'Working on my serve'

Her meteoric rise has swept the tennis world just like her looks. And the combo is a heady mix just like her allround abilities on any surface. Kumar Shyam catches up through email, with Ana Ivanovic, the butterscotch babe of world tennis, who is fast acquiring the cult status of Maria Sharapova

Life was far from normal for 19-year-old Serbian Ana Ivanovic in the embattled former nation of Yugoslavia, which became embroiled in a civil war in 1999. When bombings would start, Ana would rush down to the stellar with her father Miroslav, an economist, and mother Dragana, a lawyer, and stay there till the ground stopped shaking.

The then 11-year-old saw Monica Seles on TV and got hooked, even if it meant practising in a swimming pool and having immigration problems while travelling for tournaments. Now she is breaking new ground every day, fast catching up with Maria Sharapova and her nasty forehands burning a hole in the rivals’ racquets. 

Around this time in 2003, Ana Ivanovic was at the US Open as an unseeded junior, playing in the girls singles draw and lost in the third round. Four years later, she is World No. 5 and third on the Sony Ericsson rankings and one of the top favourites to win the title especially with many others laid low with injuries.

Q. You entered the US Open in 2006 as highest ranked player after Capriati and your idol Seles. It must have been a great feeling yet Flushing Meadows has not been a good venue for you. Is it that the hard court is the least favourite of likings to all surfaces?
Ana Ivanovic: No, I love playing on hard courts. I’ve only played here twice before. The first time, I was a little bit injured. Last year I didn’t play very well. I didn’t handle the rain delays very well, but hopefully now I am more experienced it will be different. I’ve improved a lot in the last year.

Q. What are the goals for the Open? What special preparations have been done (any particular aspect of the game)?
My goal is to reach the second week, because I’ve never done that before. But I am trying not to look too far ahead. One of the ways I was able to do well at the French Open and Wimbledon was to just take it match by match and not get too excited about the later rounds.

Regarding preparation, I arrived in New York early. Unfortunately practise was interrupted a little bit by rain, but I’ve had some good hits. We have been working on all areas of my game, especially my serve.

Q. You have mixed memories of Roland Garros — your win over Mauresmo on debut but also losing in the final of your first Slam final. Which one would prefer and Why?
I have great memories of Roland Garros. Of course the final didn’t go how I wanted it to, but it was my best tournament so far in my career. Beating Mauresmo there two years ago is also a great memory for me, but this year’s tournament was even better.

Q. You jumped 608 spots then into top 20 in less than a year. Yet you claim to be ‘surprised’ at the rate of progress that you made when you broke into the top 10. Can you elaborate — lack of self belief?
Everything has happened so fast. I was never really part of a system, so I didn’t know what to expect. It’s been a great adventure for me. I really believe in myself, but still to climb the rankings so fast, I never expected it. I’m very happy to have reached the top five so quickly.

Q. Going by Sania Mirza’s progress and admission, getting into the top 20s, 30s is easy thanks to the unknown factor. But once under scanner, you have made the next transition to the top 5 easily. Do you agree? How difficult was it and what factors were instrumental for the next leap?
It hasn’t been easy. The higher you go, the more difficult it is to climb the rankings. Now I have the most difficult rise to make, to go even higher than five, and I obviously hope to get to No.1.
The way I improved was to relax and not think too much about rankings, or even reaching finals. I just focused on each match and it worked really well. Then when you have some wins over top players, that gives you confidence, and you are better prepared to do it again.

Q. How do you see yourself playing in doubles? You don’t have a decent record - compatibility problems with others?
For me doubles is something I play for fun. I never took it very seriously, but I enjoy playing it a lot. Unfortunately I’m not playing so much at the moment, because I want to focus on my singles.

Q. How would you describe the relationship and competitiveness with Jelena Jankovic? And Djokovic?
Jelena is a great player. So is Novak. It’s great that Serbia has three players at the top of the game. Seeing each other do well, that gives extra motivation. I have known Novak since I was four. We’re good friends and it’s been great having someone I know well to grow up with in tennis.

Q. You recently became the highest paid female athlete in Serbia after the deal with Verano Motors? Is there a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction or you envision this is just the beginning...
It’s a great honour, seeing that a company believes in me so much. I was very flattered to be asked to represent them, and of course very happy too.

Q. For an important event like the final against Henin, did it rankle that you could not get the advice of a coach thanks to some inane clause by your sponsor and which restricted your career?
It was frustrating, but I understand the rules and so does Sven. It’s a shame, because it’s the best achievement in my career so far, and he couldn’t be there to help me. But like I said, I knew that was the rule and I accept it.

Q. All that attention for you as the ‘beauty and brawn’ super combo after Sharapova — must be enamouring, at times. Do you sincerely feel you have not let all these hinder your progress? (You could have surpassed Jankovic by now) I don’t like to be compared to other players. I don’t think any player likes that really. I train hard, and when I am on the court I am only thinking about what I have to do to win the match, not about any other player.

Q. The swimming pool and bombings are well-known. Still, could you talk us through those days again especially when thoughts must have crossed your or your parents minds that all these hardships were not worth the effort (tennis was not even popular then and all that travelling to Hungary, immigration problems, etc)
These experiences made me stronger and even more determined to succeed. It was tough times, but we came through them together and I owe my family a lot for that. My parents always protected me and my brother very well during the bombings. For me, I never thought it wasn’t worth it - I always loved playing tennis.

Q. Finally, your superstitions... how does sudoku or bouncing the ball once matter; any incident which made you believe in those things?
Playing sudoku isn’t a superstition — I just enjoy it! It helps me to relax and focus my mind before matches. I don’t always play it in the locker room, just sometimes. Regarding bouncing the ball only once — I actually stopped doing this! I’m not sure why, but it was a couple of months ago, I just stopped doing it! So now I bounce the ball a few times.