NEW YORK -- Riding high after a surprising victory at Wimbledon, Goran Ivanisevic enters the U.S. Open brimming with confidence and hoping to produce more upsets.

	Goran Ivanisevic has never won a tournament in North America.

"I'm in great shape and I believe I can hit anything and it goes into the court. It's great to play tennis when things are working for you," Ivanisevic, a 29-year-old Croat, said Thursday.

Ivanisevic, known for erratic play and moody behavior ranging from violent outbursts to apathy, hasn't won a single tournament in North America during his 13-year professional career. He hit rock bottom at last year's U.S. Open when he lost to Dominik Hrbaty in the first round, a defeat in which Ivanisevic described his performance as "disgusting."

This year, though, the world is seeing a different Goran.

"Last year, I was hurt and my brain was not there. Now the brain's better. I'm hitting shots which maybe six months ago, I wouldn't do because I didn't believe I could do this," he said.

Ivanisevic, seeded at the U.S. Open for the first time since 1998, has had an impressive run this summer. After beating Pat Rafter in the longest Wimbledon final in history, he made a semifinal appearance at Indianapolis and advanced to the third round at the Cincinnati Masters, losing on both occasions to top-ranked Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil.

A hard-hitting left-hander and winner of 22 ATP tournament titles, Ivanisevic is in the top half of the U.S. Open draw, which means he could face Kuerten in the fourth round. But the prospect of playing the world's top-ranked player for the third time in four weeks doesn't daunt Ivanisevic.

"I won Wimbledon, I played great last week in Indianapolis and in Cincinnati. I'm very confident," said Ivanisevic, who is seeded 15th for the U.S. Open.

One thing that could slow Ivanisevic is a recurring injury to his left shoulder, which made him skip a Masters Series tournament in Canada earlier this month and pull out of the doubles at the U.S. Open.

"I'm going to have to drink a lot of painkillers and pray every night like I did at Wimbledon. And then we'll see. I took so many painkillers at Wimbledon I can't even count how many I took," he said.

Ivanisevic faces surgery in November that will sideline him for up to 12 weeks. But he plans a comeback after the Australian Open.

"I don't know how much longer I'm going to play, but I want to be able to hit a first serve and feel no pain, at least for one day, and I'd be happy," he said. "I want to continue to play. For sure, next year and maybe one more year."