2010 was a historic year for Croatian tennis. Contrary to expectations, Ivan Ljubicic, who is also known as one of the former coaches of Roger Federer, won the Indian Wells 2010 tournament as a player. The then 31-year-old became the oldest first-time winner of an ATP Masters tournament 1000 in tennis history. Not only did Ljubicic win the title, but he also defeated Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in process.
Ivan Ljubicic met Novak Djokovic in the Round of 16 of the Indian Wells 2010. The Croatian star stunned the then World No.2, Djokovic by beating him in straight sets 7-5, 6-3. Ljubicic faced Juan Monaco in the quarterfinals and came from behind to defeat the Argentine. The Croatian made it to the semi-final with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 win.
In the semi-final, Ljubicic faced the then world number 3, Rafael Nadal. While the Spaniard was an overwhelming favorite, he was stunned by the Croatian, who won the match 3-6, 6-4, 7-6. The Croatian was then set to face American favorite Andy Roddick in the final, in front of a vocal American crowd.
Ivan Ljubicic was full of confidence going into the match and won both the tie-breaks in the match to clinch the title. The Croatian defeated the American superstar 7-6, 7-6 to win the Indian Wells 2010.
This was the last title of Ljubicic’s career and the first time since 2003 that someone other than the ‘Big Three’ had won the Indian Wells title. The Croatian soon retired and later joined Roger Federer’s coaching team.
The Ivan Ljubicic and Roger Federer partnership
After retiring from tennis, Ljubicic started as a coach for professional players. The Croatian first coached Milos Raonic and helped the young star break into the top 10 rankings. However, when an opportunity to coach Roger Federer was presented, Ljubicic could not turn it down. Ivan Ljubicic started coaching Federer in 2016.
During their time together, Ljubicic and Federer won three Grand Slam titles, including the Australian Open 2017 and the Wimbledon title in the same year. Since, Federer’s retirement, Ivan Ljubicic is now working as a commentator and pundit for TV channels.
