This Time, Ivanisevic More Prepared to Play : Men’s tennis: He would like to win at least a set at Champions Cup--and have fun, too.

The $1.7-million Newsweek Champions Cup begins today, and not a minute too soon for Mr. Goran Ivanisevic, citizen of Croatia, tennis player of the world, restaurant critic of the desert.

A year ago, Ivanisevic lost his first match, then delivered a deadpan routine that absolutely skewered the Coachella Valley.

Ivanisevic was down because of a severe fun shortage.

Among other things, Ivanisevic said the air was dead, he fell asleep at 9 p.m., he felt like an old man, the restaurants were boring and the people eating in them were too old.

An example: “I try restaurants. You see two young people. Everybody else is 100 years old . . . 150. Every time I think somebody is going to die in restaurant.”

So it was sort of surprising to see Ivanisevic, 21, wearing a colorful shirt with drawings of cactus on it as he strolled around the tennis courts at Hyatt Grand Champions on Sunday.

Ivanisevic said that Palm Springs isn’t such a bad place after all.

“I don’t hate this place,” he said.

Ivanisevic will carry this new opinion of the desert with him now when he goes into restaurants.

“I am year older, now I am closer to their age.”

Besides, Ivanisevic said, his girlfriend, Daniella Mihalic of Croatia, is with him here and he has put her in charge of finding activities.

“I’m going to find fun,” Ivanisevic said. “I am still young. I don’t hide anything. One day I am going to be old guy, too. A young guy will say what I said and I will say, ‘What is he talking about?’

“When you are young, you say things. I always say things. Sometimes I should keep my mouth shut. But I said it. What can I do?”

Actually, Ivanisevic does have a couple of big goals this year. One is to win Wimbledon. The other is to win a set at Newsweek--not a match, a set. This second goal is the real reason he came back to the desert, said Ivanisevic, who is nursing a sore right arm.

“Yes, I came to see if I can win a set here. I will try very hard.”

Tennis Notes

The U.S. Davis Cup team dominates the first day’s schedule. All four players the United States will send to play Australia in the first round are in action today: Brad Gilbert against Sergi Bruguera, David Wheaton against Alex O’Brien, Jim Grabb against Guy Forget and Richey Reneberg against Jordi Arrese. . . . Top-seeded Jim Courier will play the winner of Wheaton-O’Brien and second-seeded Pete Sampras meets either Luiz Mattar or Robbie Weiss.