The Championships Wimbledon
at Wimbledon, England

 

A. IVANOVIC defeated N. Dechy 6‑7, 7‑6, 10‑8

An interview with Ana Ivanovic

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Ana.

Q. Do you feel lucky to have gotten out of that one?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yes, I feel very lucky. It was a tough match. She played very well. Yes, I feel lucky just to have a chance to play again.

Q. When you hit that forehand down match point, what did you think was going to happen?

ANA IVANOVIC: I felt like time stopped for a moment because I thought I hit pretty good shot and I moved forward, so there was a momentum going forward.

Then ball hit the net and it was in air for a couple of seconds. It was moving away, so I thought maybe even it will go out. Just so many thoughts at same moment.

I just, you know, thought the match would be over. I felt like, you know, after that point ‑‑ you know, you have some situations through your career that you feel, you know, you lose the match, and afterwards you think, I should have done that differently.

So you really want to go out and play again the match. After that point, I felt like it was a new match for me and I had a new opportunity.

Q. Have you ever had a stroke of luck like that in a match before at such a vital point?

ANA IVANOVIC: No, no, I don't think so. No, not that I can remember. It was just amazing. I was really shocked, yeah, for a few seconds. I just felt so, so lucky.

Q. What were you doing with your visor and your face right after the point?

ANA IVANOVIC: I just couldn't believe it. I felt ‑‑ I don't know. I was just so surprised because, really, I thought the ball would be in the net and the match would be over.

I tried to bring my focus back into match because I thought the match was over.

Q. Were you trying to hide your face with your expression?

ANA IVANOVIC: I was just so, so surprised that the ball was actually in that, you know, I tried to focus on actually next serve and try to be in the moment because I was so happy, you know, that I got another chance.

Q. At the end of the match, what were you thinking when you went over to the net, and what did you do?

ANA IVANOVIC: I just went to kiss the net because, like I said, I felt so lucky. If it wasn't for that net and that place, you know, I would be booking my flight, you know, back home. I felt so, so lucky to be through today because, like I said, she played really well and, yeah, didn't make me feel like I was playing good.

So, yeah, it was just so lucky.

Q. You said she played well. Do you think there was anything missing in your game?

ANA IVANOVIC: At the times I thought I wasn't serving so well. My percentage was so low. At the other hand, she was serving well and her balls were so deep. She put me a lot of pressure.

I think, yeah, I had feeling like I wasn't doing enough, and it was because she was playing so well.

Q. You're a famously superstitious person. At that point, did you think it was your destiny to win the game?

ANA IVANOVIC: A little bit. At least I get another chance. I felt so lucky. After that point my adrenaline went up and I was so, so pumped all of a sudden because, you know, you just see this as other opportunity, other chance.

At that point also I felt like I had nothing to lose because I felt like the lost the match already, so I could only win.

Q. How did the length and difficulty of this match compare with all the other matches you've ever played?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I think it was one of the longest match I ever played, and it was very tough. Obviously during these three and a half hours that we played there was lot of ups and downs in concentration, which is obviously normal.

You can't keep your concentration for a full time, so this was great learning experience for me, too. Just at the end it was also mental game. We both had chances. I had some match points. She had some match points. It was just who was going to hang in there longer.

I was just so happy that I managed to take that opportunity I had in the last game. Because, like I said, she played really well today.

Q. What did you say to her after the match? What are you thinking for her at this time?

ANA IVANOVIC: I said, Well done. Well played. Obviously, you know, I felt ‑‑ I just felt like I was so lucky and she deserved to win also because she played really well. I kind of felt bad for that let call.

But, you know, I think it's life and also tennis. It goes either way. At some point it's always balanced, you know. Sometimes you win like this, sometimes you will lose like this. You have to also realize that.

Q. Did this experience today teach you anything about how strong you are mentally that you didn't know before? Did it surprise you in any way that you could prevail?

ANA IVANOVIC: I think today what helped me win was a fighting spirit. Because, like I said, she was playing extremely well, and my serve didn't work so good. I was making some unforced errors that, you know, I wasn't doing in my first or previous matches.

So, you know, I just had to try and hang in there and try to, you know, look for my opportunities. And that's something that I'm very, very happy I could do, because, like I was talking before, you know, sometimes you have days that it's much easier to control emotions and to deal with, you know, different kind of situations.

And today was much harder for me. So I had to fight really hard for each point and for each game. But, you know, just being able to go through this, also as a learning experience, it makes me feel good.

Q. Did you feel bad about the hat situation as well, when her hat flew off?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, but, you know, because before she went to hit the ball her hat fell off. It happened to me in Paris. I also lost the point. You know, it was tough call I think for umpire.

Q. Did you actually complain at that point?

ANA IVANOVIC: No. No, I didn't.

Q. As the world No. 1, do you feel under more pressure to show mental toughness?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, a little bit. Because also these players, they go on the court with nothing to lose. They perform many times the best they can. So obviously it has more pressure on me, you know, to hang in there and to look for my opportunities.

But at the other hand, I'm No. 1 because I was playing good and because, you know, I deserve that position. That's also something that gives me confidence, so it's kind of balanced up.

In a tough situation you try to look for a positive side and not so much the other one.

Q. How do you think you'll look back on this match in the weeks, months, years to come?

ANA IVANOVIC: Just someone from upstairs made the ball roll over. I just feel so lucky, like I said. Now for me it's like every match I play, just, you know, victory, because I have nothing to lose. It was really lucky.

Q. How much has this taken out of you physically, bearing in mind you have five matches more if you're going to win Wimbledon?

ANA IVANOVIC: It was obviously tough physically because it was a long match. But it was a very, very big mental fight for me today, because, like I said, it was some frustration with maybe not performing as well as I wanted. So I had to really work hard to stay focused and to stay in each point.

She played really well, so she made me feel like I had to do more and to step up. It was through all the match I had to work really hard and focusing for each point. That was something that was extremely hard. So I'm really happy I have the day off tomorrow.

Q. You mentioned keeping your focus and your mental toughness. How do you do that over three and a half hours?

ANA IVANOVIC: Well, it's kind of hard because you can't do it for all the time because, obviously, concentration goes up and down. So you really have to try to be in a moment, to think of breathing.

But, obviously, there are moments when you lose a little bit yourself and you start thinking about just some random things out of everyday life, you know, what's happening nothing to do with tennis. So you have to realize that and to go back in the moment and what's happening on the court.

So you really ‑‑ I feel like I have to really work hard.

Q. Are you still feeling lucky about these Championships, or do you feel you've used your luck up?

ANA IVANOVIC: Well, I don't know. I think I used a lot of luck today (laughter). I don't know. If next match, the opponent has a let call against me, I won't complain because it just goes around comes around.

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