Ivanovic looked faster at the Hopman Cup
Ana Ivanovic is enjoying the rewards of intense off season fitness work as the former finalist looks ahead to the 2011 Australian Open.
Ivanovic made the final in Melbourne three years ago but later that year her form nose-dived and continued to do so for nearly two years. Thankfully back last summer Ivanovic got back on track and she looked in decent form at last week's Hopman Cup.
"I'm in really good shape comparing to previous years and that's something that inspires and motivates me," she said. "I did a lot of footwork drills and a lot of jumps, that's something my fitness coach felt I could improve a lot on and get that explosiveness. I did not like that part but that's always the case.”
Ivanovic suffered a stomach muscle scare in Perth but thankfully it proved to be minor and she's been back practising this week ahead of her first round match with Ekaterina Makarova.
It seems so long now but it was less than three years ago that Ivanovic claimed her maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open and the Serb is full of belief that she can hit those heights once again.
"I've set myself some goals, and I'm really positive I can achieve them. I really believe that I can actually win a Grand Slam this year, that would be my biggest goal, and obviously then to get back into the top 10,” she said. “It's going to be a lot of hard work and might not happen in a week or a month, but it might."
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