Wimbledon 2002
Nothing to lose
Ančić came through qualifying to play Federer in his first Grand Slam match. "I had nothing to lose," he said afterwards. Federer called the defeat "a shocker".
Source: ESPN; The Irish Times, June 2002The 21st century
Mario Ančić
Croatia · born Split, 1984 · right-handed · beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2002 and won 's-Hertogenbosch twice
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6-3, 7-6, 6-3
First-round win over the seventh seed Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2002, as an 18-year-old qualifier ranked 154th
2004
Wimbledon semi-final, unseeded and ranked 63rd
2
's-Hertogenbosch singles titles, 2005 and 2006, plus the doubles in 2008
No. 7
Career-high ranking, 10 July 2006
3 and 5
ATP singles and doubles titles
Playing career
Mario Ančić was born in Split in 1984, the same city as Goran Ivanišević, who treated him, he said, like a younger brother. At 16 he reached the boys' singles final at Wimbledon in 2000, losing to Nicolas Mahut, and he ended 2001 ranked fourth among juniors. He turned professional in 2001.
In his first Grand Slam match, at Wimbledon in 2002, he beat Roger Federer on Centre Court. He reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2004, won the Olympic doubles bronze in Athens that summer with Ivan Ljubičić, and helped Croatia win the Davis Cup in 2005. He won 's-Hertogenbosch in 2005 and 2006, reached the French Open quarter-finals in 2006 and rose to No. 7 in July 2006. He graduated in law from the University of Split in 2008.
From 2007 recurring mononucleosis kept interrupting his career and his ranking fell from No. 9 to No. 135; by his own count he came back 12 or 13 times. He retired in February 2011, at 26, with 3 singles and 5 doubles titles, and went on to study law in the United States, earning a master's degree at Columbia, before moving into investment banking and private equity in New York.
On grass
| Wimbledon 2002 | As a qualifier ranked 154th, in his first Grand Slam match, beat the seventh seed Roger Federer 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 on Centre Court in one hour and 40 minutes, breaking him three times and dropping serve once. He lost in the second round |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon 2004 | Unseeded and ranked 63rd, reached the semi-finals and lost to Andy Roddick 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. The Compendium lists him among the unseeded semi-finalists |
| 's-Hertogenbosch | 2005: beat Michaël Llodra 7-5, 6-4 in the final. 2006: beat Jan Hernych 6-0, 5-7, 7-5. 2008: won the doubles with Jürgen Melzer, beating Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes 7-6 (5), 6-3 |
| Wimbledon quarter-finals | 2006, lost to Roger Federer; 2008, after a year missed through illness |
| Wimbledon boys' singles 2000 | Lost the final to Nicolas Mahut 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 |
Every grass title: 3
Show every title, tournament by tournament
| 's-Hertogenbosch (Rosmalen) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Men's singles Rosmalen Grass Court Championships | |
| 2006 | Men's singles Rosmalen Grass Court Championships | |
| 2008 | Men's doubles Rosmalen Grass Court Championships | with Jürgen Melzer |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. † single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"No, Goran is Goran. He's unique. I'm Mario."
Anecdotes
The person behind the player.
Split
Goran's friend
Ivanišević, the 2001 champion, was at home in Croatia recovering from shoulder surgery when Ančić beat Federer. Asked about the comparison, Ančić said: "I'm Mario. I'm Goran's friend. That's it."
Source: The Irish Times, June 2002Wimbledon 2004
The last to beat Federer
When Ančić met Andy Roddick in the 2004 semi-final, he was still the last man to have beaten Federer on grass. Roddick won in four sets against a serve-and-volley game that had him under pressure at times.
Source: Dawn, July 20042007 to 2011
Twelve or thirteen comebacks
Ančić said he came back to the tour 12 or 13 times during his illness: "each time I fell I picked myself up and tried." On retiring he said he had no regrets.
Source: Gulf News, 2011Law
A thesis on the ATP
Ančić graduated in law from the University of Split in 2008, while still on the tour, with a thesis on the legal foundation and organisation of the ATP Tour.
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Where they won on grass
- All England Club, Wimbledon
- Autotron, Rosmalen ('s-Hertogenbosch)
- Find a grass court near you
Rivals and partners
On Grass Tennis Club
Elsewhere online
Sources
- Mario Ančić, ATP Tour player data
- Wimbledon Compendium 2025, AELTC
- History, Libéma Open
- "Federer shocked in first round", ESPN, 25 June 2002
- "Ancic raises expectations", The Irish Times, June 2002
- "Federer faces Roddick in final", Dawn, July 2004
- "Mario Ancic left with no regrets about giving up the game he loved", Gulf News, 2011
- Mario Ančić, Wikipedia
- 2005, 2006 and 2008 Ordina Open, Wikipedia
- GTC roll of grass champions, checked against a second source where one exists
Page updated 4 November 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.
