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Ivan Ljubičić (born March 19, 1979 in Banja Luka, Bosnia) is a Croatian
tennis player. His career-high ATP Entry ranking is 8 (as of November 7,
2005). Tall and powerfully built, he is noted for his strong serve and has
achieved his best results in indoor tournaments played on carpet or
hardcourt. He uses a one-handed backhand.
Ljubičić entered professional tennis in 1998. He won his first ATP singles
title at Lyon in 2001.
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At the 2004 Olympics, Ljubičić teamed up with Mario Ančić to win the bronze
medal in tennis doubles, winning against the Indians Bhupathi and Paes after
having been defeated by the Chilean couple González/Massú, the eventual gold
medalists, in the semifinals.
The year 2005 has been the most successful year yet for Ljubičić. He won two
ATP titles and was the runner-up at another six, losing to world no. 1 Roger
Federer in three of them, and world no. 2 Rafael Nadal in another one.
Ljubičić has also been the top player of the Croatian Davis Cup team since
the departure of Goran Ivanišević. In Davis Cup 2005, the Croatian team
defeated the United States in the first round played in March 2005. Ljubičić
defeated Andre Agassi convincingly in straight sets in his first singles
match. He then teamed with Mario Ančić to defeat the Bryan Brothers, then
the world's second-ranked doubles team. He finally clinched victory for his
country, defeating America's number one player and former world number one
Andy Roddick in five sets. In the July quarterfinal, Ljubičić again won his
singles games against Romania's Victor Hanescu as well as Andrei Pavel, and
then together with Ančić defeated the Pavel-Trifu duo in five sets. In the
semifinal held in September against the Russian team, Ljubičić defeated
Mikhail Youzhny in five sets, together with Ančić defeated Igor Andreev and
Dmitry Tursunov in another five-set game, and finally defeated Nikolay
Davydenko to secure victory for Croatia. Then in the finals Ljubicic
defeated Karol Beck and also paired with Mario Ancic to help secure
Croatia's first davis
Profile:
Birthdate: 19-Mar-79
Birthplace: Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovin
Residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco
Height: 6'4'' (193 cm)
Weight: 190 lbs (86 kg)
Plays: Right-handed
Turned Pro: 1998 |
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