By Scoop Malinowski
Status: 2008 French Open champion and former WTA world No.1. 2024 International Tennis Hall of Fame candidate.
Ht: 6-1 Wt: 150
DOB: November 6, 1987 In: Belgrade, Serbia
Tennis Inspiration: Monica Seles. I was watching her on TV when I was four. During the break there was a commercial for a tennis school. I remembered the phone number and kept asking my mom there for maybe a month. Finally, she agreed. I fell in love with the game straight away. And for my fifth birthday my father gave me my first racquet.
First Tennis Memory: I remember my first ever lesson. I can’t describe how happy I was. It’s just a simple love for playing the game.
Hobbies/Interests: I love reading, especially historical thrillers. I spend a lot of time watching DVDs and going to the cinema. I like to have long dinners with my family and friends, I find that very relaxing.
Last Book Read: Monica Seles autobiography.
Favorite Movie: The Departed.
Favorite TV Shows: 24, Lost and Prison Break.
Musical Tastes: Lots of kinds, Hip-hop, R&B, pop, Serbian.
Favorite Meal: Asian, especially sushi and black cod.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Cookies and cream.
Pre-Match Feeling: I like to be alone for the final moments before a match. I sometimes play Sudoku and listen to music. This helps me relax and then, just before I go out, I start to really think about my tactics for the match.
First Car: Peugeot 207.
Current Car: Peugeot 207.
What Would You Be If Not A Tennis Player: It’s hard to say. Probably I would be doing something with languages. I love languages.
Favorite Web Site: I enjoy visiting my own web site (www.anaivanovic.com). Because it’s a nice record of my career. I also Google a lot and You Tube.
Favorite You Tube Videos: I like to watch clips from comedy shows like Friends.
Greatest Sports Moment: Winning the French Open in June of 2008.
Most Painful Moment: I would probably say that having to withdraw from the Olympics in Beijing was the most painful moment of my career. I had been dreaming of playing in an Olympics for many years, and I got injured just a few weeks before. I did everything I could to try and recover in time, but it was too late. It was a huge disappointment.
Favorite Tournaments: There are so many. But if I have to choose one, it’s the Australian Open. I have family in Melbourne and I love to visit there.
Funniest Players Encountered: Novak Djokovic. I’ve known him since we were four and he always made me laugh a lot. It’s fitting that they call him The Joker.
Toughest Competitors: Henin and the Williams sisters.
Best You Ever Felt On Court: It’s funny, I often dream about playing the perfect match. But of course, that’s impossible. Still, I’ve had some pretty good matches. Beating Sharapova 62 61 in the semifinals of the French Open was one of the best. Against Hingis in Montreal was also a great match for me. There was a match against Schnyder in Stuttgart when I won 60 62.
Funny Tennis Memory: My first ever match in front of a big crowd was an exhibition with Mansour Bahrami and Henri Leconte. Those guys are very funny. I was very nervous because I was so inexperienced but they were so funny that I was able to relax. They were all the time joking around. Novak is also fun to play with. We played together in mixed doubles in Australia and around that time we also played a singles exhibition against each other. I was laughing a lot during those matches.
Embarrassing Tennis Memory: Playing a junior tournament in Canada. I was in the player lounge and they called my match. I wasn’t quite ready so I was in a bit of a rush. I grabbed my bag and ran to the courts. When I got there, I realized I had taken someone else’s racquet bag! I ran back to return it and get mine. Luckily, whoever it was didn’t realize. But I was still very embarrassed.
First Famous Tennis Player You Encountered: It was Venus Williams. I was playing French Open juniors and I was with my friend Sanja Ancic, who was also playing. We were in the locker room and she saw Venus and thought it would be fun to have our picture taken with her. She was very nice to us. I still have the picture.
People Qualities Most Admired: I think it’s important to be driven, to have a goal. I like people who are caring and generous and also those who have a good sense of humor.
