Interviews
Q. Goran, commiserations on the result, but it certainly seemed to be a fun match out there. You guys both entertained the crowd. Your thoughts on the match?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: It was a great match. I had my chances, you know, and I did not take it. This level of tennis, when you deciding whether or not you are going into the semis in the masters, if you do not take those chances against these players, you go home. It is very simple, you know.
Q. Did the crowd help you at all out there? At one stage you saved five match points with four aces in a critical service game.
GORAN IVANISEVIC: It was a great atmosphere. It was fun to play, fun match, but, unfortunately, I lost. That is the sad part of tennis, you know.
Q. Overall, though, as you reflect on your year, the second half of the year has been fantastic. What are your thoughts on the year?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: It's been very interesting year, you know. The beginning of the year, I lost first round at Australian open and then I went playing challengers and then I end up here, which is just too good. I won Wimbledon and this my best year. I enjoyed it. I have fun to play tennis again and it is over. I am looking forward to my vacation. I am sick, a little bit, of tennis, and I need some time off. It has been a great year and it is really great to end the year at this kind of level of tennis what I did today.
Q. What are you going to do over the next few weeks for your vacation?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: I have to take my girlfriend for shopping little bit, you know, spend all this money and then I go home and I think start preparation, play football with my friends and spend Christmas home. This is most important part of the year for me, family Christmas, everything, and hopefully start a New Year, come here again pretty soon and have fun again.
Q. Goran, was it Wimbledon that gave you back the appetite and gave you back the enjoyment?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: It was the only thing that saved me. I was struggling bad and I wanted to finish my career the end of this year and then Wimbledon saved me. I am still here having fun, enjoying on the court. I had great fun today and I am going to continue to play until I have fun.
Q. Your Christmas day and you are with the family, presumably you will think about that, you will think about the one great memory from this year?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: I spend Christmas always in my mother and father's apartment and the Wimbledon trophy is there and it is going to stay there forever and always have greatest memory. It will be the best Christmas I can imagine.
Q. How do you see your career from now? You said you were thinking of giving up but presumably now you have the hunger and desire back?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: I am going to play next year and at the end of the year I am going to sit down and see where I am, how I am doing, and then I am going to decide.
Q. You will certainly play Wimbledon, I presume?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: Wimbledon, for sure. I have to come Monday 2 o'clock to open one of the tournaments.
Q. Goran, I just wanted to digress a little bit. You said yesterday you were going to start your year in Doha and Auckland. I am actually from New Zealand and I just wanted to ask your thoughts on playing in Auckland. You have been there once before. Why did you not go back and prepare for the Australian Open over in New Zealand?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: Why, because my manager told me to do it here. I mean, I had a good memory - I did not play the best tennis last time when I was there, but America Cup was there and it was a beautiful city and lot of Croatians there. It is a lovely city, but hopefully next year I am going to play better tennis there.
Q. What are your memories of your last appearance? I think you went out in the first round when you had a bit of a
form slump the last time?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yes, I was out in the first round. I did not spend too much time there, I was two three days there maximum.
Q. And I guess you are going to be seeded?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yes, I am going to be seeded definitely.
Q. Just one more question about Wimbledon. Is there one image that you retain in your head that stands out above all others from that tournament?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: When you hold this trophy, that trophy is something best you can hold, and I was always standing there watching someone else holding it and I always wondered how is that to hold a trophy for '94,'98 always, you know. I was hoping they were going to call my name but they always said this runner up thing, so finally this year I could not believe when I touched that trophy. It was just the greatest feeling ever.
Q. Goran, do you have trouble seeing in indoor courts? Sometimes I think you are not hitting the ball as well because you have problems --
GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yes, I have big problems in my eyes, that is why I am going to start to play with contact lengths. When I come home I have to adjust and hopefully - I mean, it is pretty bad. Here you have light, it is great here, but some tournaments I don't see the ball, you know. Hopefully contact lenses are going to help me a lot.
Q. About Wimbledon. When you hit that passing shot with your knee, as Maradona said it was the hand of God, would you call it the knee of God?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: I don't know how I call it, but it was a great shot and I didn't know what to do. I should hit more shots like that because it was the best forehand I hit the whole two weeks.
Q. Your friend Boban is here. Did he come all the way from Croatia to see you play?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: He is actually going tomorrow to Melbourne to open - Croatian people opening a church there tomorrow so they invite him. So he stopped here, he came last night, he stopped here to see me and he is going there tomorrow. It is a nice gesture, we are good friends and with luck he will start playing football.
Q. Which is your favourite soccer player?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: He is by far.
Q. He is not playing any more.
GORAN IVANISEVIC: Yes, but he was the best. Now Boksic is my favourite, but Boban was my favourite and he is the best for me ever.
Q. What do you think of the Portuguese soccer players?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: Very good, very talented and I think are going to be very dangerous.
Q. Just on the soccer thing, one more question. There were reports before that when you were going to retire possibly during the year that you may be coming out here to play for the National Soccer League in Australi
GORAN IVANISEVIC: Was there any truth to those reports?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: No, no, I never heard - I mean, I heard about that, but nobody asked me anything about it. I am going to stay home. It is too far here for me to play.
Q. Not even as a guest appearance?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: No, I don't think so. I would rather stay home and play.
Q. How has your standing in Croatia changed? How are you received differently prior to this year?
GORAN IVANISEVIC: Changed, you know. I think people they waited with me all these years to win. They really appreciate - I came home so many people, everybody crying, everybody celebrating with me, and I think now they respect me more. They started to feel sorry for me and nobody likes losers, you know. So they start to feel sorry for you in the end and there was something missing in my career. Now I think I achieve everything and I am a happy man and I think people they see that and they appreciate it more.
Right, the disclaimer. The interviews do not belong to me and are not being used for any form of profit on my behalf. Just to feed our craving for Goran.