Similar to such peers as Novak Djokovic, Ivanovic played tennis during the 1999 NATO bombings of Belgrade. “You realized that they are not bombing just everything, only certain buildings,” she said. “So after a month, I started practicing, and that was good.”
When Ivanovic was 15 years old, Daniel Holzmann, a Swiss-based entrepreneur, offered to sponsor her. Soon after, Ivanovic relocated to Switzerland to train. In 2005, at the age of 17, Ivanovic competed in the main draw of Roland Garros for the first time, upset third-seeded Amelie Mauresmo, and went all the way to the quarterfinals. Ranked 97th in the world at the start of ’05, by the end of the year she was ranked 16th, the start of an 11-year run inside the Top 25.
Ivanovic’s glory days came in 2007 and 2008. In each of those years, she won three WTA singles titles and reached Grand Slam singles finals—Roland Garros in ’07, the Australian Open and Roland Garros in ‘08. The pinnacle came at Roland Garros in 2008. With poise, power and precision, Ivanovic dropped only one set and won the tournament. That lone three-setter came versus her countrywoman, Jelena Jankovic, in the semis (Ivanovic would win nine of their 12 matches). In the final, Ivanovic beat Dinara Safina, 6-4, 6-3—and claimed the world No. 1 ranking, a spot she would hold for 12 weeks.