The Queen Returns to the Clay

The air at Roland Garros crackled with nostalgia as Ana Ivanović stepped back onto the hallowed grounds of the French capital. Once the undisputed number one in the world, the 2008 French Open champion and winner of 15 WTA titles has returned not to battle for the main draw, but to grace the legends tournament. Surrounded by the flashing cameras of Serbian media at the Place de la Concorde promotional hub, Ivanović opened up about the surreal feeling of being back where her career reached its zenith. It was a homecoming that blended the electric atmosphere of Paris with the deep pride of her Serbian roots.

Chaos in the Draw

The current tournament has been anything but predictable. Ivanović noted the stunning upset of Aryna Sabalenka, admitting she expected the Belarusian to close it out after leading 5-3 in the second set. Instead, Emma Navarro delivered a masterclass in aggression, turning the match into a thrilling comeback that has thrown the draw wide open. Ivanović pointed out that the winner between Andreja Klepač and Marta Kostyuk now holds the best chance to lift the trophy. While she hasn’t watched every match, the former champion acknowledged the wave of shocks rippling through both the women’s and men’s brackets, creating a landscape where no lead is safe.

A New Generation Rises

Looking beyond the current chaos, Ivanović offered a tactical vision for the perfect modern player. She described an ideal blend of Iga Świątek’s precision and Sabalenka’s raw power—a style that is aggressive yet calm under pressure. She admitted that even such a hybrid would struggle to maintain Sabalenka’s relentless week-in, week-out intensity. Closer to home, Ivanović expressed keen interest in 17-year-old Anastasija Cvetković, who has stormed into the quarterfinals of both singles and doubles without dropping a set. With Serbia currently experiencing a transitional phase without a main draw representative, Ivanović remains optimistic, citing the natural ebb and flow of generational shifts and predicting new champions are on the horizon.