Goran Ivanisevic pinpoints main changes in playing at Wimbledon over the years - "In my time grass was like playing on ice"

Retired tennis star Goran Ivanisevic won the biggest title of his career at the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, and the former World No.2 took some time to highlight the differences in playing at the All England Club then versus now.

The Croatian star competed at Wimbledon on 15 separate occasions, making history as the only wildcard to win the trophy when he did so in 2001. Following his retirement, Ivanisevic took to coaching, where he worked with Novak Djokovic, aiding the Serbian in winning 10 Grand Slams, three of which were at SW19.

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Wimbledon courts have become much slower, claims Ivanisevic

In an appearance on football manager Slaven Bilic’s podcast, Ivanisevic spoke on how much grass courts, Wimbledon in particular, have changed since his retirement.

The good thing is that the courts are more alike. Clay, grass, hard. It’s all balanced out,” explained Ivanisevic. “So adaptation is easier. Only on grass, running is tricky.
Statistically, which I think is crazy, in recent years longer rallies happen at Wimbledon than Roland Garros. It looks fast on TV with all the sliding but grass is extremely slow. The fastest slam is Australia. That is why it’s the best. It rewards aggressive tennis. It rewards you when you attack, you win the point."

When asked if he had a better chance of lifting the trophy at Roland Garros versus Wimbledon in 2025, Ivanisevic was forced to admit that the grass courts were still the fastest.

"Well, I mean it is faster,” responded the 53-year old. “In my time grass was like playing on ice."

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