Ana Ivanovic Quotes

Everyone wants to be happy – people find happiness in different ways. While you want to pursue your career 100 percent, I think it is very hard to give 100 percent in something else. It’s important to find this balance, and priorities change throughout life.

Before a match, I need to be alone. I need to reach concentration and focus on the game ahead of me.

I’m very proud to be a professional tennis player. I’m really happy to be doing something that I love. With this comes responsibility, and I am honored when I am told that I have inspired someone to play tennis.

I feel flattered that people like the way I look, but it doesn’t help you win points.

You’d be surprised at how many times I’d hit the ball, and the hair would go straight into my eyes. That’s why, even when I play indoors, I wear a visor, because it stops that, and I’ll apply a lot of gel and hairspray to keep it tight.

For my fifth birthday, I got a small tennis racket. That’s how I started.

We are constantly under lots of pressure, so I take lots of time to recover and do all the things I need for my body to be in the perfect state to compete the next day.

I really love fish, so I’ll mix between that and meat, but I have to have protein. I can’t survive without it.

Most of the coaches just tell you, ‘No, no, you’re doing well. This is fine.’ But I actually want someone who will tell me what I didn’t do right so that I can improve.

Obviously, if some young girl wants my advice and wants me to be her mentor, I would be very happy to offer that. But I don’t really see myself as a coach.

When competing a lot and traveling, I have problems with my lower back because I’m always on the plane or sitting. That’s something that does bother me from time to time, but I try to stay on top of it.

I’m quite an emotional person. I cry a lot. I do not like conflict, so if I have an argument with my parents, I’ll often cry. I become too emotional.

In tennis, a lot of parents are accused of driving their kids into tennis. I would say I’m the opposite: I drove my parents into it. They didn’t take it that seriously until I was about 11 or 12 years old, when they realised I had an opportunity to go pro.

I work out a lot, but it changes day to day. I always start out with some cardio – either a jog, a bike ride, or footwork drills designed specifically for tennis movement. Then I do weights, but I switch the days: one day it’s upper body, the next day it’s lower body. Then I do stomach and back pretty much every day.

My goal is to be No. 1 and to win Grand Slams.

In cities like Miami, my hair can get so frizzy, it looks crazy. I use TRESemm Extra Hold hairspray. I use a lot of it.

It’s always been my dream to compete.

I always keep my makeup really simple.

When we were kids, I remember we’d use lemon in our hair and go into the sun, hoping it would make us blond. Obviously, I have very dark hair and olive skin, and when I was a kid, I wanted to be blond, of course. It never worked.

Quitting is never an option.

I think, in every person’s life, you have ups and downs. You learn so much about yourself, sometimes even more, in the down times. Unfortunately, I had to go through it in public, which was not easy.

Coaches were all saying that I was really talented and I had potential, but coming from Serbia, it wasn’t easy. The ’90s were the hardest years for our country – we went through two wars.

I like to have my privacy. I don’t like people knowing what I do in my free time. I am also a very shy person, but I understand that people want to know more.

When you have tough times, and when you learn you can’t be perfect in every situation, it’s hard to accept, you know, because I still do expect that. But you just have to, because, you know, it’s not about the situation. It’s how you deal with it. You always have a choice.

I’ve never been a very flashy person.

Living through war has helped make me pretty strong.

When I was younger, I did have some dresses that weren’t the best fits, and it can definitely affect you during a match – if you’re having to constantly pull the dress down, for example!

I like to come to a tournament with a specific playlist that I can listen to before going on the court. I like five or 10 minutes just for myself.

My parents themselves both went to university, and they very much expected me to be an intellectual and go through further education, and it’s to kind of their surprise that I became an athlete.

I like to be alone and listen to music. Every match I play, I have a tune in my head over and over. It might only be a few words or a small piece of the tune, but it can drive you mad.

I get massages almost daily. Sometimes I fall asleep during the massage, but it’s very important to have deep-tissue massages because that type recovers muscles best.

It’s not good to stretch when you’re cold. Get your heart rate up, and once you finish, take time to stretch and let your body calm down.

I love to run. It’s how I clear my head.

I have always liked my hair when it’s braided, because if I don’t, it kind of runs in my eyes when I hit.

I have a lot of hair, and it’s quite heavy: Sometimes I’ll braid it for a match so it’s all together.

I think, for me, it’s very important to have a good team and to feel comfortable in the environment.

I try not to think about the person, just their tactics, their weaknesses and strengths. I play against the ball.

I was watching tennis on TV, and between games, they were showing a commercial for a tennis school. I wrote down the number, gave it to my mom, and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ She thought it was a joke, but I was very stubborn, and I kept bringing it up.

I do not follow superstitions on court.

When I’m very motivated, and when I have to compete, I change a little bit; I become very competitive.

In Belgrade, everything is possible.

There aren’t many woman coaches in general, and I actually think it’s good to have a male coach. Guys and girls have different mentalities. Girls are so stressed about everything. Guys take everything much more lightly. That’s great, and it’s something we have to learn from. I think one woman on a team is enough!

You never know where the future will take you.

I really just try to enjoy the game and hope that I can inspire young kids. I started playing tennis because of Monica Seles, and I try to promote the sport in the best possible way. Sometimes it’s hard because you get upset on court, but I think in life one learns through experiences in order to evolve as a person.

Being from Serbia makes us tough and eager to prove that we can come from this country that has been through so much and still be successful.

I’m very easy-going off court, but I really want to win once I’m walking on to the court.

There are many times I don’t feel like going to work out, but I know if I do, I’ll feel better.

The most important thing is always to feel comfortable – I would never sacrifice function for style.

I think it’s better not to mix professional life and personal life – although it is hard.

I think, when I’m on the court, I become with a killer instinct – a real Scorpio.

If I make a change to a young kid to play any sport, not only tennis, instead of spending time in front of the TV or computer, that is good. I want to give them a good example: ‘Hey, go out and play and see the world.’

There are times when the only people you spend time with are the people in your team. That’s hard, because I think, ‘I’m a girl. I want to hang out with other girls. I just want to be a normal young woman.’

I personally love Essie because they’re such a good brush, and it’s so easy to apply. I always go red. If I’m in doubt, I go red.

All we see is gym, tennis court, and bed.

I love, love, love my grandparents.