Interview: Eastbourne 1st Round

Elena Vesnina def Ana Ivanovic 2-6 6-4 6-3

Q. Great start, obviously. What happened after that?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I really felt I played well in the beginning, and it was just a few points here and there that really decided the match. 
I think in the second and third set she served a lot better than in the first, and it was kind of different, made difference in the grass. It's always tough when you play your first match, and it's so tough, sometimes happens too fast, everything. 
But despite, I still felt like I had chances, but, yeah, she played good towards the end. 

 Q. You didn't seem to really get into that much of a rhythm today.

 ANA IVANOVIC: Well, I think on grass it's very hard to get rhythm. You don't get many long rallies and long points. But overall I was pleased with my serving today, and in the first set I did quite a few good things. You know, it's something, you know, that I want to build towards and now hopefully have another few good days of practice before Wimbledon. 

 Q. What is the game plan now as you kind of move on to Wimbledon? Do you get to go and play some practice matches, or is it just kind of general hitting practice and movements?

ANA IVANOVIC: Well, it's still some drilling and movements and getting used to moving on the grass, because obviously it's very different. Yeah, last few days it's been quite full on the court, so we didn't get much of that. Hopefully do more of that kind of stuff over in London and do play some points, too, because obviously that's what comes down to. 

 Q. This is probably one of your least successful tournaments in your career?

ANA IVANOVIC: Not a very good record. (Smiling.)

 Q. Is it because of adjusting to the grass?

ANA IVANOVIC: A little bit. And also it's always quite windy, although today was no wind. It was perfect conditions. But I think it is. It's just, you know, a matter of playing matches and getting used to it. And, you know, this tournament is always very strong, so you have tough opponents from first rounds. 

 Q. Do you prefer to be able to build points, or do you prefer quicker points?

ANA IVANOVIC: No, definitely prefer to have rhythm and to build points. I think that's why I enjoy playing on clay so much, because everything happens slower. But, you know, it's fun to play on grass because you really have to be quick and react. Sometimes it gets frustrating, but then also, yeah, sometimes can be fun. Also, I have style of game that, you know, I can go for my big shots. So it's balance. 

 Q. Do you remember the first time that you played on grass?

ANA IVANOVIC: It was Roehamton juniors, I think. 

 Q. What was your first reaction, like literally, first rally with the ball bouncing?

ANA IVANOVIC: Well, I remember first time I walked on the grass and I tried to bounce the ball and it just wouldn't come back. I thought, okay, the ball does not bounce here. (Smiling.)

Ana loses in the first Round of Eastbourne

Former French Open Champion Ana Ivanovic tumbled out of the Aegon International in the first round to Elena Vesnina. The seventh-seeded Serb went down 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Monday afternoon at the grass-court Eastbourne tournament.

Ana's next Tournament is Wimbledon in London which begins on next week

Ana opens against Vesnina in Eastbourne

Ana will face Russia's Elena Vesnina in the first round of the Aegon International , which begins in Eastbourne on Monday.

The winner of the contest will meet Varvara Lepchenko from USA or Heather Watson . Second seed Na Li a possible quarter-final opponent. Fourth seed Petra Kvitova or sixth seed Maria Kirilenko is a possible adversary in the semi-finals.

The leading competitors in the top half of the draw, whom Ana cannot face until the final, are No.1 Agnieszka Radwanska, No.3 Anquelique Kerber, No.5 Caroline Wozniacki and No.8 Nadia Petrova.

Main Draw here

Ana is already in Eastbourne.

Ana practicing on grass court at Eastbourne.

 Ana doing an interview for @LaureusSport

Ana shows her Wimbledon 2013 Dress.

Ana Ivanovic's official website shared photos of the Adidas dress the world No.12  will debut at this year's grass court in Wimbledon.

Ana climbs to No.12

Ana's run to the Fourth Round of the Roland Garros has seen her rise to 12th in the latest WTA rankings, which are published today. In the Race to the Championships she is also placed 13th.

Current WTA Top-20.


