NEW YORK—As Serena Williams’s comeback at the US Open builds momentum, so too, does the comeback of Ana Ivanovic.
Injury and illness forced Williams out of the game for eight months, until a successful return this summer with two titles. Ivanovic hasn’t been out of the game. Instead, she’s been out of the mix, a talented player once No. 1 in the world who has struggled to find the form of her early promise.
Someone’s comeback will continue at the Open, the other’s will end when Williams and Ivanovic meet in the fourth round on Monday afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“It is a tough draw to play her in the fourth round,” said Ivanovic, who lost to Williams in two previous meetings. “She’s the favorite, that’s for sure. But I am playing good and I enjoy competing again. I know I have to give her a tough match. She beat me in the past, but maybe I can go for revenge [Monday].”
Williams was much more casual about the prospect of playing Ivanovic. “Well, she’s playing well,” she said. “She’s incredibly fit right now. She was No. 1, right, at one point, so...”
For so long, Ivanovic has struggled to find the confidence that propelled her to victory in the 2008 French Open and the subsequent No. 1 ranking. While the usual injuries and aches and pains of the game have impacted her, a loss of confidence, a loss of joy have been the culprits. She’s only 23 but has gone through a slew of coaches, each one imparting advice on technique and strategy, none with any particular success in the majors over the past two years.
This summer, she employed Nigel Sears, the head coach of women for England’s Lawn Tennis Association, who is also the father of Andy Murray’s girlfriend.
“I think our relationship is really good,” she said. “I can pick up things fast from his coaching...If there is something I don’t like or I don’t feel good about, I’ll tell him and he will adjust or approach it differently. That’s very, very important.”
This hasn’t been a good season for Ivanovic. Her No. 19 ranking is a bit misleading, considering that is based on points she built up last fall starting with a fourth-round finish at the Open and going on to win two small tournaments. She is defending all these points now, and if she doesn’t, her ranking will fall precipitously.
She hasn’t reached a final this year and was beaten in the first round of the Australian and French Opens and the third round at Wimbledon. Last year’s fourth-round finish at the Open was her best finish in a major in two seasons.
Still, Ivanovic seems pleased with Sears’s advice. “We have big goals, and we look at the big picture,” she said. “But the results are already there, which is encouraging.”
Ivanovic looked radiant in defeating Sloan Stephens at Ashe Stadium on Saturday night, a glow enhanced not just by winning, but by playing well. Afterward, she seemed genuinely pleased to be facing Williams on the big stage.
“From this moment on, it’s preparation for this match,” she said. “Tomorrow, I am going to practice and talk to Nigel about tactics and stuff. But I’m really, really excited. Just happy to have the opportunity to be in the second week. You know, it’s been a while.”
In Photo: Ana Ivanovic, who has never been past the fourth round of the US Open, takes on three-time champion Serena Williams. (MCT)