You can read more Biofiles like this at www.mrbiofile.com
adidas · Ana Ivanovic · Newport Hall of Fame · Roland Garros · Serbia · WTA · Yonex
Hartt · December 29, 2016 at 6:15 am
Scoop, thanks. Ana comes across as gracious as one would expect. And she reads! But I have been curious about this for a while. What is it with tennis players and sushi? I bet if you asked 100 pros what their favourite food was 90 would say sushi. 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · December 29, 2016 at 8:07 am
Thanks Hartt: Ivanovic is a big favorite of some of the press guys I know because she’s always nice and very likable and very intelligent – sushi is a perfect food for tennis players as it is clean good source of protein and very easy to digest – you can eat a lot and feel ready to play an hour later and it does not bloat your stomach like many american foods do – Heather Watson revealed to me that Andy eats a ton of it too 🙂
Hartt · December 29, 2016 at 8:42 am
I just watched the video of Ana’s retirement announcement and she is totally delightful, very positive about her career and her future involvements, including spending more time as a UNICEF ambassador. And of course there is that wonderful smile.
Further to the conversations here about the coaching carousel, on the SI tennis podcast with Pam Shriver Wertheim asked Shriver to make 3 bold predictions for 2017. Presumably talking about the WTA Pam joked that someone would stay with the same coach for the entire season. 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · December 29, 2016 at 9:01 am
Wish Ana played the Aussie Open for a proper farewell and tribute for a great champion – seeing her play poorly in IPTL as her last matches was not the way for this great champion to go out – wonder when she made the final decision? If it was before or after IPTL? I would guess she decided earlier in the year and knew it all along that this was her final year and did not want to make a big commotion about it – class act once again –
Dan markowitz · December 31, 2016 at 4:50 am
Al’s down here in Florida at Willy Canas’s academy and his coach for the week, this funny voluble Brit of Iranian descent, Dom, was motivating Cal at the end of a long day, the kid’s been doing 4.5 hours of tennis and two hours of fitness each day, by saying, “Champions are made on Friday afternoons, when no one’s around, and they’re working long hours on their games.”
Cal’s holding his own down here. These kids play every day, Cal only two days a week with a pro and sometimes doesn’t even take a private once a week, but he best a top Florida kid in the 12’s yesterday 7-5 after being down 3-0. Afterward, the kid was moaning about how Cal was calling him a Bully” because in consecutive points he made bad lines and Dom made him replay the point. Don wants Cal to dominate with his forehand which he says for a 10 year old has to be one of the biggest in the country. When Cal takes a ball down the middle with his backhand, Dom gets on him for not running around it and hitting his forehand. He says on clay you’ve got to set up the point, build the point, by attacking with your forehand to your opponent’s backhand.
Dom said Murray’s best friend is Tim Henman and Tim took Andy under his wing when he was a young pro and showed him the ropes. He also told Andy that he should hire Jaime Delgado. Dom said he’d change Cal’s Western grip on his forehand if he had him down here for a couple of weeks to a semi-Western, but he didn’t want to tamper with it over four days. Canas has gotten very heavy, but he still hits a nice ball. He’s been working out Gabashvili this week who hit a powerful ball, but his ranking has dropped to no 138 and he’s going to have to qualify in Australia for the first time in Four years in a slam. Canas also coaches Kukushkin. There’s a couple of young blond Russians here ranked like no 650 and these guys train and hit like animals and then get stretched out by this beautiful young Russian woman who looks like a ballerina and is married to one of the guys.
One of the players Cal hits with has a young step-father who says he’s best friends with Wayne Odesnik. He said Wayne’s problem wasn’t that he was a druggie, but he was too gullible. He said he’d be working out and see a 14 year old girl using a string and he’d ask her about it and then start using that string. He said Wayne never took HGH (but Andy Roddick did according to this guy, who says he grew up with Roddick, because at 14 Roddick was a shrimp and he took the HGH to grow and it did help him grow. I do think Roddick’s parents are short), but he stupidly put the vials of it in his bag when he went to Australia because he was thinking of taking it. The small insignificant players always get caught while the big players never do. Odesnik was coached for awhile by Canas, probably not a good move by Wayne also as Canas had been linked to PED use and was suspended, but claimed tournament officials had given him something which contained banned substances. Canas is another guy who has great results, once beat Federer back to back at Indie Wells and Miami, but only reached three slam quarters all at the French. Dom says Canas never juiced, according to Callum, but now he’s gotten big, he’s got legs the size of tree trunks, because he likes Oreos and Diet Coke. Cal was going on afterward to me saying, “Why shouldn’t Canas enjoy his life and eat what he wants?” Cal’s gotten a little heavy of late because he likes eating ice cream like most 10 year old’s. He’s understanding watching how hard a guy like Gabashvili works how hard training to be a top player is. Dom emphasizes to him and the other 10-14 year old’s down here, Cal is the youngest by one year and more to the other 5-6 kids in his group, that to be a top player you have to suffer and play with intensity, not just try to belt balls for winners. It’s gotten thru to Cal because he’s mentioned a couple of times to me about the suffering part which I don’t think ever entered his mind before about being a necessary character trait of a top player.
