The 2008 French Open saw Ana Ivanovic reach the pinnacle of the women’s game. The young Serb had won her first major title and risen to the World No. 1 ranking. Having previously failed in two major finals, she had cast off the tag of being a "choker" and it seemed as though everything was falling into place. She was destined to win more major titles.The big problem, however, is that once you reach the top, often, the only way is down. In the two years since her finest triumph, Ivanovic has certainly learned this lesson.
As soon as she had reached the top her game, her mind began to disintegrate. She departed from Wimbledon that year in the third round and it wouldn’t be until March 2009 when she would reach the final of a premier event, although she was the runner-up in Linz in October 2008.
In defense of her French Open title she stumbled to a fourth round defeat to Victoria Azarenka, who was World No. 9, only one place below Ivanovic. Clearly, she hadn’t been disgraced.
On the face of it, just glancing at her results since her French Open victory, there would’ve only been a slight cause for concern. She was still ranked inside the top 10 and she was by no means being embarrassed on the scoreboard.
If you saw her matches, however, it was clear that something was wrong. We had previously seen glimpses into her lack of confidence, most notably in the 2007 French Open final when her ball toss was somewhat erratic.
Ivanovic later said, in her own refreshingly honest way, that she had been overwhelmed by the occasion and was crippled by nerves and despite going on to win there a year later, her nerves would continue to reappear.
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