By Maud Watson
Mixed Priorities? – By now, everyone probably knows that Andy Roddick’s wife Brooklyn Decker is appearing on the cover of the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. But in case you missed it, Serb Ana Ivanovic is also being featured in the popular magazine spread. It’s easy to see why she was approached to be in the issue, but I question her decision to do it nonetheless. This is a woman who has slipped to No. 23 in the rankings, was in tears during her second round Australian Open defeat to Gisela Dulko, and after a dismal performance this past weekend in Fed Cup, freely admitted that she’s suffering from a psychological crisis. Her lifetime contract with Adidas aside, now is the time for Ana Ivanovic to focus more on her tennis and get it back on track. If she doesn’t, then she’s going to quickly be labeled as one of those underachievers who is nothing but a flash in the pan.
Ana Ivanovic
Setting an Example – In a refreshing bit of news, Barclay’s conducted a survey of 1,500 individuals and found that tennis stars Roger Federer and Steffi Graf were named top male and female sports role models. Given that it’s one of the cleanest sports, and the fact that golf has recently been rocked by the Tiger Woods scandal, it wasn’t entirely shocking that tennis should score so high. Hopefully tennis’ growing reputation as a model sport for young children and adults everywhere will further help grow viewership and participation around the globe.
Suffering Safina – It was announced earlier this week that former world No. 1 Dinara Safina had to pull out of the Dubai tournament due to her lingering back problem. She hopes to be able to compete in the upcoming Indian Wells tournament. I personally have my fingers crossed for the industrious Russian. I firmly believe she has the game to win a Grand Slam title, but this lingering back injury could very well be a sign that this is the beginning of the end of her tortured career.
Thai Sighting – For all of you Paradorn Srichaphan “Sricha-fans” out there who’ve been wondering what Thailand’s favorite native son has been up to, he’s been preparing to star in an upcoming Thai action film. Just a week after Leander Paes announced he was going to be starring in a psychological thriller, Paradorn announced that he would be the feature star in the upcoming film Beng Rjan II. Paradorn has been sidelined from tennis with a wrist injury since 2007, and odds appear slim he’ll ever make it back onto the tour. With any luck, this movie gig will work out and he’ll have a second career on the big screen.
The Enigma is Back – I’ll be the first to admit that aside from thrilled, I was more surprised to read that Russian Marat Safin is planning to play the Champion Series event in Rio this coming March. Given Safin’s attitude towards tennis as primarily a business, I never really expected him to play another competitive match again, and certainly not so soon after his November retirement. One thing is for certain, however. Given the more laid back and jovial atmosphere that exists on the Senior Tour, you can bet that the affable Safin is going to be bringing plenty of laughter to the tennis court and delighting fans around the world once again.
I don't think Ana has her priorities mixed up. Se does have a life outside of tennis just like every other player. How she spends it is all up to her. Ana has been doing photoshoots her entire career, and they never afftected her in the pass so I doubt they're part of her struggles now.
Curtis is 100% right. Does the writer expect Ana to think about and play tennis during her every waking moment? It is impossible to see how doing one photo shoot, which probably lasted no more than 4-5 hours, every few months is going to affect her tennis.
No offence to the writer, but her argument is so, so weak. The writer is also a little confused: all of the things she mentioned occurred AFTER the shoot took place. As a journalist, Maud show realise that these shoots take place many months before publication. I read that this shoot took place last September.
As for the "flash in the pan" comment: Ana is a Grand Slam champion and has been No.1 in the world. History can never take that away from her. Sure, she can be known as an under-achiever for the rest of her career, but she has already been to the top, which I think means she's more than a "flash in the pan".
Ana’s photo-shoot may affect her public image, but I doubt that it will affect her tennis-form one way or the other. Certain players may have dedicated a disproportionate amount of time to photo-shoots, but I don’t think Ana is one of them.
Ana’s problem is that she’s putting a tremendous effort into her tennis, but it’s not being rewarded by results because she hasn’t got her psychology correct. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but has she seen a sports-psychologist?
I totally agree. No offense, but the journalists are always looking for some sensation and making things worse than they seem, like predicting the end of someone's career…Ana has been no. 1 and has won a grand slam so she can't be classified as "nothing but a flash in the pan". It's ridiculous. She still can't find her game, but she has achieved a lot so far (and yet she is only 22) and much more than some experienced players will ever achieve. Elena Dementieva has never won a grand slam and has never become no. 1… So, don't underestimate her, she may not be playing well anymore, but her past results have proved what talent and abilities she has. As for Federer as a model, his game can certainly prove that but not his character. He is selfish, arrogant man who thinks he is the king of the world, his tears and fury that he lost at the Australian Open 2009 have confirmed that, poor Nadal couldn't express his happiness because of Federer crying like a little baby for not beating him. In order to be a model, you have to have a personality too and be dignified even when you lose, and sadly but Federer doesn't have it, he thinks he is better than anyone else and his past defeats have proved him wrong!