Ana Ivanovic took the bat again on the big stage – and was extremely successful. But the intermezzo had nothing to do with tennis on unknown terrain.
And yet Ivanovic cut an extremely good figure when she recently ventured onto (smooth) ice. The wife of ex-national soccer player Bastian Schweinsteiger, who had ended her professional career almost two years ago, hit the net four times in a shootout on the sidelines of an NHL game of the Chicago Blackhawks – in five attempts.
“I was already nervous,” admitted the 30-year-old, who took part in the exchange of blows in boots with high heels. There were no problems with standing. In the catacombs of the United Center, Ivanovic had previously practiced with Stick and Puck for her performance in the glittering spotlight.
“I love coming here and watching the Blackhawks, I love ice hockey – the crowd is amazing,” said the 2008 French Open winner, who lives with Schweinsteiger and her son (7 months) in “Windy City. There, the 2014 World Champion has been playing for the MLS club Chicago Fire since March last year.
And the family takes advantage of the varied sports programme in their adopted country. The Schweinsteigers have also visited the basketball players of the Bulls and the baseball players of the Cubs several times.
But of course Ivanovic is loyal to “her” sport. Recently the former number one, who led the WTA world rankings for a total of twelve weeks, visited the Laver Cup in her city and chatted lively with old acquaintances like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic & Co.