Q. What was the struggle in those first three games? Was it the condition, just getting used to?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah. You know, she had a couple matches behind her, and today was the first day that it was actually windy on the court. I just wasn't so aggressive. I was trying to get into the rhythm.
I had a couple mishits. I didn't think I played too bad, just not committing enough. I felt content about my game, and, you know, I was happy that I managed to step up a little bit more later on. Yeah, I was happy overall.

Q. What do you try to do in the opening matches other than just win? Are you at the point now where you have to think about winning rather than working on things in your game?
ANA IVANOVIC: No. Obviously there was some things I wanted to work on. One of them was coming to the net. But I felt really short out there. I got lost a couple of times. (Laughter.)
Yeah, it was -- I thought I was volleying actually pretty well and had a couple of serve and volleys. That's something I try to improve a little bit more in my game.
It was just committing and going for some shots that I would maybe do in practice. You know, just trying to get some confidence and also experimenting a little bit about my game, where it is at the moment, because I haven't played many competitive matches.
Obviously you feel a little bit nervous and you have to compete. It's a little bit different. Your technique changes a little bit. So it's just feeling my game.

Q. How are you physically right now? Where are you at condition-wise?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, condition-wise I think I'm the fittest that I've been. I'm really feeling good about my body and the way I move on the court.
I've been working also a little bit more on some explosive things to improve more. I just feel very good the way I am.


Q. And mentally, like self-confidence and everything that happened, let's say, after Roland Garros up until now, it wasn't really the best second half of the year. Is that something that you're also thinking a little bit more about?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I feel very confident because I've been practicing very well. Like I said, I feel very fit. That gives you confidence. I just need to play a little bit more matches, and get match-confident, because I really haven't played too many matches. That's something I miss, you know, competing all the time and preparing for matches. I just miss that a lot.
I just hope now there is this tournament and next week's tournament. They're big events, so you get a chance to play lots of matches. Hopefully it'll help me get match confidence again.

Q. Tennis is a very tough sport, and there's all that travel. I understand you're reading The Art of Happiness now. How has that very popular book helped you in any way?
ANA IVANOVIC: I just like to read. That's the book that just got in my hand. It's a very positive book. It motivates people. You just see different areas of life.
You know, it's just most important to achieve, you know, that inner happiness and don't judge too much outside events, because many of them you can't control.
In tennis it's like this. You can play a good game and good match, but hopefully it can be better that day. So you just have to look inside for the fundamentals.

Q. So it comes from within, not the scoreboard?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, yeah. Definitely. Everything comes from within. You might look for confidence or whatever from outside, but, you know, it's with you all the time. I just need to find it and trust yourself and your instincts.

Q. Have you played a great match, say, in the last six to eight months where you came of the court and lost and were happy?
ANA IVANOVIC: No. I don't think so. I haven't really. I played a couple really good matches that, you know, I thought just -- I played really well. Even if I lost it wouldn't matter, particularly in Linz, I had some really good matches on top of my head against Pennetta in the quarterfinal.
You know, it's these kind of matches you lost -- actually, against Venus in Zurich I played pretty well the last couple sets. You know, I lost, but at least I enjoyed it out there and I was happy about my game.

Q. The Djokovic family owns a tournament now actually under development in Belgrade. How do you feel about that? What does that mean for the future of the sport in your country?
ANA IVANOVIC: I think it's great. We just broke record in the Fed Cup. We had the most spectators. I think it's great to have now a tournament. For a beginning it's a men's tournament. I'm sure it's going to be very popular.
Hopefully in a couple years' time we can also get a women's tournament. It was possibility for this year as well, but unfortunately it was a little bit too late and a few things were not settled down.
But, yeah, I think it's great for our country.

Q. Could you talk about your new coach? How does he help you?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah. I've been working with him for a couple weeks already. It's been going really well. I enjoy working with him. Already after first week in Dubai I felt like I settled down my game. I started to feel much better about my game. That's the feeling you want to have.
Also, he's very fun to work with and we communicate really well on the court, and it's very important. We have the same view of the way my game should develop and the things I have to work on.
He's supporting me to come even more often to the net and finish points, because I have very powerful strokes from the back of the court. That's something we've been working on, and it's good and it gives me confidence.

Q. I watched you on the practice court on Tuesday. He had you working on backhand slices. Is that something you're trying to bring into your game?
ANA IVANOVIC: I think he just wanted me to lose in the game and do push ups. But he was looking for something, you know. Okay, now we do backhand slice.
But, no, we been working on every aspect of my game. Even like volleys, slice, lots of serves. Yeah, just we played that one game slice, crosscourt just sometimes to mix up and have the variety of shots.

Q. Looked like you were having fun out there with your hitting partner.
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, we are, and we are very competitive. So some of these games, like I said, we play for push ups, so no one wants to lose. Yeah, it's lots of fun and it's great.
You know, Marcin is a great hitting partner, and he can really motivate me. So sometimes if I'm not feeling too good or I'm feeling tired, you know, he can make me motivated and make me laugh. We have great practices.

Q. Could you look ahead to the next opponent? It's Dulko.
ANA IVANOVIC: Okay. Yeah, I mean, I played her a couple times before. I know she runs very well and she defends. She like to use the pace of the opponents. I think it's basically just about my game again and trying to be aggressive and come a lot to the net.
Because like I said, she runs really well and defends well. So if I can step up and give her less time to recover, it will be a key.

Q. If I could ask a serious question, President Clinton was at your match at Madison Square Garden. When he was there, did you have any thoughts about the past history in terms of his...
ANA IVANOVIC: I'm very fortunate to have opportunity to meet him. You know, I'm such a -- we, as athletes, we are high profile people, so we have many opportunity to meet many famous people in many different areas of life.
I was very fortunate to have an opportunity to meet someone like him. You know, I think Jelena as well. So it was, yeah, very thrilled to see him there. He actually made really nice speech.

Q. He's very charming. Any thoughts on his policy about your country? That didn't cross your mind?
ANA IVANOVIC: No, not at all. Like I said, we -- actually, we were very lucky to have many doors open up for us to meet different people from different areas.
But, yeah, you know, everyone is entitled to an opinion. I was just very pleased to have an opportunity to have a chat with him.

Q. All your weeks on the road, what do you do to avoid getting bored?
ANA IVANOVIC: Actually, I've been quite busy, you know, with lots of commitments outside of the court with media and sponsors, so haven't had too much time to get bored actually.
But I do enjoy just to relax and always find something good to read. Yeah, lately I like listening to soft rock and just not necessarily do anything, just relax in the bed and be with my own thoughts. It's nice to have some time on my own and just to shut down and, yeah, forget about craziness outside.

Q. Soft rock in Serbian?
ANA IVANOVIC: No, in English.

Q. Some of the artists or songs?
ANA IVANOVIC: I like The Fray or David Gray, John Mayer, Coldplay.

Q. So on the book side, you're reading the Art of Happiness, and last year you talked about a lot of the psychiatrists.
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, like I said, I like to read different kinds of stuff. I just read recently coming back from Australia a Lance Armstrong book. It was very inspiring. I thought it was an amazing story.
I was actually crying a lot reading the book, because it was really touching what he went through and what he achieved. I think everyone should read it.

Q. Could you imagine bicycling up all those mountains?
ANA IVANOVIC: No, not at all. I don't even want it try. It sounds way too painful.


(via ASAP Sports, photo/Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Ana Ivanovic - Indian Wells 14. March Interview