The ace in Croatia's pack

Goran Ivanisevic, self-appointed successor to John McEnroe in the tantrum stakes, remains one of the most charming and humorous figures in men's professional tennis. Ivanisevic is in Dublin as part of the Croatian team that take on Ireland in the, Euro/Africa Zone, Group Two Davis Cup match which takes place at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.

In his inimitable style, the three times beaten finalist at Wimbledon offered this overview of this Davis Cup clash. "The place (Ireland) is very nice, but the weather is not so nice. Sure, I have the experience of (the weather at) Wimbledon. You go on for 10 minutes, you come off, 10 times a day and then you don't play for two days. Wonderful. I hope it's not going to be like that here."

The match will be played on an artificial grass surface and that proved the next topic of discussion. "The courts are fine, not fast, not slow. They are acceptable for a week. If I had to play on them for two weeks then I would probably need shoulder surgery. The balls are like stones, empty stones; you hit and they don't go anywhere. But it is okay, I'm still hitting my aces and so are the team."

There will be a lot of aces this weekend. The six-foot, four-inch, 28-year-old Croatian was once ranked as high as three in the world, but he contends that a recent slump in which he has generally failed to pass the first round of several ATP tour events, while worrying, is just a phase.

He is an obvious attraction for the Irish tennis public, a man who has won over $18 million in career prize money and was an Olympic bronze medallist in 1992, losing to the eventual champion Marc Rosset.

While never affording any one tennis player with a hero status, Ivanisevic conceded that McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl were players that he admired. "McEnroe was my type. In terms of temperament, he left so I came. I liked Connors and Lendl, they were great players and I got the chance to play with them.

"That was a different era. The young guys now show no respect. They play similar games, hit the ball as hard as they can and come to the net every three days, five days: that's how it's going to be, the future of tennis. They stay in the gym 10 hours a day and don't practice."

When asked if that saddened him, Ivanisevic shrugged: "The old guys are still winning the important tournaments, no matter how the younger ones hit the ball: look at (Pete) Sampras and (Andre) Agassi."

The Croatian was himself philosophical about the ageing process. "If you could guarantee me three more good years on the circuit, then I would sign, right away, on the dotted line."

Not alone was he the focal point of the Croatian press conference, but the Irish one that preceded it. Ireland's non-playing captain Peter Wright admitted: "I think that it is a treat to have Goran in Dublin," before later offering the following comparison in serving ability between Irish players like Scott Barron and Owen Casey - expected to play number one and two singles respectively tomorrow - and Ivanisevic.

"One of Goran's serves would probably reach 130 m.p.h., while a well-hit one from a couple of our guys would probably register 115 to 120 m.p.h.. The centre-line judge is going to have to get used to dodging, ducking, bobbing and weaving if he is going to survive when Goran serves."

Ireland's four-man team comprises of Barron, Casey, Conor Niland and Peter Clarke. Play tomorrow begins at 2 p.m. with Saturday's doubles at 3 p.m. and the reverse singles on Sunday commencing at 2 p.m.. Tickets are still available from Tennis Ireland.