Ivanovic has eyes on Henin's world crown

BERLIN: Having described her 2007 German Open win as "one of the turning points in my career", world No 2 Ana Ivanovic is back in Berlin to defend her title as she aims to become the best in the world.

The Serbian was just 19 when she won her third WTA title in Berlin last year despite being seeded 12th.

Significantly, the win saw her break into the top-10 rankings for the first time and she has barely looked back since. Ivanovic has climbed up to her present lofty position with a string of impressive results since May 2007.

She immediately backed up last year's Berlin win with a place in the Roland Garros final a few weeks later and went on to make the semifinals at Wimbledon later that summer.

And her 2007 success meant she was laughing all the way to the bank.

Last year, she cruised past both the $2 million and $3 million marks for her career earnings and over 60 per cent of the total prize money she has won in her tennis career, since her 2003 debut, came last year alone.

Now a confident 20-year-old, Ivanovic has usurped Maria Sharapova to take second place behind Justine Henin in the WTA rankings in January after reaching the Australian Open final.

And now she is gunning for her seventh WTA singles title in the German capital.

"I am happy to be here, this is a good opportunity for me as I did well here last year," she said ahead of her opening match here on Wednesday.

"It was one of the turning points of my career, because it was where I felt I found my game and I feel like I have played like a different player ever since.

"I have learned to be far more patient and not force shots if they are not really there."

But she has gone from 12th seed to second in the space of a year and now no one will be caught by surprise when she unleashes her impressive service game.

"I now take my time far more, especially against the top players and it has given me confidence," she said.

"I feel I am better able to handle the pressure now."

And with world number one Henin attempting to recover some of her lost form after her shock defeat by Serena Williams in Miami earlier this year, Ivanovic has ambitions to rule the tennis world.

"My biggest goal is to be the world number one, I am really lucky to have people around me who push me to work harder.

"They keep me on my toes."

But showing maturity beyond her years - few other players list "history and Greek mythology" as their favorite reading material --Ivanovic signed up for a part-time finance degree last September at a Belgrade university.

"It's quite hard to keep up the studies because we travel a lot and I can't take my classes, sometimes I have to cram books into my bag and take them with me," she said.

"It's not always easy to find time to study, but it's an important part of my life.

"I won't finish the degree as fast as I would have liked, but I want to earn my degree."

Ivanovic is not alone in hitting the books, fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic has also signed up for a degree at a university in Belgrade.

And with Henin also suggesting she wants to finish her education when she retires, Ivanovic is taking her example from the best.

But for Henin dreams of studying and ski-ing holidays can wait until her retirement, right now she has the small matter of holding onto her title of best in the world with Ivanovic hard on her heels.

AFP

(China Daily 05/07/2008 page22)