15 August,2015 09:33 AM IST | | A Correspondent
Serb Ana Ivanovic dishes out some advice for struggling Canadian tennis ace Eugenie Bouchard
Toronto: Serbia's Ana Ivanovic has some advice for struggling Canadian Eugenie Bouchard: "Have some fun".
Ivanovic sure knows how it feels to fall after emerging a shining star. The 27-year-old Serb won her first tournament in 2005, but endured a slump after being a talked about tennis talent. Bouchard is experiencing the same kind of troubles.
At one stage, in 2010, Ivanovic slumped to 65 in the WTA rankings but picked herself up to figure regularly in the Top 10. The World No 6 beat qualifier Polona Hercog 6-2, 6-3 here at the Rogers Cup on Thursday. "Surround herself with the right people and then stick with it," Ivanovic was quoted as saying in The Canadian Press about Bouchard's probable solution.
She added: "I really wasn't finding the purpose in working or playing. And I sort of turned that around a little bit and tried to find fun in the small things because I just felt like everything was about tennis and I just wanted to go to the cinema, to have dinner with my girlfriends on the tour, and (things) that I wasn't really allowed to do before."
Age on her side
Bouchard, the World No 25 has some work on her hands and Ivanovic reckoned having age on her side (21) is a huge advantage. "Every person or player goes through it differently because of their character. And (Bouchard) is very young. I think it's important to go back to her basics and what works for her and to work hard and actually listen to herself. (Do) what she needs to do rather than being too much influenced by outside people," said Ivanovic.
