Ana was this week interviewed by Politika, the heavyweight Serbian daily newspaper. The following is a translated extract from the question-and-answer session:
Do you meet your childhood friends and do they regard you as the world-famous Ana Ivanovic or just an ordinary Ana from the neighborhood and the street you lived in?
Yes, I still know many people that I grew up with. They’ve known me since I was a kid and I think they still see me like they always did, not as some celebrity or anything like that. When I am with friends we don’t really talk about tennis; we talk about the same stuff as anyone else: relationships, traveling, maybe some book we’re reading, stuff like that.
Are you a fashion fan and who are your favourite fashion designers?
Yes, I do enjoy following fashion a little bit – I sometimes read fashion magazines. I don’t have one favourite designer but I love the dresses of Matthew Williamson and Miu Miu shoes.
How do you cope with the popularity of being a world-famous tennis player?
I think it’s important to have a balanced life and have interests outside of tennis. This means that you are not obsessed with tennis, even though it’s very important to you. I spend my free time doing other things, not watching or reading about tennis. It’s also important to have a good team around you to take care of things off the court, for example helping to arrange interviews and travel, so that my main focus can be tennis.
Do you manage to cope with the press? Are the journalists more annoying in Belgrade and Serbia or somewhere else in the world?
When I first started playing tennis I was really shy and was a little bit worried about talking to the media but I’ve grown up since then and I’ve quickly learnt that it’s an important part of the job. It can be interesting too, because sometimes you are asked questions you didn’t ask yourself, and that makes you think a little more deeply.
