Ana Ivanovic, the Dream Girl of Tennis

When Serbian tennis sensation Ana Ivanovic won the 2008 French Open title to become the new World No.1, she left the title of the new 'pin-up girl' of tennis far behind. Although Ana has not been able to win another Grand Slam title since then, she still has the same edge in her game and is only getting better. After all, she beat World No.1 Serena Williams this year at the Australian Open, someone who most women on the WTA tour consider unbeatable even at 32.  

Whether she will ever win another one of those major titles or whether she will again enjoy the World No.1 ranking is debatable but the charm and beauty that Ana brings with her game is something that can never be taken away from her.

There have been few women in tennis who have had a great game and court domination to go along with their arresting looks. There was Gabriela Sabatini, there is Maria Sharapova but Ana is someone who is also regarded among tennis fans as being one of the most pleasing personalities on the tour. Wherever she goes, she makes friends with people almost instantly and can spare time within the most gruelling of schedules, even if she is sometimes having to play two matches a day because of rain interruptions.

In Birmingham recently, where she won her first grass-court title, Ana could be seen enjoying a game of cricket at the local county club along with her tennis tour friend Donna Vekic. Not only were there smiles exchanged between whoever came in contact with Ana, a huge amount of fans had gathered to catch a glimpse of the heart-throb and to see whether she could play a few cricket shots. She sure did delight every one of them.

When she is not playing tennis or not posing for sizzling photo shoots and calendars, Ana also enjoys a wide variety of books.

"I am beginning to enjoy fashion more and more. I would love to get a little bit more involved in that side. I love reading and watching movies too, but mostly just reading," Ana recently told the London Evening Standard.

"I like reading everything, apart from science fiction and horror. Everything else because I like psychology and philosophy, I have to keep my brain occupied definitely," she said.

During her career, Ana has faced the toughest of circumstances to reach where she has. Just like her friend and compatriot Novak Djokovic has admitted to facing tough times due to war, Ana used to train in a pool in winters because there were no tennis facilities. During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Ana had to train during the mornings to avoid danger from the bombardments.

And then, Ana has had her share of heartbreaks. She has dated some of the most high-profile names in tennis and beyond. Her relationship with Spanish heart-throb Fernando Verdasco was one of the most talked about but that didn't end on a very happy note.

In fact, at the Hopman Cup in 2013, which is a one-of-a-kind mixed doubles country competition organised by ITF, Ana had to swallow the bitter pill of losing to her boyfriend in a mixed doubles deciding final tie, where she was partnering World No. 2 Djokovic of Serbia.

She still hits balls with the same intensity and the same sweetness though and Ana's fans have marked their presence in huge numbers on all kinds of social networking platforms.

At Wimbledon this year, Ana has looked good so far after beating Francesca Schiavone of Italy and Chinese player Zheng Jie in the first and second rounds respectively, all in a matter of straight sets.

Best of luck Ana! We are all with you!