Ana Ivanovic won the French Open in 2008 and became number one in the world, however the Serb suffered a massive downfall in her career after that initial success.
She was down to 65 in the rankings two years after winning her lone grand slam title in Paris.
Ivanovic slowly improved her ranking, in fact she was able to finish 2010 season inside the top 20. She had some good results in the next three years but was unable to level her dominant standards which pushed her to number one.
But 2014 has turned out to be a significant season for Ivanovic. The Serb started the year ranked 16th but rallied 11 spots at the end of the season.
Ivanovic won four titles in 2014, the highest amount she has won in a single season. Her first title came in Auckland when she beat Venus Williams in a thrilling final. She beat countrywoman Jovana Jaksic in Monterrey for her second title win of the year.
She managed to win her maiden grass court title in Birmingham, defeating Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the final. Ivanovic then beat reigning US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets for her fourth title and 15th title overall in Tokyo. She was also the finalist in Stuttgart and Cincinnati, losing to Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams respectively.
However, Ivanovic hasn’t done particularly well in grand slams this year. Her best grand slam result came in Melbourne Park, where she reached quarter-finals. The Serb stunned the world number one Serena Williams in the fourth round, although she was defeated in the last eight by younger star Eugenie Bouchard.
She was a title contender for the Roland Garros crown but was beaten by Lucie Safarova in Round 3, and lost to Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon and Karolina Pliskova in the US Open in Rounds 3 and 2 respectively.
Ivanovic qualified for the WTA tour championships for the first time since 2008 and was drawn into the Red Group alongside top five players Serena Williams, Simona Halep and Eugene Bouchard.
Even though Ivanovic began the tournament with a straight sets loss to Williams, she clinched victories in her second and third round-robin matches against Bouchard and Halep. Ivanovic was unable to progress in the tournament since she dropped a set to Halep.
Ivanovic defeated seven top 10 players this year and wound up with 58 match wins, more match wins than any other woman on tour. She ended the season on a high note, breaking back into the top five and securing the year-end fifth ranking, her second best year-end ranking since turning pro.
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