TENNIS PLAYERS from Croatia

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Croatian Tennis Players of all time. This list of famous Croatian Tennis Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Croatian Tennis Players.

1. Nikola Pilić (b. 1939)

With an HPI of 58.62, Nikola Pilić is the most famous Croatian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages on wikipedia.

Nikola "Niki" Pilić (born 27 August 1939) is a Croatian former professional tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. He was one of the Handsome Eight. Pilić was ranked world No. 6 in January 1968 and world No. 7 for 1967 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.

2. Goran Ivanišević (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 55.40, Goran Ivanišević is the 2nd most famous Croatian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 48 different languages.

Goran Ivanišević (Croatian pronunciation: [ɡǒran iʋanǐːʃeʋitɕ]; born 13 September 1971) is a Croatian former professional tennis player and current coach. He is the only player to win a Wimbledon singles title as a wild card, doing so in 2001 while ranked world No. 125. He had previously been runner-up at Wimbledon in 1992, 1994, and 1998. Ivanišević's career-high singles ranking was world No. 2, achieved in July 1994. He was known for his powerful left-handed serves, and for almost two decades held the record for most aces at Wimbledon with 1,377 (before Roger Federer broke it in 2019). Ivanišević was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020. Following his playing career, Ivanišević coached Marin Čilić from September 2013 to July 2016, leading Čilić to his only major title to date at the 2014 US Open. He then coached Novak Djokovic from 2019 to 2024, leading Djokovic to 12 major titles. In November 2024, he was announced as the new coach of Elena Rybakina for the 2025 season.

3. Željko Franulović (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 49.55, Željko Franulović is the 3rd most famous Croatian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Željko Franulović (Croatian pronunciation: [ʒêːʎko franǔːloʋitɕ]; born 13 June 1947) is a Croatian former tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia and has since had a long career in tennis management. He has been the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament director since 2005. Whilst his career-high ATP singles ranking was world No. 30, the ATP rankings were installed after his 1969–1971 heyday – Franulović was ranked inside the top 20 in both 1970 and 1971, reaching as high as world No. 8 in March 1971. Finalist of the 1970 French Open and winner in Monte Carlo the same year. His singles career lasted 20 years from 1963 to 1983 in which he won 23 career titles.

4. Ivo Karlović (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 47.60, Ivo Karlović is the 4th most famous Croatian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Ivo Karlović (Croatian pronunciation: [ǐːʋo kâːrloʋitɕ]; born 28 February 1979) is a Croatian former professional tennis player. His height of 211 cm (6 ft 11 in) makes him the joint tallest ranked tennis player in history, along with Reilly Opelka. He won eight ATP Tour singles titles between 2007 and 2016. He is a serve-and-volleyer and officially held the record for the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h (156 mph), before being surpassed unofficially by Samuel Groth in 2012, and officially by John Isner in 2016. In his prime, he was considered one of the best servers on tour, and held the record for career aces from 1991 onwards with 13,728 (not including Davis Cup) before the record was broken by Isner on July 1 2022. This makes him one of only five players since 1991 to surpass 10,000 aces. His height enabled him to serve with high speed and unique trajectory.

5. Goran Prpić (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 44.03, Goran Prpić is the 5th most famous Croatian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Goran Prpić (born 4 May 1964) is a Croatian tennis coach and former professional tennis player, who played for SFR Yugoslavia and Croatia.

6. Iva Majoli (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 41.81, Iva Majoli is the 6th most famous Croatian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Iva Majoli (born 12 August 1977) is a Croatian former professional tennis player who played for both Yugoslavia and Croatia. She won three WTA Tier I singles tournaments and upset Martina Hingis to win the women's singles title at the French Open in 1997. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4, in February 1996.

7. Mario Ančić (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 39.51, Mario Ančić is the 7th most famous Croatian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Mario Ančić (Croatian pronunciation: [mâːrio âːntʃitɕ]; born 30 March 1984) is a Croatian former professional tennis player who currently works as a private equity vice president in New York City. He won three singles titles and five doubles titles. His career-high singles ranking came during the 2006 ATP Tour, when he reached world no. 7. Ančić helped Croatia to win the 2005 Davis Cup and at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, he and Ivan Ljubičić won a bronze medal in doubles for Croatia. As a teenager making his Grand Slam debut at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, he defeated seventh-seeded Roger Federer. His best performance at Grand Slams came at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, when he reached the semifinals. During 2007 and 2008, infectious mononucleosis and minor injuries forced him to miss many major events, and his ranking dropped from No. 9 in January 2007 to No. 135 in January 2008.

8. Borna Ćorić (b. 1996)

With an HPI of 38.61, Borna Ćorić is the 8th most famous Croatian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Borna Ćorić (Croatian pronunciation: [bôːrna tɕǒːritɕ]; born 14 November 1996) is a Croatian professional tennis player. On 5 November 2018, he reached his best singles ranking of world No. 12. In 2022, Ćorić became the lowest-ranked champion in Masters 1000 history when he won the Cincinnati title. He is currently the No. 1 Croatian player.

9. Donna Vekić (b. 1996)

With an HPI of 37.18, Donna Vekić is the 9th most famous Croatian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Donna Vekić (Croatian pronunciation: [ʋěːkitɕ]; born 28 June 1996) is a Croatian professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 18 on 7 October 2024. Her best performance at a major is reaching the semifinals 2024 at Wimbledon. She won the silver medal in singles at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Vekić has won four singles titles on WTA Tour – at the 2014 Malaysian Open, at the 2017 Nottingham Open, the 2021 Courmayeur Ladies Open, and the 2023 Monterrey Open. She has also won five titles in singles and one doubles title on the ITF Circuit.

10. Jelena Kostanić Tošić (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 36.50, Jelena Kostanić Tošić is the 10th most famous Croatian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Jelena Kostanić Tošić (née Kostanić; born 6 July 1981) is a former professional tennis player from Croatia. On 26 July 2004, she reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 32. On 4 October 2004, she reached her highest doubles ranking of No. 30. Kostanić Tošić won eight doubles titles on the WTA Tour and four singles and ten doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. As a junior, she won the 1998 Australian Open. Kostanić Tošić married Croatian table tennis player Roko Tošić on 8 July 2006 (until 6 January 2007 she competed as Jelena Kostanić). At the 2008 Australian Open, Tošić was defeated in the first round by the eventual champion, Maria Sharapova, in straight sets. Playing for Croatia Fed Cup team, Kostanić Tošić has a win–loss record of 19–20. Her last professional tournament was the 2010 US Open.