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Goran IvanisevicGoran Ivanisevic is the zealous Croatian with the huge serve who finally fulfilled his dream of winning Wimbledon in a memorable final in 2001. Now he is coming back to London's Royal Albert Hall to take on John McEnroe, Pat Cash and other legends of the sport at the BlackRock Masters Tennis in December.
1. How much do you enjoy the BlackRock Tour of Champions?
It's great to stay involved in the game, it means that we don't forget about the 15 or 20 years we were playing. It's great that people still want to see us, I would like to play more. We still want to win, but you don't have to kill yourself like when we were on the ATP circuit, so we have more fun and then the people have more fun watching. I used to get stressed, but now I just come, play, see the guys and whatever happens, happens! We still want to win but when we play it's not the end of the world if we lose. People know that if they come to see me and John McEnroe play, something is going to happen.
2. You lost in the Wimbledon final three times before you finally won it in 2001, beating Patrick Rafter in the final. Do you ever think about what life would have been like if you had lost that one as well?
I try not to. I don't know what would have happened to me. I think it would have been too much for me. I would have had to emigrate to Alaska or somewhere else very far away! During my Semi Final against Tim Henman, God sent me rain when I was losing and it helped me to come back the next day and win. I deserved it because I had waited a long time.
3. What is the craziest thing that ever happened to you on a tennis court?
There are so many. At a tournament in Brighton once, I had to retire from a match because I broke all of my racquets. I was worried that I would be remembered just as the guy who never won Wimbledon and had to retire in a match because he had no racquets left. Thank God I won Wimbledon!
4. What do you think of Andy Murray - can he win Wimbledon one day? And what about Tim Henman?
Murray is very good and he handles pressure situations well. It's good to have players like him who show emotion and are not scared. He is good enough to be a top player, but who knows if he will win Wimbledon. You can't win it just by showing up, it isn't easy. Murray will have to handle a lot. Tim Henman should be a hero in Britain. You should make a statue for him at Wimbledon because he has done so much for your country.
5. One of your superstitions when you won Wimbledon was to watch Teletubbies every day. You've got a young daughter. Is she a Teletubbies fan?
She likes Teletubbies almost as much as me. It's nice not to have to watch it any more though.
6. You're a big football fan, and apparently a supporter of West Bromwich Albion. Why?
It is true. If someone had told me a few years ago that I would be a supporter of West Bromwich Albion I would have said that they were crazy, but I am. There is this guy who works on the Champions Tour who is a West Bromwich Albion fan, he was always talking about them, moaning that they were not doing very well. So I started to follow their results, to support them, and as soon as I did they did better! I am one of their fans now, I have the club jersey and I really want to go to the home ground to watch them play. I love the passion and enthusiasm they have.
7. What next for Goran Ivanisevic?
No-one knows what I'm going to do, not even me. I must be the only player in the world who ever injured themselves before a tournament by stepping on a shell on the beach. Since retiring I have spent a lot of time with my family, on my boat and playing football. I also like playing with the guys on the BlackRock Tour of Champions. One day I would definitely like to be the Davis Cup captain of Croatia, but that is harder than playing. When you play you can get some of the nervousness out of your system. When you sit for 7 hours on the side of the court watching your team play, it's not easy!
See Goran Ivanisevic playing at BlackRock Masters Tennis.
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