Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic is proud of herself for making a return to the game’s elite circle having missed out on the WTA Finals for the past five years.
The ex-world No1, who begins her WTA Finals campaign on Monday against Serena Williams, is set to finish the year inside the top-10 for the first time since 2008, which was the year she won her sole major, The French Open.
This year has seen a drastic change in Ivanovic’s mentality and major improvement in her results as she picked up four titles in 2014, most recently in Tokyo.
The 26-year-old acknowledges there’s been a shift in her attitude and attributes her return to form to feeling more comfortable with being in the spotlight.
“I started to feel more comfortable with myself. I matured,” admits Ivanovic.
“It helped me to be okay with myself and who I am as a person and to embrace everything that comes with the job that I do. For me, I really struggled to be in the spotlight. It was really strange when I won French Open, when I was No 1 in the world. It took me some time to accept this and to be okay.
“Now I actually enjoy it. That's why I think it shows on and off the court I'm much more relaxed because I'm much more content with myself.”
She adds that she feels she deserves to be amongst the top-eight here in Singapore and plans on relishing every moment of her week here.
“Just being part of this elite, it's a special feeling,” she says.
“We were just talking about the first time I played (the WTA Finals) in Madrid and then the very next year in Doha. It felt like it's just another tournament. Now it actually does feel special because I know how hard you have to work to make it.”
Singapore is the ninth different city to host the WTA’s season finale showpiece, which is in its 44th edition.
Ivanovic has been drawn in the Red Group alongside Williams, Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard.
“It's going be a hard one,” she says of her group. “I feel like I have really different opponents, all a little bit different, so it's going to different preparation and new tactics and approach in each match.
“But it's just very important to start sharp in the first point and first game. Every game matters at this level. But I'm really excited. It's going to be good challenge and I love it. This is something that I've been working hard for, and I want to enjoy it too.”
