New York - Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic topped fan voting announced Wednesday for next year's International Tennis Hall of Fame, boosting his chances of induction in January.
The retired 48-year-old Croatian star, who captured the 2001 Wimbledon crown, set the pace in a five-week vote for four candidates. Fans from more than 120 nations cast ballots.
Spain's Conchita Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion, was second with Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman, a former world doubles number one third ahead of Spaniard Sergi Bruguera.
A candidate must receive 75 percent support from the official Hall voting panel, which includes Hall of Fame members, historians and reporters. Success in fan voting brings bonuses toward that threshold.
Ivanisevic will receive a bonus of three percentage points with Martinez getting two and Bjorkman.
Next year's inductees will be announced at the Australian Open in January with enshrinement ceremonies set for next July at the ATP Hall of Fame Classic in Newport, Rhode Island.