Ana Ivanovic makes rare return to tennis court in Luxembourg legends event

Eight years ago this December, former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic announced that she was retiring from professional tennis. A rare figure around tour since then, the now-36-year-old Serb, always a fan favorite, thrilled with a "really nice" return to the tennis court this week in Luxembourg.

While six active stars of men's tennis are competing at the Six Kings Slam in Suadi Arabia, Ivanovic is one of eight retired players competing this week at the Luxembourg Ladies Tennis Masters, an invitation-only exhibition event that began in 2022 and succeeded the longtime WTA tournament stop in the land-locked country.

Won in 2022 by Kim Clijsters over Martina Hingis, and last year by the newly-retired Anett Kontaveit over Andrea Petkovic, 2008 Roland Garros winner Ivanovic was one of four major-winners or former Top 10 players in this year's field, along with Dominika Cibulkova, Hingis, Flavia Pennetta and Petkovic, with the field rounded out by Kirsten Flipkens, Laura Robson and Magdalena Rybarikova.

Read more: Six Kings Slam: Here's how much money each player is reportedly making in Riyadh

Second seed Ivanovic lost to Flipkens 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, but nonetheless said she enjoyed competing again.

In the interim since her retirement from the tour, the 2008 Roland Garros champion has given birth to three sons with her husband, retired German soccer star Bastian Schweinsteiger: the first was born in 2018, the second a year later, and the third arrived last May.

Keeping busy as a mother of three young boys, Ivanvoic is a rarity amongst recently-retired major champions in that she hasn't competed at a Grand Slam legends event, nor has she taken up commentating (though a quick look at her X account suggests she's keeping close tabs on the current tour happenings). She and Schweinsteiger have most notably attended the Laver Cup twice—first in 2018 in Chicago, when he played for the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer, and earlier this year in Berlin, where she reunited with Roger Federer.

Read more: Ana Ivanovic and Serena Williams step out at Oscars with Rolex and Vanity Fair

"It was really nice to be on court again after eight years," Ivanovic wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday. "Not the result I hoped for, but [Kirsten] played really well. Thank you [to the tournament[ and everyone watching."

Saturday's semifinals in Luxembourg see No. 1 seed Hingis take on No. 3 seed Cibulkova, and No. 4 seed Petkovic take on Flipkens.