Ivan Ljubicic: “Zhang Zhizhen is very shy and very funny”

“How did you come to be Zhang Zhizhen’s agent for a while?”
The first time I saw him play must have been around ten years ago. He hit the ball incredibly well, he was tall, physically strong, which is not so common among Chinese players. I thought it would be great to try to make history by making him the first Chinese to break into the top 100 ATP.

And he finally succeeded, last October…
It took longer than I imagined at the time but he did it, yes. I’m delighted because he’s a fantastic person. It’s very nice to spend time with him off the court. He is both very shy and very funny. Both expressive and introverted. This week he likes what’s happening on the court, it shows, but it’s not like that every time. He had some tough times.

Have you always been convinced of its potential?
I remember very precisely a qualifying match he had played against Medvedev, in Nice, a long time ago. He had lost (3-6, 6-2, 7-6, in the second round, in 2016) but I realized that he really had the means to do well on gravel, perhaps even better than on hard. He’ll tell you he prefers hard, no doubt, but he can actually hit hard and move well at the same time, so I’m not surprised with his run in Madrid, especially with the altitude. He has the potential to reach the top 50, no doubt about it, especially since with his victory against Fritz, he has already guaranteed himself to be in the top 70, but Chinese culture is so special. ..

That’s to say ?
The job is done in a totally different way with Asian athletes and I am all the happier for him that he knows about this accomplishment, because it is difficult for them to develop a strong charisma. You know, at the time, in China, everyone thought the top 100 was unreachable. He has crossed the line; Wu Yibing (57th ATP this week) followed him and I hope that, soon, all this will seem completely normal for the Chinese. »