Wimbledon 2009: Ana Ivanovic happy to be one of the crowd
Wimbledon 2009: Ana Ivanovic happy to be one of the crowd
Wimbledon 2009: Ana Ivanovic happy to be one of the crowd
Ana Ivanovic scored a 7-5 6-1 second-round win over Sara Errani at Wimbledon, where last year she was competing at Wimbledon as top seed.
Now just one of the crowd, but she could not be happier.
“Up until last year, my career was always going up, and my rankings were always improving. Then once I got to the top position, I had some setbacks,” said Ivanovic.
“It was a little bit hard for me to accept it. I just thought it’s always going to be up the hill and it’s always going to be better and better. But it’s not always the case.
“You learn how to accept some losses, and it makes you stronger and makes you appreciate wins even more.”
She has had to come to terms with a lot of defeats in recent months as she has yet to win a title in 2009.
The Serb tried to revive her fortunes by hiring coach Craig Kardon, who had previously worked with Martina Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati, but terminated that partnership after just four months.
Before the start of Wimbledon, she returned to work with her sponsor’s elite coaching staff and since the set-up includes her former mentor Sven Groeneveld, she has started to enjoy her time out on court again.
“Seeing Sven, it’s really good. I think from all the coaches, he knows my game the best. We spent a couple of years working together,” said Ivanovic, who was beaten in the fourth round of the French Open last month.
“We went through a lot together, so he knows not only my game but also he can tell in my face expression how I’m feeling.
“It really feels good to have someone in the crowd that I can look to and he can just be supportive. It already means a lot to me, and it makes me calm.
“I’m very happy on the court at the moment. That’s what made the big difference because there was a time when I was not really happy being out there because I didn’t feel confident and I felt I didn’t have the tools to deal with certain things.”
Article from reuters
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