Ivo Karlović

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Ivo Karlović**

Country	Croatia
Residence	Zagreb, Croatia
Date of birth	February 28, 1979 (age 28)
Place of birth	Zagreb, Croatia, then Yugoslavia
Height	208cm (6ft 10in)
Weight	104kg (230lb)
Turned Pro	2000
Plays	Right; Two-handed backhand
Career Prize Money	$1,428,818
Singles
Career record:	71-86
Career titles:	0
Highest ranking:	No. 48 (May 15, 2006)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	2nd (2004)
French Open	2r (2006)
Wimbledon	4r (2004)
U.S. Open	3r (2003)
Doubles
Career record:	42-41
Career titles:	1
Highest ranking:	44 (Aug 10, 2006)
Infobox last updated on: March 19, 2007.

Ivo Karlović (born 28 February 1979 in Zagreb) is a Croatian tennis player. At 208 cm (6 ft 10 in) tall, Karlović is the tallest player ever to play in an ATP event. His best ATP singles ranking to date is world #48, which he attained in May 2006. He is currently ranked 60th.

Karlovic currently holds a record 55 Aces hit in one single match against Daniele Bracciali in the first round of the 2005 Grand Slam Wimbledon tournament, which, incidentally, he lost after five sets of play. He surpassed the record previously held by Sweden's Joachim Johansson.

[edit] Playing career

He debuted for the Croatian Davis Cup team in 2000 against Ireland, when he won the dead rubber. Karlović appeared in a starting line-up for first time in 2002 against Argentina in Buenos Aires, but he lost to Juan Ignacio Chela in the second rubber and to Gastón Gaudio in fifth and decisive rubber. He has posted a 4-2 career record (2-2 in singles) in three ties since 2000.

Karlović caused a stunning upset at Wimbledon 2003 when he beat defending champion Lleyton Hewitt in his first-ever match in a Grand Slam tournament. He finished the 2003 year in the Top 100 and as the No. 3 Croatian, behind Ivan Ljubičić and Mario Ančić.

Ivo continued to be a surprising force on the circuit during the 2004 season in which he won at Calabasas, California, and has made it to the round of sixteen in many tournaments, including Wimbledon, where he lost in straight sets to the eventual champion Roger Federer.

In 2005, Karlović reached his first ATP final at the Queen's Club Championships, defeating Lleyton Hewitt and Thomas Johansson along the way. In the final he lost to Andy Roddick in a match with no breaks of serve (7-6, 7-6). After the final, Roddick said of Karlović's serve, "It's probably the biggest weapon in tennis... you don't really get a feel for it unless you are on the other side. It was not fun at times."

Since 21 June 2005, Karlović holds the record for most aces served in one match. On that day, Karlović aced Daniele Bracciali 55 times in the first round of Wimbledon. Despite this effort he still lost the match.

On 19 October 2005, he finally defeated long time rival Andy Roddick in the Madrid Masters event.

In November 2005, he was a member of the Croatian team that won the Davis Cup. He did not play in the finals but played in a few dead rubbers in previous rounds.

On 26 February 2006, he won his first ATP Doubles Tournament with Australian Chris Haggard, beating the America duo of James Blake and Mardy Fish in The Regions Morgan Keegan Championships & The Cellular South Cup, Memphis, USA. On 10 April, he reached a career high of #44 in doubles.