Probably the hottest thing on and off the tennis court right now, 20-year-old Ana Ivanovic is quickly becoming the media and fan darling of the women's professional tennis tour.
Born in Belgrade, Serbia (then part of Yugoslavia), Ana Ivanovic is the World Number 1 on the WTA tour, both figuratively and arguably in the hottness rankings as well.
Not only does Ana Ivanovic ooze a natural sexiness and beauty, she has an amazing life story to tell.
She choose to idolise former tennis sensation, compatriot Monika Seles at the age of 5, after seeing her play on television and like a good Gen Yer nagged her parents to take her to tennis school after seeing a children's tennis advertisement.
By the age of 10 Ana Ivanovic, in the middle of the NATO bombing campaign of Serbia in 1999, practiced her tennis skills in an abandoned and empty swimming pool, unfazed by the war (and bombs dropping in the distance) around her.
At 14 she got her big break when a Swiss businessman, seeing her potential, agreed to $500,000 in an interest-free loan to finance her development. That ended up being a great investment, Ana Ivanovic is now a multi-millionaire.
Such is Ana Ivanovic's passion for playing top tennis, at just 14, she most famously locked herself in a locker room for 4 hours from her manager and parents after losing a match to girl that she thought she would beat in strait sets.
Ana Ivanovic is an 'offensive baseliner'. That basically means that her tennis strategy is to win the point by hitting winners from the back of the court, attacking with fast balls that the opponent cannot reach or return properly.
She relies heavily on the power, depth, and placement of her forehand strokes, producing many winners through penetrating, flat shots with occasional topspin. Turns you on, doesn't it?
Ana is the reigning French Open champion and runner up at the Australian Open at the beginning of 2008. Ana is considered a top 5 chance of winning her first US Open championship.
Aside from her tennis career, Ivanović also studies finance at a university in Belgrade, and Spanish in her spare time, and apparently is said to have a crush on men's tennis superstar, Roger Federer. Gentlemen should also be please to note that, despite some rumours about her love life and connections to men's tennis players, it appears Ana Ivanovic is indeed a single lady.
You can catch Ana Ivanovic in full action right now as she plays for US Open glory!
