Tue. Nov 5th, 2024

Ana Ivanovic had a rough 2009. She suffered injury and crticism for lost form, both marring her image as a legitimate tennis threat. However, the former number 1 is fast on track to rebuild her status in the tennis world. She is off to a good start in the Brisbane International where she just secured her spot in the second round of the tournament.

“It’s my goal to get back to the top 10 and play the championship at the end of the year,” she told press. “Last year was a tough year, but I learned a lot from it and I think it helped me a lot to be mentally stronger and to know more what I want and not take anything for granted. This has made me appreciate it more and realise I have to work hard for every match and not just expect it to come.”

THE BASICS on ANA IVANOVIC
Residence
Basel, Switzerland
Date of Birth
November 6, 1987
Birthplace
Belgrade, Serbia
Height
6’1 (1.86 m)
Weight
152 lbs. (69 kg)
Plays
Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Status
Pro (August 2003)

Trivia

  • Most embarrassing moment in tennis is when she took another player’s racket bag onto court after mistaking it for her own
  • The President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, attended her 20th birthday party
  • Was featured on a Serbian postage stamp during the run-up to the 2008 Olympics
  • One of her proudest achievements was winning 16 matches in 15 days as she captured back-to-back titles on the ITF Women’s Circuit when she was 16
  • Has won the tennisreporters.net Sexiest Female Player award for the last four straight years (2005-2008)
  • Finished 11th on FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2009 list
  • Named the best-looking tennis player of all-time by The Age newspaper
  • In October 2008 won Die Bild newspaper’s reader poll for “most beautiful body” in sport
  • In December 2008 was named “best looking” female tennis player by The Globe & Mail newspaper
  • Has the most-visited website of any sportswoman (according to www.alexa.com, on 14 June 2008)
  • In December 2009 was named Hottest Female Athlete by sportsnet.ca