ZAGREB, July 5: Croatians turned their attention to tennis favourite Goran Ivanisevic's third Wimbledon tennis final today on the heels of the national team's triumphant World Cup victory over Germany.A delegation of team players may go to London for the final.
Croatia, who face France in the semifinals, upset all the odds last night to beat Germany 3-0 in their quarter-final in Lyon -- the Germans' worst World Cup defeat for 40 years. Now the country, and the team, wait to see if Ivanisevic can finally take the Wimbledon title on his third attempt to make it a truly memorable sporting weekend for this seven-year-old nation of 4.7 million.
Defender Slaven Bilic, who plays for Everton, is a personal friend of Ivanisevic and suggested last night the whole soccer team should go to Wimbledon.
Trainer Miroslav Blazevic said they would send a delegation to London but couldn't promise all the players would go.
``We were always as proud of him as he is proud of us,'' Blazevic said on Television. ``We'reall aware of his patriotic fervour and his enthusiastic support for the national team.'' Blazevic said Ivanisevic would be walking the streets of London in a Croatian soccer strip today.
The runner-up in 1992 and 1994, he narrowly got through to the final after a marathon five-set semifinal against Richard Krajicek.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.