No pressure here
WIMBLEDON, England — As a new Grand Slam champion and new No. 1, Ana Ivanovic has a new perspective on the game as she seeks to win Wimbledon for the first time.
The 20-year-old Serb lived up to her billing on the opening day at the All England Club, beating Rossana de Los Rios 6-1, 6-2 in less than an hour on Centre Court on a sun-splashed day that also featured victories by Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams.
The top-seeded Ivanovic is fully aware that she comes into the event carrying high expectations as a title favorite.
"It's very challenging for me," she said. "That's something new and very exciting. I'm very happy to be taking every challenge I get. I think I'm still basically the same person. The only thing I feel changed a little bit, I have a little bit more confidence."
Ivanovic reached the semifinals here last year and made her breakthrough last month, winning the French Open for her first major championship. She took over the No. 1 ranking for the first time after the French and is now a marquee name in a women's field that is more open than usual following the retirement of former No. 1 Justine Henin.
"Obviously now coming especially as the top seed, lots of people just expect you to win," Ivanovic said. "When you tell them, I still just want to play match by match, they think it's just a cliche. You have to work hard, especially on grass. Everything is happening so fast. A lot of players can be dangerous. You have to be alert and focused from the first point on."
Along with the prestige of being No. 1 comes the pressure, something she sees as working to her advantage.
"You have to see pressure for what it is," Ivanovic said. "It's a reflection of your own ambition. If you see it as a positive thing, it means that you put yourself in a position to do something memorable. So if you look at it that way, it can be very motivating."
Motivation should be no problem for defending champion and four-time winner Venus Williams, who was set to kick off her title defense today on Centre Court against British wild card Naomi Cavaday.
Among the men, Rafael Nadal — coming off his fourth straight French Open championship and first grass-court title at Queen's Club — was up against 122nd-ranked German qualifier Andreas Beck. Two-time runner-up Andy Roddick faced Argentina's Eduardo Schwank, making his Wimbledon debut.
The man they are all chasing, Federer, began his bid for a sixth straight Wimbledon crown by beating Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 for his 60th straight grass-court win and 35th consecutive victory at the All England Club.
In the enduring image of day 1, Hrbaty — realizing it could be his last time on Centre Court — sat in a chair alongside Federer during the final changeover at 5-2 in the third set. The two old friends and former doubles and practice partners chatted and laughed.
"I looked over and there he was," Federer said. "He asked if he could sit next to me. I said, 'Sure. No problem. There's an extra seat."'
Said Hrbaty: "I just wanted to tell him he's a great friend of mine and I appreciate that."
