Ana Ivanovic Aims to Get Back on Top of Tennis World

Women's tennis is a tough sport to stay on top of, which is why there have been a multitude of No. 1 world-ranked players over the last decade. One of that multitude is Ana Ivanovic, of Serbia, who held the world No. 1 ranking twice in 2008 and is hoping to return to the top.

Ivanovic, now 22, is injury free in 2010 and looking to regain the playing style that led her to such lofty success two years ago. During that year, Ivanovic won her first, and thus far only, Grand Slam title at the French Open when she defeated Dinara Safina, of Russia, in the final. She had made the finals the previous year, ultimately losing to Justin Henin, of Belgium. She also won the Indian Wells tournament, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova, of Russia, in the finals, and finished runner-up to Maria Sharapova, of Russia, in the Australian Open.

Following the French Open, Ivanovic began suffering several nagging small injuries that caused her to take some time off, including missing the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

This year, Ivanovic has struggled so far in the first three Grand Slam tournaments - the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

Her top finish since 2008 is a runner-up performance at Indian Wells, where she lost to Vera Zvonareva, of Russia, in the finals. Her best finishes so far this year are semi-final performances in the Brisbane Invitational in January, and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in May.

But, as she prepares for the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., beginning Aug. 30, Ivanovic is focused on returning to top-ranked form through hard work, harder training and determination.

What do you feel you need to do in order to once again reach the success you had at the 2008 French Open?

There really is no substitution for hard work - hard work is what it will take. I am prepared for this and I am dedicated to my training. It's also important that I keep believing in myself and my ability. It's not been an easy two years, with many disappointments, but my motivation has never dropped. I am a very positive person and I like to look ahead, and I am optimistic about the future.

How frustrating have all of the injuries you have experienced since the 2008 French Open been?

Very frustrating. Injuries are the most frustrating thing about being a professional athlete. I still haven't mastered the ability of accepting your physical limitations. I am always so eager to get back on the court and play, and in the past that has caused me stress, because I was all the time thinking, "when will my body be ready to practice again?" And then when I was ready to at least hit, I would be frustrated that my timing wasn't there immediately, or I couldn't play to my maximum intensity.

Instead, it's important to accept that injuries are part of the game and they take time to recover from. The only thing you can do is work on strengthening your body in order to prevent them. Although I've had lots of small injuries, I am lucky that I haven't had one big one that has kept me away for many months.

What have you been doing this year to get back on the top of your game? Any new training routines?

One of the most important parts of my fitness work has been to increase my upper body strength, to make sure that my shoulder is strong enough because this is the area that receives a lot of stress when you serve. So I've been working a lot on that, doing some resistance weight training and also using a resistance band and even playing catch ball with an Aussie Rules football - that can help too.

What does your training usually consist of?

For me, it's important to have variety in my training. Firstly, there is of course a mix between tennis and fitness work. It's really hard to say how a typical training day looks, but in general, at a time like this when there is no tournament, I have three sessions a day: two tennis and one fitness, or the other way around.

On some days I will do "BBs" - before breakfast exercises, usually basic cardio. I do exercises like running up the stairs too. I am very competitive so I always like to include some game if I can, and there are a few I have played in the past with my fitness trainers, usually on the tennis court. For example, we would throw a Swiss ball across the net and the other person had to control it and throw it back without it bouncing twice, and they had to do it from the point where they caught it.

I've done some fun things like surfing, swimming, mountain biking and even kickboxing in the past, to keep things fresh and interesting. But at the moment it's a bit more traditional, for example running outdoors.

Do you change your training for each style of playing surface?

Yes. Each surface is different and requires different types of movement, and different stresses on the body. For example, for clay you need to have a very strong core and lower body, so that you have a strong base to push off from. On the other hand, you have to work on bending down low on grass, because of the bounce of the ball.

What is your favorite surface to play on? Why?

I think I'd have to say clay. I enjoy playing on all surfaces but I've had my best results on clay and it's also the surface that is easiest on the body. At least in my experiences, hard courts are quite punishing on the joints.

What is your favorite tournament to play in? Why?

The French Open. I have so many special memories from this tournament. It's where I won my first Grand Slam, reached my first Grand Slam final, and also quarterfinal. I love Paris as a city too. After that, I would have to say the Australian Open, because I love the country and I have family in Melbourne.

What are your goals as you prepare for the U.S. Open?

My goal is always to play to my potential. If you play to your potential and lose then you can have no regrets. Sometimes you can play really well but not take your chances and lose, and on other occasions you can play so-so but take your chances and win.

If I can reach the level that I know I am capable of, I can go far in my tournaments, including the U.S. Open.

Ivanovic has been in the media spotlight practically since she burst onto the tennis scene as a 17-year-old in 2004. Her success in tennis, despite growing up in war-torn Belgrade, made her a great story. And her supermodel good looks, with piercing eyes, megawatt smile and athletic 6-foot 1-inch frame, made her an instant target for potential sponsors for endorsement deals.

During her time as a pro player, Ivanovic has been named the Sexiest Female Player by www.tennisreporters.net from 2005-2009, finished 11th on FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World list in 2009, was named the best-looking tennis player of all-time by The Age (of Australia) newspaper, won the Die Bild (of Germany) newspaper's reader poll for most beautiful body in sports in 2008 and was named the best-looking female tennis player by The Globe and Mail (of Canada) newspaper in 2008.

Because she gets a lot of attention for her looks, and because her game has been struggling lately, Ivanovic has received some criticism for being more of a model and less of a tennis player. But, she has never put modeling or any other outside activity ahead of her tennis training. She has also done limited modeling engagements outside of shoots for her sponsors.

How do you feel about being considered a sex symbol?

It's very flattering for sure, but it's a bit embarrassing too, because I don't see myself that way. But every woman likes to receive compliments on how they look and I am no different.

How do you find a balance between modeling and training?

It's not necessary to find a balance because I hardly do any modeling. I think there is the impression that I do a lot more than the reality. I've done just one photo shoot in about nine months, it was for adidas and it took three or four hours. I've never done more than one photo shoot every few months and in any case, training always comes first.

What was it like appearing in this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue?

It was good fun and a big honor. I know how famous this magazine is with a long history, so I was flattered to be asked to be part of it. The photo shoot wasn't easy, with some quite tiring poses, but I was happy with the results.

How do you like to spend your time away from tennis and training?

I am not really a party person, although I like dressing up and going out from time to time. But most of the time I like to spend my free time with my family and friends, just relaxing at home or going for a nice dinner. I also do a lot of reading and listening to music. I watch quite a lot of movies and, when I can, I like to work on my languages - Spanish and English.

What do you hope the future holds for you?

I want to win more Grand Slam titles, and to continue to be happy in my private life.

Prior to the U.S. Open, Ivanovic is scheduled to compete in the Bank of the West Classic, in Stanford, beginning July 26, the Mercury Insurance Open, in San Diego, beginning Aug. 2, the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, in Cincinnati, beginning Aug. 9 and the Rogers Cup, in Montreal, Canada, beginning Aug. 14.

Ivanovic is sponsored by adidas, Yonex, Rolex and Juice Plus+.

For more on Ana Ivanovic, visit her official Web site at www.anaivanovic.com, or her Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/anaivanovic.