Ivo Karlovic works Roberto Bautista Agut away from the net to launch his own attack, for a reaction winner, on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open. Watch live matches at tennistv.com. Photo: Mutua Madrid Open
Second seed Ivo Karlovic weathered a stern test on Wednesday at the Gazprom Hungarian Open, being pushed to the brink before reaching the quarter-finals 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 over Damir Dzumhur. "I'm happy with the win today. Clay isn't my best surface, but I can also have some good wins on it," said Karlovic. "I haven't been to Budapest in 13 years, but I remember that the structures here are unbelievable. It's a nice town, so I was really looking forward to coming back." Karlovic went on a five-game run to take the opening set, but the Bosnian responded by grabbing the lone break of the second set at 4-3. Both men traded comfortable service holds throughout the decider, but Karlovic...
If they were an NBA team, such as the Memphis Grizzlies, they'd probably slow the game down, taking their time on every possession and making sure they fed the ball to the big men in the middle of the lane. But 6'11” Ivo Karlovic, 6'11” Reilly Opelka and 6'10” John Isner are ATP World Tour players, so they try to play fast, blasting serves that skid off the court and leave fans wondering how they strike so many aces. The power and athleticism of the tallest players on the ATP World Tour have been on showcase all week long at the Memphis Open, which is played on the indoor courts at The Racquet Club of Memphis. With the aforementioned tall...
During a meeting between the two masters of their sports, Vince Carter waited until the end to share his words of advice with Ivo Karlovic on Wednesday evening. Carter, who at 40 is the oldest player in the NBA, met Karlovic before the New Orleans Pelicans took on the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum. The two professional athletes exchanged pleasantries and traded equipment on the court: Carter gave Karlovic a pair of autographed shoes, size 16.5; Karlovic gave Carter an autographed Head Radical racquet. Carter was excited by the new stick. He told Karlovic that his tennis-playing daughter will love it. Then Carter delivered the two words of wisdom that Karlovic has surely heard by now: “Stay young,” Carter...
Ivo Karlovic approaches the practice desk at the Ecuador Open, writes his name with a blue pen on the sheet to book a court from 11.30-1.30, and specifies that he is looking for a practice partner. He goes back to the hotel to sleep. Maybe when he returns to the Club Jacarandá, someone will have signed up to be his practice partner, so he can play some points. But when he gets back and checks the sheet, no one has written their name down next to his. In other columns he reads: Bellucci + Monteiro, Estrella + Zampieri, Cerratani + Oswald. All the practice courts at 11.30 have at least two players booked in. All except for the court of...
