Ana Ivanovic, the former French Open champion who has taken more than six years to climb back into the world’s top six, claims her progress has taken her into “a new era.”
Ivanovic, both modestly likeable and conspicuously glamorous, appears to have overcome some of the self-doubt and obsessiveness that threatened to spoil her career after reaching world No. 1 at the age of only 20.
Making the semi-finals at Roland Garros has been a galvanizer of a new optimism for the Serbian, whose climb up the rankings will enable her to defend her title at Wimbledon warm-up event the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, England, this week as the second seed.
Photo: Reuters
“I really think it’s a new era in my career. The last couple of weeks have been really exciting,” the 27-year-old said. “I am just improving and getting better — and getting to be where I want to be.”
What has made the difference is balance, she said.
“When I was young, it was so much about tennis and not really having time off, not sort of letting my hair down or enjoying free time,” she said.
“It was more controlled by the team. It was just work,” she said. “Now I’ve changed that. I do work off court, but also enjoy myself — go to the beach and have a coffee with a friend, enjoy shopping. That’s made a big difference.”
It has taken so long to reach this happy conclusion because, she said: “I felt guilty doing that.”
Her brother Milos has helped her, she said, along with a fitness coach, physio and sparring partner, who leave her with so much less to think about.
“They take care of things, and help me improve and have fun,” Ivanovic said.
Her enjoyment is likely to continue today when she begins her title defense and her Wimbledon grass-court preparations against a lucky loser, while Simona Halep, the Romanian top seed, starts against Naomi Broady, a local wild-card entry.
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