Ana Ivanovic

With experience, you understand expectations, you understand consequences, but sometimes it gets a little bit hard, especially for me, that I'm a perfectionist - I want to analyse everything. And sometimes it's most important to just let go and trust your instincts. This is what I need to do more of.

I have always been very dedicated to tennis, and it's true that I made some compromises in my life. For example, I never went out to parties when I was younger, and I spent less time with friends.

There's really not much friendship between the girls on tour. There's so much rivalry and jealousy, so everyone just hangs out in their own camp. In the locker room and players' lounge, you can feel the jealousy.

Obviously, if some young girl wants my advice and wants me to be her mentor, I would be very happy to offer that. But I don't really see myself as a coach.

I have a lot of belief in myself.

When I'm very motivated, and when I have to compete, I change a little bit; I become very competitive.

Pressure comes from myself, because I expect a lot, but I am trying not to put so much pressure on tournaments and to be less emotional during matches.

My parents themselves both went to university, and they very much expected me to be an intellectual and go through further education, and it's to kind of their surprise that I became an athlete.

When competing a lot and traveling, I have problems with my lower back because I'm always on the plane or sitting. That's something that does bother me from time to time, but I try to stay on top of it.

We are constantly under lots of pressure, so I take lots of time to recover and do all the things I need for my body to be in the perfect state to compete the next day.

It's very important to take care of yourself. Everyone's lives are so busy. Take at least an hour a day to recharge and do whatever makes you better. For grown-ups, whether it's a spa, sitting in a park with a book, or coffee, take time for yourself.

I used to always want to play the perfect match, and this meant not losing a point. The realisation came around the time I was 19 years old, in the French Open final in 2007. This was a key period in my career. I was told I was going for too many winners, which was affecting my game.