After enduring a summer of disappointment, Ana Ivanovic has decided to prematurely end her 2016 season due to a troublesome wrist injury and toe surgery.
Dodged by a wrist problem since the grass court season, Ivanovic’s performance on the tour has been one filled with disappointment. Her straight sets loss to Denisa Allertova at the US Open was the fourth consecutive tournament where the Serbian has crashed out in the first round. The world No.31 has only won two matches since her run to the third round of the French Open in May.
“Unfortunately, due to a recurring wrist injury, I have been advised by my doctor to take some time off the court, in order recover and regain my full strength.” Ivanovic said is a statement.
I have also been delaying surgery on my toe, which I broke at the Australian Open in January last year, and this is something that I will need to take care of in the upcoming weeks.”
The wrist issues started for the former world No.1 during this year’s Mallorca Open. Ivanovic said that injury made it difficult for her to hit at full intensity during matches, prompting her to take a brief break from the tour shortly after her Wimbledon exit.
Ivanovic ends her disappointing season with a win-loss record of 15-15. The 28-year-old has failed to reach at least one final on the tour this year for the first time since 2012. Her best performance was in February, when she reached the semifinals of the St Petersburg Open before losing to Roberta Vinci.
As a result of Ivanovic’s decision, she will start 2017 ranked outside the top 50 for the first time since August 2010.
Full statement
A difficult decision that I had to take. pic.twitter.com/XMUtOORCIG
— Ana Ivanovic (@AnaIvanovic) 6 September 2016
