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Ana Ivanovic interview transcript, Wimbledon 2009 on June 27, 2009 following her third round win over Samantha Stosur of Australia 7-5, 6-2. The Serb will next meet two-time defending champion Venus Williams of United States in the fourth round.
Q. Was that your best match so far at Wimbledon?
ANA IVANOVIC: It was pretty good. I played really well. And I’m very happy that, uhm, today’s match was ?? I think my tactics and my game plan prevailed over my emotions. That’s something I’m really happy about.
I stick with my plan and I just, you know, kept playing the best I can every point.
Q. When are your thoughts on facing Venus Williams, and what’s the biggest challenge when you do face her?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I’m very excited. You know, she plays really well here, and last two years here she’s the champion. Two years ago I played her in the semifinal here, so I can take a lot from that match.
But, you know, I felt like every match I was playing better and better. So I’m really, you know, happy to take that challenge and to play against some, you know, top player like her.
She’s very dangerous opponent, but I think I have a great chance, and I feel very comfortable going in that match. I’m so excited to have opportunity for that challenge.
Q. You said you take a lot from that last time when you faced her. What do you take from it?
ANA IVANOVIC: Well, definitely it was the only time I think we played on the grass, and it’s so different, you know. And she likes to go for her first shot. She likes to dominate the points.
Uhm, you know, I just think I have to try to make a lot of returns. And obviously it’s going to be important for me to serve well in that match because, yeah, she has great first serves. So if I can hold onto my serve and then put pressure on her, that would be a key.
Q. Adam Scott has been at your last two matches. Are you dating? Can you tell us about your friendship?
ANA IVANOVIC: Well, I think, you know, I rather talk about my tennis at the moment. Yeah. I wouldn’t like to comment on that. It’s great to see familiar faces I think in your box when you look for support.
Q. That was one of your best matches this year against Stosur. Against Venus, how much of it is going to be a mental challenge for you to see if your confidence is there to go for your shots when you need to?
ANA IVANOVIC: It’s going to be huge challenge. I’m just so happy. I feel very lucky to have opportunity to play against her because, you know, in my first match I was, you know, half gone.
To come back and win, you know, win another couple of matches and play better each match, it definitely gives me confidence.
You know, I’m just very thrilled, because I put lot of hard work over past few weeks and worked a lot with Darren and Sven on the court, and, you know, practiced the most I’ve been practicing I think ever.
So it’s great to see the results. You know, I just want to go out there and enjoy it, take it as a challenge, because I haven’t really played against too many high?ranked players lately because I wasn’t putting myself in a position.
But now, you know, I see it as a great challenge.
Q. Have you kept anything in reserve to be able to play Venus next week?
ANA IVANOVIC: Definitely. In these kind of matches, like I said, I was playing better and better, and that’s what you want to feel going into second week of a Grand Slam. Obviously French Open I played fourth round, but it’s been a while that I, you know, gone far in a Grand Slam. So I’m very excited to have opportunity to do that here.
And I think my game suits grass very well. I still want to enjoy every match and, you know, see what happens.
Q. How important is the court to you that you play on? You were in the new Court 2. Did you like it? Did it feel nice?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, it is very nice court. And it’s just so strange, you know, I used to look at it as a Court 13, and now it’s Court 2. So it’s definitely very, very nice court. I enjoyed it. I think it’s great they this challenge there, too.
Q. How is your knee? How has it progressed as the tournament has gone on? No chance of making it any worse by playing here?
ANA IVANOVIC: No, no, definitely. Still after my matches I have to keep icing it and do some work on it. But it’s feeling hundred percent stable. You know, I can practice normal and play my matches. You know, it’s important to feel that.
Q. When you made the coaching change back from Craig to Darren and to Sven, was it because you were unsettled? What wasn’t working with Craig? You were only with him maybe three and a half, four months.
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, Craig is great guy. We really had great time working together. But just I felt like this might be a good, you know, decision for me. And, you know, something maybe, you know, that someone can, you know, push me a little bit harder. I needed I think some more intensity on the court. And that’s something that I feel maybe was lacking a bit.
Obviously now with adidas program, they have Darren Cahill, which is great coach, and so experienced, as well. It’s great opportunity for me to work with him. And I really took I think the most out of it and I really enjoy spending time on the court with Sven and Darren.
