Ana Ivanovic on Filipino crowd: They were amazing

MANILA, Philippines – It didn’t take long for tennis grand slam champion Ana Ivanovic to win over the adoration of the Filipino crowd during day one of the 2014 Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League Manila Leg at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, November 28.

Ivanovic, a native of Serbia, was welcomed by exuberant cheers and applause from spectators upon entering the playing court. She didn’t disappoint with her performance as she easily took care of her women’s singles match opponent, Daniela Hantuchova, in a dominant 6-0 display.  

Her one-sided win played a huge part in the eventual victory of her club, the Indian Aces, as they opened the tournament with a resounding 26-16 victory over the Singapore Slammers. Out of the five matches between both teams, the Aces lost only once, with Ivanovic’s triumph being the lone sweep of the fixture.

“The crowd was amazing. They were really into the match. They were excited. When we walked to the court, they were cheering us all. It’s great to see… tomorrow night (Saturday, November 29), I think, is even going to be more exciting,” Ivanovic said during the post-match press conference.

(RELATED: Indian Aces open IPTL Manila leg with win over Singapore Slammers)

The Aces face a different challenge on Saturday, as they’re scheduled to take on the Manila Mavericks, spearheaded by grand slam champions Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova. 

Sharapova was part of the best match in day one of the IPTL by completing an improbable rally to come back from down 5-2 and beat Kristina Mladenovic during the women’s singles match in the second fixture.  

On Saturday, Ivanovic, ranked no. five in the world by the WTA, is scheduled to take on Sharapova, ranked no. two in the world, in what will surely be a competitive and engaging duel. 

“I think, especially playing the home team, it’s going to be lots of fun. I hope the crowd will get even more involved,” she said of facing Sharapova and about her Aces taking on the Mavericks. “It’s going to be interesting, actually, to play her in this [new] format. Let’s see how it works out.” 

The format Ivanovic pertains to is the new gameplay settings the IPTL is using for this tournament, which are different from the traditional means of tennis matches. 

One of the most notable aspects to the new format is the 20-second shot clock each player has before serving. If said player fails to provide service within the allotted time, an automatic point is given to his or her opponent.  

On day one, Sharapova and Ivanovic’s Team India teammate, Gael Monfils, received shot clock violation penalties. 

“I think everyone found the 20-second rule quite interesting. It was very fast, especially with the balls sometimes not in place. It was a little bit faster, and also a little bit more dynamic, I think,” Ivanovic said. 

“It was actually interesting, the concept,” she said about the IPTL’s four-team system and the new format.

“I really enjoyed and I was really happy to win that first game and kind of settle in.”

While the IPTL is set to visit three more countries before it ends on December 13, some pundits are pegging Ivanovic and her team as the early favorites after their strong debut.

“It’s actually a great team. I couldn’t ask for a better team,” she said about her club, which consists of her, Monfils, Fabrice Santora, Rohan Bopanna, and Sania Mirza, and will be joined later on by Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. 

“I’m really happy to spend time with all of them and, obviously, when we play and travel we don’t interact so much because of the tournament schedule, but the team spirit was great.”

– Rappler.com