It’s hard for me watching him work out this hard, I’ve been stymied all week with a vicious tenden pull in the back of my knee that I aggravated the first day here chasing one of Cal’s cross-court forehand’s, to balance the two sides of Cal, an awesome player far above his age in talent and tennis savvy and the little kid who lies in my arms at night and leaves his clothes and racquets splayed all over the floor. On the one hand it’s hard to send your son out each day to “suffer,” but he likes it and comes back each day eager to play. But it’s like a full time job for both him and me and I don’t know if I want a 10 year old to have a full time job as encompassing and somewhat limiting of being an apprentice top player and I already have an encompassing job and don’t really want another one as tennis dad. I was talking to this other boy’s dad about how you make these young kids understand that these pros they’re working with and the money and time they devote to tennis is not the average kid’s reality and they have to understand that and not take it for granted. For example, I always pick up Callum’s balls during a lesson, but here Dom didn’t want me to. He wanted Cal to do it and they don’t use hoppers here, the juniors have to bend down and pick them up on their racquets. Dom emphasized the three things Uncle Toni told Rafa growing up: never throw your racquet and to this day, Dom said, Rafa has never thrown his stick; always had Rafa sweep the courts at end of practice and worked out with Rafa using worn out balls which are balder and that’s how Rafa developed his racquet speed and uncanny spin because it’s harder to control balls with less fuzz on them.
Scoop Malinowski · December 31, 2016 at 8:43 am
Very interesting read Dan to get an up close view to the atmosphere of these top notch FLorida tennis academies and the physical and mental mindsets of the characters involved – What is the location of Canas Academy? Is it very luxurious and nice or more hardcore? Interesting revelation about Roddick and it makes sense because I saw Berdych’s father who has bird legs yet the son has Walter Payton wheels – you wonder what the young Berdyboy was eating as a teen to grow so totally differently than his dad – I actually did see Rafa drop his racquet during a pre US Open practice on Ashe with F Lo -he was frustrated and dropped it at his feet – wouldn’t constitute officially as a racquet hurl but perhaps unofficially 🙂
Dan Markowitz · January 1, 2017 at 1:14 pm
It’s in Aventura about 20 minutes north of Miami. It’s not very luxurious, a few har-tru and a few hard courts. Work out room and office are kind of low-rent looking. But they have some serious players there and Willy is coaching both Gabashvili and Kukushkin. Kind of weird to see all these Russian guys speaking Spanish. Also kind of weird to see a guy who was so fit like Willy now looking like a sumo wrestler. He can still hit, but not much movement.
The no. 2 Chinese junior player is there for the next two years. He was working with Willy and Gabashvili. He’s 17 and he won three ATP points at 15 in Futures in China, but then missed the whole year last year with a wrist injury and every day he hit at Canas’s you’d see him walking around with an ice bag on his wrist. He’s not a big guy, smaller even than Nishikori, and it’s sad to see he might have recurring wrist problem.
Scoop Malinowski · January 1, 2017 at 3:42 pm
Canas must be eating a gallon of Ben & Jerry’s every night because he’s as hefty as a retired NFL defensive noseguard – An interesting Battle of the Sexes match would be Canas vs Serena 🙂 Canas is a great coach – every time I’ve spoke with him he has given very interesting insights – Kukushkin and Gabashvili have done very well under Canas and I would say they exceeded any expectations – in other words Canas has maximized the results of both players – Aventura is very nice by the water I think Fred Stolle lives there and coached/coaches there –
Dan Markowitz · January 1, 2017 at 6:29 pm
I didn’t get a great feel for Aventura. It’s too much high-rise and the Aventura Mall is supposed to be the biggest in the USA. I’m not a mall person though. The beach was nice, but again, I much prefer Boca and Delray because the beaches there are not surrounded by high rises.
It’s interesting to see how big tennis, junior tennis mostly, is in Florida. I’ll be driving and see a nice row of public courts in a park and get out and on the fence is a sign that so-and-so is running an academy out of this park. I walked onto courts just to see if there was a wall to hit on–by the way, I almost always find walls in New York public courts, but never in Florida–and a heavy-set guy walked up to me saying, “I’m glad you finally made it.” He thought I was a lesson showing up late.
