Ivanisevic set to retire

Ivanisevic has endured a torrid 2002 so far

Goran Ivanisevic is ready to admit defeat to injury and retire from tennis - but only after he has defended his Wimbledon title.

For the second time in as many tournaments, the Croat has been forced out by his long-standing shoulder problem.

He retired from the Nasdaq-100 Open Masters while leading Argentine Franco Squillari 4-3.

Ivanisevic knows his days on the professional circuit are numbered.

But he is prepared to play no tennis at all until Wimbledon in order to be present when the tournament he won so dramatically last year starts again.

The pain is getting more and more which I cannot handle

Goran Ivanisevic

"I had my dream," said the 30-year-old who beat Pat Rafter in five sets at the All England Club after entering as a wildcard.

"I said last year, if somebody told me you can win Wimbledon and not play tennis ever again, I'd pick win Wimbledon. Maybe God heard me and said 'Okay, it's enough for you'."

Surgery is no longer an option so instead Ivanisevic will go into hibernation for almost three months - including missing his country's Davis Cup tie in Argentina.

"I want to be there at one o'clock on Monday in London," he said, referring to the opening day at Wimbledon.

"I want to play Wimbledon, that's my priority.

"The plan is I take two, three months off and play Wimbledon. That is the only solution.

"Maybe I might see how it feels and then play the French Open. I don't know, I tell you it's tough. I'm going to go crazy in those two and a half months.

I wasn't thinking it was going to be worse which it is

Goran Ivanisevic

"But the worse thing is if I take the whole clay season off and I come to Wimbledon and then it's the same pain then I will hang myself in London somewhere.

"That would be the worst scenario."

The Wimbledon champion explained that a tear in his shoulder is "just getting bigger and bigger and the pain is getting more and more which I cannot handle."

He added: "The doctor told me it's a lottery.

"One week can be good, three weeks can be bad.

"That's why I didn't want to operate last year because I thought with the amount of pain I had last year I could survive another season.

"But I wasn't thinking it was going to be worse which it is."