It didn't take much to spot Mario Ancic in an empty airport lounge. Six foot five inches, clad in jeans and brown t-shirt, equipped with a ready smile and devoid of any frills and fancies of a pro athlete, 'Baby Goran' made his first appearance in Mumbai on Wednesday night.
And he hopes there would be many to follow.
There were only a handful of people to receive him, but Ancic reveled in the traditional Indian welcome with the tikkas and garland, which he wore till stepping into the car.
Apart from being the main attraction at the US$ 380,000 ATP event in Mumbai, Ancic will also draw attention as Mahesh Bhupathi's new partner. The duo won the men's doubles title at China Open last week, where Ancic also finished runners-up to Marcos Baghdatis in the singles event.
"Its great to be here," Ancic said.
"Mahesh told me about India and I am happy to be playing here. I had heard about India from my teammates in the Davis Cup. They had come to New Delhi to play Davis Cup; I was very young then and it was one of the first occasions that Croatia was playing as a country."
Ancic, the last man to beat Roger Federer on grass at Wimbledon in 2002, is more famous in India for snatching away their bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the men's doubles events, while partnering Ivan Ljubicic. Leander Paes and Bhupathi lost a marathon match to give Croatia their only medal at the Games.
"Yeah that was nice," said the 22-year-old with a smile. "I know it made a lot of people here sad, but that bronze medal and the Davis Cup (2005) are some of the best moments for me. It is a great achievement for a small country like ours."
Ancic started playing at the age of seven and has practiced with Goran Ivanisevic since he was 10 years old. That's where the liking for grass, the big serves and some of the temperament come from, though Ancic flatly refuses he's a "moody" player.
A promising junior (finalist at Wimbledon and Australian Open), Ancic created a stir on his first appearance on Centre Court. He took out world number nine Federer, who had beaten Pete Sampras the earlier year in the fourth round, to become the first teenager to win on debut at the Centre Court since Bjorn Borg in 1973.
Ancic reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2004 but had an ordinary Grand Slam season in 2005.
This season he made a mark, reaching the quarter-finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon, losing both times to Federer.
"I was very happy with my clay season, not just Roland Garros. I played well in the Super Nine series and the Hamburg Masters. I believe I have an all-court game now and can do well on any surface," said Ancic.
According to him, playing doubles has helped him to better his reflexes and the volleys.
So would we see him teaming up with Bhupathi more frequently after this?
"Mahesh and I were playing for the first time [in Beijing] and the partnership clicked. I am going to play lot of doubles next year, so we will talk and see."
The Kingfisher Airlines ATP Mumbai Open will be held at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai from September 25 to October 1.
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