Top 77 Ana Ivanovic Quotes

When I’m very motivated, and when I have to compete, I change a little bit; I become very competitive.

If you are happy in your private life, and – that will affect your tennis, and that will help you, actually.

For me, it is important to do well in what I’m doing, to achieve the goals I have for myself.

I’m quite an emotional person. I cry a lot. I do not like conflict, so if I have an argument with my parents, I’ll often cry. I become too emotional.

I really just try to enjoy the game and hope that I can inspire young kids. I started playing tennis because of Monica Seles, and I try to promote the sport in the best possible way. Sometimes it’s hard because you get upset on court, but I think in life one learns through experiences in order to evolve as a person.

As a people, Serbians are very tall, and we have olive skin and dark hair, which can look very nice. You have to be very beautiful to stand out.

I’m an in-control person.

I believe I have quality, and that’s why I won a grand slam, so I know I can do it again.

I like to have my privacy. I don’t like people knowing what I do in my free time. I am also a very shy person, but I understand that people want to know more.

I used to always want to play the perfect match, and this meant not losing a point. The realisation came around the time I was 19 years old, in the French Open final in 2007. This was a key period in my career. I was told I was going for too many winners, which was affecting my game.

Coaches were all saying that I was really talented and I had potential, but coming from Serbia, it wasn’t easy. The ’90s were the hardest years for our country – we went through two wars.

Our job is quite strange in that we hire a coach, and therefore, we’re the boss. But coaches tell us what to do, and I think some coaches might struggle with the idea of a girl being the boss and telling them, ‘I don’t want to see you now. I want to have some time to myself.’

I’m very easy-going off court, but I really want to win once I’m walking on to the court.

I really love fish, so I’ll mix between that and meat, but I have to have protein. I can’t survive without it.

All we see is gym, tennis court, and bed.

I had struggles throughout my career. I had some tough times.

I love to run. It’s how I clear my head.

For my fifth birthday, I got a small tennis racket. That’s how I started.

In Belgrade, everything is possible.

In tennis, a lot of parents are accused of driving their kids into tennis. I would say I’m the opposite: I drove my parents into it. They didn’t take it that seriously until I was about 11 or 12 years old, when they realised I had an opportunity to go pro.

I lift weights. I’ll do a lot of running, a lot of cardio and strengthening. I use my body weight, a TRX sometimes. A lot of it is endurance.

I try not to think about the person, just their tactics, their weaknesses and strengths. I play against the ball.

For a coach to be able to help you, they need to get to know you well. They need to see what’s happening – that you are not in the mood to talk, or something like this. It is very hard to find the right person.

You want a coach who is going to push you and be strong and be in your corner when it’s tough, but sometimes you have coaches who think they are more important than the players. That’s where the conflicts come.

I do miss competition, but I get to travel a little bit on my own terms, which is a little bit different. And I get the chance to walk around, explore, and not have to save my energy for the match days.

I need nine hours of sleep because of all the activity I do. It doesn’t always happen, but I really try.

I have always liked my hair when it’s braided, because if I don’t, it kind of runs in my eyes when I hit.

Everyone wants to be happy – people find happiness in different ways. While you want to pursue your career 100 percent, I think it is very hard to give 100 percent in something else. It’s important to find this balance, and priorities change throughout life.

When you mature, you also get more secure about yourself. You see things differently.

Quitting is never an option.

I think, when I’m on the court, I become with a killer instinct – a real Scorpio.

In cities like Miami, my hair can get so frizzy, it looks crazy. I use TRESemm Extra Hold hairspray. I use a lot of it.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always thought it very important to be happy inside. There’s a lot of bad things happening in the world, but it’s important to try to stay happy and appreciate what you’ve got, and don’t look externally for the happiness.

I like to come to a tournament with a specific playlist that I can listen to before going on the court. I like five or 10 minutes just for myself.

Pressure comes from myself, because I expect a lot, but I am trying not to put so much pressure on tournaments and to be less emotional during matches.

A lot of coaches are very intense, which is good once you are working, but you don’t want that all the time.

I’m very determined, and I know I can achieve, so I don’t let little setbacks put me down.

You’d be surprised at how many times I’d hit the ball, and the hair would go straight into my eyes. That’s why, even when I play indoors, I wear a visor, because it stops that, and I’ll apply a lot of gel and hairspray to keep it tight.

Even if I play backgammon with my coach, I hate to lose. I won’t talk to him for, like, an hour. So imagine how it feels when you lose at tennis. That makes me determined not to lose because I hate it so much. Even at a set down and match point, I always believe I can come back.

You’re never out of the game until you’ve lost the final point.

When I was starting out, it was almost impossible for me to get visas to travel to tournaments.

Before a match, I need to be alone. I need to reach concentration and focus on the game ahead of me.

Ever since I was a young girl, even in school, I was always a perfectionist, and I always wanted to do my homework as soon as I got home. Everything had to be done properly.

You learn you have to accept the way things are, and the sooner you accept them, the sooner you become at peace with them, and then the things start to get better.

It’s not good to stretch when you’re cold. Get your heart rate up, and once you finish, take time to stretch and let your body calm down.

Fame and success and titles stay with you, but they wear out eventually. In the end, all that you are left with is your character.

Tennis has opened a number of possibilities for me, and in future, it would be great to give something back.

I was watching tennis on TV, and between games, they were showing a commercial for a tennis school. I wrote down the number, gave it to my mom, and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ She thought it was a joke, but I was very stubborn, and I kept bringing it up.

I have always been very dedicated to tennis, and it’s true that I made some compromises in my life. For example, I never went out to parties when I was younger, and I spent less time with friends.

I love, love, love my grandparents.

There’s really not much friendship between the girls on tour. There’s so much rivalry and jealousy, so everyone just hangs out in their own camp. In the locker room and players’ lounge, you can feel the jealousy.

We are constantly under lots of pressure, so I take lots of time to recover and do all the things I need for my body to be in the perfect state to compete the next day.

I’m very proud to be a professional tennis player. I’m really happy to be doing something that I love. With this comes responsibility, and I am honored when I am told that I have inspired someone to play tennis.

I don’t really eat fried food. It’s definitely a no go for me.

When you have tough times, and when you learn you can’t be perfect in every situation, it’s hard to accept, you know, because I still do expect that. But you just have to, because, you know, it’s not about the situation. It’s how you deal with it. You always have a choice.

Tennis has given me so many opportunities, and I feel very lucky to have achieved whatever I have, especially coming from a country that does not have a great history in the game.

I’ve never been a very flashy person.

I use Moroccanoil shampoo and conditioner.

Obviously, if some young girl wants my advice and wants me to be her mentor, I would be very happy to offer that. But I don’t really see myself as a coach.

I feel flattered that people like the way I look, but it doesn’t help you win points.

After a tough match, I’ll do an ice bath, and that’s really good for recovery because it helps circulation. Sometimes you feel really swollen.

When we were kids, I remember we’d use lemon in our hair and go into the sun, hoping it would make us blond. Obviously, I have very dark hair and olive skin, and when I was a kid, I wanted to be blond, of course. It never worked.

I think it’s better not to mix professional life and personal life – although it is hard.

There aren’t many woman coaches in general, and I actually think it’s good to have a male coach. Guys and girls have different mentalities. Girls are so stressed about everything. Guys take everything much more lightly. That’s great, and it’s something we have to learn from. I think one woman on a team is enough!