WIMBLEDON, England -- The message of Goran Ivanisevic's improbable Wimbledon championship is clear: When it comes to men's tennis, expect surprises.

Party time

Goran Ivanisevic reveled in his status as the All England Club's "wildest member" on Tuesday as he continued to live the dream of his remarkable Wimbledon victory over Pat Rafter. "I partied until 6:20 this morning," Ivanisevic told reporters at a London hotel news conference. "I still haven't woken up from this dream ... but how can I? I haven't even been to sleep yet." The victory for Ivanisevic, a wildcard entrant who had lost three previous Wimbledon finals, guarantees him membership of the exclusive All England Club, home of Wimbledon. "I could be their wildest member," said Ivanisevic, who is known for his public displays of emotion on court. "They (the other members) were laughing at me, but it is great. "I get the official Club tie, and they have told me I can stop by and have a cup of tea whenever I like -- but I have to dress properly first." Perhaps more in keeping with his character was his promise to get a new tattoo. "It will read 'Wimbledon champion 2001'," he said. -- Reuters

Pete Sampras lost there for the first time in five years, Andre Agassi squandered a semifinal that he was two points away from winning and Pat Rafter did the same in Monday's final.

They were the top three seeded players in the tournament. But in a wacky fortnight, plus one day, it was Ivanisevic, unseeded and unpredictable, who won one of the most thrilling Wimbledon finals ever.

"I can be a little wild on the court," the left-handed Croat said, "but I'm mentally, actually, very, very well, very good. And I think that's why I won this year."

Ivanisevic completed his climb from wild-card entrant to Wimbledon champ with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 win over Rafter in 3 hours, 1 minute.

Even Ivanisevic was shocked at that latest twist in men's tennis.

"I think I'm dreaming," he said. "Somebody is going to wake me up and tell me, `Man, you didn't win'"

In a men's tour lacking a dominant player, there have been eight finalists in the last four Grand Slams. A new pair could emerge at the U.S. Open in September.

One of the most feared servers on the tour, Ivanisevic committed 16 double faults to just four by Rafter on Monday. In the last game, Ivanisevic double-faulted at match point twice, then lost a third match point after a shaky volley.

So close to becoming a champion, he played like anything but that. Eventually, he had match point for the fourth time and started with a fault.

"I say, 'OK, fourth match point, just put that second serve, doesn't matter where. Maybe he's going to miss,' "Ivanisevic said. "And he did it. I was like, 'Wow, great.' Couldn't believe the ball was going into the net."

Just one more unexpected development in a tournament filled with them.

The reaction of the emotional Ivanisevic, though, wasn't a shock. He fell on his back, rolled on his stomach, then got up with tears in his eyes. He and Rafter hugged at the net, then he climbed into the stands and threw his arms around his father and other supporters.

He didn't strip off his shirt and toss it to the crowd as he had done after winning two earlier matches. But during the last game of those matches, Ivanisevic didn't kiss the ball, cross himself or shed tears the way he did Monday.

When the match was over and the title was his for the first time, an unusually lively crowd at Centre Court cheered -- Croats and Australians honoring their countrymen and all of them applauding a match in which a fierce refusal to lose was one of the strongest weapons for both players.

"He served very well when he had to," said Rafter, who lost to seven-time champion Sampras in last year's final. "This time hurts a little bit more."

Ivanisevic served 27 aces, giving him 213 for the tournament and breaking his own Wimbledon record of 206 set in 1992.

A runner-up for the third time in 1998 but ranked 125th entering this year's tournament, the 29-year-old Ivanisevic said his first Wimbledon championship was the "biggest thing ever happen to me."

And one of the strangest.

He wasn't expected to go far, but ended up as the second unseeded man or woman to win a Wimbledon singles championship. The other was Boris Becker in 1985.

Ivanisevic "hadn't done anything in Grand Slams for the last few years," Rafter said. "Why would anybody give him any hope of coming back and doing what he's done?"

There were other weird sights: a mad rush through the ticket booths for fans to get to their seats before the match started, actor Jack Nicholson in the royal box dressed in a red tie, white shirt and dark suit, and a court that stayed dry for the first time in four days.

The men's final was originally scheduled for Sunday. But it was delayed after rain pushed the completion of Ivanisevic's semifinal against Britain's Tim Henman to that day.

That meant that the tournament would be extended a day, and officials met to devise a ticket-selling plan. Instead of the more traditional, well-dressed fans usually seen at Wimbledon, the stands were filled with young Rafter rooters wearing green and yellow wigs, colors associated with Australia, and Ivanisevic partisans, one with the words `Go Goran' written just below her neck.

"It was electric," Rafter said. "It's what we play for."

But he may not be back at Wimbledon. Just 28, he plans to take a break after this year and decide whether to retire.

Ivanisevic faces surgery on his left shoulder after the Tennis Masters tournament in Sydney in November.

He plans to return to Wimbledon next year and won't need a wild-card invitation. He'll be the one playing the first match on Centre Court, a tradition for the defending men's champion.

"I want to experience that," Ivanisevic said. "Whatever I do in my life, wherever I go, I'm going to be always Wimbledon champion."