Roger Federer may have been photoshopped in a frenzied manner for his India sojourn, but it was the Croat Goran Ivanisevic who first brought out the "Love You" cheers from the crowd as the much-anticipated International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) made its India debut on Saturday.
The disappointment of not watching Federer in action on the opening day of the India leg was more than made up by Ivanisevic the entertainer, who got the crowd behind him in his unmatched style, while his tussle with Patrick Rafter made one fan shout: "2001, Goran!"
Who would have thought that 13 years after the 2001 Wimbledon final - Ivanisevic's only Grand Slam trophy, the two finalists of that epic title clash will show a glimpse of their old self to the fans in India.
While Rafter, representing Singapore Slammers, took it business as usual, Ivanisevic of the UAE Royals chose to get involved with his fans without forgetting to churn out his signature aces in between before beating the Australian.
But the Croat played to the galleries as well, which apparently is one of IPTL's requirements for the success of its opening season.
Responding to the "Love You" call from behind him while he was about to serve, Goran completed the point first, won it and then raised his racquet to that fan behind him as the crowd joined in to applaud the acknowledgement.
And upon losing the next point, he stretched his arms out gesturing, "That's how it is."
With the DJ unleashing himself between points, a few fans could be seen shaking their legs. Goran noticed one of them during a time-out, and much to that young fan's delight, he raised his hand towards him with a smile.
And for those who bothered about numbers, Ivanisevic won 6-1.
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