Those in the cognoscenti of tennis who followed the flight of Ana Ivanovic's remarkable yet turbulent career were always well aware of this woman's propensity for drama in her performances.
Ivanovic always fought hard and competed with an emotional intensity few of her peers could equal or surpass. Explosive off the forehand, quick and cunning, outstandingly aggressive on the return of serve, highly charged in most of her matches, Ivanovic made every attempt to explore the boundaries of her potential. In my view, she never tapped the top of her reservoir of talent, and yet no one could accuse her of not giving the game everything she had.
The fact remains that the glamorous Serb – who reached No. 1 in the world and captured the French Open in 2008 – often fell short of her highest standards. Perhaps there were times when she was too highly strung internally, when she blocked her own path to potential success by suffering severe bouts of anxiety, when her toughest opponent happened to be herself.
A case in point was at the 2008 US Open. Ivanovic was not yet 21, full of vigor, and eager to back up her Roland Garros triumph with a victory in New York. It was not to be. Facing Julie Coin – a qualifier from France – the top-seeded woman in the field bowed out disappointingly, falling 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
It was a devastatingly potent setback for a player of Ivanovic's stature. She became the first No. 1-seeded woman to bow out before the third round in the Open era at the season's final major championship. That was a dubious distinction for a champion who came into the tournament knowing she had a chance to succeed again on a prominent stage in front of an audience that liked her style and appreciated her professionalism.
Coin, meantime, headed into this contest ranked No. 188 in the world. She had never played in the main draw at the US Open before this fateful encounter. Earlier in 2008, the Frenchwoman had been upended in the qualifying of all three Grand Slam championships leading up to Flushing Meadows.
After the two competitors split the first and second sets, Ivanovic had a significant opening with the score locked at 2-2 in the third. Coin was behind 0-40 but Ivanovic failed to exploit her opportunity. On her way to a 5-2 lead, Coin swept 13 of 14 points as the Serb unraveled down the stretch. In the last game of the confrontation, Coin was understandably apprehensive, squandering two match points before converting on her third chance. It was a victory hard earned, but a jarring showing from Ivanovic, who displayed her finest tennis only sporadically.
From 2005 to 2016, Ivanovic competed in every US Open, appearing in 12 consecutive editions. Only once, in 2012, did she advance deep in the draw, reaching the quarterfinals. In fact, during that same span, this immensely popular and charismatic player was seen in all 48 majors. After that 2008 win in Paris, she never reached a title round contest again at a Grand Slam event.
At late December of 2016, at the age of 29, Ivanovic announced her retirement from tennis, acknowledging that injuries had made it impossible for her to perform the way she once had when healthy. She said in a video statement released on social media, "I can only play if I perform at my own high standards. I can no longer do that so it's time to move on."
Ivanovic was filled with layers of emotion as she bid farewell to the sport she loved unequivocally for so long. She remarked, "I began dreaming about tennis when I was five. My dear parents backed me all the way. I was No. 1 in the world and won Roland Garros in 2008. I have seen heights I never dreamt of achieving."
