Former tennis player from Serbia, Ana Ivanovic, celebrates her birthday on Wednesday (November 6). The tennis star turns 32 this year. Ana started her international tennis career in 2004 when she participated in Zurich Open and was narrowly beaten by Venus Williams in the second round. She was known for her aggressive style of play and has beaten many big names of tennis in her career such as Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Dinara Safina, Martina Hingis, Jelena Jankovic, Agnieszka Radwanska, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka. As the former tennis player celebrates her birthday, we will look at five lesser-known things to know about her. Rafael Nadal, World No 1 Tennis Player, Set to Play in Mexican Open 2020. 

Ana had to struggle a lot to make her dream of becoming a tennis player come true. Her mother was a lawyer and father was a self-employed businessman. She first picked up a racket at the age of five, after getting inspired by tennis player Monica Seles. At the age of 13, she moved to Basel, Switzerland due to better training facilities and coaching. Below are lesser-known things to know about Ana Ivanovic. Novak Djokovic Beats Denis Shapovalov to Win Paris Masters, Inches Closer to No 1.

 

  • She Won French Open in 2008, Which the Only Grand Slam Tennis Singles Title of Her Career.

  • In 2008, She Was Ranked Number 1 Tennis Player in Women’s Singles.

  •  She Was Awarded Best Female Tennis Player in Serbia in 2012.

  •  In 2011, TIME Magazine Named Her in the List of ‘30 Legends of Women’s Tennis: Past, Present and Future’.

  •  She Acted in a Song Called ‘Hurricane Ana’, Which Was Produced by Serbian Rappers Filip Filipi and Collie Buddz.

Ana's biggest achievement of her tennis career is winning French Open 2008 when she defeated Dinara Safina in straight sets to bag the title. She was also the runner-up in French Open 2007 and Australian Open 2008. In December 2016, she announced her retirement from tennis saying that she was no longer being able to perform brilliantly on the court.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 06, 2019 08:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).