Ivan Ljubicic Quotes (51 Quotes)


    In the first set, I tried to play a fast game, I thought maybe that's the only chance I can trouble him a little bit. But it was not the case.

    I started well, obviously, ... It's really important, especially against Andy, to start with a break. You can play really relaxed because he was not hurting me on my service games at all. I was serving well, playing well off the baseline.

    After the third set, I thought I'm going to win because I felt everything much better. I think he was just pushing the ball back and running left and right. I think I was very unlucky in the fifth set not to get the break in the beginning, then to lose service game after.

    It's the best performance of my life. I never felt in any trouble, and I felt I had three or four chances to break him in the second set. I was really confident and relaxed on all my shots.

    It's my first Masters final. A lot of people will be against me. It's normal, like Davis Cup atmosphere.


    It was like someone just turned on the lights. My legs were heavy and it took me a long time to get used to the balls. But I kept feeling fresher and fresher as the game progressed.

    He played quite well and he was the one who was pushing me over the limits. When it's like that, it's very difficult to make a statement out there, to make a decent match.

    I wasn't really feeling good all throughout the week, but I knew when I walked out on the court with the crowd, it would be a different situation.

    It's the best performance of my life. I thought I could play well but not this well. ... See you tomorrow.

    I couldn't return anything. In the third set, maybe he was thinking about the title. Then he had a medical time-out for his thigh and that allowed him to relax. But I had a great week.

    It's the first match of my life on centre court here, and I hope it's not my last. I had only two days to prepare and I was struggling a bit in my first two matches. Today it was much better and I'm looking forward to the quarter-finals.

    It's tough to come here straight after Davis Cup, but it's an important time for me, and I know I have a good chance to win matches on this surface.

    I feel like the box is huge. I can't miss it. It's been like this for a month now.

    Otherwise, there is no point because he risks aggravating what is already a serious injury.

    It's not easy to play doubles on this surface because it's pretty quick and tough to return, ... There won't be many rallies so you are going to have one or two chances to make it, and if you don't -- bad luck. We are going to have to be focused and hope for the best.

    Congratulations to Tomas - he killed us all this week, ... The key to the match was the start. He played really well and I struggled. I felt a little pain in the knee so I took off the bandage. But he was just the better player in the first two sets.

    It's a long time that I played two matches in a day, but it helped me. The earlier match gave me the rhythm from the first point in the final.

    It's been the best two weeks of my life, to qualify for the Davis Cup final and win a title in Metz, ... I played some great tennis there, really. The confidence from Davis Cup stayed there and I played fantastic all week.

    I went for some shots that I'm usually not going for. So, I think the only thing I have to do in the final against him is just to stick with my game, try to play my game. And if he's better, he's better, which he's probably going to be. But I just want to keep my game plan and not go left to right, not go for too much.

    For the millionth time, we showed we are strong in the mind when it counts.

    I always thought my Olympic bronze medal was the highlight of my career, ... But this is even better. I had some terrible times at the beginning of my Davis Cup career, but through the years I've learned how to deal with the pressure match after match.

    It's not going to be an easy match because he's already won seven matches here. He knows exactly probably every little hole in the court so it's not going to be easy, but I think the crowd is going to be behind me tomorrow and I'm going to give a try to go for that fifth title.

    I really never felt in a trouble on my service games. Even throughout the second set, the whole second set, I was feeling that I was almost there. Then finally at 5-5, I played two perfect returns on 15-30 and 15-40 to break him and to close out the match.

    Every time, it's like, 'OK, maybe this is the one. But it's never happening.

    I don't like too much attention. I of course appreciate it. And if I play well, of course, I'm going to earn that attention. I'm going to earn center-court appearances.

    I woke up with a completely blocked neck and we worked on it all morning. I didn't know if I would play or not. It was probably the most difficult decision I had to make in my career - to play or not.

    Every time when I have to play against him, it's like, 'OK, maybe this is the one. But it's never happening. A couple times I was very close. I really just hope to be at least close on Sunday.

    He told me yesterday, 'If you win, be careful with your neck. He said, 'Sleep on the same pillow and don't open the windows.

    Today I felt like for the first time I was the better player on the court (against Federer), and that's why it feels frustrating because some shots just went out that they were not supposed to.

    I hope we'll win the doubles tomorrow and then clinch the victory.

    But this is even better. I don't care who we play in the final because we're there.

    I am number five in the world so I expect to play well. We made some mistakes and it got difficult but we hung in and won it.

    I'm glad we are 2-0 up. I'm in very good form, I'm playing very good tennis lately and we will try and finish things off tomorrow in the doubles.

    My serve was the key today, and the crowd were fantastic,

    It was a nervous start for me. For the first time this week, I lost my serve in the opening game, ... I felt I was the favorite and I had to win. As I said, this first set was really nervous, it wasn't good tennis.

    The surface is really sticky so you can't move, ... It's really difficult to move on court. And the ball doesn't bounce, doesn't have natural bounce. So it is strange.

    Like 10 seconds after the match, you are mad because you think you were close. But then a week after, I'm gonna be proud the way I played and the fact that I was close. But, I mean, it's still a loss, of course. As I said, it's straight sets, so it definitely feels a little rough.

    I felt as if my legs were not as powerful and quick as last week, but I think that's normal,

    I really feel like this time is different. My tennis is totally different than it was before. I think this struggle time is over.

    I served unbelievable again today. I just feel like I'm serving from the service line instead of the baseline. I feel like the box is huge.

    He started really good and I was struggling to move on the court,

    We never lost hope. It happened to us before, and we managed to come back. When we got the feel on the return I knew everything was possible.

    He's on fire this week, and we saw today that he can play unbelievable tennis.

    This is phenomenal, this is unbelievable. It is such a hard path to get this far, to get this high, to get a chance to win the Davis Cup.

    Last match in Indian Wells wasn't fantastic, but I try not to go too far away from my game plan. His game asks you to give more than you have, but if I serve well and play well on the baseline, I can give him trouble. Still, he always gets out of it as the winner.

    He's not struggling he's just not in top shape. Today I felt like, for the first time I was the best player on the court. I feel really upset because I thought I deserved this one.

    I was not moving really well on the court but I think he helped me out with a couple of mistakes in the games he lost his serve, and I served well so it worked out pretty well.

    It takes time to realize how big this is, but I do realize it's huge for us, for our sport and our country, because we are really small.

    Nobody likes to play against Fabrice Santoro. His anticipation, his touch and hands are unbelievable. Every time we play, I know I am going to have a tough match but today, I felt good and I think I did the right things tactically. I am working on having a more complete game. I know I can't reach my goal of being a Top 10 with just a big serve. I think I am on a good track at the moment, I am playing well and have a lot of confidence from the Davis Cup.

    I didn't feel like he gave me too many chances out there. I probably tried too hard, tried more than I'm doing every day, and that's never good. He was the one pushing me over the limits.


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