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Serbian Tennis player Ana Ivanovic
JTFFan:
A very very beautiful Serbian tennis player O0 O0
Husar:
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2008-01-21/200801211200900114296.html
...where you will read this:
"Ana Ivanovic is a keen student in Greek mythology so she could do worse than to carry the spirit of Poena into her quarter-final battle with Venus Williams at the Australian Open.
Poena is the goddess of vengeance for the crime of murder, and while the mythological Venus is associated more with love and beauty, Venus the tennis star landed fatal blows to Ivanovic's hopes at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows last year.
"Last two Grand Slams I lost to her. (It's) exactly the time for some revenge," Ivanovic quipped on Day 8.
The 20-year-old Serbian booked her ticket to the quarter-final showdown with Williams when she disposed of Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets.
Already the highest seed remaining in the bottom half of the draw, Ivanovic will also be that section's most seasoned Grand Slam campaigner by a long way if she can defeat Williams.
As the world No.3 and a French Open finalist, Ivanovic is already a star on the court.
That, combined with the multi-lingual UNICEF ambassador's glamorous looks, genial personality and intelligence (she has her own column with a major Melbourne newspaper) makes her highly marketable off it as well.
While Russian starlet Maria Sharapova became one of the most recognisable stars in world sport when she claimed the 2004 Wimbledon title, Ivanovic will leave all enquiries in that field to her Swiss manager Dan Holzman 'so I don't think too much about that'.
"That's definitely a different side of tennis," she said.
"I think I'm on the court to perform the best I can because I work hard and I train hard. I train for winning Grand Slams. Obviously, that would be the biggest achievement I could do. Obviously it would mean a lot for my tennis, achieving my goals."
"In that term, it's (publicity) obviously something that comes with it, but it's definitely not my main focus."
After injury-enforced withdrawals from several tournaments in 2005-06, Ivanovic hired the services of Australian strength and conditioning coach Scott Byrnes and the results have been glaringly obvious.
A stronger and fitter Ivanovic last year made the leap from a top-20 player to a serious Grand Slam challenger, making the final at Roland Garros and the final four at Wimbledon.
"It's definitely a big part of my game, because now I feel much stronger out there and I feel I can keep up with these girls for a longer period of time," she said.
"Before I had to go for my shots earlier in the rally, because I couldn't keep in the rally."
"It's definitely a big step… to go through the tough matches in Grand Slams."
Her improved fitness will allow her to be more versatile tactically against Williams, who like Ivanovic is also capable of landing heavy groundstrokes.
"She's a big hitter and she likes to dominate the rallies. So it will be just important for me to stay there, stay there with her, and still try to get that first shot," she said.
"Because I also like to go for the big shots myself. I know I can do it, so it's just a matter of I'm staying there with her and who can last longer."
If she exacts revenge on Williams, then her manager can expect a few more calls on his phone."
O0
Husar:
JTFFan:
She looks quite Serbian to me,
Why do some people think she isn't Serbian?
Husar:
--- Quote from: JTFFan on January 22, 2008, 12:57:20 PM ---She looks quite Serbian to me,
Why do some people think she isn't Serbian?
--- End quote ---
One hates her, not because
she doesn't look Serbian,
but because she's tanned.
:D
Is she supposed to play tennis
in an astronaut suit ?
;D
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