Pantheon considers the following individuals to be the top ten most legendary Croatian tennis players of all time. The HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a measure that collects information about a biography's online popularity, is used to rank this list of notable Croatian Tennis Players. To see the complete list of Croatian tennis players, go to the rankings page.
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1. Nikola Pilić (1939 - )
Nikola Pili is the most well-known Croatian tennis player, with an HPI of 65.05. On Wikipedia, his biography has been translated into 21 other languages.
Nikola "Niki" Pili (born August 27, 1939) is a former professional tennis player from Croatia who represented SFR Yugoslavia. One of the Handsome Eight, he was. Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph rated Pili world No. 6 in January 1968 and world No. 7 in 1967.
2. Goran Ivanišević (1971 - )
Goran Ivanievi is the second most renowned Croatian tennis player, with an HPI of 62.34. His autobiography has been published in 46 languages.
Goran Ivanievi (Croatian pronunciation: [ran ianeit], born September 13, 1971) is a former professional tennis player and current tennis coach from Croatia. As a wildcard, he is the only guy to win the singles championship at Wimbledon. He accomplished this when ranked 125th in 2001, after being runner-up at Wimbledon in 1992, 1994, and 1998. In 1994, Ivanievi reached his career-high singles rating of world No. 2 (behind Pete Sampras). From September 2013 until July 2016, he coached Marin ili, who won his lone Grand Slam championship at the 2014 US Open. In 2020, Ivanievi will be enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
3. Ivo Karlović (1979 - )
Ivo Karlovic is the third most renowned Croatian tennis player, with an HPI of 57.40. His autobiography has been published in 36 languages.
Ivo Karlovic (born February 28, 1979; Croatian pronunciation: [o kârloit]) is a Croatian professional tennis player. Between 2007 and 2016, he won eight ATP singles championships. Karlovic, with Reilly Opelka, is the equal tallest ranked tennis player in history, standing at 211 cm (6 ft 11 in). He is a serve-and-volleyer who held the record for the fastest serve in professional tennis, measuring 251 km/h (156 mph), until Samuel Groth unofficially overtook him in 2012, and John Isner officially surpassed him in 2016. In his peak, he was regarded as one of the greatest servers on the circuit, with a total of 13,728 career aces (not including Davis Cup). He is one of only five players in history to have accumulated 10,000 aces. His height allows him to serve quickly and with a distinctive trajectory.
4. Iva Majoli (1977 - )
Iva Majoli is the fourth most renowned Croatian tennis player, with an HPI of 54.65. Her autobiography has been published in 32 languages.
Iva Majoli-Mari (born August 12, 1977) is a Croatian former professional tennis player who represented both Yugoslavia and Croatia. In 1997, she defeated Martina Hingis to win the French Open women's singles championship. During her career, Majoli won seven more singles championships and one double win. In February 1996, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 4 in the world.
5. Goran Prpić (1964 - )
Goran Prpi is the fifth most renowned Croatian tennis player, with an HPI of 53.68. His autobiography has been published in 19 languages.
Goran Prpi (born 4 May 1964) is a Croatian tennis coach and the former pro player who represented SFR Yugoslavia and Croatia.
6. Mario Ančić (1984 - )
Mario Ani is the 6th most renowned Croatian tennis player, with an HPI of 52.25. His autobiography has been published in 32 languages.
Mario Ani (Croatian pronunciation: [mârio ântit]; born March 30, 1984) is a Croatian former professional tennis player who now works in New York City as a private equity vice president. He was a three-time singles champion and a five-time doubles champion. His best singles rating came during the 2006 ATP Tour when he was ranked no. 7 in the world. Ani helped Croatia win the Davis Cup in 2005, and he and Ivan Ljubii earned a bronze medal in doubles for Croatia in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He beat seventh-seeded Roger Federer on his Grand Slam debut as a teenager in the 2002 Wimbledon Championships. At the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, he reached the semifinals, which was his greatest Grand Slam achievement. Mononucleosis and minor ailments caused him to miss several important tournaments in 2007 and 2008, and his ranking fell from No. 9 in January 2007 to No. 135 in January 2008.
7. Jelena Dokic (1983 - )
Jelena Dokic is the 7th most renowned Croatian tennis player, with an HPI of 51.34. Her autobiography has been published in 37 languages.
Jelena Dokic (Serbian: елена oки, romanized: Jelena Doki; pronounced [jlna dokit]; born 12 April 1983) is an Australian tennis coach, pundit, and writer. In August 2002, she was ranked No. 4 in the world as a tennis player. Throughout her career, she won WTA Tour tournaments on all surfaces. Dokic, at 16 years old, beat Martina Hingis 6–2, 6–0 in the 1999 Wimbledon Championships, causing one of tennis' biggest shocks. This is the first occasion the women's world No. 1 has ever lost at Wimbledon against a qualifier. Dokic went on to reach the semifinals of that tournament, her lone Grand Slam appearance. After her Wimbledon breakthrough, Dokic quickly rose up the world rankings, but her time in the top echelon was marred by off-court issues. Her relationship with her outspoken father and coach Damir Doki, with whom she transferred allegiance to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in November 2000 on his recommendation, was the topic of considerable media conjecture for years. In 2005, she returned to Australia, and in her 2017 book Unbreakable, she accused her father of physical and emotional abuse. Dokic made a significant comeback to tennis in 2008, finishing the year in the top 100 in the world, but he battled with form and injuries after that, and retired from professional tennis in 2014.
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