1 Serena Williams (USA) 13,615pts 
2 Victoria Azarenka (Blr) 9,625pts 
3 Maria Sharapova (Rus) 9,415pts 
4 Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) 6,465pts 
5 Sara Errani (Ita) 5,335pts 
6 Na Li (Chn) 5,155pts 
7 Angelique Kerber (Ger) 4,915pts 
8 Petra Kvitova (Cze) 4,435pts 
9 Caroline Wozniacki (Den) 3,565pts 
10 Maria Kirilenko (Rus) 3,436pts 
11 Roberta Vinci (Ita) 3,060pts 
12 Ana Ivanovic (Srb) 2,920pts 
13 Nadia Petrova (Rus) 2,910pts 
14 Samantha Stosur (Aus) 2,905pts 
15 Marion Bartoli (Fra) 2,905pts 
16 Jelena Jankovic (Srb) 2,900pts 
17 Sloane Stephens (USA) 2,530pts 
18 Dominika Cibulkova (Svk) 2,140pts 
19 Carla Suarez Navarro (Esp) 2,095pts 
20 Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) 1,978pts

Next Tournament for Ana is Aegon International in Eastbourne which begins on next week.

Ana will play Carlsbad in July

Ana Ivanovic has confirmed her participation in the Southern California Open at Carlsbad, which will be played from 29 July to 4 August. 

 In 2011, Ana reached the semifinals of that tournament, losing to Vera Zvonareva. She did not play it last year because it coincided with the Olympics Games. She will need to defend 95 points that week. 

 As of now, the Serbian is scheduled to play three tournaments before the US Open: Carlsbad, Montreal, and Cincinnati. She will defend only one point at the last two.

Ana Ivanovic relies on good nutrition and the power of Juice Plus+ to stay at the top of her game

You need good nutrition to be the best that you can be."

 At the age of 23, professional tennis star Ana Ivanovic has already experienced the greatest heights of her profession. Combining prodigious talent with a fierce work ethic, she reached the #1 Women’s Tennis Association ranking at the age of 20 – only to have to work her way back to the Top 20 a second time due to injuries.

 Ana started playing tennis when she was four, and received a racket as a present for her fifth birthday soon after. She memorized the number of a local tennis clinic from a television advertisement, and begged her parents to take her.

 Because Ana grew up in war-torn Belgrade, Serbia, she had some extra obstacles to overcome on her rapid march to the pinnacle of her sport’s performance. Ironically, she had to practice tennis at the bottom of an abandoned swimming pool in the winter, for example, since there were no other facilities available.

 "I also had to schedule my training sessions around NATO bombing raids," she recalls. It is from these challenging beginnings that she rose steadily and impressively to the ranking of #1 female tennis player in the world in 2008. She then battled back from injury to return to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Top 20 in 2010 and has remained ranked in the WTA Top 20 through 2013.

 "It never crossed my mind not to improve my strength and fight my way back to the top again," she admits.

 Asked about her recipe for recovery and her ultimate success, Anna responds, "It’s setting goals, working hard, and having the support of so many great people – my family, my management, and my coaches. Without them, it would never have been possible. They continually believed in me, and that improved my self-confidence."

 Ana also includes nutrition as part of that success recipe. "What you put into your body affects what you can do with your body," she explains. "That’s exceptionally important to me because I use my body to reach my professional goals.

"You need good nutrition to improve your performance, to be the best that you can be.

 "I always try to eat the right way," Ana continues. "I try to keep myself very disciplined – even when sometimes I have to fight against temptation," she shares. "But I travel a lot, and have a lot of demands on my time – so I can’t always eat the way I should. That’s why Juice Plus+® is so important." She’s been taking it since she was 15.

 Ana is not just a one-dimensional professional athlete. "I try to use my celebrity to help others," she shares. In 2007, she was named a UNICEF National Ambassador for Serbia. In 2009, she won the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Humanitarian Award for her special interest and efforts in the fields of education and child protection.

 How does Ana avoid becoming distracted when playing in front of thousands of people in the stands – and millions on television?
"I always have a song playing in my head during matches."

Source: http://www.juiceplus.com/

Road to Roland-Garros with Ana Ivanovic.

Ana falls at Roland Garros.

Ana Ivanovic suffered a disappointing loss against world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska 2-6 4-6 in the fourth round of Roland Garros. 

 Ivanovic has a very poor head-to-head series against Radwanska, which stands at 3-7 with Radwanska winning the last seven. She has a very consistent game that the Serb cannot overcome. 

 Despite this defeat, Ana will reach No. 12 in the rankings next week. This good news means that she could reach the top 10 at Wimbledon, but she will need to continue improving her mental strength, consistency, and serve, which today was a disaster. 

 Ana's next tournament is the Aegon International in Eastbourne, played on grass. She defends no points at this tournament and defends 280 points at Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round last year. We hope that good performances at these tournaments will move her back into the top 10 at last.