At the age of 41: Ivo Karlovic will apparently continue in 2021
Ivo Karlovic seems to want to attack again in 2021 - he has already registered for two tournaments in 2021.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Dec 27, 2020, 12:59 pm
Ivo Karlovic can't help it - to the delight of his fans. Because some had feared that the Doc could end his career at the end of the 2020 season.
Why? Well, Karlovic's tennis year 2020 was rather mediocre. Only eleven matches are in his statistics, only three of which he won: in round 1 at the Australian Open (against Vasek Pospisil), also in round 1 at the Calgary Challenger (against Evan King). And his first round qualifying game at the French Open against Noah Rubin. Otherwise, it set defeats for the 2.11-meter man, who ended the year after his appearance in Cologne. And among other things, pulled out at the Challenger tournament in Ismaning, one of the last on carpet, actually made for the service record holder (13,619 aces!).
With which the Croat missed his almost usual strong season finish: In 2018, he had already toured the end of his career when he had fallen back to 138th place after motivation problems and had made up his mind whether to either qualify directly for Melbourne - or to quit. Ultimately, "Dr. Ivo" turned up on the Challenger Tour, took 13 wins in 17 matches and on December 31, 2018 was exactly 100th.
“Every time I get a good result, I get mentioned in connection with Jimmy Connors and Ken Rosewall. Even if that only relates to my age, that's pretty cool. I don't feel any weaker or slower than when I was 38 - so why not go on? "He explained. But also announced that this was his last detour via the Challenger Tour.
Gallery: Who will announce their retirement in the men's group in 2021?
Karlovic has called for Delray Beach and Australian Open qualifiers
At the beginning of 2019 Karlovic reached the final of the ATP tournament in Pune and the round of 16 in Indian Wells, but in the end he had to enter the Challenger stage again, but despite six match points he missed the win in Houston .
In 2020 he benefited from the "frozen" ranking: Despite the weak record, Karlovic only slipped to 147th place. But for the first time since 2003 (!) He missed an annual finish among the top 100.
But Karlovic seems to want to attack again in 2021: Karlovic has reported for the season opening tournament in Delray Beach (where he currently needs eight rejections to get into the main draw). And for qualifying for the Australian Open in Dubai.
"Social Distancing" - a model of life for Karlovic
Karlovic's possible advantage: He seems to be one of those players who don't mind Corona regulations. At the beginning of the pandemic, he announced with regard to the proposed "social distancing": "I've been doing this since the early 2000s." And in May he explained what he had learned about himself in isolation - namely that he was an incredibly lazy person.
Is that why Karlovic is happy to be able to play sports again? Probably, he's not getting any younger. He will celebrate his 42nd birthday on February 28, 2021. And the way it looks: still as an active tennis professional.