TNT Sports
Hail Lubo!
By
Published 26/09/2005 at 14:50 GMT+1
The Davis Cup wrecking ball Ivan Ljubicic did it once again last weekend, steering Croatia into their first final with a 3-2 win over Russia. The crowd, on the shores of the Adriatic, heralded the achievement of Ljubicic, a winner of nine rubbers in the 2
Eurosport
Image credit: TNT Sports
Victories over Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko in the singles, and a nail-biting doubles victory, in partnership with Mario Ancic, over Igor Andreev and Dmitry Tursunov, secured an historic victory for Croatia.
A United States 'dream team' of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and the Bryan brothers; in addition to a hat-trick against Romania, have added to Ljubicic's tally in this year's competition.
Another three wins in the final against Slovak in Bratislava would match John McEnroe's feat of 12 out 12 victories when the United States took the title in 1982.
Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion, said the Davis Cup should be re-named the 'Ljubicic Cup', but Ljubicic said his efforts will count for nothing if they lose the final.
"I do realise that winning nine points out of nine is fantastic but I won't care how many points I got if we win the final," Ljubicic said. "People only talk about records when somebody is breaking it.
"I just want to bring this Cup to Croatia. We've got one more match to go and I hope we won't stop here because the road has been very long and very rough.
"We have to finish it off now. If we win the final everybody will remember this year, it will be unbelievable. We have a great chance against Slovakia, even though it's away."
The 26-year-old is fiercely patriotic, explaining: "For me this competition is so special."
"I had some terrible times at the beginning when I was ranked 300 and trying to carry the team as an 18-year-old.
"But I've learned to handle the pressure over the years and know what I need to do to win," added the player who boasts 29 victories in the competition.
Advertisement
Advertisement