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| |  Wednesday, 30 August, 2000, 12:11 GMT 13:11 UK Ivanisevic to call time?  Time to go? Goran Ivanisevic's career may be over Colin Montgomerie and Goran Ivanisevic could not be considered to have all that much in common. The slim Croatian and the burly Scot appear poles apart, but there is one striking comparison. They seem both destined to be remembered in the best supporting actor category, forever tagged as 'the best player never to have won a major/grand slam'. Montgomerie, of course, still has the opportunity to rid himself of that somewhat damning praise - Ivanisevic does not and is currently pondering his future in the sport. A slump in form and the accompanying plummet down the world rankings is more akin to Sandy Lyle than Montgomerie and the Croat's demise has, if anything, proved even more spectacular than the other Scot's. Colossal It was only two years ago that Ivanisevic fought out a colossal encounter with Pete Sampras in the Wimbledon final. Ivanisevic lost in five sets and since then - nothing.
It left a downcast Ivanisevic - who at 28 is 18 months younger than Andre Agassi - considering whether to call it a day. No fun He is due to play in the Olympics - he won bronze eight years ago - but may yet decide to retire before then. "I don't have fun anymore," said Ivanisevic. "No fun to play, no fun to be here, no fun to practice. "I cannot even break my racket, you know, make some show for the people." While he cannot boast a Grand Slam title to his name, 'making show' is something he has few equals at in the modern game.
He was arguably the first of the giant servers and while it was not to everyone's taste, the combination of booming serves thudding into the back of the court, outbursts against himself or the umpires and some epic contests made him a crowd favourite. "Two long weeks. Not easy. Raining, not raining. Strange," he remembered in the style of Ron Manager. He once said of the British after one Wimbledon exit: "All they have is tea and rain." Element Nevertheless, it was Wimbledon where the Monte Carlo-based Ivanisevic was really in his element. But he could never quite manage to go all the way. His first final was in 1992. After beating Sampras in the semi final he faced Agassi and lost after five gruelling sets. Two years later it was Sampras - the American won in straight sets. And then in 1998 he faced Sampras again and for three absorbing hours the match swung one way then the other, before Sampras proved the winner again.
Wimbledon apart, his record in the other Grand Slams is modest - a semi finalist at the US Open four years ago and runner up in the doubles at the French Open. But he has won 21 tour titles and around �12m in prize money. In 1997 he was ranked number two in the world. Those days are gone now, as Montgomerie might whistle, and in the past they seem certain to remain. 1999 was a horrid year. Injury and lack of form saw him slide down the rankings and come the US Open he was unseeded.
"Six weeks in a row I lost in the first round, from Key Biscayne to the French Open. It was so frustrating, practising all week and then someone hits you with a hammer in the morning on Monday, and you lose again; and then again - it's just painful," he said. This year has not seen an improvement. It began, however, encouragingly with defeat of Cedric Pioline in the first round of the Australian Open, Ivanisevic winning the decisive fifth set 9-7. But he went out in straight sets in the next round and followed that with first round exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Excites He is now Croatia's Davis Cup captain and that is a prospect that excites and motivates him - something that is lacking from the rest of his game. "All my life I am the guy that had something to play for," he said. "When I started my career my sister was very sick. I wanted to play for her. Now she's fine. "Then the war came in Croatia. I play for my country, I was very motivated. Then somehow everything stopped, nothing to play for anymore."
What about playing for himself? "I don't like myself sometimes. I don't like to play for myself." A number of injuries have not helped and he faces the prospect of an operation on a shoulder if he wants to carry on. He is not sure it is worth it and so he will spend the next few days contemplating his future. He is clearly torn and there is the temptation to give it just one more go. "I've no idea what to do. I'm just walking out there like it's my first year on the tour like a lost boy. "I don't want to be a loser and say 'okay now it's finished'. I just want to maybe try one more time. "Give me some pain, kick me a little bit and maybe I'd wake up. If I can't wake up then it's best to stop." | | 
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