Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 18 June 2007 /

When the Wimbledon draw is made on Friday there will be 127 players hoping not to come up against Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in the early rounds.

Karlovic is unlikely to win Wimbledon but he could spoil or ruin the chances of some of the front runners because of two factors. First, he stands 6ft 10ins (2.08m) and secondly he has a massive serve - put those two together and he spells danger.

The Croatian served more aces, 75, than any other player in the big pre-Wimbledon Artois Championships at Queen's Club. He didn't go beyond the fourth round but he had produced his usual range of damage with those unstoppable serves.

Karlovic took out the ninth seed Mardy Fish in the first round and two rounds later bowled over the former Australian champion Marat Safin. It took the cunning defensive play of experienced Frenchman Arnaud Clement to bring the Karlovic run to a halt.

He made his first ATP Tour final in 2005 when reaching the Artois showpiece. Karlovic staggered other players that summer by going through the tournament after holding his serve in 65 out of 66 games.

Karlovic followed up at Wimbledon with a record 51 aces in his opening match. He lost that clash but his profile was enhanced by that performance - that's why there is a sense of fear and respect among his rivals.

The 28-year-old has been playing since he was six and growing up in Zagreb. He has been on the world rankings list since 1995 and his best year was 2004, when he finished in 59th place.

Last year, he stood fifth in the aces table, no mean feat because he does not often reach the later rounds of tournaments.

So how will Karlovic go at Wimbledon? A lot depends on the draw because there are players who think they can take care of him on grass, no matter what he does. But his first opponent at Wimbledon will have a few serious thoughts about how to cope.

Karlovic, 120 to win at SW19 this year, invariably plays a lot of tie-break sets. His playing record is littered with them, even against the very top contenders.

He played two tie-break sets against top ranked Roger Federer in their fourth round match at Wimbledon in 2004. He's only played Rafael Nadal once, but there were two tie breakers against him.

In the 2005 Artois final against Roddick, the American had to win two tie breaks for the title. British number one Andy Murray had to go the same distance in his only match with Karlovic.

Karlovic is easiest the tallest of the powerful group of Croatian players on the tour. Next comes Mario Ancic at 6ft 5ins - he was a Wimbledon quarter finalist last year - followed by Ivan Ljubicic at 6ft 4ins.

In playing terms, all the Croatians are towered over by the fabled Goran Ivanisevic who captured Wimbledon in 2001 after being runner up in three previous years.

Ivanisevic will be back at Wimbledon keeping a close watch on his squad of players - they will be back at Wimbledon in September to play a Davis Cup match against Britain. If the courts are fast and the weather stays dry, Karlovic might become their front runner.

The right-hander prepares for Wimbledon this week, when he takes part in the Nottingham Open. Karlovic is trading at 9 to win the tournament.

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