Newly-crowned Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic dedicated his memorable victory in today's men's final to his friend Drazen Petrovic who died in a car crash eight years ago. Petrovic, a Croatian basketball star, played in the NBA with New Jersey. "This is for you," said Ivanisevic as he held the Wimbledon trophy aloft towards the sky. "He was my big friend and I hope he is up there watching me," added the emotional tennis star, who also dedicated his win to his father Srdjan.
"This is unbelievable but I wanted to win so badly," explained the three-time Wimbledon runner-up, who lost out in 1992, 1994 and 1998. "Yet I had to be careful out there because of my father's heart condition. I was afraid his heart might explode," he added.
Meanwhile, runner-up Pat Rafter, who also lost out in last year's final to Pete Sampras, was gracious in his defeat. When asked if he had words to express how disappointed he was, he answered: "Yes I do, but I can't say them here. I'm the loser again but it could have gone either way out there. It was that kind of a match and all I can do is congratulate Goran."
Meanwhile, in Croatia, supporters are also celebrating Ivanisevic's dramatic win. In the player's home town of Split on the Adriatic coast, thousands of supporters have taken to streets and a long line of cars drove through the city, waving national flags while the mayor of Split has vowed to throw an "unforgettable welcome party" on Tuesday, when Ivanisevic is scheduled to return home.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