I get the feeling you can get a lesson for $35 an hour in most of these public parks. Canas was charging $250 which I think is slightly ridiculous. I know the guy was no. 8, but as my friend Jeff Salzenstein said, “Allan Iverson was an immense talent, but doesn’t mean he can coach. Along with many other top players in every sport. So just because you beat Federer doesn’t mean Jack :). He could still be a great coach, but generally to be a stud coach you can’t just be a former top player.”
Jg · January 1, 2017 at 6:39 pm
Wonder how the new USTA facility in Orlando will affect these academies, at least for US players, may be some consolidation coming. Saw Patrick McEnroe is joining his brother at the McEnroe academy.
Scoop Malinowski · January 2, 2017 at 8:32 am
A friend visited this new USTA tennis colossus in Orlando and he was blown away – If the USTA begins to produce super stars again based on this Orlando juggernaut it could very well crush the opposition – Going to be interesting –
Scoop Malinowski · January 2, 2017 at 8:35 am
Harrison Tiafoe lost in qualies in Doha but Donaldson fought his way into the draw – Stepanek also got into Chennai draw – Gasquet is looking good right now vs Zverev in Hop Cup – Sock looked like a top ten player in taking down Pavlasek in three sets in Hop Cup despite falling asleep in the second set – Coco Vande also looked very good and could have a very splashful 2017 – BYT I entered Doogie’s fantasy tennis league which looks like a lot of fun – check it out:
http://www.tenniscomp.com/fantasy/
Scoop Malinowski · January 2, 2017 at 8:38 am
Good point Dan tennis walls are rare in FL – Canas is expensive but he’s a legend and to hear what he has to say is worth it –
Dan Markowitz · January 2, 2017 at 10:01 am
The pro who runs the academy, a British guy of Iranian descent, very entertaining dude who’s knows his stuff, he told me Canas doesn’t really like to teach that much, but rich guys come down to take lessons with him. He doesn’t really deal with the juniors at the academy except for the older one’s who are already making forays onto the tour. Like he didn’t once come over to watch my son play. Two things he worked with my son on that is really good is an adjustment drill where pro drops ball for player taking little circles around a cone and hitting groundies. Callum has severe Western grip so Dom emphasized creating space, preparation and get to side of the ball. Then you stay down through shot (I always thought the power comes from sitting down and then lifting as you hit shot, but Dom said the power comes from the hand coming through the shot–“The faster the feet, the faster the foreahand;” “Stay low with the feet and pass the hands;” “Wide base;” legs stay low and hands do the work.” Then he was big on “passing the hip.” You can’t pass the hip too early else you lose your power. Then he also had Cal working point deep to backhand and then when he got a short ball, “Don’t hit above shoulder. Rip short ball; run around the ball. Got to move feet.” And “Never hit the ball down the center of the court.”
Jg · January 2, 2017 at 10:39 am
Johnson playing with a Yonex now, looks like a bigger head than his previous Babolat.
Dan, isn’t that what Spadea says in his forehand video, power comes thru arm and wrist snap. You would think Spadea would be sought after at these jr academies with his flawless technique and I would think kids would relate to him better than some of these others.
Andrew Miller · January 2, 2017 at 11:07 am
Another reason Spadea needs to join team usta.
Andrew Miller · January 2, 2017 at 11:12 am
Will miss Ivanovic for same reason I miss Kirilenko. Lets admit it for a lot of men she is a looker. But has way more game than the feisty Kirilenko.
Scoop Malinowski · January 2, 2017 at 11:16 am
Good win vs Super G over Johnson – Super G using variety – like that slice down the line – Johnson had a very bad start last year but then snapped out of it and had his best year – I see a big year for Super G –
Dan Markowitz · January 2, 2017 at 11:37 am
SteveJo looks gaunt. Don’t think Vince would ever join an academy staff unless it was his academy.
Andrew Miller · January 2, 2017 at 2:22 pm
Too many variables to consider in predicting who will do well this year. I’d say Raonic should strike quick and win Australian. Anyone who is in shape or play their way into the tournament. I predict lots of retirements in all rounds in Ausyralia. I predict Coric will fizzle. I like Murrays chances to diversify his slam wins.
