Ana Ivanovic might be the new 'It' girl of tennis, but she insists there is nothing glam about being on tour.
MELBOURNE: Ana Ivanovic might be the new 'It' girl of tennis, but she insists there is nothing glam about being on tour.
The 20-year-old siren, seeded four at the Australian Open, instead said life for a tennis professional was 'pretty boring'.
"Hate to shatter everyone's illusions, but I can reveal that being a professional tennis player isn't half as glamorous as it may seem," she said in a column for Melbourne newspaper, The Age.
"If you look through the WTA Tour player guide, or the ATP version for that matter, you will see that most players list 'shopping', 'listening to music' and 'watching DVDs' as their interests. "It's pretty boring, I know, but it's true."
She said preparing for matches was intense and then there were off court responsibilities like promotions and interviews, leaving little energy for going out or even shopping, which she reveals is a passion.
"Shopping is one of my favourite things, but I always save that until after the tournament," she said.
"As all women know, you need lots of energy for a proper shopping trip, and I can't afford to waste that while I'm still involved in competition.
"Even something like sightseeing can be energy sapping, so I also save that for after the tournament.
"It's tempting to do something fun on a rest day, but basically I am here to try to win the tournament and I will do everything possible to maximise my chances."
The Serbian had a breakthrough season in 2007, climbing from 14 to a career-high four in the world rankings, reaching the French Open final and the last four at Wimbledon.
Her on-court success has been matched by her rising profile away from the game, including appearances in US Vogue and on the cover of a British magazine hailing sports 'new pin-ups'.
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