On September 8, 2007, Ana Ivanović, alongside Aleksandar Đorđević, Jelena Janković, and Emir Kusturica, became a UNICEF National Ambassador for Serbia.
Her commitment lies particularly in education and child protection. During her inauguration, Ivanović visited a primary school in Serbia, expressing her enthusiasm for “also looking forward to going into the classroom and meeting many kids.”
In November 2008, Ivanović confirmed her romantic relationship with Spanish tennis player Fernando Verdasco; however, it was reported that they split in January 2009. Subsequently, she entered a relationship with Australian golfer Adam Scott, but it seemingly ended in August 2010. Among her closest friends are Novak Djokovic, a childhood family friend she has known since the age of five, and current ATP World No. 1 Rafael Nadal.
At the age of five, Ana picked up a tennis racket after watching fellow Yugoslavian Monica Seles compete on television during the 1992 French Open. Memorizing the contact information for a local tennis clinic from an advertisement, she initiated her career. During her training, she endured the NATO bombings in 1999, training in the mornings to evade attacks. Eventually, she disclosed that she trained in an abandoned swimming pool during the winter, as there were no other available facilities.
When she turned 15, Ivanović spent four hours crying in the locker room following a defeat — the first loss witnessed by her new manager. She feared that Dan Holzmann would dismiss her, feeling inadequate for a professional tennis career, yet he has remained her manager ever since.
Ivanović began the year at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia, partnering with fellow Serb Novak Djoković, where they narrowly missed reaching the final. To kick off her WTA season, she competed at the Medibank International in Sydney, where once more she triumphed over Amélie Mauresmo in straight sets, only to succumb to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. A week later, she exited the Australian Open in the second round after losing to Samantha Stosur. Seeded 13th at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Ivanović defeated Polish player Agnieszka Radwańska in the second round but fell to Vera Zvonareva in the third round. Following this tournament, she announced her split from coach David Taylor.
Before the French Open, Ivanović boasted a six-match winning streak, which she extended to twelve matches by reaching the final. She won her first three matches, losing only nine games total. In her second career quarterfinal at Roland Garros, Ivanović overcame World No. 3 Kuznetsova and then triumphed over World No. 2 Sharapova in the semifinals.
Attempting to secure her first Grand Slam singles title and a sweep against the top three players globally, Ivanović faced World No. 1 and two-time defending champion Justine Henin in the final, ultimately losing the match. She later shared that the enormity of competing in a Grand Slam final had been overwhelming. Ivanović kicked off the 2010 season at the Brisbane International, where, seeded 3rd, she reached her first semifinal since Indian Wells in 2009. Unfortunately, she lost to wild card Justine Henin, returning from retirement. Entering the 2010 Australian Open as the 20th seed, she faced Gisela Dulko in the second round but was defeated in three sets. Later, Ivanović participated in the 2010 Fed Cup’s opening round against Russia, suffering defeats in both her singles matches against Svetlana Kuznetsova and Alisa Kleybanova.in straight sets. In the deciding doubles match, she teamed up with Jelena Janković but was defeated by Kuznetsova and Kleybanova. Subsequently, Ivanović withdrew from Dubai due to shoulder tendonitis.
Ana announced her decision to work with Heinz Gunthardt, the former coach of Steffi Graf, on a trial basis during the upcoming spring North American hard court season, halting her involvement with the Adidas Player Development Program indefinitely. In her debut match under Gunthardt’s guidance, which was a one-set semi-final at the 2010 Billie Jean King Cup against reigning US Open champion Kim Clijsters held at Madison Square Garden, Ivanović lost in a tie-break after having a match point. Following the match, she expressed that she had noticed some improvements in her game. Entering the 2010 Internazionali BNL d’Italia as an unseeded player, Ivanović achieved her best week of tennis in almost two years. She defeated top 10 players Victoria Azarenka and Elena Dementieva, as well as top 20 player Nadia Petrova, all in straight sets, before eventually losing to eventual champion María José Martínez Sánchez in the semifinals.
She received a wild card entry into the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open and was granted a first-round bye due to her semifinals finish at the Italian Open. This made her the first unseeded wildcard in WTA Tour history to secure a first-round bye. In the second round, however, she was defeated by Jelena Janković despite holding a set and a break lead. Ivanović entered the 2010 French Open unseeded in a Grand Slam for the first time since 2005, where she fell to Alisa Kleybanova in the second round. She announced the end of her coaching relationship with Swiss coach Heinz Gunthardt, citing his divided focus between tennis and his role as a Swiss television commentator. The breakup was made public prior to the Bali tournament, but the official termination occurred after the China Open.
Ivanović began the year at the 2011 Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia, partnering with Novak Djokovic under the Serbian flag. The duo won their first two ties against Kazakhstan and Australia, 3–0, but faced a 1–2 defeat against Belgium. They qualified for the finals; however, Serbia had to withdraw due to an injury Ivanović sustained during her match against Justine Henin. Along with withdrawing from the Hopman Cup, she also pulled out of Sydney.
Seeded 19th at the 2011 Australian Open, Ivanović was eliminated in the first round by Ekaterina Makarova, losing 6–3, 4–6, 8–10 after 2 hours and 47 minutes. She then competed in the PTT Pattaya Open, where she was knocked out in the quarterfinals by 5th seed Roberta Vinci in straight sets, 5-7, 3-6. Heading to Dubai as the 14th seed, she faced Patty Schnyder and lost in three sets, 6-4, 6-7, 2-6. Ivanović attributed the loss, in part, to an abdominal injury sustained earlier in the season and subsequently withdrew from Doha. Her next tournament is Indian Wells, where she has no points to defend.
Ivanović is known for her aggressive offensive baselining style. In 2007 and 2008, she was seen as one of the top competitors on the women’s tour. After winning the 2008 French Open and achieving the #1 ranking, Ivanović experienced a significant drop in form.
Critics often point to a lack of confidence and self-belief as the reasons behind her decline. At the 2010 Australian Open, Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova remarked, “while she has absolutely no confidence in herself, she still fights till the last point.”
Currently, since hiring a new coach in 2010, she has made some modifications to her playing style. Consequently, she has begun to play with increased confidence and is winning matches more consistently.
By Terence Johns
