Former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic says that reaching the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open after failing to do so in 17 consecutive Grand Slams “was like a monkey off my shoulder. It was a huge step for me to get to the quarterfinals and just to prove to myself that I can be there and I actually belong there when I do things the way it should be done.”
Ivanovic, who will play for Serbia in the Fed Cup final against the Czech Republic in a little over two weeks’ time in Prague, said that there is a lot of pressure when playing for her nation.
“If you do well, it’s for the team, and if you don’t, you sort of feel like you let the team down,” she told *RIA Novosti*. “So definitely there is more nerves involved. I think we could get a little more of that, a little more of the team spirit happening, because it’s nice to be part of a team.”