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Ana Ivanovic

After the air raids had stopped and the “safe” siren had rung, Ana Ivanovic went out to practice in Belgrade at 7 a.m. It was the early spring of ‘99, and NATO had begun its bombing of Belgrade, which would go on for three-and-a-half months in an attempt to destroy Slobodan Milosevic’s Yugoslav government, which it believed was ethnically cleansing Kosovo Albanians. But the 11-year-old Ivanovic was already in love with her sport and nothing would stop her from getting one more hit in.

“It was a little scary, and there were certain times when it was dangerous starting around noon throughout the day and night. But at around 6 a.m., the danger would stop, so for a few hours we would practice,” Ivanovic told Inside Tennis.

NATO flew 38,000 missions during Operation Allied Force and eventually took down the Yugoslav government and its Serbian paramilitary police forces. Ivanovic, who is a Serb, blocked out the politics and conflicts because from the time she was five, when she saw a TV commercial advertising a free clinic, she was hooked on tennis. So on the first day of the bombing, she went to a clinic, danger be dammed.

“The pro said, ‘There’s going to be bombing today so maybe it’s better we should go home early,’ but I wasn’t done so I said, ‘Let me just finish a basket, please!’”

The Ivanovic family refused to run and hide. While some of their neighbors went underground, her father, Miroslav, and mother, Dragana, tried to keep the peace inside the household.

“It was tough because I was only 11, but my parents always tried to have us live normal,” she said. “We never went into the cellar. That was very important because I didn’t want to spend four months in the cellar. We always had a full house of people trying to see the positive side.”

As she does today when she gets on court against the stars, Ivanovic showed little fear when potential chaos was around the corner. One day, she went to visit her grandparents and a bomb hit a nearby building.

“I could feel the building and windows shaking, and that was the most scared that I was,” she said. “School stopped, people didn’t work and it was tough times, but we knew that it would eventually end.”

The bombing did end that June, but not before Belgrade was wrecked and thousands of Serbs were forced to flee the city in search of a better life. The Ivanovics eventually moved to Switzerland, where Ana continued her on-court progress and found a backer and better training. Her parents didn’t force her to play; she pushed herself, which is why she simply didn’t fade away as a foreign player in a strange locale. Just seven years after they moved, the now 19-year-old is a top 15 player with top 5 potential.

“I’ve always loved tennis,” she said. “If I would have to choose between a friend’s birthday party and practice, I always choose practice. I chose tennis for myself, that’s why I don’t hate it. It always came from me.”

Pretty Russian blondes have been all the rage in women’s tennis dating back to Ana Kournikova, and now there’s Maria Sharapova, her good friend Maria Kirilenko, and their elder rival, Elena Dementieva, doing cover-girl routines. But brunettes have a major place in the game too, on court and off, and no-dark haired teen may have as great an impact on the game in the upcoming years as the new diva Ivanovic, who lights up stadiums with her smiles and puts frowns on her foes’ faces with her brutish power. With her fellow Serbian brunette Jelena Jankovic, she’s part of the first pair of dark-haired players to grace nonsports publications since the graceful Gabriela Sabatini. Last year, she was named the sport’s sexiest player by a fan poll on one Internet site, edging the seemingly unbeatable Sharapova. Her response was to thank her fans, but she added that she was sure she was being honored because of her on-court success.

“I think people know me because of how I play tennis, not because of how I look, but I’m willing to do something different and interesting to keep my tennis going for awhile,” she said.

However, when asked whether or not she could see herself designing her own clothes a la Sharapova and Serena, or leading a red carpet lifestyle, she waved the question away.

“I enjoy playing tennis,” she said. “It’s hard work. Like every girl, I like so see what’s in, but as far as fashion and design, I don’t like that. It’s crazy to think about me as a model. My dreams are still tennis dreams.”

Ivanovic is six feet tall, has a naturally muscular build and has good hands. The only thing that’s stopping her from becoming a top 5 player by year’s end is a lack of foot speed, proper balance and the ability to think her way through tough spots. She can crush the ball off both wings, and with her broad shoulders and sturdy legs, is one of the few top women who isn’t faking it when she launches an inside-out forehand. She also comes in to net quite a bit and is the best young volleyer on the tour.

