Friday, June 29, 2012
Ana Ivanovic Tennis Player 2012
But unlike last year when the Serbian seemed a spent force at just 22, the former world No 1 is confident a return to her grand slam winning form is only a matter of time.
Ivanovic, whose season begins in the Hyundai Hopman Cup in partnership with Novak Djokovic in Perth this weekend, seemed destined for a storied career when she claimed the 2008 French Open at her third appearance in a grand slam final.
But instead of forging ahead following the career breakthrough, Ivanovic spent almost two full seasons trudging from one defeat to the next.
Gone was the footwork and power that took her to the top. Some days it seemed the court was as big as a dime as she struggled to land the ball in play. Confidence shot, another first-round loss at Wimbledon this year saw her slip to 64 in the world, the one-time starlet seemingly a lost cause.
"I think it's confidence and it's a strange thing because once you lose it you feel like it's very hard to get it back," Ivanovic said yesterday.
"At least in my case, I tried to search for it in many different directions and in many different places, and (with many) different people."
Slowly, though, the fog and gloom lifted, with Ivanovic finding form in the second half of last season under the tutelage of Heinz Gunthardt, the man who coached Steffi Graf.
Some wins came at grand slam level -- Ivanovic played four rounds at the US Open before losing to eventual champion Kim Clijsters -- and then, finally, her first tournament win since 2009, thumping Patty Schnyder in Linz. Another title came soon after and Ivanovic capped the year where she again found her feet by winning 2010's last tournament in Bali to return to the top 20.
"You realise that it's all the time within you. You just have to discover it," she said.
"Sometimes it's a little bit clouded, so you just have to realise that it's within you and you have to believe in yourself first and that's what I was lacking a little bit. To have that back feels great.
Scouting: Ana Ivanovic is one of most promosing tennis players in the world, but she has only really lived up to expectation once and that was the 2008 French Open in which she was the champion. Apart from that Ana has a great serve and hands around the court. She has a very strong forehand and likes to play from the back of the court as much as possible. Her return of serve is also quite strong and she really going for the first shot.
However, she still seems to lack a fair bit of consistency in terms of days in days out. Thus, some days she can turn up on top form and the next day she doesnt even turn up. Additionally, Ana doesnt really seem comfortable when moving forward into the court and seems even more tentative when it comes to volleying.
Ivanovic, whose season begins in the Hyundai Hopman Cup in partnership with Novak Djokovic in Perth this weekend, seemed destined for a storied career when she claimed the 2008 French Open at her third appearance in a grand slam final.
But instead of forging ahead following the career breakthrough, Ivanovic spent almost two full seasons trudging from one defeat to the next.
Gone was the footwork and power that took her to the top. Some days it seemed the court was as big as a dime as she struggled to land the ball in play. Confidence shot, another first-round loss at Wimbledon this year saw her slip to 64 in the world, the one-time starlet seemingly a lost cause.
"I think it's confidence and it's a strange thing because once you lose it you feel like it's very hard to get it back," Ivanovic said yesterday.
"At least in my case, I tried to search for it in many different directions and in many different places, and (with many) different people."
Slowly, though, the fog and gloom lifted, with Ivanovic finding form in the second half of last season under the tutelage of Heinz Gunthardt, the man who coached Steffi Graf.Some wins came at grand slam level -- Ivanovic played four rounds at the US Open before losing to eventual champion Kim Clijsters -- and then, finally, her first tournament win since 2009, thumping Patty Schnyder in Linz. Another title came soon after and Ivanovic capped the year where she again found her feet by winning 2010's last tournament in Bali to return to the top 20.
"You realise that it's all the time within you. You just have to discover it," she said.
"Sometimes it's a little bit clouded, so you just have to realise that it's within you and you have to believe in yourself first and that's what I was lacking a little bit. To have that back feels great.
Scouting: Ana Ivanovic is one of most promosing tennis players in the world, but she has only really lived up to expectation once and that was the 2008 French Open in which she was the champion. Apart from that Ana has a great serve and hands around the court. She has a very strong forehand and likes to play from the back of the court as much as possible. Her return of serve is also quite strong and she really going for the first shot.
However, she still seems to lack a fair bit of consistency in terms of days in days out. Thus, some days she can turn up on top form and the next day she doesnt even turn up. Additionally, Ana doesnt really seem comfortable when moving forward into the court and seems even more tentative when it comes to volleying.
Ana Ivanovic Tennis Player
Ana Ivanovic, who had the world at her feet after her sensational 2008 French Open win, admits she cried herself to sleep at night when her career went into an embarrassing tailspin.
The 22-year-old Serbian beauty with the girl-next-door looks and the multi-million dollar deals, shot to number one in the world after her Roland Garros triumph.
