Will Ana Ivanovic Win The 2009 Australian Women's Open

Here's a blast from the past! "Will Ana Ivanovic Win The 2009 Australian Women's Open"? The easy answer is no. She was beat in the 3rd round of section 4 by Alisa Kleybanova, a young Russian woman who was only 20 at the time. Kleybanova was beat in the very next round by Jelena Dokic.

Ana was ranked the #1 tennis player in the world on June 9th, 2008 so it is easy to see why people were questioning if Ana Ivanovic would be a shoo-in to win the 2009 Australian Women's Open. She has an amazingly strong serve, and her 6'1" frame helps her use that strength to great advantage. In fact, in 2007 she launched a serve that was clocked at 124.9 mph during the French Open.

So why the 2009 loss? She has lost faith in herself and her abilities. It all comes down to nerves, and if you don't have faith that you can do what needs to be done, then you can't do it. Simple as that. After losing, she hired a new coach who hopefully will help her regain her footing so she can play her best. As of July 27th, 2010 her website was updated to reflect her continued work with Heinz Gunthardt as coach and a switch to new fitness trainer Marija Lojanica.

Don't write off Ana Ivanovic. She's an amazing talent. She has been #1 and there is no reason she can't do it again. She has already played in Wimbledon and in 2010  embarked on the US Open Tour, beginning with the "Bank of the West Classic" in Stanford, California.