Ana Ivanovic

Tennis has given me so many opportunities, and I feel very lucky to have achieved whatever I have, especially coming from a country that does not have a great history in the game.

Coaches were all saying that I was really talented and I had potential, but coming from Serbia, it wasn't easy. The '90s were the hardest years for our country - we went through two wars.

Everyone wants to be happy - people find happiness in different ways. While you want to pursue your career 100 percent, I think it is very hard to give 100 percent in something else. It's important to find this balance, and priorities change throughout life.

I think it's better not to mix professional life and personal life - although it is hard.

You want a coach who is going to push you and be strong and be in your corner when it's tough, but sometimes you have coaches who think they are more important than the players. That's where the conflicts come.

I'm quite an emotional person. I cry a lot. I do not like conflict, so if I have an argument with my parents, I'll often cry. I become too emotional.

I made some choices that weren't right in the past. It cost me in terms of my confidence and everything.

I had struggles throughout my career. I had some tough times.

One of the downsides of the job is that I am travelling so much, and I don't have so much time to go out and socialise as people who have a more traditional job might do, so it's hard.

My goal is to be No. 1 and to win Grand Slams.

I do miss competition, but I get to travel a little bit on my own terms, which is a little bit different. And I get the chance to walk around, explore, and not have to save my energy for the match days.

Once I became number one, I started working even harder. I changed my technique, but injuries started creeping in - it was a big mistake, as I was doing something right to get to that spot in the first place.