And I like Socks’ chances. And even though Kerber is motivated and employs a retriever / dictating style of play that worked like a charm last year I like Australia to be more wide open and a casino this year with at least one player playing for their first slam.
Tame predictions even lame predictions. Usually Australian favors (a) Americans in lead up tournaments such as Auckland etc and (b) off season Warriors like Murray and Novak Djoker and Kerber Kuzneysova etc. But just like Johannsen and Wawrinka and Kerber played spoiler in years past I think that’s been part of Australia’s legacy. You either have a guy like Kriek grab a slam or one like Hewitt failing on home turf again.
With that I expect Murray to lose early and a new champ down under for the women.
Hartt · January 2, 2017 at 3:53 pm
I do hope you are wrong about Murray losing early because he is my pick to win the title. How many times can the poor guy miss out on this trophy?
Agree that it could be a new champ for the women and I have absolutely no idea who that might be.
We have gone from no tennis to so many tourneys it is hard to keep up with what is going on!
Andrew Miller · January 2, 2017 at 4:16 pm
Hartt Murray has been best man or bridesmaid in Melbourne so often I’m not sure how he gets himself over it. May happen he’d need a Lendl pep talk!!!
Halep doing so far so good. The Czech republic has a ridiculous number of female players in draws I am astounded!
Nice to see Cirstea post a win. I like her game a lot. She’s been on the outer orbits for a few years now.
And in men’s action some good work from Stepanek in battling through draws he may be best men’s player of all time at qualifying for main draws.
Donaldson and Escobedo picking up where left off in 2016 ! Only one tournament but they both qualified. And Tiafie didnt lose to anyone he lost to likely Australian future champ Alex de Minaur.
Harrison losing to dodig nothing to be ashamed of.
Hartt · January 2, 2017 at 4:29 pm
Don’t know much about Alex de Minaur except he has a good ranking for such a young player and he was the RU at the Wimby juniors when Shapovalov won. Anything else about him?
Stepanek just keeps going and going and . . . .
Andy MUST have more belief that he can beat Novak (or anyone else) at AO. After all, he is now Sir Andy! 🙂
The main thing I remember about Cirstea is when she played extremely well at the Rogers Cup a few years ago, making it to the final against Serena where, unfortunately, she got creamed. Cahill did a brilliant job of coaching her in that tourney, helping her keep her emotions in check and staying focused. Have not heard much about her since.
Andrew Miller · January 2, 2017 at 4:31 pm
Personally I found fl good for matches but most fl juniors lost to intl players as well as juniors down from other states. Coaches came in all flavors but important to pick up something from everyone. Not unlike pros different coaches good at different things.
But I would never recommend these days Florida as a base for a junior ever. Good players are now dispersed. I’d play California Canada Maryland VA Midwest indoors South America and Spain like most champions including Murray did.
Doing Florida makes no sense. Like I said my day at Macci. HIT HARDER!!! TERRIBLE ADVICE.
Andrew Miller · January 2, 2017 at 4:39 pm
Hartt de Mimaur is from OZ but trains or had been training in Spain for long time. He is a unique player in Australian juniors because he isn’t local really, his training is more like Murray and Kuzetsova who made Spain their base. Probably won’t be tempted by same things that surround Tomic and Kyrgios either, which is why I think he will be the premier Australian player based on his profile alone. The entire focus has been development of his game. Just a serious competitor.
Scoop Malinowski · January 2, 2017 at 7:19 pm
Cirstea had a bad past two years but she can bounce back – she was dating Santiago Giraldo and they were looking at houses here in Bradenton area two years ago with a real estate agent who is a friend of mine down here -not sure if she is still involved with Giraldo – De minaur is like Andrew said an Aussie who trains in Spain – I spoke with him two years ago at Eddie Herr – he’s another one of those Next Gen rising stars who just keeps ascending up the ATP rankings – a tall thin kid who looks destined for top 50 at least – at the very least –
Scoop Malinowski · January 2, 2017 at 7:23 pm
I saw Escobedo up 2-love on Edmund but it was a very thin lead – not sure if he was going to be able to maintain that level but he has the goods and especially a forehand blast that could be a lethal force in the ATP top 100 – Spadea should work with Double E like Dan said was proposed last year or the year before –
Scoop Malinowski · January 2, 2017 at 7:29 pm
Bencic is another player who should do damage this year – she has stagnated since that epic win over Serena just before the US Open a couple years ago – Bencic is ready to erupt and should erupt this year –