Ivo Karlovic, the towering Croatian known for his dominant serve, has faced some of the greatest players in tennis history. Throughout his career, he played against Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer multiple times, securing notable wins over both. When asked which victory meant the most, Karlovic had a clear choice.
The former World No. 14 enjoyed a career spanning nearly two decades, winning eight ATP singles titles and playing a crucial role in Croatia’s 2005 Davis Cup triumph. His biggest Grand Slam result came in 2009 when he reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Over the years, he used his powerful serve to challenge even the best, including Federer and Djokovic.
In an interview with Tennis.com in 2019, Karlovic reflected on his win over Federer at the 2008 Cincinnati Masters. “I was really happy. In that match with Federer, I was winning a lot of points on my second serve,” he said. “He was struggling with returning them. That was the difference.” The victory was his first over a world No. 1.
Another major moment in Karlovic’s career came in 2015, when he defeated Djokovic at the Qatar Open. “I remember on the day it was really windy,” he said. “I was able to serve unbelievably in the wind and he was struggling also from the baseline. He did not like my sliced backhand, so in the end, he was actually going to my forehand. I was playing really well that day.”
Ivo Karlovic after defeating Roger Federer in Cincinnati in 2008 (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
When asked which of the two wins stood out more, Karlovic leaned toward Federer. “This could be my best win [against Djokovic], but when I beat Roger in Cincinnati that was my first over a No. 1 ranked player,” he said.
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Karlovic has also weighed in on the debate about the greatest player of all time. In 2016, he made his stance clear with a tweet that read, “Nole the true GOAT!” His stance at the time might have been controversial, but it came after one of Djokovic completed his first career Grand Slam (he has three already) by winning the French Open.
In that same season, Djokovic held all four major trophies at once, a feat no other man in the Open Era has achieved since Rod Laver completed his second year Grand Slam in 1969. While Federer and Rafael Nadal had been widely considered the greatest in the sport, Karlovic’s vote went to the Serbian far before he won his record-breaking 24 Grand Slams titles.
