Ana Ivanovic
Who was Ana Ivanovic?
Former Serbian tennis player who reached world No. 1 and won the 2008 French Open. She retired in 2016 after winning 15 WTA singles titles during her career.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Ana Ivanovic (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Ana Ivanovic, born on November 6, 1987, in Belgrade, Serbia, is a former professional tennis player known as one of the most talented of her time. She reached the top of women's tennis by winning the 2008 French Open and became the world No. 1, all at the age of 20. During her career, she won 15 WTA Tour singles titles and earned over $15.5 million in prize money before retiring in December 2016.
Before Fame
Ana Ivanovic grew up in Belgrade during a difficult time in Serbian history, playing tennis on any courts she could find and sometimes hitting balls against a wall as a child because she didn't always have proper facilities. Inspired by watching Steffi Graf win the French Open on TV, she committed to the sport at a young age, eventually gaining enough attention to get training support and compete internationally as a junior.
Key Achievements
- Won the 2008 French Open singles title, her only Grand Slam championship
- Reached world No. 1 in the WTA singles rankings for 12 weeks
- Accumulated 15 WTA Tour-level singles titles over her career
- Won the WTA Tournament of Champions in 2010 and 2011
- Earned over $15.5 million in career prize money
Did You Know?
- 01.Ivanovic was inspired to take up tennis after watching Steffi Graf win the French Open as a young girl in Belgrade.
- 02.She held the world No. 1 ranking for exactly 12 weeks during her career.
- 03.Ivanovic won the WTA Tournament of Champions in back-to-back years, 2010 and 2011.
- 04.Nadia Petrova, one of her contemporaries on tour, publicly described Ivanovic's forehand as 'the best out there.'
- 05.She was a runner-up at both the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open before winning her only Grand Slam title at the 2008 French Open.