Ivanovic seems to say everything with a beaming smile on her face. She sees her tennis career as an unending festival. But she doesn’t like to lose and admits that it’s harder to stay positive when she’s dropped a contest that she feels she should have won. Yet, she can put the result aside and go into a deep meditation about what went wrong and what she will do the next time to cure her ills. But she may have what some consider to be the Kim Clijsters disease — she’s too nice to be a truly dominant player. Still, she believes that she’s capable of winning Slams.

“I’m very different on court than off. It’s hard for me to get mean and upset off court, but once on court, I think I can be tough and mean. It’s hard, but I realize that sometimes I have to be and that’s what keeps me motivated for success.”

Andy Murray

England has been looking for one good man since the cagey Fred Perry won his last Slam titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in ‘36. The tennis world has been looking for a prime-time challenger to the seemingly unbeatable Roger Federer since No. 2 Rafael Nadal began to fade late last summer. From the looks of his play since Brad Gilbert became his coach last July, that man could be the feisty 19-year-old Scot, Andy Murray.

“He looks like the second best player right now,” said commentator Jimmy Arias. “I could see him taking the No. 2 ranking in the future and being Federer’s main challenger.”

That’s heady praise for Murray, an extremely promising player with an eye-catching all-around game, but it’s a little premature to anoint him as Federer’s heir apparent just yet. Even though he returns serve with a Nobel Laureate’s mind, moves with the instincts of a Bjorn Borg and fights with the will of a caber tosser trying to come from behind at the Highland Games, the Scot’s resume is nowhere close to Federer’s yet. But that doesn’t mean that the 13th-ranked Murray’s game isn’t a serious concern for the Swiss. Outside of second-ranked Rafael Nadal, Murray was the only player to score a win over Federer last year when he upset him in Cincinnati.

“He’s gained about 10 pounds, he’s stronger, he’s serving bigger and he’s fitter. And he’s got a great brain,” said Gilbert. “He’s 19 years old, and he’s going places.”

Murray had a fine 2006, but fell into a four-month slump after winning San Jose. He posted a 7-11 record until Wimbledon, where he began to make hay again, upsetting Roddick in the third round. Part of the reason for his brief decline was that he was still learning the ins and outs of the elite competition. Another reason was the gangly Scot wasn’t in good enough shape.

During the off-season, under Gilbert and his fitness trainer Mark Grabow — who is the head trainer for the Golden State Warriors — he focused on core training, and now there are few questions as to whether he has the lungs and legs to last in long matches. Plus, his off-court work has enabled him too add pop to his serve and ground strokes. What’s truly amazing about Murray is not just how heady a player he is at 19, or how many different spins and speeds he puts on his ground strokes, but how well he moves for a 6-foot-3-inch guy who at first glance looks like the kind of kid who would be tripping all over himself trying to retie his shoes.

“I am one of the best movers on the court,” Murray said. “It’s probably the best part of my game. When I get to the ball, I can kind of maneuver shots when I’m on the run. I pass well. There are obviously guys — like [Rafael] Nadal and [James] Blake — who would probably beat me in a straight-line sprint, but my anticipation is very good, so I make up for not being as quick as them with my anticipation.”

Murray is under immense pressure to succeed. Since Perry, England has watched plenty of pretenders (think Lloyd, Henman and Rusedski) fail to become kings at the majors, Like Perry, Murray rarely plays himself out of points. When matches grow deep, he makes his foes hit that one extra ball and many times, their hands are shaking faster than his are. If he can manage to stay the course for a few more months, it will be fascinating to see if he can unnerve the cool-handed Federer.

“The good thing about my game in pressure situations is my ground strokes are solid, so I don’t overplay big points,” Murray said. “I let my opponent win or lose the match, and when guys are nervous, they tend to make more mistakes.”

Equal Prize Money
at Wimbledon

The old-school ties at the ivy-enshrouded All-England Club finally came to their senses and stepped into the 21st century when they agreed to offer equal prize money to the women’s draw in ‘07. The oldest of the four Grand Slams, steeped in tradition but often resistant to change, joined the U.S. and Aussie Opens in creating a level coed playing field. Said Billie Jean King, “I’m relieved that they finally got there. But remember, it’s not about the money — it’s about the message it sends to women and girls around the world.” But not everyone is on board. Throwing the equal-work-for-equal-pay card (best of three sets vs. best of five) was Tommy Haas, who claimed, “I don’t think it’s really fair.”

