Ana Ivanovic - Tennis Canada

Serbian Stars ready for their Close-up

It is a country that has been ravaged by war and dire economic turmoil for the better part of a decade, yet Serbia has developed a knack for producing world-class tennis players.

Currently, there are three Serbians ranked inside the Top 10 on the WTA and ATP tours, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic.

Is it any wonder then that the defending Rogers Cup women’s champion is in fact Ivanovic, who proved that her star shines bright when she raised the coveted silver racquet last year at Uniprix Stadium? The victory marked the 19-year-old’s first career Tier I title and put her on the fast track to super stardom. Ivanovic has since proven that her dream week in Montreal was no fluke and now sits firmly amongst the Tour’s Top 10 players at No. 6. She has added a second Tier I crown to her tally, claiming top honours on clay in Berlin, and also reached her first Grand Slam final at the French Open in June.

"Now people recognize me wherever I go and it's kind of nice feeling, because the people actually follow the results. But on the other hand, you lose a little bit of privacy. But yeah, it's exciting, it's different,'' Ivanovic revealed.

Jankovic has managed to accomplish something that has eluded many of her elite peers this season - play every week, win consistently and stay healthy. She has been a semifinalist in nine of the 16 tournaments she has contested, collecting a Tour-leading four titles along the way and securing a world No. 3 ranking. The 21-year-old hopes that she can serve as a role model for aspiring players from her home country.

“The top players are, I think, motivating and really trying to push the younger kids to do as well,'' Jankovic commented.

It also doesn’t hurt that both Ivanovic and Jankovic are charismatic, attractive, personable and were more than ready for the attention their success induced. Growing up, neither player benefited from first rate facilities or coaching close to home, they pursued their career in more tennis rich countries. Ivanovic, who began honing her skills in a swimming pool, trained in Switzerland and Australia, while Jankovic was a product of Nick Bollettieri’s Florida-based academy.

While the Serbian sensations’ ascent to the top of women’s tennis seems like a pleasant coincidence, Ivanovic credits a particular ‘Serbian’ trait.

“I think we're all very good fighters and we have, like, tough mentality, so I think that's probably what we have in common,” Ivanovic remarked. “They should appreciate it back home because who knows when it's going to happen again.”

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