Ivan Ljubicic’s long, slow rise to the Top 5 has been about more than just winning tennis matches.
Watching Ivan Ljubicic stride slowly and purposefully around a tennis court, it’s hard to believe he’s just 27 years old. But then you’d expect him to be mature beyond his years. At 13, Ljubicic and his family escaped war-torn Bosnia, an experience that left young Ivan exceptionally independent and motivated.
Before his family’s escape, Ljubicic was a top junior in Bosnia. But an ethnic-cleansing campaign by the Serbs in 1992 forced non-Serb families to flee, including the Ljubicic clan, who are of Croat heritage. They eventually made it to Croatia after a 36-hour plane-and-bus journey. With help from the Bosnian Tennis Federation, the Ljubicics sent their son to Italy, where he trained near Florence for five years with a $50 monthly grant to cover expenses. “There’s not a lot you can do with $50 if you need shoes,” Ljubicic once said.
Upon settling in Italy, Ljubicic’s tennis game drastically improved, and though it’s taken him a few years to hone his skills as a pro, since 2005 he’s steadily—maturely—moved in the rankings. This year, he’s established himself in the Top 5 for the first time, proving his versatility by reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the semis at Roland Garros. He’s also become a national hero in Croatia, last year taking the tiny country to its first Davis Cup title, an effort highlighted by Ljubicic’s earning all three points in Croatia’s first-round upset of the U.S. (he accomplished the same trifecta in 2003, making him only the second man to inflict such a wound on an American Davis Cup team in the World Group). Earlier this summer, he reflected on his life and tennis.
What did you learn from the experience of having to leave your homeland on such terrible terms? I was a kid, so what did I know? We thought it was for only two or three months, but then it turned it out wasn’t. The life lesson I learned came from my father. He’d invested everything into our house, and then lost everything. So I learned that you better enjoy what you’ve got when you’ve got it, because you never know what’s going to come next.
What was it in you that helped you become a fine tennis player as a child? I was talented, physical, and a good student. I started at 9, which is kind of late for a world-class player. But I was always very coordinated, good at things like soccer, basketball, handball, table tennis.
Was there a player you looked up to? I copied everything Stefan Edberg did. Until I was 16 or 17, I was always going to the net. When I got to the Wimbledon junior final in ’96, I served and volleyed. But then I realized it was better to stay back and become more of an all-court player.
Was it just Edberg’s tennis you admired? I also liked the way he was quiet and well-behaved. To me he was the perfect example of what a player should be. Some people like fist-pumping—especially in the U.S.—but that’s not for me.
What was hard for you adjusting to the tour? Everything. I turned pro in ’98. Juniors miss lots of balls, but in the pros, there are no free points. You have to earn your points.
What was easy? The travel. I’d been on my own since I was 13, living in Italy, so I had to take care of myself.
Photo by Darko Bandic/AP Talk about the importance of Davis Cup. It’s fantastic. Forty-eight weeks a year, we’re on our own, and so in Davis Cup it’s great to join forces as a team with Mario [Ancic]. Back in 2001 Goran [Ivanisevic] was telling us how good it is to get into the World Group and play all the good teams. We were in Latvia and Ireland and I would dream about just getting to the World Group.
And soon enough, Croatia made it to the World Group. Croatia as a nation didn’t even start until 1991. So we were creating the history. Well, it was Goran who did it on his own, and finally we were good enough to join him just as his career was ending.
Americans are well aware of how well you play in Davis Cup. The first time we beat America was at home [in 2003], on this very fast court. We felt we had a good chance, and things were helped when Andy [Roddick] pulled out with an injury. For me the big thrill was winning the doubles with Goran. His shoulder was hurting, but we came back and I couldn’t believe it.
You beat us again two years later, only this time in America. That was even more amazing. I’d gone from Dubai to L.A., a 12-hour time difference and I was so jet-lagged. I was hoping I could win one singles match. But I got lucky and then, for Mario and I to beat the Bryan brothers was one of the biggest wins ever.
And then Croatia went on to win the whole thing last year. The funny thing was that in the next round [after beating the U.S.], we were playing at home versus Romania and nearly lost. All the good tennis we played against the U.S. would have been forgotten. I just can’t begin to tell you how emotional it was for us to actually win Davis Cup.
You’ve really blossomed in the last couple of years. What’s been the key to your improvement? In November ’03 I started working with a new fitness trainer, Salvador Sosa. He’d been with Sergi Bruguera and Alex Corretja, and radically changed my approach to fitness. Before I’d done more general fitness, but he made it more specific, did more on the court with things like weights and the medicine ball.
But there’ve also been changes in your personal life that made a difference. Yes, getting married near the end of ’04. We’d been dating for seven or eight years, and everything’s been great since then. Marriage helps me be more quiet, more solid.
What makes you effective as a player? My serve is my biggest weapon. I get a lot of free points from my serve. And I never give up. I’ll fight and grind. I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve come back three times from two-sets-to-love down.
What do you want to improve? Everything. I’d like to improve my serve-and-volley play.
You’ve done so well at other events, but not as well at the Slams. What’s the key as you see it for doing well at the Slams? Scheduling is very important. Before, I was playing 25, 26 events a year, but only 50 matches. Now I get that many matches in 12 events. You’ve got to look at the program of tournaments. I try not to think more than four or five months ahead. The other thing at Slams is confidence. For me, in long matches, the problem was less physical, more mental.
How do you enjoy yourself away from tennis? You travel so much, so it’s nice to e-mail friends all over the world. I also like to read books by Wilbur Smith, stories that are fun escapes into Africa. And I like to scuba dive.
Joel Drucker is the author of Jimmy Connors Saved My Life.