HOF enshrinement partners Martinez and Ivanisevic won in doubles, too

For more on Conchita Martinez and Goran Ivanisevic, the latest inductees into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, check out their Road to Newport.

In the summer of 1988, a 16-year-old from the small city of Monzon, Spain experienced her first taste of pro-tennis success when she captured the singles and doubles titles at a tournament in Sofia. A few months later, an 18-year-old from the former Yugoslavia made his mark as he teamed up with Rudiger Haas to win a doubles event in Frankfurt.

Now, 33 years later, those ascendant teens, Conchita Martinez and Goran Ivanisevic, are entering the rarified air of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. (The induction ceremony has been moved to 2021 as a result of COVID-19.) And while this duo is being immortalized on the strength of their singles play, there’s no discounting their accomplishments in doubles.

Behind his explosive lefty serve and her ability to flummox opponents with an array of spins, Ivanisevic and Martinez both peaked at No. 2 in singles. Those attributes also benefited them on the doubles court. Whether it was delivering aces at a high clip, or setting his partner up for easy volleys, Ivanisevic was always a strong partner. He won nine doubles titles over his career and reached the 1990 and 1999 French Open finals. His versatility was also a strong suit: as with his singles career, Ivanisevic won doubles titles on four different playing surfaces.

Ivanisevic also rose to the occasion in doubles when it came to representing Croatia. After winning the new country’s first Olympic medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games in singles, he teamed up with compatriot Goran Prpic to take a second bronze, in doubles.

Martinez and Ivanesevic, at the 2020 Australian Open- Getty Images

At those same Olympics, Martinez went a step further, taking silver with fellow Hall of Famer Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. She added another doubles medal with Sanchez-Vicario in Atlanta, in 1996, and a third in 2004 in Sydney, with Virginia Ruano Pascual.

“It was such a privilege winning three medals over four Olympic games, and I can still remember the excitement as I stepped up onto the podium,” Martinez once wrote.

One of the best clay-court players of her era, Martinez finally reached her first singles final at Roland Garros in 2000, before falling to Mary Pierce in a battle of sentimental favorites. Martinez bookended that finish with a pair of doubles runner-ups in Paris—in 1992, with Sanchez-Vicario, and in 2001, with Jelena Dokic.

Martinez, who hit a high of No. 7 in doubles (Ivanisevic climbed to No. 20), enjoyed her best run of success with Patricia Tarabini; they qualified for the year-end championships four times together. In all, Martinez won 13 doubles titles.

Both Martinez and Ivanisevic are entering the Hall of Fame with one Grand Slam singles title apiece. Could playing less doubles have helped them in that regard—leaving them fresher for the later rounds of singles tournaments? Perhaps, but it’s hard to argue with the end result as they achieve tennis immortality together.

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