Croatia, looking to redeem relegation, awaits Cilic

ZAGREB: In December 2005, it looked like a fairy tale. Croatia had won their first Davis Cup title and had four top-class players in the ranks.

Ivan Ljubicic, Mario Ancic, Ivo Karlovic and Goran Ivanisevic formed the team but since that memorable final victory over Slovakia things have taken a bad turn.

Ex-Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic has retired. Ljubicic, winner of 11 of his 12 Davis Cup matches in 2005, is likely to withdraw to focus on his tight ATP schedule and Karlovic refuses to play, complaining of "unfair treatment" in the past.

The depleted team quickly dropped from the prestigious World Group this year after defeats by Germany and Britain and now seek a return ticket, starting with Italy in April.

The torch-bearer remains 23-year-old Ancic, although he has been out of action for most of the year with health problems.

Croatia's tennis officials remain upbeat, however.

"The Davis Cup trophy was extremely important for us and given the circumstances I don't think relegation should be seen as a tragedy," said Marina Mihelic, a top official with the Croatian Tennis Association (HTS).

Goran Prpic, who coaches the Davis Cup and women's Fed Cup teams, said: "With good health, I believe we can overcome Italy.

"Beyond that, to have a strong team again, we'll have to wait for Marin Cilic to mature in the next two years or so and join Ancic."

Junior winner

Cilic, 19, ranked 102 on the ATP list, is a Bosnian Croat who came to Zagreb in his early teens and won the junior French Open in 2005.

Last week Cilic beat world-ranked number four Nikolay Davydenko in St Petersburg and though the Russian was later fined for lack of effort, the Croat went on to reach the semifinals.

"Cilic is in good form and I believe our next match against Italy will represent a new start," Ancic, who seems to have fully recovered, told Croatia's Globus weekly this month.

Together with Alpine skiing, handball, waterpolo and soccer, tennis has previously boosted the small but sport-crazed nation, independent since 1991.

Iva Majoli won the women's title at Roland Garros in 1997 and four years later Ivanisevic became the only player in history to win Wimbledon as a wild card.

However, a leading local tennis analyst warned the country might face a gap of several years before a fresh name emerged.

Mario Kos said: "We shouldn't fool ourselves. A lot also depends on how hard the parents push their children and on their financial means."

Mihelic says winning the Davis Cup helped a lot towards improving the financial side of player development.

"We invested the money earned after (beating Slovakia in) Bratislava into setting up a national tennis centre in Zagreb where the best talents from across the country hone their skills," Mihelic said.

"We're achieving respectable results in youth categories. Our under-16 national team won the European indoor and outdoor championships this year. If our young players successfully turn professional, we'll have no worries about our tennis future."

However, she admitted that a shortage of good coaches remained a problem - a view shared by Prpic.

He said: "We're not that successful in turning young talents into pros. I often hear from players that, while in the young categories, they were beating some of those who later reach top class. We have a wide base of young talents, but far from enough top coaching experts."

Ivanisevic, Ljubicic and Ancic all found coaches abroad, he recalled, and the HTS is now taking steps to reverse that. "We had a very chaotic situation where no licences were required for tennis coaches." Mihelic said. "Now we have introduced education courses for coaches and no one will be able to work without our licence. It is our top priority to upgrade the coaching potential."

Agencies

(China Daily 10/31/2007 page23)