Wimbledon 2009

[centre court]

karlo kan gelukkig verder helemaal niks

The Man no-one wants to face

On his way through to the fourth round at Wimbledon, Ivo Karlovic has fired down 102 aces and not been broken once in 56 service games. It’s no wonder he is the man that no-one wants to come up against in the second week of The Championships.

The 6’10’’ Croatian has blasted aside all who stood in his way in his first three matches at SW19, carrying in the fine grass-court form he showed at The Queen’s Club a week earlier – where he reached the quarter-finals (l. to Roddick).

The 30 year old has compiled staggering statistics since the beginning of the grass-court season, serving 208 aces overall and holding 105 consecutive service games – including saving all 16 break points he has faced.

World No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was Karlovic’s latest victim, facing 46 aces as he fell to the towering Croat in four sets in the third round on Friday. Afterwards, the Frenchman declared it was the best serve he had ever faced, but lamented: “I didn't play, so... I don't have to be happy or not. I don't play, that's it. You cannot do nothing (against his serve).”

Karlovic is through to the fourth round at Wimbledon, indeed at any Grand Slam, for just the second time in his career. The Croat first made his mark on the world stage at Wimbledon in 2003 when he stunned defending champion and World No. 2 Lleyton Hewitt on Centre Court in the first round before a year later reaching the round of 16, where he lost to Roger Federer.

Lying between Karlovic and a place in his first major quarter-final is the No. 8-ranked Fernando Verdasco, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open in January where he played in arguably one of the best matches of the year against Rafael Nadal. Karlovic takes a 2-1 career lead into the clash and most recently beat the Spaniard on grass in the Nottingham final last year, sending down 29 aces as he prevailed in a third-set tie-break.

“He was also playing well here, so it is going to be difficult match,” commented Karlovic. “But with my serve, I feel okay. And hopefully I'm going to play as well (as against Tsonga) that match.”

In answering his critics who say that all he can do is serve, the Croat – who could potentially meet Roger Federer in the quarter-finals - cheekily responded: “Actually I like it, because if I can win with only one shot, I'm a genius.”


Ivo!!