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3/9/11 3:39 AM | Johan Lindahl
Ivan Ljubicic can be forgiven a bit of deja vu after spending the past days preparing mentally and physically for the defence of the biggest title of his career.
The 31-year-old Croatian, still ranked a respectable 16th and climbing back in the ATP table, will take on the world elite at the Indian Wells Masters.
For the satisfied father of one who knows that most of his tennis career is done, taking up the challenge is a matter of pride and honour. The Masters 1000 trophy top the list of Ljubicic achievements for a handy player who once stood inside the Top five and who owns a dozen titles but with only four earned outdoors.
Family man Ljubicic had to quit his last match in Dubai with a first-round ankle injury last month but now feels fully recovered and will not stress about his task at hand. “I'm going to work on (the ankle) the first couple of days and enjoy this facility just for myself because no one is around and think about the past,” he said.
"The closer we get to the tournament, I have to focus on this year and not think about last year (when he beat Andy Roddick in straight sets after putting out Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal).”
The elite of the ATP will be on hard to try and earn the trophy, with Rafael Nadal incoming from a winning Davis Cup winning weekend in Belgium, Roger Federer already on site after arriving from Dubai and having a courtesy hit with Pete Sampras in LA.
No. 3 Novak Djokovic is also in the area after skipping Serbia's Davis Cup tile with India to rest after winning titles in Australia and Dubai this season. Djokovic was spotted on a day off at an LA-area beach as he prepares to return to the tennis wars where he has been the form player of 2011.
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