Today, the Calgary National Bank Challenger announced that former world #14 and defending champion, Ivo Karlovic will be returning to the event. Karlovic is the third player announced to play in the event after Canadian Davis Cup stars Vasek Pospisil and Brayden Schnur.
Karlovic, who has been ranked as high at #14 in the world (currently 124) in singles is known for holding the record for the second fastest serve in tennis at 251 km/h. Karlovic has defeated many top-ranked players including Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 2009.
In 2018, Karlovic became the oldest player (39 years 7 months) to win an ATP Challenger tennis event winning the inaugural Calgary National Bank Challenger defeating Australian Jordan Thompson in the final. Karlovic, 40, advanced to the 2nd round of the 2020 Australian Open defeating Vasek Pospisil in straight sets in the opening round before losing to Gael Monfils (World #10) in 4-sets.
“We are delighted to have Ivo Karlovic return to defend his title at the Calgary National Bank Challenger”, said Danny Da Costa, Tournament Director. Karlovic is a world-class player who has thrilled tennis crowds world-wide for many years and his experience in Calgary was instrumental in revitalizing his career, said Da Costa. Karlovic has served over 13,000 aces in his career and his fastest serve reached 251 km/h. The 6’11” Croatian tennis star thrilled the crowds at the inaugural event with his booming serves and deft touch around the net.
For the full press release, Click Here.
