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Ana Ivanovic reveals being forced to miss the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to a very unfortunate injury was "the toughest moment" of her career.
In mid-2008, the former Serbian tennis star became a Grand Slam champion at the French Open and reached the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career.
And after her maiden Wimbledon semifinal that year, Ivanovic turned her focus to preparing for the Beijing Olympics, where she was expected to be one of the top favorites for the gold medal.
But then, while preparing for Beijing, the former world No. 1 sustained an injury and developed a cyst on her right wrist. Although she hoped she would be able to play and even traveled to China, it ultimately wasn't possible.
Ivanovic: Being forced to skip the Beijing Olympics was the toughest moment of my career
For Ivanovic, the heartbreaking part about missing the Beijing Olympics was the fact that she was the top-ranked player in the world at the time.
"After Wimbledon, I had a training block and that's when I got injured. I developed a cyst in my right wrist, and shortly afterward came the Beijing Olympics. I went to Beijing hoping I would be able to play, and that was probably the toughest moment of my career - having to withdraw from the Olympic Games as the world No. 1 while representing my country," the 2008 French Open champion recalled during a conversation with Slaven Bilic for the (Ne)uspjeh Prvaka podcast.
Ivanovic made two Olympic appearances before retiring
Four years later, Ivanovic made her Olympic debut in London. That year, she won her opening two singles matches before losing to Kim Clijsters in the round-of-16.
In 2016 - the final season of her career - the former Serbian tennis star competed at the Rio Olympics, where she suffered a first-round loss.
Ivanovic also played mixed doubles with Nenad Zimonjić at the 2012 London Olympics. They were beaten in the first round.
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