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Ana Ivanovic Snaps Losing Skid At Sony Ericsson Open
By Richard Pagliaro
Photo Credit: Henk Abbink
(March 25, 2010) MIAMI — Sitting on her court side seat, Ana Ivanovic tapped the toes of her feet on the court as if keeping the beat to a rhythm she heard in her head.
Meanwhile Cold Play's commentary on the loss of power: "I used to rule the world/Seas would rise when I gave the word...." blared from the stadium speakers at the Sony Ericsson Open.
Ivanovic was oblivious to that musical message. She had more pressing issues at hand.
Spending her first week outside the top 50 since March 28, 2005, Ivanovic was eager to halt her slide and take the first steps back to ranking respectability. When she stopped tapping her toes and returned to the purple court, the 58th-ranked Serbian put her foot down in rubbing a four-match losing streak with today's 6-4, 6-3 victory over 106th-ranked Pauline Parmentier to reach the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open.
It was Ivanovic's first win since she beat Coral Springs, Florida resident Shenay Perry in the opening round of the Australian Open in January.
"I thought I played really well," Ivanovic said. "I thought it was good to have a win."
It is Ivanovic's second tournament working with new coach Heinz Gunthardt and the former Steffi Graf mentor has clearly placed an emphasis on movement, sound point construction and going up and after her first serve rather than falling back off that stroke as Ivanovic had done since her confidence crisis.
"I feel I improved a lot over the last month. Obviously working with a new coach, with Heinz, I can see the improvements actually on a daily basis. it's very encouraging," said Ivanovic as Gunthardt sat in in the interview room taking it all in. "I felt like I've been playing really well for a while now, so it's been disappointing to lose so early at Indian Wells. I just keep working hard an dtry to do my best out there. I played well today and I kept my composure and just stuck with what I've been working on and I've been working hard."
It was excessive work — and the eroding confidence that came when her results sagged — that Ivanovic believes conspired to suck the joy right out of her job and left her feeling physically and emotionally drained. Working harder to regain her winning ways actually proved counter-productive as Ivanovic struggled to step away from the game and get some much needed perspective.
Mounting losses created a vicious cycle in that Ivanovic needs more match play to regain her competitive confidence but knows that can only come by winning matches.
"I thought it just over training a little. My mind was just not in a place that I wanted to compete because it was just so tiring," Ivanovic said. "I was spending so much time on the court working and off the court doing fitness and everything and then recovery was neglected. So it was very hard for me to compete and find the freshness and enjoyment to compete again. That was lacking....But I'm feeling good at the moment. I have that behind me. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, so I believe in that."
Restoring her own sense of self belief is the first task, but now Ivanovic faces a much
more arduous challenge: she must make believers of opponents who still see her as
vulnerable, particularly when she's serving in tight matches.
Ivanovic hit her favored forehand with much more conviction than she did in last week's chilly Indian Wells night loss to Sevastova and played with more purpose in this match than she did in Indian Wells. Using her one-handed slice backhand as both a change-of-pace play and as a set up shot for her forehand, Ivanovic fearlessly fired the forehand down the line — a solid sign her confidence in her biggest weapon is returning.
That's the good news.
The Ivanovic serve, which has betrayed her at times in the past year, is still nowhere near as sharp as it was when she was No. 1 in the world. She committed seven double faults today and will have to clean up her service game to beat the ultra-consistent Agnieszka Radwanska, who is coming off a semifinal appearance in Indian Wells.
Ivanovic broke for a 5-3 first-set lead but stumbled trying to serve out the opening set today. She netted a slice backhand, double faulted into the net then netted a forehand down the line to face triple break point. A 98 mph second serve found the net as Ivanovic dropped serve at love.
Refusing to back off her forehand, Ivanovic showed signs of life in firing a forehand winner down the line to earn two set points. She closed the opening set in 39 minutes, cranking a crosscourt forehand return winner and sreaming "Aye!" in celebration.
Parisian product Parmentier saved two match points in the eighth game of the second set to hold for 3-5.
And when Ivanovic double faulted and badly bungled a backhand crosscourt suddenly Parmentier had double break point to get back on serve.
In the recent past, Ivanovic may have fretted and stumbled at such a crucial stage of the match.
Not this time.
Boldly attacking net — a component of her game that has long been missing — Ivanovic bent her knees for a textbook forehand volley winner then followed with a service winner down the middle for deuce. Another unreturnable serve followed by a forehand winner down the line enabled Ivanovic to close.
It's the type of assertive tennis Ivanovic, who does not move as well as her next opponent, Radwanska, needs to play to re-establish herself in the top 20. Jelena Jankovic, Ivanovic's Fed Cup teammate who also fell on hard times after losing the No. 1 ranking, rebounded to win Indian Wells last week. Ivanovic said today the bright spot in bottoming out in the rankings is it gives her clear direction: up is the only way to go.
"Unfortunately, there is no other way to the top than from the bottom. But it's kind of encouraging," Ivanovic said. "Every player or every person deals with disappointments and losses differently. I just sort of have to stick with what I believe is right."
Ivanovic's initial commiment with Gunthardt was for a trial period in which the pair would re-evaluate their relationship after Miami. Based on the way she spoke today, it sounds like they will continue their partnership regardless of her result here.
"I'm surrounded with really good people and really good coaches. I'm very excited and motivated to play again and get to the top," Ivanovic said. "I just have to keep that in mind and learn from what happened and not dwell about it and not live in the past. Just take positives and take it has happened and just perform and play like it's a new me."
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