I just, you know, feel like I want to go out there and practice and practice and, you know, improve, because I feel still there is so many things I can work on.
Q. Can you describe what your thoughts are as to why there have been so many No. 1s since Justine Henin retired.
ANA IVANOVIC: Well, Justine was a dominant force in women’s tennis I think, and she had so many points. The other points that were left were quite spread. Once she retired, you know, the other girls were very close to each other, so I think that is the main reason.
Q. And what are your thoughts as to whether it’s good for the tour or not so good to have one person maybe have a longer stay at No. 1?
ANA IVANOVIC: Uhm, I think for players it’s great, because they know that they can beat anyone they play against. You know, they just go on the court and, you know, try to play the best they can. Everyone knows they have chances.
You know, in everyone’s career you have little slumps and you have little ups and downs. I think at the moment no one was, you know, probably consistent enough to be so dominant on position No. 1.
But I think that’s great for woman’s tennis, and it makes us work hard, you know, try to use the chances we have, you know, try to make ourselves one of the ones that can be dominant at that position.
Q. You were No. 1 twelve months ago, and now you’re ranked 12 in the world. How would you compare your game now to what it was a year ago?
ANA IVANOVIC: At the moment I think, you know, I feel better on the court than I feel then. You know, just like I said, I feel my game has improved and my serve has improved. I got much more speed on it and much more variety. I just felt like I needed some more matches to get match confidence.
Yeah, I feel like I’m getting that back, too. So, yeah, I just ?? I think my game is probably even better than it was.
Q. So are you saying you’re a better player now than you were when you were the world No. 1?
ANA IVANOVIC: I think so. I feel like that. And I feel also much more experienced and much more mature in some way. I went through a lot over past year, you know, being No. 1, you know, having some disappointing losses and some tough times. I think that made me stronger and made me appreciate some things, you know, not take every match, you know, you win for granted, but just appreciate the hard work that was put in.
Q. Are you surprised how hard it was, how hard the struggle was, given how quickly you came up?
ANA IVANOVIC: Can you repeat that, please?
Q. Are you surprised how difficult it was over the past year, given how much success you had early on?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, it was very hard, because my career was going always sort of up. Every time I reached few Grand Slam finals, and then I won one. My ranking was always going up.
Then once I reached position No. 1, it’s like, Okay, what’s next? So then, you know, when I had some setbacks, I sort of didn’t know how to deal with it because there is no higher position than the No. 1, so obviously it’s going to be setbacks and you’re going to drop your ranking.
You know, then some doubt creeped in, and that’s something that I didn’t really know how to deal with and I didn’t feel comfortable with it. So I sort of start pulling back instead of just doing the same things I’ve been doing.
You know, rankings were never my main concern. I always wanted to work for winning Grand Slams. So, you know, I just think a little bit gone away from what got me there, and, you know, now I feel like I’m back to basics and just, you know, working hard again on these things, and, you know, trying to feel comfortable out there again.
Q. Is there anything you can take from the male players in your game?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yesterday I watched Federer play. Uhm, I think I can learn a lot from him, just the way he plays on the grass. I think grass is such a specific surface, and you really have to understand it to do well. And this is the first year that I feel, you know, I’m sort of starting to use grass for my advantage, and, you know, try to work it.
Federer does that so good. So it was great to see that, and it give me encouragement that I’m actually in the right way.
Q. What are your thoughts in general about Roger Federer when you watch him play, knowing that he may be setting the record for all?time majors won?
ANA IVANOVIC: It looks so easy when he steps on the court. It looks so easy, doesn’t it? And I think he’s such a great champion. I mean, I was so thrilled for him when he won French Open. I actually had little tears in my eyes when he was doing the speech. And I think he deserves it so much. And he worked so hard.
You know, he just goes out there, and when he steps on the court, you know, he’s all about business. You know, it’s so hard to get chance against him, especially on the grass, I think.
Q. Are there any specific things that you’ve changed in your play for the grass court?
ANA IVANOVIC: I worked a little bit on consistency in my game and just being more patient. That’s what I try, you know, to apply in my matches this week. It’s been working well. So I just want to stick with that and, you know, try to realize, you know, I have to maybe hit few more shots in a rally, but I’m fine with it.
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