A relaxed Goran Ivanisevic overpowered an injury-plagued Todd Martin, then accepted a check for $1.625 million - the richest prize in tennis - for winning the Grand Slam Cup.
Ivanisevic fired 28 aces in a match that lasted only 1 hour, 43 minutes Sunday. He won 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4, then cited his mental outlook as crucial to his success."I played without pressure this week and I played very good tennis," the Croatian said.
Ivanisevic's victory in the $6 million tournament made up for a frustrating year without a title on the ATP tour. Even so, Ivanisevic earned $3.7 million in 1995.
"I can hardly believe it," he said. "After a not-so-good year. ... No one counted on me here and that makes me even happier."
Martin, hampered by physical woes, wasn't able to mount much of a challenge.
The 25-year-old American beat hometown favorite Boris Becker in Saturday's semifinals, but looked lackluster against Ivanisevic. Martin, who had been receiving treatment for stomach muscle problems and needed treatment for hand blisters early in the third set, would not alibi.
"I don't blame these problems," he said. "Goran simply played better today."
Martin's consolation prize was $812,500, more than double his previous 1995 earnings.
Ivanisevic never lost his serve during the match.
In the first-set tiebreak, he hit a tremendous return and then pounded two straight aces to win the set.
The second set went with serve until the eighth game, when a backhand error by Martin allowed Ivanisevic to break for 5-3. The Croatian clinched the second set in the next game.
Martin also had a good serve, and there were few rallies on the very fast carpet surface at Munich's Olympic Hall.
He saved a break point in the third set, but was broken in the seventh as Ivanisevic took a decisive 4-3 lead.
Martin, also a semifinalist here last year, saved two match points in the next game to stay in the match. But Ivanisevic fired four aces in a row to finish the match with a love game.
The barrage took his aces total for the year to 1,003.