Martina Hingis and

Radek Stepanek

When Martina Hingis first retired, she wasn’t only burned out from playing, but homesick and ready for new mental and personal challenges. She likes having a partner around and isn’t one to stay single for too long. She’s now engaged to Czech player Radek Stepanek, which has filled the hole in her heart and allowed her to go tournament to tournament without wishing she was elsewhere. When they first became engaged last year, Stepanek was out with an injury, and his days were filled with supporting his number one woman. Hingis loved that.

“He had a lot of time for me and I very much got used to that,” she said with a laugh. “It’s not only me anymore. I wish it was like that. But it’s nice to be able to support each other and have off-court time. He’s [at tournaments] so it’s not like you have to travel to the place where your heart is.”

Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis’ vaunted comeback is so far in the rearview mirror now that her vision of regaining her much beloved No. 1 ranking has nearly faded to black.

“You always have to have hope, and hope dies last,” Hingis told IT.

The once dominant No. 1 has climbed back to No. 6, but there aren’t too many analysts who believe she has a great chance to win a Slam this year, not when in the past 15 months, she’s won all of three crowns and has posted a poor record against the top five. The 26-year-old has scored plenty of impressive wins and is rarely routed, but still hasn’t shown her once steely ability to face down all comers with a mix of brains, slight-of-hand tactics and pure moxie. Hingis’ comeback, which is 16 months old, has already taken its toll. She had forgotten how much she began to dislike the daily grind of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour when she left it completely burned out at the end of ‘02.

“At this point, I’m trying to overcome the travel and other things and be fresh and ready to go,” she said. “My strongest point has been to be concentrating at a high level and to be one hundred percent healthy, and that’s so key to whether I’m on or off. That split second of being faster than the other and to be ready with my head is important.”

The first stage of her career seems like another lifetime for Hingis. Between ‘96 and ‘00, when she won her five Grand Slam titles and enjoyed 209 weeks at No. 1, there wasn’t a player out there whom she couldn’t figure out, couldn’t speed past, couldn’t put up a defensive wall against with mines rigged to its bottom.

But now, there is a little confusion in her eyes when she talks about some of the other elite players like Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Amelie Mauresmo, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters. She can’t trick the other superstars like she used to and wears down in three-set matches. Consequently, in the five Grand Slams she’s played during her comeback, she has been unable to reach a semifinal. Between ‘96 and ‘02, when she retired, she always reached at least one semifinal. In her second life, she’s been shut out.

“It was one way of living,” Hingis said. “I was very young when it all happened. Time has gone on. You can’t be out for three years and think you are going to crush everybody again. It wouldn’t be realistic for me. I don’t have the size of Serena coming back and winning a Grand Slam. It’s confidence and other things I can build upon. My biggest fear coming back was I wouldn’t be able to survive the game. I have. Now I’m back in the top 10, and I’ve had some great

matches against top players. And of course, there’s my drive where I want to beat them.”

No one completely questions Hingis’ desire, not when she climbed back to the top 10 in a relatively short period of time. It’s her staying power that’s still up in the air. It’s hard to imagine a once-dominant player hanging on if she can’t go toe to toe with the best, and Hingis has only shown brief glimpses that she can do so.

“If you know you do everything possible in practice, then in matches, there’s the possibility I can,” she said. “I’ve beaten Maria, Nadia Petrova and Lindsay Davenport when she was No. 3.”

But she’s also lost twice to Sharapova, who’s the No.1 seed at Indian Wells, to Henin, and to Mauresmo. Then there are other players, like Clijsters, who will retire at year’s end, which is great news for Hingis, since the Belgian has beaten her in the quarterfinals of three of the five Slams that Hingis has been in during her comeback. Hingis totally choked their Aussie Open quarter, unable to push through Clijsters on a very down day for the Belgian, and lost another critical three setter.

“I had her,” Hingis said. “That was the best chance I had. I have to build on that and if I get into that position again, have no fear.”

On court, Hingis is still searching for her guts. She says she is committed to the grind, which is the only way she will eventually reap long-term results. But she pretty much hates working out, which is not doing her any great favors in matches that go beyond two hours. Hingis’ mother and coach, Melanie, has implored her to get in a little better shape as has her fiancée, Radek Stepanek.

“She says it’s not my game that’s the problem, it’s the physical part,” Hingis said. “It’s always the same thing that I have to win in straight sets if I want to beat them. Radek says you have the game, that’s not it. It’s lasting a little bit longer, win a few extra points. But it’s not just falling into my hands.”

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