Sport | Tennis
Glamour girl Ivanovic targets one Slam this year
Ana Ivanovic, one of the fastest rising stars in tennis, is targeting a Grand Slam by the end of the year.
- By Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter
- Published: 23:40 February 25, 2008
- Image Credit: Karl Jeffs/Gulf News
- The top four women's seeds at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (from left) Justine Henin, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic pose at the Aviation Club where the main event began today.
Dubai: Ana Ivanovic, one of the fastest rising stars in tennis, is targeting a Grand Slam by the end of the year.
Ivanovic, currently struggling with an ankle injury following last week's slip during the Doha Open, wants to see how much she can push herself at this week's Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships.
"The last two days have been tough - to say the least. But the foot has healed well and I am really happy that I am in a position to play here," Ivanovic said.
The Serbian sensation went for a light workout to the gym at the Aviation Club and the second seed here has been able to walk without any pain. "I should be practising a bit later this evening and see how things are after that," the Serbian said.
The injuries aside, Ivanovic wants to see how much she can achieve this year. "I have set a Grand Slam title as my goal and it is hard to say which of the remaining three I would like to win.
Best showing
"Maybe, Wimbledon would be nice,"
After turning professional in 2003, her journey to stardom started only of late when she became the runner-up at the Australian Open earlier this year. She had also made the final at the Roland Garros last year, while her best showing at Wimbledon was a semifinal appearance last year.
"I would love to win the Wimbledon as it is so traditional and special. But then, I have some really good memories at the French Open," she smiled.
However, the demure Serb also realises that she has a long way to go before she starts achieving these goals. "There are still so many aspects of my game that I need to improve," she admitted.
Prior to her injury last week in Doha, Ivanovic's year has been dotted with some consistent performances - starting with a semifinal in Sydney where she lost to top seed Justine Henin, followed by a breakthrough fortnight at the Australian Open.
Her hard work was rewarded at the end of last month when she climbed her way to number two in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. "It has not been easy, it has been hard work all the way and luckily all this is showing through," Ivanovic added.
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