At his age though, working through the grind of training and keeping his tall frame fit has become tedious.A certain number told a remarkable story about one of the first main draw matches at the Tata Open Maharashtra. The tall Ivo Karlovic was to play against a player 21 years younger than him, 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime. A battle for the ages perhaps, with a next generation prospect looking to find his feet on tour against a man who turned professional the year he was born. Karlovic though, a towering 6-foot-11 39-year-old, has his own goals.
“I want to be the oldest one ever in the top 100,” he said after dismissing the youngster in straight sets.
But it may be a record too far for the Croat. Legendary Australian Ken Rosewall was 45 when he dropped out of the top 100 in 1979. But on Thursday, Karlovic had one landmark to celebrate as the world no. 100 became the oldest since Jimmy Connors to reach the semifinals of an ATP Tour event when he beat Ernests Gulbis 7-6, 7-6.
“I am the oldest (in 25 years),” he says, smiling. “I am obviously happy that I’m still here, doing what I love to do and winning.”
At his age though, working through the grind of training and keeping his tall frame fit has become tedious. In recent years, however, he’s started to take it a bit easy on himself – just as he did in his preparation for the 2019 season. At the same time, his focus has changed.
“Usually I would train a lot, but in my old age, I am trying to go a little bit easier because it’s not easy to train anymore. In the off-season, I spent some time at home. Actually, I like it a lot like this,” he says. “I was always doing a lot in the gym. Now what is difficult is the mental aspect. It’s not easy to have motivation to wake up early to do all the work. But at the end of the day, this is what I love to do and I want to do it longer.”
Basketball option
Due to his height, tennis wasn’t the only sporting choice for him while growing up in his sport-loving Balkan nation. He recalls how, in his youth, he was sought by coaches to play basketball instead of tennis. But he was adamant in his decision. “When I was young, I was good at it and they really wanted me to switch to basketball,” he says. “But I like tennis much more. That’s why I’m here still. Maybe it (basketball) would be easier considering my movement and height, but this is what I always liked.”
Easily the most recognisable, and conspicuous, player on tour because of his size, to those who haven’t recognised him, there is the general misconception that he’s an athlete who competes in a team event rather than the lonely singles game. That never worries him though.
It’s the travel required to compete on the tour that often throws a few obstacles his way. “When I travel it’s not easy because everything is made for average size people,” he explains.
“In airplanes, it’s always a struggle. Cars, when it’s a long ride, I just want to walk. It is discrimination against us tall people. There’s not enough leg room anywhere.”
Purchasing regular clothes too is a problem, and his size 17 shoes: “I have to import shoes from the United States.”
On tour too, his height has prompted lighthearted reactions from opponents. At an ATP event in Bogota in 2014, 5-foot-9 Dudi Sela brought a chair to the net and stood on it to greet Karlovic after their match. But it isn’t the tag of being the tour’s ‘gentle giant’ that the Croat is after. It’s to be the oldest in the top 100.
