I have to admit that I haven't been following Pro Tennis as much as I used to when my fave Steffi Graf and other great players like Pete Sampras, Monica Seles, Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter, Michael Chang, Jennifer Capriati, and others. When Graf retired in 1999 and the others followed soon after, I felt that the sport of Tennis was no longer the same. Not with glamour and sex appeal being given more attention than on-court brilliance. It suddenly felt like they were using sex appeal to sell Tennis instead of promoting it for what it really is -- an exciting sport. Everything seemed to center on endorsements, endorsements, and making more money from them instead of coming up with more wins on the court. It kind of made me miss those times when the likes of Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Steffi Graf, and Pete Sampras cared more about doing so well on the court and in effect, making tennis highly interesting like Golf, the NFL, and the NBA. For these great Champions, what mattered was keeping a record of Grand Slam  wins and not having the longest list of endorsements while only having a so-and-so skill on the court.

At first, I thought Ana Ivanovic was just another pretty face. Until I saw her in the Ladies Final yesterday. Until yesterday, I've never really seen Ivanovic play and when I finally watched her go up against another young, talented player Dinara Safina, I wondered for a moment if I was caught in a time warp or something. Watching Ana Ivanovic move all over the court was like watching the great Steffi Graf covering the court like a gazelle, playing tennis like a man but still looking every inch a graceful woman. Brunette, green-eyed, 6'1" Ana Ivanovic was all business on court, and didn't seem to be so conscious about looking great and appealing on court. Despite her model-good looks and endorsements, her focus on  fitness drills to prepare for matches spoke of discipline and the desire to win. The only other player who trained more than any other did before was Steffi Graf who would train for 9 hours each day, and it sure paid off in the form of 22 Grand Slam titles. It's too early to tell if Ana Ivanovic (who's now on top of the world with the World Number 1 ranking tucked in her belt) will become as great as her predecessors. But, if she maintains the mental fortitude, discipline, and attitude she has, we might see her winning more Grand Slams and be at the top of the women's rankings for a long time.

Hadje! Ana Ivanovic mutters that word whenever she makes a wining shot. Hadje! is a Serbian word that means, "COME ON!" Well, you've certainly come a long way, Ana! Way to go!

hawod na guwapa bitaw ni Ivanovic no? Like her more than Sharapova. Pero ba, gi-bulldoze gayud my love, Rafa si Federer..luoy gud.

Tes,

I have a new fave female tennis player na to root for after Steffi. Yes, it's Ana Ivanovic. She's not only guapa but also talented and she's studying FINANCE pa via distance study (Univ.) Imagine that? May time pa sya for school. Amazing! Mao jud si Federer gikulating ni Rafa. Maglisod jud si Federer sa Clay labi na kay pwerte kahawod ni Rafa sa Clay. Cute sad si RAFA no? But he's too young, ha ha ha. Mao maglisod ko pangita ug player sa MEN's Tennis na makapasyagit sa ako sa kilig kay puro mga younger than me sila. Corrupting Minor ta ana, hee hee:P:P