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Ana Ivanovic admits she "completely froze" during her maiden Grand Slam final as she recalls her first two Major final losses being very painful.
In 2007, a 19-year-old Ivanovic defeated Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the French Open final. Until the final, the Serb played exceptional tennis. But in the title match, she stood no chance as Justine Henin dominated to complete a 6-1 6-2 win.
Half a year later, Ivanovic produced another great run at the Australian Open to reach her first final in Melbourne. This time, she ran into Sharapova and suffered a 5-7 3-6 loss to the Russian tennis legend.
Ivanovic: I played great throughout the entire tournament, then I completely froze against Henin
Recalling her maiden Grand Slam final, the former world No. 1 admitted that she crumbled under pressure after realizing "where I was."
Going into her second Major final, Ivanovic felt well prepared. But her hopes of becoming a Grand Slam champion at Melbourne Park were dashed by Sharapova.
"Then came the Australian Open, where I lost to Sharapova in the final. That was one of my toughest defeats because I felt ready."
Ivanovic on winning her maiden Grand Slam
After suffering two Major final defeats in the span of half a year, Ivanovic reached her third Slam final at the 2008 French Open. This time, the former Serbian tennis star got the job done by beating Dinara Safina 6-4 6-3.
Recalling that final, Ivanovic said she knew Safina had played several physically demanding matches and believed the Russian would be tired.
"By the time Roland Garros came around in 2008, a lot of things had finally clicked for me. I had gained experience by then. That tournament wasn't easy at all... Going into the final, I knew Safina was tired because she had also had a very difficult path to the final. I used the experience I had gained, and I was completely focused," the 38-year-old added.
Ivanovic never reached another Grand Slam final before retiring from pro tennis after the 2016 season.
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