Since making her WTA Tour debut at the age of 15 in 2003, Ana Ivanovic has managed to win over the hearts of tennis fans with her contagious smile that has lightened up the tour in recent years.
Born in Belgrade on November 6th, 1987, Ivanovic’s desire to play tennis began at the age of five when she was inspired by watching her idol Monica Seles on TV. Training to be a professional player in Serbia was tough going for Ivanovic and her fellow teammates. At a young age, she had to schedule her practice sessions around air strikes bombarding her country in Nato’s 78-day military campaign during the 1999 Kosovo crisis. Hindered by a lack of adequate training facilities in her homeland, she had to resort to practising her tennis skills in an empty swimming pool.
“The pool was old, leaking and too expensive to heat, so they emptied it, put carpet inside and made two tennis courts.” Ivanovic recalled.
Like many other young tennis players, Ivanovic was struggling to generate enough money to support her dream. Her fortunes changed thanks to a Swiss businessman with a passion for tennis. Dan Holzman took a risk in 2002 and agreed to provide a teenage Ivanovic with a £250,000 interest-free loan to kick-start her career. It was a gamble taken by Holzman, but one that paid off.
“Ana always knew that the first £250,000 she earned had to come to me,” said Holzman.
“Of course, I never took all her prize money as she needed to live. But she has now repaid me every penny. Ana is not my only business, and I don’t pay my rent through her, but I cannot think I’ve ever made a better business deal.”
The payment was both a gift and a burden for the Serbian. At the age of 15 she spent four hours crying following a loss, fearing that Holzman would stop his investment. Fortunately the Swiss businessman never stopped believing as Ivanovic began to blossom. She first grabbed the attention of the world’s media in 2004 when she reached the final of the Wimbledon girls tournament, losing to Kateryna Bondarenko.
Ivanovic’s Wimbledon experience lead to her making waves on the pro circuit later that year. After winning back-to-back ITF $50,000 titles, she stunned world No.29 Tatiana Golovin in the first round of the Zurich Open before falling to Venus Williams in straight sets. Within 12 months she rose 600 places in the WTA Rankings, finishing 2004 ranked 97th in the world.
The promise and talent shown by Ivanovic were witnessed by all, but there were still issues with consistency in the coming years. Her first WTA title occurred in 2005 followed by her first grand slam quarter-final appearance at the French Open.
Since reaching her maiden quarter-final at Roland Garros, Ivanovic has enjoyed a love affair with the French Open. It was the venue where she reached her first major semifinal (2007) and her last (2015). The highlight of her affair occurred in 2008 when she became the first and so far only Serbian woman since her country’s independence in 1992 to win a grand slam title. Facing Russia’s Dinara Safina in the final, she disposed of her in straight sets to win the title in Paris. The triumph elevated Ivanovic to the world No.1 ranking, a position that she held for 12 weeks throughout her career.
As Ivanovic rose on the tour, so did her rapidly expanding fan base. Her infectious smile with her aggressive baseline playing style proved to be a winning combination. Even when she experienced setbacks in her roller coaster career, the Ivanovic army remained loyal to their leader.
The 2008 French Open triumphed turned out to be a one-off for Ivanovic as she would battle with consistency throughout the rest of her career. Just over a year after winning her only major title, she dropped out of the world’s top 20 before staging a comeback in 2010. It was a somewhat frustrating situation for the Serbian, but she never gave up on her dream throughout.
Between 2012-2015 the 29-year-old managed to remain inside the world’s top 20. During that three-year period she reached two grand slam quarter-finals as well as one semifinal. On the WTA Tour Ivanovic won four titles in 2014, including what would be the last of her career at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan.
Ultimately, it was Ivanovic’s desire for perfection that resulted in her downfall. Throughout her final season on the tour, a troublesome wrist injury halted her success as she only managed to win 15 matches. A bitter first round exit to Denisa Allertova at the US Open proved to be Ivanovic’s final match as ongoing injury woes pulled the curtain on her final season.
“It has been well known that I have been hampered by injuries. I can only play if I am up to my own high standards and I can no longer do that, so it’s time to move on.” Ivanovic said about her retirement.
In years to come Ivanovic might not be remembered as one of the all-time greats of the game. Nevertheless, it was her attitude, charisma and interaction with the public that has earned her the respect and admiration of thousands. Ivanovic’s performance was uneven throughout her career, but her passion never fluctuated.
From scheduling practising between air strike’s to reaching number one in the world, Ana Ivanovic has demonstrated how athletes can blossom after getting off to a tentative start. It is for this reason why she will be missed on the tour by many.
The career of Ana Ivanovic:
– 705 matchs with professional
– 480 victories
– 15 titles
– 1 Grand Slam
– N°1 of the World #Tennis 🎾#WTA pic.twitter.com/i0jEO1JFgf— Ana Ivanovic ARG (@AnaIvanovicAR) 28 December 2016
