Dubai: Former world number one Ana Ivanovic is hoping to make up for lost time as she takes on Karolina Pliskova in the third round of the Dubai Duty Free Women’s Open on Wednesday.
Ivanovic secured an easy 6-0, 6-3 win in just over an hour to book her place against the player from the Czech Republic. The match assumes even more importance following Ivanovic’s loss in straight sets to Pliskova at last year’s US Open.
The 2008 French Open champion remained wary of her opponent despite wanting to make amends for that defeat. “She [Pliskova] is playing really well lately, and it’s great to have new faces in the woman’s game. She’s definitely a different kind of player to other girls. She’s tall, has a big serve and plays quite flat shots,” Ivanovic said.
“I lost to her in US Open, so hopefully I can get a better game plan tomorrow and prevail,” she smiled.
Ivanovic had an amazing run in 2014 where she posted a WTA-leading 58 match wins including nine wins against top-10 opponents. She finished the season at No. 5, her first top-5 since 2008, and qualified for the year-ending WTA Finals for the first time since 2008.
And now, Ivanovic feels she is a more complete player after all those years. “The only thing that I regret is that I didn’t enjoy it more. Of course it’s tough when your ranking drops, but I always felt I had underachieved in those years. I really had to work hard to sort of set others’ expectations and the sort of goals for me aside and try to look for my own and try to still embrace what I have and doing what I love in competition,” she said.
Now, with a clearer perspective on her professional and personal life, Ivanovic feels empowered about her future. “I still feel young and fit and still a lot of tennis to be played and tournaments to be won. That’s why I’m here. I have this drive, and I really feel that maybe these years also gave me lots of experience. Because I think in every life you experience ups and downs in different areas and different times of your life. You just have to go through it. Unfortunately I had to go through it in public, which was not easy,” she smiled.
