Ana Ivanovic has been everywhere and nowhere at the Brisbane International this year.
The first lady of Serbian tennis (arguably) adorns various promotional materials around the site and city. Cardboard cut outs of the former No.1 jump out at fans as they roam the Queensland Tennis Centre, while numerous posters and billboards around Brisbane feature her.
Earlier today Ivanovic graced the Pat Rafter Arena court for her first practice hit since landing in the country in December.
Despite dropping down the rankings (she’s currently ranked No.21), Ivanovic remains a major drawcard . And while last year she headed the women’s field, this year she is jostling for space alongside comeback queens Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, and popular Australians Alicia Molik, Casey Dellacqua and Jelena Dokic.
Speaking exclusively to brisbaneinternational.com.au, Ivanovic said that despite having a quiet 2009, she’s happy to again be starting her year in the Queensland capital.
“I had a good time in Brisbane last year. I felt that there was a lot of excitement about the new tournament, and the facility is one of the best I have played in,” she says.
“The organisation was also very good [and] there was a positive feeling to the tournament, which I liked.”
Last year Ivanovic made it to the quarterfinals in Brisbane, but it was bumpy journey for the clean-hitting Serbian, which would ultimately come to mirror her 2009 year.
“It was definitely a season to forget! I had many disappointments and I’m just glad it’s over,” she confides.
Ivanovic says that she hopes to once again lift her game to the heights it reached in 2008 – the year she won her only major to date and claimed the top spot in the women’s rankings.
To get her career back on track, Ivanovic has reunited with former coach Sven Groenefeld who she has been training with at her Sunshine Beach training base.
As always, there will be a lot of interest surrounding Ivanovic as she begins her climb back up the rankings after finishing 2009 ranked No.22. But don’t expect Ivanovic to be reading any of her own press.
“I don’t follow the media – I don’t like to read about myself, and I’m sure that helps. I leave that to others!
“I have a lot of interests outside tennis and I prefer to spend time on those, instead of reading about tennis.”
Unfortunately for Ana, there will be a higher than usual amount of focus on her first-round match at the Brisbane International – versus Australia’s Jelena Dokic, another player who is perhaps even more accustomed to the harsh glare of the media spotlight.
It’s this focus on Ivanovic’s life – both professional and personal that the 22 year old laments as the most difficult thing about being a tennis player.
“Unfortunately I’ve lost some of my privacy. It’s not something I am happy about, but it’s something you have to accept and just get on with it.”