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INDIAN WELLS, California: Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic delivered
a sparkling Serbian double on Sunday, their convincing victories at
the Pacific Life Open reaffirming their nation’s arrival on the
tennis map.
Djokovic, the third-ranked player in the world,
had already become a national hero with his triumph at the
Australian Open, where Ivanovic finished runner-up in her second
Grand Slam final.
On Sunday, third-seeded Djokovic downed unseeded
American Mardy Fish 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 to win the first of the
prestigious ATP Masters Series events of the year.
Ivanovic, the top seed in the WTA portion of the
$5.7-million tournament, defeated second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova
6-4, 6-3 to lift the women’s trophy.
For good measure, third-seeded Serbian Jelena
Jankovic made it to the women’s semifinals, and Nenad Zimonjic was
a doubles finalist.
One wag quipped that Indian Wells should be
renamed Serbian Wells.
“This is something I think that we absolutely
deserve,” Djokovic said. “We’ve been working very hard to
throughout all of our lives, and this is just a crown for our work,
and it’s paying off.”
He said he hoped his success and that of his
compatriots on the tennis courts would buoy a country that is now in
some turmoil.
“Considering the fact that our country is in a
very difficult position, they are struggling economically and in
politics as well, I just try to help my country as much as I can,”
said Djokovic, who said he didn’t want to comment on the “Kosovo
is Serbia” banner displayed by some fans in an upper deck of the
stadium seats.
The black banner was on view during Ivanovic’s
match but had been taken down for Djokovic’s—at the request of
tournament organizers.
Djokovic, who has been the biggest sports star
in Serbia since his Australian Open triumph in January, has spoken
previously about his heartache over the separation of Kosovo from
Serbia.
His family has cross-border loyalties, his
father Srdjan being Serbian, and his mother Dijana Montenegran.
He said then that his belief was that Kosovo was
part of Serbia, and always would be.
-- AFP
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