But then the dream turned sour.
Illness and a loss of form in 2009 saw her ranking slip and she finished outside of the top 20 for the first time since 2004.
Things didn't look much better in January this year when she left the Australian Open in tears.
"It was no fun at all. There were lots of tears and lots of hard time.
Ana Ivanovic Tennis Last year Serbian Ana Ivanovic elevated her game to become the new "it" girl of tennis. Now at age 21 entering into the prime of her career, she has the game, the looks, and the smile to reach un-paralleled levels in 2008. We heard from the tennis star as she prepares for 2008. 
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova is a former World No. 1 Russian professional tennis player. In a career marred by serious injury, Sharapova has won 22 WTA singles titles, 3 WTA doubles titles and 3 Grand Slam singles titles, consisting of the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She was also runner-up at the 2007 Australian Open. She has also won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in 2004. Since her shoulder injury in 2008, she has not recovered her championship form.
The Women’s Tennis Association has ranked her World No. 1 in singles on 4 separate occasions. She regained this ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. She became the World No.1 for the first time on Aug 22, 2005. She is currently (as of January 2011) ranked World No. 13.
Maria Sharapova Tennis
Maria Sharapova Tennis
Maria Sharapova Tennis
Maria Sharapova Tennis Sharapova made her professional breakthrough in 2004 when, at age 17, she upset two-time defending champion and top seed Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final for her first Grand Slam singles title. She entered the top ten of the WTA Rankings with this win. Despite not winning a major in 2005, Sharapova briefly held the number one ranking, and reached three Grand Slam semifinals, losing to the eventual champion each time. She ultimately won her second major at the 2006 US Open defeating then-World No. 1 Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals and World No. 2 Justine Henin in the final. Sharapova’s 2007 season was plagued with a chronic shoulder injury, and saw her ranking fall out of the top 5 for the first time in two years. She ultimately won her third Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Henin in the quarterfinals and Ana Ivanović in the final. After reclaiming the number one ranking in May 2008, Sharapova’s shoulder problems re-surfaced, ultimately requiring surgery in October and forcing her out of the game for nearly ten months. Sharapova returned in May 2009 and was ranked No. 126 in the world due to her extensive lay-off.
Maria Sharapova Tennis
Maria Sharapova Tennis Short Style
Maria Sharapova Tennis Sharapova’s public profile extends beyond tennis, as she has been featured in a number of modeling assignments, including a feature in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Also she has been featured in many advertisements including Nike, Prince, Canon and many more, also being the face of many fashion houses, primarily Cole Haan. Sharapova was the most searched-for athlete on Yahoo! in both 2005 and 2008. Since February 2007, she has been a United Nations Development Project Goodwill Ambassador, concerned specifically with the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme.
Sharapova became engaged to her boyfriend, NBA basketball player Sasha Vujačić, after they had been dating for nearly a year..
The Women’s Tennis Association has ranked her World No. 1 in singles on 4 separate occasions. She regained this ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. She became the World No.1 for the first time on Aug 22, 2005. She is currently (as of January 2011) ranked World No. 13.
Maria Sharapova TennisMaria Sharapova TennisMaria Sharapova TennisMaria Sharapova Tennis Sharapova made her professional breakthrough in 2004 when, at age 17, she upset two-time defending champion and top seed Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final for her first Grand Slam singles title. She entered the top ten of the WTA Rankings with this win. Despite not winning a major in 2005, Sharapova briefly held the number one ranking, and reached three Grand Slam semifinals, losing to the eventual champion each time. She ultimately won her second major at the 2006 US Open defeating then-World No. 1 Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals and World No. 2 Justine Henin in the final. Sharapova’s 2007 season was plagued with a chronic shoulder injury, and saw her ranking fall out of the top 5 for the first time in two years. She ultimately won her third Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open, defeating Henin in the quarterfinals and Ana Ivanović in the final. After reclaiming the number one ranking in May 2008, Sharapova’s shoulder problems re-surfaced, ultimately requiring surgery in October and forcing her out of the game for nearly ten months. Sharapova returned in May 2009 and was ranked No. 126 in the world due to her extensive lay-off.Maria Sharapova TennisMaria Sharapova Tennis Short StyleMaria Sharapova Tennis Sharapova’s public profile extends beyond tennis, as she has been featured in a number of modeling assignments, including a feature in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Also she has been featured in many advertisements including Nike, Prince, Canon and many more, also being the face of many fashion houses, primarily Cole Haan. Sharapova was the most searched-for athlete on Yahoo! in both 2005 and 2008. Since February 2007, she has been a United Nations Development Project Goodwill Ambassador, concerned specifically with the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme.Sharapova became engaged to her boyfriend, NBA basketball player Sasha Vujačić, after they had been dating for nearly a year..
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