in Austria where Croatia played the Davis cup match last year, Ivaniševic beating Muster in five sets on the clay … - translator’s remark) that there is no place for Hiršzon in Croatian team.

· It’s sad these days in Split (Split is well known sports center in Croatia, and not only in Croatia, its team sports are very successful, in soccer, Hajduk was in quarterfinals of champions league in the season of 92/93 or 93/93 can’t remember it now, in basketball - three times Euro champs in years of 89-91 or at least about those years, waterpolo - two times champions in a row in about those years of late 80’s and early 90’s, and a lot of great Croatian sportsmen are from that city which population is about 350.000 only. – translator’s remark, and of course Split is always trying to do better than the capital - Zagreb, who is also a city of great sports teams and individuals…- T.R. supplementary). Hajduk beat Zadarkomerc and Zagreb but the sport of Split lately cannot be proud of some achievements ‘cos there aren’t any.

-If I recall, in the team sports the only national title we have is in weight lifting. Soccer is in a crisis, and also basketball, waterpolo (although later on split’s JADRAN won second place in European cup LEN, but they lost in final to Partiazn of Belgrade of Serbia -1:3 in Split (it was 8:8 in Belgrade) and I guess that qualifies a lot more then just defeat and that second place is not so shyiny when you know who the victory is…. - translators remark…well I know you might are not interested so much in the genesis of Croatian sports and its relations but I can’t help it, and it’s good for you to get the complete picture, aye? - translators supplementary remark…..Lara would know what this supplementary stands for………just don’t ask her…….he, he…), volleyball…. All the titles are in Zagreb. In the soccer I know Croatia Zagreb will be the best. That’s just the way it goes….

· One day you will help building a tennis center in Split. And then we will be altogether waiting for the new Ivaniševic.

- Forget about that, top player is often waited for years. And there won’t be any new Ivaniševic. I am a unique (the one of a kind - remark from the translator), I am like Mona Lisa. The same thing is with Agassi, or Chang or Rios. From the athlete it’s never good to make something that he isn’t. Everybody has his own capabilities and those should be let to grow the way the nature let them grew. That is the best for everybody, ‘cos copying someone hasn’t brought anything good to anyone.

Goran Ivaniševic knows that the best. That’s why he is the unique of Croatian sports.

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