Photos: © Henk Abbink

(April 2, 2010) Aiming to return to the top 50, Ana Ivanovic will continue to work with new coach Heinz Gunthardt throughout the clay-court season.

Former World No. 1 Ivanovic and Gunthardt began working together in February and agreed to evaluate their partnership after the Sony Ericsson Open. She has played two tournaments under Gunthardt's guidance — Indian Wells and Miami — and though Ivanovic won just one match in those events she believes she is making strides.

"I feel I improved a lot over the last month," Ivanovic said. "Obviously working with a new coach, with Heinz, I can see improvements actually almost on daily basis. It's very encouraging."

The 2008 French Open champion has slipped out of the top 50 for the first time in almost two years and aims to rebound. Ivanovic is scheduled to play Rome next month. Gunthardt formerly coached Steffi Graf. Gunthardt helped Graf win 12 majors during their time together and is known for his emphasis on technique and footwork.

Ivanovic fell to Gisela Dulko in the second round of the Australian Open and suffered successive Fed Cup losses to World No. 31 Alisa Kleybanova, who knocked the Serbian out of the 2009 Australian Open, and fourth-ranked Svetlana Kuzentsova in the Fed Cup tie in Belgrade. Ivanovic said Gunthardt has brought a fresh perspective to her game.

"I am listening very carefully to his philosophy about tennis. He has many new ideas, which is a positive thing for me," Ivanovic told the Serbian newspaper Politika. "I like his approach to the game. It is a little different from what my other coaches have taught me, and is perhaps influenced by the fact that he was a very good player himself: he understands the game very well and knows what I am feeling, because he went through similar situations."

Ivanovic offers her thoughts on fashion and clothing and shoe sponsor adidas in this video.