International Tennis Hall of Fame: Goran Ivanišević in Top 3 of fan voting

Goran Ivanišević

Legendary Croatian tennis star Goran Ivanišević has finished second in voting for the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019.

The big-serving Croatian, who famously won Wimbledon as a wildcard in 2001, was among the candidates announced by the International Tennis Hall of Fame in August and after fan voting closed on Monday the Croatian has gathered the second highest number of votes, the International Tennis Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday.

Eight players hailing from seven different nations were among the candidates on the ballot for the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019, including Jonas Bjorkman, Sergi Bruguera, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Thomas Muster, Li Na and Mary Pierce.

Goran came in second in the vote

Li Na had the most fan votes, followed by Goran in second place and Mary Pierce.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame, which is based in Newport, Rhode Island, posted the online ballot for fans to vote in August. The top three vote-getters got a boost to the percentage of support they received from the main selection panel of members of the Hall of Fame, journalists and tennis historians.

As the top three vote recipients in the Fan Vote, Li Na, Ivanisevic, and Pierce will receive bonus points added onto their Official Voting Group results. For first place, Li Na will receive a 3% bonus, Ivanisevic will receive a 2% bonus, and Pierce will receive a 1% bonus.

In addition to Li Na, Ivanisevic, and Pierce, there are five other candidates also being considered for Class of 2019 induction. They are Jonas Björkman, Sergi Bruguera, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Conchita Martínez, and Thomas Muster.

To be elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame a candidate must receive 75% or more affirmative votes from the combined results of the Official Voting Group and Fan Vote bonuses.

The Class of 2019 will be officially announced on January 22 at the Australian Open. The Induction Ceremony will be held on July 20 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

“Croatia’s Goran Ivanišević’s serve-and-volley style of play led him to great success on the grass courts of Wimbledon where he was a quarterfinalist once, semifinalist twice, and finalist three times, before winning the title in 2001. 

Goran Ivanišević carried the Croatian flag out at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Barcelona (Photo: D. Skaro)

That year, ranked world No. 125, the big-serving lefty was granted a wildcard into the tournament. In a magical run to the trophy, he knocked out three players who were former or future world No. 1s en route to a five-set battle with Patrick Rafter in the final. Ivanišević is a two-time Olympic medalist, having won a singles bronze and doubles bronze, both in 1992,” the International Hall of Fame said about Goran.

Induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is the ultimate honor in tennis, representing a sum of an athlete’s achievements as being at the highest possible level in the sport. Since the Hall of Fame’s inception in 1954, there have been 254 Hall of Famers inducted from 23 nations around the world.